Royal enfield standard 350cc africa overland?
 

Wanted to add further data on what I like about the Enfield and why i am choosing it,
- Highly repairable...The machine is simple and a novice can fix most of the usual problems with little trouble.
- The price of the bike is low...considerably low to any of the Western or Japanese bikes and buying a old one makes it even more cheaper. Older bikes are not any more worst than the new one's.
- Carnet prices are going to be dead cheap.
- military versions come with a reliable pannier rack (tested in rugged conditions for couple of decades).
- and finally its a locally available bike. I will have a lot of choice. Skilled and friendly mechanics are all around. Personally know Nandan from Banaglore, who is well know around bulleteers circle.

So, there is the reason for my choice. what do you guys/gals feel?
Will keep adding to the post as and when i learn more.

Regards,
Pare.

Hi Pare , I think the Enfield will do fine as long as you prepare for the trip by overhauling the bike to a high standard . You should ,of course, have a good knowledge of the bike and be able to fix it yourself .Don't rely on fiinding mechanics in Africa who know Enfields as well as the mechanics in India .

Nandan is a great source of knowledge and you will learn a great deal from him .Even though the bikes are simple ,there are many things that can cause trouble and it's essential to rebuild the bike with quality parts and pay attention to detail .Enfields are often criticised because of the poor quality of replacement parts which lead to failure .

If you operate the bike within it's limits ,[take it steady !] it should get you where you want to go .
People have been riding them across Africa for nearly sixty years ,so you won't be the first ,or the last.

Here is a couple who rode their 1955 Bullet into Africa .
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/tst...els/002242.php

Best of luck !:clap::thumbup1:

I agree with Dodger. Don't forget to take a bunch of spare parts as they will not be available in Africa and.... go for it! :mchappy:

By the way, when do you plan to start your trip?
Also where are you going to start and what's your final destination?

Oh and... if you have a blog please let us know. :wave:

Hi Dodger and icarus,
Here is one more link I found long back about a couple who did africa overland on a bullet. The site has some good photos. They have written a book, but its in Dutch, i believe.

Two up on a Bullet 350 from Capetown South Africa to Zaanstad the Netherlands

A couple of years ago i used often visit Nandan who thought me the basics. I will surely go back to him for advice.
As icarus mentioned, spares could be a problem. Even OEM parts dont last much longer than the fake parts. Anyhow i think i will have to ask friends to post me spares if i have an unexpected part failing.

I still have some time before i go. Early in the planning stage as of now. So early that i am hunting for a bike now.

Thanks guys for the insight.

Pare.

Hello icarus,

I dont yet have a blog. I am planning to ship the bike to Cape town and ride up north along the east coast and finally across the sea to Marseilles. Well thats the rudimentary plan. Plan to take off by april next year. If my budget, leave and a lot of other"ifs and buts" go right :)
Have a map stuck on the wall with pins for where i want to go, and reading up as much as i can on several things which can be of use.

Pare.

hi pare.
i don't know about other peoples experiences, but i'm not sure if the enfield is reliable enough for africa. ofcourse, i could be wrong, but i'd guess that you'd have less headaches with a hero honda or a something jap brought in south africa.

i have a bullet in india, which i'd like to ride back one day, but in africa i'm not sure how it might fare.

good luck with your trip and don't let my comments put you off - just food for thought.

hutch

I have to agree with Hutch here.

Hello Hutch and Caminando,
I agree with you that the realiability of enfield being less than a jap bike. But, it also has higher repairability. I mean to say, atleast i feel more confident to fix a enfield than a jap bike. And, since i enjoy riding slow and soaking in the culture and people, enfields low speeds should not be drawback.
But i am still worried about the spares that i have to carry and the meagre 18bhp engine on dirt track.
@Hutch: which bullet do you have in India!??

Pare

Hi Pare,

Are you going to make this trip on your own? Will the trip end in Marseille or will you go further north (Belgium for example)?
Maybe we can meet 'somewhere' in Europe then? Are you also going to ride the bike back to India? :cool4:

Why don't you take one of those new 500cc EFI bikes? More reliable and more powerful (more expensive though). As for the spares I would just take the usual stuff. Missing parts can always sent after by your friends/relatives or you could contact Hitchcock (UK). I take it you will use the classic Indian Bullet luggage rack?

Just in case you didn't know... here's a link to the best Royal Enfield forum on the net... enjoy! :D

The problem with older bikes is that in many cases they are not simpler and easier to fix.

Look at brakes - disc brakes have considerably fewer moving parts than a drum, and if you have a failure then you can replace parts from just about any bike e.g. master cylinders are almost universal, calipers are also interchangeable if you are prepared to fabricate a mount.

Ignition - modern systems don't fail. By comparison, points cause regular difficutlies, never mind weight based ignition advancers.

Wheels - spoke wheels bend their rims and snap spokes. Tubes burst and you have to remove the tyre to fix a flat. Cast wheels are much, much stronger and can run tubeless tyres - fixing a flat is a 2 minute job using an externally fitted mushroom plug.

The list goes on and on. To each his own as far as the type of bike you like to ride, but do understand the implications of your choice.

Relying on local mechanics to be able to repair your vehicle is never a good a thing - often they are the cause of further failures - so you want something that either is unlikely to break, or if it does break, then something you can repair yourself.

Some good points there Gary ,especially concerning local mechanics.

But one good thing about drum brakes is that they don't have seals that can let you down ,also a primitive repair shop could reline the shoes if necessary .Apart from a cable there is not much else to break .

Points ignition can be replaced with a Boyer type sytem .Modern sytems are more reliable but need a good battery voltage .Older systems can have a capacitor fitted that will ensure the bike starts with a flat battery .

Hello Icarus,
I am planning on my own. I have a lot of close french friends in marseille who may even come over to algeria or libya before i reach france.So, thats how marseille is prominently on the trip plan.

I have given myself 100 days time for the trip...i am estimating a total ride of 20K kms and an average of 200km/day seems ridable. I dont ride too fast and am a defensive rider. In the time frame,return trip may not be possible. But, i certainly want to ride 'india to europe or europe to inda thru middle east' route one day. I have indian passport, so its a little difficult to get pakistan visa. I want to visit pakistan.....i hope things settle down fast between countries, so i can ride. I have heard stories of amazing hospitality from pakistanis and towards indains especially....

I would to meet up somewhere in Europe. I have no particluar plan on riding in Europe so i am absolutely flexible except for the trip duration...i can make it to Belgium too. I will keep you updated and i think we can for sure meetup....a friend from leh (a buddhist monk) said to me last time we met, "Only mountains cant move to meet, people can always meet"...
I wrote a lot, but i dont know wether i have answered all your questions :) ...

Hello Icarus,
I am sticking to an old bike mostly due to price of the bike, waiting time for new bike and the corresponding increase in carnet money. Actually, even for a 1970 bullet i may end paying the same price as a new one, but the carnet price will be very low.
And, as for spares, I am doing exactly as you suggested. i am finding out post offices in my route who have this options of receiving the post on my name and i just show my ID and collect the post.
I am going to use the bullet lugguage rack. I think its on the military bullet. I dont know what exactly that model of rack is called. It is broad, looks good and simple.
....thanks a bunch for the enfield forum link...i did not explore that one before...will check it now....

Pare.

Hello Farqhuar,
You are right about old bikes sometimes having problems not easy to fix. But, on the positive side, there is exhaustive list of these items which will go wrong.
- disc brakes has lot of good characters...i will put them on the old bike directly...but only on the front wheel maybe......drum brakes are also fine i think...except for the antifading properties....they have less moving parts too and no fluides to leak or refill. only spares required will be brake pads and cables, i think.
- ignition: i am planning on both ignitions...i mean having both of them, CDI and point...actully i have to work on this part of the planning.
- tyres: complete overhaul of bike including spokes , and file of sharp spokes poking out to the inside of the rim. and rim screws to hold the tyre in place should help. But yes, i wont have easytime fixing punctures which can be many on the trip....but certainly fixable.

I know you were giving these just as examples and there are many of them. I think planning stage will exactly include these thoughts, and trying to eliminate or think of as many of such situations and have solutions.

But, Enfields are quite overdesigned and can take a lot of abuse. I am fixed on the bike now. But i certainly have to change systems in it (like disc brake or casted rims) to make it better. That way i will have the price advantage as well as relaibility, i hope.

And i will certainly improve my knowlwdge base on fixing the usual problems of the bike. have scheduled overhauling the bike by this year end. Dodger(vetern from the same forum) had told previosly about overhauling the bike to high standards. Will change any worn parts, run in some of the spares, etc...

But, man you have got me thinking into how much more i have think and discuss about problems that may come up in the old bike. Rightly said about having systems that "unlikely to break, or if it does break, then something you can repair yourself"..

Pare.

Hello Dodger,
Was thinking of having both point system and CDI system. will read up on boyer system too. I discussed with a local mechanic who said thats its possible to have both systems and switch between systems.
Yet to decide on it actually.

Disc brake have good braking properties. In my existing bike i had no problems in the disc brake system. But had no problems with the drum brakes of the rear wheel too. One time had relined the brake shoe in past 7 years..and was easy to do too.

Pare.

I know that planning this kind of trip is half the fun but I wouldn't get too hung up on trying to plan for very contingency. Just go for it and worry about problems if or when they occur. If you weren't up for a challenge you wouldn't be considering this trip at all especially on a bike which you know will need a lot of on-going maintenance.
Personally I think 200k every day for 100 days is more than I would want to aim for. A days hold up would mean 400k the following day to catch up.
Good luck though and I would have no hesitation on doing the trip on an older Enfield.

Hello Harleyrider!
you are right on mark when you said that planing is half the fun :)
i think the problems and solutions and people who help to do it is all what makes a trip of a lifetime.
and i am afraid i was thinking, 200km/day was a very conservative estimate. I have ridden dirt tracks in india similar to what i expect to see in africa.
also, i dont expect to cover 200KMs everyday...its he average distance to maintain...so i will know if i can spare some days along the trio\p, say for a climb of Mt.kilimanjaro, or for scuba diving...i dont know...
do you think i should reconsider these distance per day estimates?... I will be riding at 50-60km/hr speed even on good roads...i think on bad roads speed in the not the concern...its patience and endurance...

Pare.

Enfields in Africa
 

Hi Pare, I'll be leaving Dubai more or less at the same time, I'm riding my Enfield back home (France) but because I have a friend living in south sudan I draw my itinerary like this

Long way home - Google Maps

As of now, I have very little knowledge about mechanic and I don't really know how to acquire it, but I can't see myself leaving this place without my bike, so I'll take my chances

I'm looking for 5-day course intensive mechanic and maintenance training, but I don't know exactly where to get that, especially in dubai... do you know if it's possible in india?

I'll be happy to meet you on the road!

Cheers,
Clem

Hello Clem,
Sorry for the late reply. The maintenance of bullet is simple...its just needs a lot of care and constant monitoring. If you do that none of the problems become complicated in a short time. If you want a indepth guide with also details enough to do day to day maintance, get or buy the Pete Sindal's enfield manual.
I would love to meet you on the road. Only thing is that i my planning is not going as per plan and i am getting worried about my feasibility. I will certainly let you know when i am on road anywhere near by.
Have you made the list of spares you will be taking?
Good luck.

Last September I did a trip through eastern Europe on my Enfield.
I had two problems, neither of which was I equipped to fix.
The first was the front brake (disk) would lock on when I used it. would ease off after couple hundred metres of riding. was ok cold, but when hot would lock on.
The second was that by the time I got to Poland my big end had started to rattle. It got me back across Germany , Holland and as far as Antwerp in Belgium where I left the bike with a friend. It might have got me home, it might not. But it was safe in my friends garage and trains from Antwerp to home are easy. I went back two weeks later and picked it up with my car and trailer.
It has been my experience that tubeless tyres run on aluminium rims are less reliable than tubed on spoked wheels.
disk brakes do seize from time to time. Often they can be fixed with a repair kit and a bleed, but drums are easier to fix.
I have learn the hard way, always replace a tube when you replace a worn tyre, Modern rubber does not seem to last very long before degrading.

Thanks for sharing the experience on brake. i was thinking for a while whether to go for disk brake or stick to good old drum brakes. Since i am planning on buying an old bike, it will be having a drum brake.
braking and antifad properties of disk are supposed to be better than drum brake. But i think, drum brakes will suffice. let me know your thoughts.
Pare.

In North Italy at traffic lights the car in front of me pulled away and stopped suddenly.
I actually locked the front wheel and even loaded with gear the back end lifted a bit. The sudden stopping was such a shock it made me think I had hit the car but my front wheel was six inches ( 150mm in new money) away from the car. the forks literally bent back and sprung back out. The Enfield front brake is the best I have ever experienced on a bike. The sticking will be due to corrosion of either the piston or case. Repairable, but not on the road for me.
So Yes "modern" disk brakes are better than 50 year old drum brakes.
However due to there being much less grip with rear brake, a drum there will provide all the braking your tyre can cope with. A definite plus on the front though. If you upgrade an old bullet to the newer disk front brake, be sure also to use the newer Electra front fork tubes and stanchions. Th eold forks are not strong enough. That should tell you something.

I've found a Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc - its a 1998 model from India - Going cheap(ish) and I'm rather tempted to get it although been hearing that the Indian made bikes can be a bit iffy ..... but still very tempted - it'd be my first bike though and a little worried that it could be a complete ball ache, but looking at getting a bike maintenance course through the ILA so at least I know what I'm doing

Where is Dave Ede when ya need him?

He owns a couple of Enfields, albeit Diesel ones....you could probably run faster but he seems to like em!:innocent:
He will be along in a minute or two.... much like his 0-60 time on an Enfield Diesel......:rofl:


Hi Dave! :thumbup1:

M

in edinburgh it would probably be a ball ache for the first little while, but you'd learn lots and make it reliable. Hitchcock's would be on speed dial for you. to be honest, get the manual (it's way better than any modern bikes manual, it has humour!) and ask. a bike maintenance course would probably not cover Enfield's faults (mainly wiring/earthing), though would be generally useful. especially if they cover electrics. did I mention electrics ?

if you need a hand just ask. my enfield was mechanically reliable for 16,000 km over west africa. it only needed a new clutch cable, chain and sprockets.

(sorry to hijack-ish the thread: we're doing an Ausin Vince night in Edinburgh on 24th Feb. Matt's coming, and he's an Edinburgh Enfield Expert, I'm sure he'd pass on his knowledge)

Apart from Hitchcocks becoming your 2nd best friend I also found this manual and parts list extremely useful.
THE PETE SNIDAL ENFIELD BULLET MANUAL
2007 UK DELUXE EDITION

I can't remember where it came from. I think it was recommended on one of the Enfield forums. It may have been a download or it may have been a CD in the post. There are plenty of references to it on Google.
It covers the UK models as well as the Indian ones.

Ausin Vince night? If yours could get round Africa, I'm sure one could manage me around Europe

Yeah, I heard that Hitchcocks would be where all my pennies would be getting spent - Been having a look and rather fancy the army panniers they have - heard about a manual too, will have to try and find that

the add-ons are laughably cheap, or were for me. £27 for engine guards...

Hitchcocks do some really good replacement mod's, such as the kick start spring. and the guys on their forum are helpful.


up in Ethiopia (from edinburgh)..


austin vince of mondo enduro in edinburgh | get lost

cheers,
Doug

Ah cheers - Think I may try and pop along to that, be nice to met up and get some advice!

Hello All,
I have seen the pete snidal manual. Its good and covers most of what one may need in usual bike maintenance.
I have finally found a bike of 1972 make. Documents seems to be in place. The bike will need an overhaul. and my time is running out!
Happy new year to all...:)
Pare.

Hello DougieB,
some questions on the image you posted!..I cant figure out the circular dial near the front wheel hub...whats that?
and how did the tyres of the bike play...they have lo of knobs(off road) compared to regular tyres. Is it better to have them even if 30-40% of the riding may be on tarmac?
great pic by the way.
Thanks in advance.
Pare

Hello Clemclem,
How is your planning coming along? I am keeping my fingers crossed on the situation in sudan. Hope it turns out good and peaceful both for us and the people of sudan.
pare.

From what I hear, Royal Enfield, Baja Scooter, Vespa Scooter, and auto rickshaw mechanics and parts can be found just about everywhere... and dirt cheap. Probably one of the better choices for a trip like this.

Hello Wheelie,
I hope you are right. I dont know about the spare parts of enfield's in Africa. But I am sure it can take a lot of parts from other bikes and autos. I have some times used the auto clutch cables in India (clipped to length with a stopper attached at one end).
For me the choice was driven more by cost and ease of repairing (I am not much of a mechanic) of the Enfield.
Pare.