Royal Enfield Classic 500

[Nomad Z]

This is just a thought experiment or idle musing in the winter - not about to rush out and buy anything.

I have a liking for classic or retro style bikes, at least in terms of how they look. In particular, the dispatch rider style of the Royal Enfield Classic 500 in green looks the business to me.

How would one of these measure up as a daily ride? I commute 15 miles each way, mostly 30 & 40mph roads, with some twisty A road getting up to 50-60mph, usually with a fair bit of traffic (so often slower on the A road). On the slower bits, there is a fair amount of filtering. Is a Classic 500 a viable filtering machine? I currently ride a Gladius, and I find that fine. The Van Van I had before that was maybe a bit better because it was lighter, but not a lot of difference in practical terms.

What about maintenance? I'd likely fit a Scottoiler, but is other 'every-fortnight' stuff needed on top of oiling the chain? (Engine oil top-ups?) Is the overall reliability good? I like vehicles to just behave themselves between services rather than need constant fettling because bits go out of adjustment, wear too quickly, drop off or just break. There seem to be plenty of UK dealers, so I assume getting spares and service parts is okay.

What about getting an older used bike? Do they age well? I don't know how long the green one has been out, but I'd be willing to consider getting something older (Bullet 500?) and repainting it if old and green isn't available. I would like to have electric start and fuel injection, though, but not sure how far back those go.

[Northern Monkey]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I love my Enfield, but if I wanted something that "behaves between services" I would have kept the CB500 or the Savage. The benefit is that the Enfield is easy to work on and, once used to it, doesn't take long to do a front to back onceover when cleaning.

Filtering is a piece of piss (easier than the Savage was).

If you want reliability and the Army style, maybe look at a CB250U and do the customising yourself?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58cUl9O6Pg
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Rogerborg]

[asta1]

Interesting. I was considering the Enfield as an alternative to a restricted commuter bike for use on an a2 licence. Use would generally be low speed, short journeys around town, plus playing at the weekend. Longer trips would be rare, maybe 4 or 5 times a year when I go to see the folks, and I have a car available if necessary. Would you say the Enfield is more fun than a restricted er6 or mt07? I really love the styling and the idea of a classically styled machine and the price is not bad for new whereas the other options would be 2nd hand.
Would current users say it is viable for this kind of use?

[Rogerborg]

It really depends on your definition of "playing" and "fun".

They're comically primitive, with just enough go in them. Think of them as loud, torquey 125s that don't struggle on hills. I find that makes me smile, when I'm in the mood.

But any 35kW restricted modern twin will leave it behind on the open road while being much more refined and less tiring on long runs. As for value for money, Enfields are expensive for the limited performance and Indian build quality. But then again, the performance is just fine for my commute so viewed another way, I paid for performance that I don't use on my BMW.

It's a very subjective choice: you'd really have to ride one to see if it suits.

I love my Enfield but I wouldn't recommend it. I would recommend my BMW but I don't love it. Bikes are funny that way.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[asta1]

Thanks for that. I am not too bothered by the lack of performance as long as it is sufficient for comfy commuting round town and maintaining 70 on the motorway if absolutely necessary. I just want a basic, cheap, pretty bike for gaining experience and getting around before I do the full a test in a few years. After that I can hang on to it as a second bike and get something a bit sportier. As long as it is reasonably reliable then I reckon it might fit the bill. Still, as you say I will need to ride it and the Japanese option in person first to get a better idea.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[mysterious_rider]

See i like the enfields. I went to the local dealer and sat on the single seat version. Felt. 'Ok' size wise. I got my other half to take a pic and i look like a lanky twat on it. (6.2ft). So i dont think its an option.... Sadly.


Maybe sv650. Want something newer and relatively cheap.
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KAWASAKIIIII

[Alpineandy]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Rogerborg]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Alpineandy]

[Rogerborg]

For those playing along at home, Enfields have no rev counter. Or (pre UCE) a fuel gauge. Or a trip meter. But by god you'll know if the battery is charging or discharging.

On shifting, I've come to love the way you can freely lift the shifter while in 5th, so you can tell if you're in top gear without that awkward clutch-in-dammit-can't-kick-up moment. Why don't all bikes do that?
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Northern Monkey]

[Nomad Z]

Thanks for all the comments. Good to know that it's fine for filtering, and that parts and tools are readily available.

To give a bit of background on my musings or possible intentions, it wouldn't be my only bike. I went with the Gladius last September when I got my licence, partly because I was used to them from DAS, and because it felt fine to sit on compared to others that I tried. Since that and a Van Van were my only points of reference, and because I wasn't sure what I'd use a bike for in the real world, I decided to stick with what I know and see how my interests and needs develop over the next few months.

Things have already changed from what I had first envisaged before I rode a bike. At first, my thoughts were weekend runs, a bit of touring around Scotland, and maybe the occasional commute. It's turned out that I commute nearly every day and go for a run around 100 miles most weekends (when the weather's nice, anyway). Haven't done any longer runs or short tours, mainly because the Gladius seat isn't built for comfort. That can be addressed, and there's always the possibility of fitting some luggage (already have a screen, which makes a big difference).

I also like the V-twin in the Gladius. I fitted an Ixil Hyperlow end can (stubby end pipe, more like), which I rather like - it produces a fairly thumpy sound when pootling along at low revs, especially when rolling the throttle on in a highish gear, which makes me think of big singles. There's plenty of low-down torque, which I really like, and I feel it's as sporty as I'd want a bike to be.

So, I'm trying to think of a future bike situation where I have something to commute on, and something for longer runs and possible mini tours. I don't use much of the power in the Gladius when commuting - only rarely over 6000 rpm, and usually under 5000, but I do like the power for overtaking when out for an afternoon's blat in good weather, and it's good for motorway speeds (don't especially like motorways, but sometimes they're the sensible option to get to the desired area).

My thoughts are to get something like the RE for commuting and maybe some weekend bimbles, and try the Gladius for mini tours with a possible view to changing it to something more suitable if needed (assuming I like the touring thing). I'd keep the Gladius while I assessed the RE, and if it turned out that I don't like the RE, then I still have the Gladius. If I do like the RE, then I can decide whether to keep the Gladius or change to something else. That's the plan at the moment, and I dare say it could change once the good weather comes back in the spring.

The idea of customising something else to give it the dispatch rider look is an interesting one, but I'm not sure if I'd have the commitment to see it through. I'm not the world's greatest for finishing projects like that, no matter how well intentioned I am at the start. There is also some appeal in the fact that the RE is near-enough the real deal in that it's a slightly modernised 50s police/army bike that is actually used by the Indian police and army. If nothing else, the design should be well proven in real world use, and if the simple and basic design works in India, I'd have thought it should work decently well in the UK. (I note that nobody has said they're a reliability nightmare.) I can live with basic and utilitarian as long as it works.

So, post-2008 or post-2010 for a used one. Royal Enfield quote a top speed of 130kph, which is just about 80mph.

Roger, noted on what you say about the Glasgow dealer - sounds like not the place I'd want to go to. There are a couple of others: Ian Murray Motorcycles in Loanhead (south of Edinburgh) and Sandy Bloy Motorcycles in Perth. Any knowledge or experience with either of them? Loanhead is nearest to me, so I think I'll pay a visit there some time to at least get a look at them, and maybe a sit. If initial impressions are good, I might see about a test ride.

[Rogerborg]

Sorry, I haven't tried the other dealers. There's generally a few private sale bikes around, quite often scrupulously looked after garage queens with a token number of miles on them. When I bought mine, I could have fried chips in the engine oil.

Definitely go for a fuel injected UCE bike if you want low maintenance. Not that there's a vast amount more to do on the AVLs, but they do appreciate being threatened with a big spanner every so often just to keep them honest.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Nomad Z]

I'm expecting to be out and about for a bit this afternoon, so I might see about visiting Ian Murray to at least have a mooch and a sit.

Noted on the lightly used garage queens - I'm not especially after a new bike, and I'm not in a hurry.