I had the standard tank, and had no problems with range. Good idea with the rear shocks. I fitted a pancake air filter, it looks better and works better than the standard one. Check the rubber hose between air filter and carb, that split on me so if you can replace it with some radiator hose from a car you can foget about it. Plastic gasket and plastic metal were useful. I don't think you need to take that much for this bike. Some good (long) tyre levers.

Just remembered, Hitchcocks do a stronger kick start return spring. The original one on my 500 kept coming off. Once I fitted the Hitchcocks one it never came off again.

My old army bags were excellent. I didn't have anything too important with me, nothing that couldn't be replaced. All my documents and things I just kept in a small rucksack on my back. Remember you're going to be travelling slow, so you'll need lots of water at times. That was a big hassle. Try attaching 3 x 2lt bottles to your bike. I hadn't even thought about that, and my pathetic attempts with string/rope/bungies always resulted in at least one bottle bouncing off.

After Oct05? I got myself into a spot of bother...

What route are you taking?

cheers,

you tend to see alot more of life on an enfield as well. 50mph gives you time to look around, rather than 75mph every time the road opens a bit.
after all isn't that what this is all about?

hitchcocks do some metal panniers and frames for the enfield, like the bike itself they're crude and rugged and probably worth looking into.

as for the water thing, i've just returned from a blast to the france/andora border. its only the second bit of touring i've done, but every time i filled the bike up (circa 180 miles) i had a rest and supped about a litre of water each time.
i was still slightly dehydrated at the end of the day, but felt much better than previous jaunts when i waited till i was thirsty.

rdjc

That's why I love doing my rtw on an old Ducati 250. Top speed ain't what I'm after.

I bought a CamelPak in Australia. My favorite purchase! I didn't have a thermometer, but I saw pictures of the same area I was in that said 128F/53C. Soak myself at stops which would dry out fast, and drank lots.

--Dave

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Not Ted Simon since 1970!
http://nokilli.com/rtw

Rob,

What sort of spares you planning on? I've had a 2002 350 for the past year and have just clicked over 10,000. Also curious as to your choice of an Amal carb. What did you go for and what influenced your decision?

Hi Foxy

With regard to spares - at the moment I'm going to start the trip with some Avons and take 3 TKC 80's for when the roads get worse. I have a spare set of most cables and spare 'o' ring chain. Top end gasket set, 2 spare inner tubes ( british made and I changed the original Indian ones too), puncture repair kit, Iridium spark plug, set of points and condensor ( although I have electronic ignition fitted). I may add to the list but if anything drastic happends ( which I'm expecting! ) I can arrange to send out parts to wherever I am.
With regard to carb - I went for the concentric - I must admit I dont like Amals but I dont like the original carb either - I have too many friends who have had problems with the standard carb and are much happier with the Amal so I listened to them and to date I can honestly say the bike starts and runs much better

All the best

Rob

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Rob

You may also want to consider an oil pump spindle - these can and do fail and if they do it'll be sudden and you'll be stranded. Only about a tenner though, and lightweight too. Spare spokes may be an idea too as they can get bashed about a bit and don't have the best reputation for strength. Would presume you have found Hitchcock's by now - certainly by far and away the best company I've ever had regular dealings with. May be worth speaking to them for advice and they'd certainly be top of my list for sourcing spares. Their improved 5 plate clutch is supposed to be an absolute gem, especially if lugging luggage or off roading or in hotter climates. Or all three as it could be!

Re the carb, Concentrics can wear out to the point of uselessness in 6000 miles if used in unfriendly conditions. While the standard 24mm Mikarb is tiny it does offer better economy, better reliability and in my case is set up pretty much perfectly. Being a copy of a Mikuni it is also easier to source spare parts. The only advantage of the Amal I've seen is easier starting owing only to the tickler & variable choke and the increase in performance owing to it's larger bore. Once sorted they do work quite well, but I have been meaning to try using a VM28 from a 500 for performance with reliability and economy. FWIW with respect to the 500s the figures I've seen bandied about for fuel consumption is around 90-100mpg with the VM28 and 75-80mpg with a 30mm Concentric, which I'd imagine would be fairly similar to the figures for the 350.

Re tyres, I've used Avons up to now but have heard very good things about the block pattern Chen Shin classic tyres. Understandably with that name most are dubious, but it seems that those who try them are impressed by their grip and longevity. The block pattern also works surprisingly well off road and not only are they dirt cheap but they are also a universal fitment - meaning front and rear are exchangeable, which makes for an easier life. Even the stock Avons aren't too bad at all off road in the dry though.

Congrats on the 350 as well - they definitely seem to be more robust for long distance work than the 500.

Now that Enfield have a strong presence in South Africa, there's no reason why you wouldn;t be able to get parts air-freighted to you even more quickly than elsewhere.

The local agent for Enfield is a guy called Terry Behan, e-mail terry@thefearlessexecutive.com

Africa on an Enfield? Why not? It's a fab idea.

locodog

Hi,

I have both an Enfield and a Yamaha XT. The Xt is my personal choice for a travel bike, but I think with the right prep. and maintenance you should be fine.
Just be aware it'll be much slower than a modern bike, although that is not nessecarily a bad thing!
As mentioned before, 19" TKC80s will fit front and back of your bullet and make it look tres gnarly! You might want to think about improving the electrics. Many bullet breakdowns are down to something as simple as a bad earth. Go over the electrics of your bike thoroughly before leaving, take some spare wire, a multi meter and lots of fuses! You might want to replace your regulator/rectifier units with a Boyer Bransden powerbox, which also allows you to run the bike without a battery (which may or may not be useful!). It might also be worth considering changing your ignition to a modern digital system for reliability.
Other than that I'd put threadlock on all your bolts and regularly check them.
Definately worth beefing up the sub-frame/rear mudgaurd hanger for carrying luggage. You could probably buy one from Watsonian Squire very cheap to weld bits on and generally make ugly, retaining the original to put back on the bike when you return. Watsonian are the UK importers of enfields and remove the original fit mudgaurd hangers when fitting their own custom ones for their trials/cafe racer models. The aforementioned HItchcock's are a very good source of info. and quality aftermarket parts.

That's all I can think of right now!

Matt

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

enfield to SA? sure why wouldnt it cope? just get to know the bike very well before you go, as you should any bike i suppose, and at least they are much simpler than nearly any other bike i can think of. these days we have 'death by electronics'

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dave

Hello,
I have some observartions to share.
SOme time ago a Norvegian fellow with an Enfield made from India to Istanbul.
The bike had crankshaft problem. To find a mechanic was not easy.
He had some repair in Iran. It look like they made even more damage than repair. Parts were ordered all the way from İndia. They cost next to nothing but still some vital parts were missing. Finally the bike was sent to Norway via cargo.

Anothe traveller ended up leaving his bike some where in Eastern Turkey.

Unless you travel with lots of parts, and you know how to fix that bike, I would not advise it. Once you are in India I hear you can find a mechanic very very easily.

Take your Yamaha or BMW, enjoy the ride...

Have good one.

Burak

OK so I've decided on the Enfield and done a fair amount of preparation to the Bike - the list includes:-
Replacement inner tubes (also taking 2 spare)
Strengthen front mudguard
New front springs
New rear shock absorbers (Hagon)
New 5 speed gearbox ( original was 4 speed - big gap between 3rd and 4th)
Electronic ignition ( will take spare points/condensor in case)
Boyer power box to replace Regulator and Rectifier
High performance coil
All electrics moved into left hand tool box
Front brake modification ( it now nearly stops!!)
Complete check of wiring circuit and improved earth contacts
'O' ring chain
New Amal carb (had the slider machined and fitted with brass sleeve) with free flowing filter
Made some sponge type outer filter to fit onto cone air filter
Big 18ltr fuel tank
Single seat
strenghtend rear mudguard (although the 350 ones are stronger than the 500 bullet ones already)
Side stand with wide metal plate on 'foot'
High rise handlebars
Replaced all cables with new ones and had the new inner cables replaced with Japanese non memory ones ( also taking 1 spare of each)
A friend of mine is currently making a luggage system for the rear which will be supported on the frame and not the Mudguard. Also taking 3 X TKC80's which I have fitted provisionaly to make sure there are no problems ( needed to cut away part of front mudguard )

I've done most of the work to keep costs down and used some S/H parts like the fuel tank - some people would say I'm going over the top with preparation but I know I'm going to have problems and I just want to reduce the amount!!

Forgot to say all this has been done on a bike that has only just covered 400 miles

Should be off in September down the West Coast of Africa.

Going to the UK Hubb meet if anyone is interested in a chat

All the best

Rob

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Rob

Nice one Rob, looks like you've constructed yourself a nice little adv-tourer! I'll keep an eye out for it at Lumb farm!
This is probably unecessary to say as I'm sure you know but remember to run that bike in REALLY gently. They're not made to the same tolerances as 'modern' bikes. The good thing about that though is how the bikes feel improves over the first 1000km. Mine felt SO much nicer at 1000km than it did at the start.

Matt

__________________
http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

I think that you are brave to undertake the trip across Africa on an Enfield. Sure, do, it, but I'd be inclined to use a BMW R 80 GS, XT 500, XT 600, R 100 GS, R 1200GS, BMW 1150 Adventure, the Enfield would worry me. I remember my BSA all too well, my Land Rovers as well. I'm more of a BMW or Land Cruiser type of bloke after 53 bikes. Something that will just slog on and on.

I have been stuck on the side of the road with broken down bikes on only a few occasions - many years ago - even a Yamaha TTR 250 is a good choice, check out Lois on the Loose - The TTR250 - ready to rock

I live in Africa, have for most of my life, if your bike breaks down here in a place you don't want to be, it can cost you your life. That's not romantic.

A Bullet is perfectly capable, if prepped right. The nightmare stories I have read seem to stem from people riding ropey second hand Indian home market bikes long distances. Later export spec bikes are better made and with the right modifications are quite impressively robust. Even with the improved quality of the export market bikes there are still certain improvements that can greatly improve reliability. The main bearings can be quite suspect and it would be prudent to strip and rebuild the motor with western European made main bearings. This will also give you the opportunity to check over the rest of the motor and address the other main problem area - lubrication. There are alot of pros and cons relating to the use of high capacity oil pumps, and IMO they may not be worth the expense but there are simple modifications and checks that can be done to ensure the lubrication system is working efficiently.

The 350s certainly seem to be more robust than the 500s and, again IMO, are better suited to distance work regardless of the extra torque provided by the 500 engine. Essentially the 350 has noticeably less reciprocating mass which means less stress on the bottom end and less vibration which is of benefit to the whole bike and the rider.

Properly sorted what you end up with is a fairly robust bike that while more maintenance intensive than more modern designs is very easy to work on and pleasantly characterful. I have found spares backup in the UK at least to be far better than any other bike I have owned, and the company in question ships very quickly domestically and do also ship overseas. This company is Hitchcocks and they also have a wealth of experience relating to running and modifying post war Royal Enfields, especially the Bullet.