Mates Royal Enfield..

triton said:
Enfield's are an awful lot of bike for very little money and especially the 650 Interceptor/Continental range that are becoming pretty cheap for an older low miles model. They do have their faults simply because they were built down to a price. The front and rear suspension is choppy and the engine gets really hot especially in any kind of traffic but you can do so much with them.
I fitted TEC big bore headers, cannon silencers and a Fuel X module. It now runs a lot cooler and pick-up is the difference between night and day. No more power but much more torque and midrange which is what you really want on a day to day rider.
The look nice as well.View attachment 97502
Click to expand...
And as we have seen several times: A2 legal! So what would you choose: Enfield 650 Continental/Interceptor or Moto Guzzi V7 Stone/Racer?
 
Well, a new RE650 interceptor is between £6,100 and £6,600 depending on colour and a new Guzzi V7 Sport £9,100 (UK prices). Performance wise there's not a lot between them although the Guzzi has a lot more character and history but is it worth the extra £3k over the RE, hmmm🤔.
The problem with the RE is now becoming the price of them, back in 2019 they were £4,500 and now they are £1,600 more expensive for the same bike. RE are in danger of pricing themselves out of the market to Chinese brands
The s/h values of RE's isn't particularly great either (although nothing like those of a BSA Gold star, they really do appear to drop and not helped by massive discounts from new either).
I paid £3,400 for my S/H RE in 2023, it is a 2020 model with the chrome tank so in the upper range of price when new. It had 2400 miles on it with a full service history. I doubt if I could have got the equivalent Guzzi for that price or anywhere near it.
The fit and finish is great but the weight isn't even if it's low down, it is 8KG lighter than my 27 year old V4 VFR but with less than half the power! It is great though for what I want it for, relaxed local rides with a bit of scratching and I could still loose my licence on it🙂.
If I was to get a Guzzi it would have to be a Le-Mans MK1 as a project. A mate of mine has got one in boxes under his workshop bench, it's been there for at least 30 years and every year I ask him to sell it to me and every year he says he's going to get around to restoring it😐.
 
I should have stated that whatever I buy will be used! And that because of French licensing rules I’ll have to ride an A2 legal bike for a while.
 
Already posted about my niece's RE Continental GT. Perfect bike for many types of rider: beginners, experienced riders who don't want a a HP overdose, anyone who doesn't want a bike that looks like a Transformer ... for A$6k (3k sterling?) she got the bike with 7,000km, a Shoei flip-up, full two piece leathers, full Dr-rider wets, Alpinestars boots and gloves, a 2nd pair of short boots and a pair of heated gloves.

She's already talking about things to change (I'll mention the Fuel-X thing and the exhaust). There seem to be loads of companies making aftermarket stuff for them. If it were mine I'd probably look to upgrading the suspenders and modifying the seat - it felt too much like I was perched on top of it rather than in it. Performance wise, it's more than capable as is if you're not planning on going berserk - you certainly don't notice a lack of power or torque - it's very usable.

What does that Fuel-X mod do? Just a chip? I didn't find anything lacking in the way it ran when I rode it the 120km home.
 
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From their website they call it an “auto tune”, but looking closer it just seems to be a remapping device. There is no indication that it is self learning and adjusting like a Holley Sniper system. The Lite version has one map and the Pro has 10 with a switch on the handlebars to select.

They claim lower EGT and CHT so that implies that it enriches the AFR. Ditto their claim of 50% faster mid-range throttle response. A fatter mixture would do that.

If one was not going to change anything the single map version should do all of that to a stock bike. If you were going to change the inlet configuration and/or add a better exhaust then the Pro with the 10 maps would be appropriate.

Anyway a used RE sounds like fun and would give lots of opportunities for “improvement”! 😊😉 A good project for an old guy and a fun way to pass the time until I can legally ride the RGS again.
 
if you like acronyms, watch a few episodes of The Pitt ... medical jargon on steroids!

Anyways, even if you have a TPS and go WOT when your pistons are too few degrees BTDC and your AFR isn't right it may cause your EGT to rise and your motor might go BANG! Not quite sure what CHT is ... :cool:
 
I just went for the single map Fuel X and found it allows the bike run so much better and cooler. RE like all other manufacturers run the mixture lean at low revs to get through emissions testing. This makes the bike run very hot and pick-up is also compromised. The Fuel X allows more fuel in at lower revs and increases torque especially if used with a free flowing air filter such as a K&N (and remove the air box snorkel as well). If you combine the Fuel X with the TEC pipes the whole bike is transformed. It doesn't add any additional BHP but it does dramatically increase the midrange.
I bought a RE touring seat and it's actually comfortable for long distance (I did 250 in one day with no issues). I changed the handlebar levers to some TEC adjustable items, much better than the originals.
Great bike to customise to your own taste.
 
The system I had on my Aprilia cheats the lambda sensor to make the ECU think that the engine is running too lean and so enriches the mixture eliminating bad running at low to mid revs. It's a simple resistance.
I got rid of it when the engine had freed up, it wasn't necessary any more.
Paul
 
triton said:
Enfield's are an awful lot of bike for very little money and especially the 650 Interceptor/Continental range that are becoming pretty cheap for an older low miles model. They do have their faults simply because they were built down to a price. The front and rear suspension is choppy and the engine gets really hot especially in any kind of traffic but you can do so much with them.
I fitted TEC big bore headers, cannon silencers and a Fuel X module. It now runs a lot cooler and pick-up is the difference between night and day. No more power but much more torque and midrange which is what you really want on a day to day rider.
The look nice as well.View attachment 97502
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you about the Royal Enfield. Great fun for a basic bike. Upgraded mine with Ohlins suspension and RCS radial MC. And some other stuff like clipons, quick throttle and Motogadget mirrors and blinkers.

Overall reliable… except the gearbox. Changed it twice due to broken 3th gear. Both fixed by the dealer, even the second time when warranty already passed. Known problem for the early models. Now I have >2023 gearbox. So far without issues at 50.000km :)
 

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piranha-bro2 said:
if you like acronyms, watch a few episodes of The Pitt ... medical jargon on steroids!

Anyways, even if you have a TPS and go WOT when your pistons are too few degrees BTDC and your AFR isn't right it may cause your EGT to rise and your motor might go BANG! Not quite sure what CHT is ... :cool:
Click to expand...
CHT=Cylinder Head Temperature
 
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