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Jul 19, 202310 Reliability Issues To Know About Before Buying A Royal Enfield Bullet 500
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The Royal Enfield Bullet is one seriously cool retro motorcycle, but it does have its fair share of problems.
Royal Enfield is a brand that is has got quite a long history for making some of the most iconic motorcycles, especially in the past century. Being the oldest and longest-running production motorcycle brand in the world, people have always loved the moniker due to the brand's British legacy, simplistic design language, and the legendary thump produced from their iconic pushrod motors. With the arrival of the Bullet 500 in the United States, the brand put forward all the characteristics of the yesteryear Enfields, while ironing out some of the issues.
Launched in early 2011, the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 comes with the single-cylinder UCE motor with Keihin fuel injection system, putting out close to 27 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque. The chrome-wrapped aluminum engine casing, sonorous sound of the long-stroke motor, and the overall character of it made it a favorite among the Americans. Along with that, it is also one of the best-looking retro motorcycles that you could lay your hands on. However, it has always had quite a few niggles and issues, which are all considered to be part of the Royal Enfield character. Here are 10 issues that you need to look out for before getting the Bullet 500.
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Sprag clutch (or one-way clutch as they are commonly called) is a freewheel clutch that looks identical to a roller bearing. Since the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 comes with the same sprag clutch as the lower capacity 350cc motorcycles from the brand (Classic 350, Electra, Thunderbird 350, and Bullet 350), it tends to break after a few years of usage.
Most owners of the Bullet 500 have reported about the failed sprag clutch in less than 20,000 miles. When it breaks, the self-starter is not going to crank over the motorcycle. Along with that, being a long stroke 500 cc motor, it is not the easiest of the bikes to kick-start. However, the replacement part is reasonably cheap and there are umpteen aftermarket parts too.
The low-quality wiring harness has always been an Achilles heel of any Royal Enfield motorcycle (except the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650). With the wires being wrapped in subpar insulation tapes and tubing, the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 owners have reported battery drain, feeble light and horn, and other severe problems related to the electronics.
Along with that, the wiring harness of the Bullet 500 also passes dangerously close to the motor, which makes the degradation process even faster due to the heat. Many users in the community forum of the Royal Enfield website revealed that the wires fall apart due to pressure washing, which highlights how terrible the quality is.
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Apart from the premature sprag clutch failure, the Keihin electric starter does throw some tantrums occasionally. Many Bullet 500 users have reported intermittent starting issues in the mornings With more miles on the clock, the starter motor also makes an occasional grinding noise and freewheeling.
Since the wiring quality is mediocre at best, the starter relay and starter switch is common failure point for the Bullet 500. If it fails, the motorcycle is not going to crank over. The wiring contacts to the battery degrade pretty fastly too. However, the starter motor that comes in the Bullet 500 is much better than the ones equipped in the Classic 350.
The Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is a motorcycle that is made mostly of metal and that leads to rusting. With the poor build quality and even poorer quality control, the many Bullet 500s can be spotted with rusty bits. The frame and the side air filter and fuse boxes are the fastest rusting items on the motorcycle.
The spoked wheels are prone to rust and the only way to reduce it is by diesel wash and constant application of WD-40. Many owners of the Bullet 500 has also applied Teflon coating to the exposed frame and other metal bits, to reduce the rusting, especially in coastal areas.
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The single-cylinder pushrod motor of the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is notorious for its high vibrations, making it one of the major deal-breaker for many potential buyers. The vibrations are very noticable on the handlebars, footpegs, and seats. The rearview mirrors are useless as well, due to the vibrations making them quiver violently even when idling.
Due to the impressive aftermarket support, especially from India and the UK, the high vibrations could be solved to a great extent. The Carberry vibration reduction plate can be fixed, and that helps to stabilize and support the crankshaft. The extended handlebar with stabilizer bar, rubber mounts, bar-end weights, and many more are some of the other easy fixes for the vibration issue.
Being manufactured on a tight budget, the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 doesn't get the same fit and finish as the rivals like the Honda Rebel 500 and the Kawasaki W800. This can be especially seen in the chrome bits, which are in plenty. The chrome starts to fade and peel off, especially in the areas that get heated up fast.
As a result, many of the Bullet 500s could be observed with a rusted bend pipe and exhaust. Other parts like side indicators, headlight dome ring, side mirrors, and the engine casing loses their finish in a couple of years. Rechroming of these body parts is a time-consuming, and relatively expensive, process, too.
The pushrod UCE motor that is offered with the Bullet 500 is quite archaic when it comes to technology and design. Due to this, Bullet 500 has that conventional push rod noise (ticking noise) which many motorcyclists hate. This sound also increases significantly when the oil reaches optimum running temperature.
The Classic Motorworks forum (an unofficial Royal Enfield community forum) suggests the owners use high-quality fully synthetic engine oil and regular oil filter changes to reduce the tappet noise. Many owners have changed from automatic hydraulic tappets to adjustable tappets, too. However, the manual tappets would require constant tappet clearance adjustment. Replacing the tappets with a brand new one can also be done. However, the noise would return after a few thousand miles.
Even though the oil leaks are much lower in the UCE engine, in comparison to the older CI (cast iron) engine, the chances of Bullet 500 marking its territory are much higher than the rivals. The main culprit for this is the poor quality gaskets and seals, which help to leak oil.
The main areas of oil leaks are the bottom oil drain screw, right and left side engine covers, kicker shaft, and breather pipe. The poor quality brake lines for the front and rear leads to the brake fluid leaking off the lines. Even the brake master cylinder is prone to leak, especially from the cylinder cover.
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The original chain sprockets and chain are prone to rust, even when religiously maintained. With constant lubing on regular intervals coupled with correct tension of the chain, many of the owners have revealed that the chains and sprocket don't last more than 10,000 miles.
However, the Rolon brass chain and chain sprocket (18 teeth front sprocket and 38 teeth rear sprocket) offer long life. It also doesn't rust due to it being manufactured entirely in brass. But, this chain sprocket is more expensive and slightly hard to get in the United States.
The Royal Enfield Bullet 500s fuel injection system is manufactured by the Japanese manufacturer Keihin and has been found quite troublesome, especially in the earlier model years. The fuel pump failures are a common problem and affect even the motorcycles that always had more than half the fuel at all times.
The fuel injector issues were also reported by some owners, even though it is not as common as the fuel pump failures. The only way to reduce the chance of fuel pump and fuel injector failure is by constant fuel filter change, fuel line checks, and maintaining an adequate amount of fuel at all times (fuel pump is lubricated with the help of fuel).
Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.