Misplaced Pages

#276723

55-509: The Yezdi Roadking was the successor of the short-lived Yezdi Oilking. The Oilking was the first motorcycle in India to attempt to move away from pre-mixed fuel to a separate oil lube system via an oil pump. The box-like shape on the left hand cover housed the oil pump. Unfortunately this system had a very high failure rate resulting in piston seizures. This resulted in the discontinuation of the Oilking and

110-508: A 350 Crusader. However, unlike their 'one-piece cranked' smaller sibling the New Bullet had a built-up crank and the traditional Bullet bore and stroke dimensions under a Crusader cylinder head. These bikes are difficult to identify as being different from the Crusader. Look for a ten finned barrel on a Crusader and you will have found a New Bullet. By necessity, the toolbox air intake slot is also

165-698: A better emission control system. Royal Enfield has officially confirmed that they will cease production of their 500cc engine. The majority of their sales comes from the 350cc models and the demand for the 500cc models started to decline in the Indian markets especially after the introduction of the 650 twins. It is to be discontinued in India from March 31 since the Bharat Stage VI emission norms will make them unviable. The company will upgrade its line up of 350cc motorcycles instead for Indian markets and promote its 650cc motorcycles as its primary export drivers. In 2022,

220-568: A chopper style cruiser from Royal Enfield Motors. Also seen was the introduction of a disc-brake on the front wheel as a factory option domestically in India and standard on all exported models. After ever-tighter European emission specifications forced the Bullet Standard 350 to end 2007 as its last model year in the European Union. The 500s had been fitted for some time with an induction pulsed pump to draw in fresh external air and mix it into

275-503: A drastic make-over in 1964 to conventional "wedge" combustion chambers, then modified again for stud-mounted rocker arms, and finally underwent an even greater re-design to become the modern 5.7 liter hemi. All of these engines retain the original 4.460" bore pitch distance set down in 1956. "Hybrid" is the term commonly used to identify an engine modified for high performance by adapting a cylinder head from another (sometimes completely different) brand, size, model or type engine. Note: using

330-525: A drop-in replacement for the cast-iron block original engine (with a design dating from 1955). The first bike with this engine was launched as the Bullet Machismo 350 . This engine did not sell well in the Indian market; many prospective buyers were surveyed as saying that it didn't sound the same as the old engine, lacking the 'thump' noise of its predecessor. The engine did succeed in the Thunderbird model,

385-509: A four-stroke single-cylinder motorcycle, this model was the first to feature the Bullet name. It was different in a number of ways from its successors (which are now familiar): it had an inclined engine with exposed valve gear featuring four valves per cylinder with 350 cc and 500 cc options. In 1933, a 250 cc option was also added to the range. Its frame was also considerably different, having centre-spring girder front forks, being among

440-499: A fully floating big-end bearing. The headlight assembly was enclosed with the speedometer and ammeter into a nacelle, which also served as the attachment of the front suspension as well as the handlebars. An otherwise similar model, but with an engine displacement of 499 cc, made its debut in 1953. The prototype had done well in a performance trial and went on to win the trophy at the 1948 International Six Days Trial , two Bullet riders won gold medals. In 1952 Johnny Brittain won

495-492: A kicker and once started it automatically returns to the original position. The bike was silently launched in India in the late 1970s by Ideal Jawa. It had a prominent fuel tank and was finished in signature Jawa maroon and sometimes in black and gold pinstripe, priced slightly higher than the Classic and CL II models. The troublesome contact breaker ignition was replaced in 1993 with an electronic CDI unit. Until 1989, Roadkings had

550-458: A later head of the same engine "family" isn't a true hybrid, but mere modernization. In some cases, two heads from the donor (source) engine are joined end-to-end to match the number of cylinders on the subject engine (such as using three cylinders each of two V8 heads on a Chevrolet inline-six). Identical or extremely similar bore pitch is what makes this possible, or (almost) impossible. Royal Enfield Bullet The Royal Enfield Bullet

605-456: A little higher. Other variations from the unit 250 include a 46 tooth rear sprocket, an outrigger bearing on the primary side crankcase a four plate clutch, and wider gear cogs. The petrol tank is similar to the earlier unit range item (not the Clipper tank) but has a larger cut out on the underside to clear the taller motor making it 1/4 gallon light on capacity. A New Bullet was modelled for sale to

SECTION 10

#1732876732277

660-431: A lot of internal noise in the engine. As a result of work spanning several years, a new set of engines was introduced. These were the unit construction engines (UCE). The 350 cc UCE found use in the domestic model Thunderbird TwinSpark in a configuration with two sparkplugs per cylinder, with an integrated 5-speed left-shift gearbox. It has not been featured on any of the Bullet models, domestic or otherwise. By 2011,

715-404: A main bearing. Since the start-up expense of casting an engine block is very high, this is a strong incentive to retain this dimension for as long as possible to amortize the tooling cost over a large number of engines. If and when the engine is further refined, modified or enlarged, the bore pitch may be the only dimension retained from its predecessor. The bore diameter is frequently increased to

770-422: A new range of models from Royal Enfield that featured them, along with a saddle-type fuel tank. However, common to motorcycles of this period, it had a rigid rear-end, necessitating a 'sprung' seat for the rider, which resulted in the iconic look of the motorcycle that is much replicated today, even though the sprung seat is unnecessary in modern models. After competition success the 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet

825-430: A provision for adjusting the front fork dampers. During the late 1970s, another model known as Oil King was also launched which featured an oil pump for the 2T mix with petrol but later production ceased due to rampant issues with fuel pump failure. The prominent protrusion on the left hand side gearbox housing was the original location of the pump. Though the model was discontinued, the engine casing found its way into

880-475: A result of power glider efforts, during 1996 Somender Singh, a former Ideal Jawa road and rally racer developed a more refined engine, made from aluminium as opposed to the usual cast-iron, with increased power and fuel efficiency which was featured in Car & Bike magazine. The design was never put into production even though it ended up with Ideal Jawa. These motorcycles were also used by various police forces around

935-553: Is a single frame of motocross origin and was built out of square tube. The fork was more pronounced with a higher rake angle and came with adjustable shock absorbers . Rims were 16 inches. The motocross and ice racing origin frame and proper weight balance made handling very easy and agile compared to its rivals in India. The cylinder block was carried over from the CZ 250 motocross, which had an over-square stroke ratio. Carburetors were either Jikov (tickler choke ) or Pacco, wherein

990-456: Is always larger than the inside diameter of the cylinder (the bore and piston diameter) since it includes the thickness of both cylinder walls and any water passage separating them. This is one of the first dimensions required when developing a new engine, since it limits maximum cylinder size (and therefore, indirectly, maximum displacement), and determines the length of the engine (L4, 6, 8) or of that bank of cylinders (V6, V8 etc.). In addition,

1045-573: Is even older and has passed 75 years of continuous production. The Royal Enfield and Bullet names were derived from the British company which had been a subcontractor to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield , London. The Bullet has evolved from a four-stroke engine with exposed valve-gear to the latest all-alloy unit construction engine with electronic fuel-injection . Introduced in 1932 as

1100-475: The BS6 Bullet 350 starts at an ex-showroom price of ₹ 1.27 lakh (US$ 1,500) in India. The Next Generation Bullet 350 launched on September 1st, 2023. It has a retro style and is priced at ₹1.74 lakh (US$ 2,090) in India. In January 2024 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 was launched in two new colors- Military Silver Black and Military Silver Red. Swiss motorcycle tuner and Royal Enfield distributor Fritz W. Egli made

1155-576: The GMC straight-6 engine , the Buick Straight-eight , and the Chrysler "Slant 6" ) the bore pitch is additionally extended to allow more material between the main bearing webs in the block. For example, in an L6 the first pair (#1 & 2), center pair (#3 & 4), and rear pair (#5 & 6) of cylinders that share a pair of main bearings have a smaller pitch than between #2 & 3 and #4 & 5 that "bridge"

SECTION 20

#1732876732277

1210-634: The Rajdoot Yamaha RD350 . During the early 1990s FMSCI , the sporting federation of India banned two-wheelers above 120 cc from rallies thus ending the Roadking's run in motor sports. The Roadking engines were a favorite among the hang-glider manufacturers in India. A Coimbatore based manufacturer headed by late motor racing driver and constructor, S. Karivardhan manufactured and exported several Power gliders using Roadking engines with modified aluminum heads, K & N filters and sleeved bore. As

1265-710: The Scottish Six Days Trial on a Royal Enfield Bullet and in 1953 he also won the International Six Days Trial without losing a single point. In 1949, the Indian Army ordered Royal Enfield Bullets for border patrol use and the company decided to open a factory in Madras . In 1955, the 350 cc Bullets were sent from the Redditch factory in kit form for assembly in India, but Enfield India Ltd. soon developed

1320-641: The 500 cc model was discontinued in 1961. In 1962, the UK company was sold and the Bullet discontinued and in 1967, the Redditch factory closed. Finally, in 1970, Royal Enfield closed down completely. Additional to the 'separate gearbox' Bullet the Royal Enfield Redditch factory produced approximately 250 'unit construction' (integral gearbox) Bullets bikes known as 'New Bullets'. Produced in five batches of fifty between 1963 and 1965 these models were essentially

1375-482: The Bullet design; the original foot-brake is on the left-side while the gearchange is on the right (as was the custom with British bikes). Accordingly, the Bullet Machismo 350 was equipped with this left foot change gearbox and a big hit in the foreign markets as it was rich in design and the first chrome model on an Enfield. However, the 'left-shift' gear change provoked a backlash from Indian Bullet customers, forcing

1430-458: The Bullet marque was split up into two. The Bullet Standard 350 featured all the increased manufacturing quality and reliability but was maintained in the traditional 'Bullet' look, available only in black. A new model, available in more colours and chrome accents, CDI electronic ignition , and gas-charged shock absorbers - but with the same engine and gearbox as the Standard - was launched. This model

1485-602: The Indian arm due to its commitment to supply the Indian Army. Thus the British and Indian lines diverged, never to meet again. Between 1956 and 1960, the British Bullet was released in several models, including a 350 cc Trials "works replica" version, a 350 cc "Clipper" model and in 1958 the Airflow version. This model had full weather protection from a large fibreglass fairing and included panniers for touring. The design

1540-522: The Indian economy, no need for improvement was apparent, and the brand survived into the 1990s essentially as a domestic Indian commuter bike. Equivalent bikes in the market were the Yamaha RD350 and the Yezdi . Both bikes enjoy a cult following in India but have been out of production for decades. However, this could not prevent the erosion of the bike's market once the economy was sufficiently opened up to allow

1595-459: The Japanese motorbikes. The bike's high fuel consumption (its main competition was from bikes with superior and more economical 100 cc engines) caused a descending spiral of sales until the company, near bankruptcy, was bought out by Eicher Motors , a tractor and commercial vehicle manufacturer. Under the newly appointed CEO of Enfield India, Siddhartha Lal , Eicher undertook major investment in

1650-474: The Roadking and hence all Roadkings have this protrusion even though the oil pump is not included. In 1993, in an effort to increase fuel efficiency and to solve starting problems the CB or contact breaker ignition units were replaced with CDI electronic ignition units. The livery was also changed. Fuel efficiency was increased by 30%, however the motorcycle's competitors were getting better and with rising fuel prices

1705-532: The Yezdi Classic/Model B in appearance. Also the CZ original had a "Porcupine" cylinder head, which was used only in the initial models; the cylinder head later reverted to regular straight fin design. The cylinder block (Type 980.5) was from CZ. Just like in the older Jawa 353 Kyvacka and the Yezdi Model B, the Roadking also came with an original Tesla (Czechoslovakian) headlight bulb as standard. The frame

Yezdi Roadking - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-444: The addition of electric start as an option on some models, while standard on others. In 2007 and 2008, a limited edition, heavily accessorised 500cc lean-burn Machismo 350 and 500 was produced where the motorcycle features 20.85 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm, unique 19 -inch wheels, 280 mm front disc brake & the same engine chassis configuration being exported to Europe, USA & Australia. The Machismo 350 and 500 were discontinued due to

1815-585: The ailing firm. This was started with a lawsuit to secure the trademark and intellectual property rights of the defunct British Royal Enfield, in the hands of the Holder family since the British Royal Enfield's bankruptcy proceedings in 1970. After winning a trademark lawsuit, the company name was changed to Royal Enfield Motors. Many management and production changes were made, with the production process being streamlined and excess capacity redistributed. Without

1870-421: The army and carried panniers and a 'speedo-only' style of the casket. According to RE data, 232 of these bikes were produced, making them a scarce and desirable machine today. Enfield India Ltd. continued production of the 1955 Bullet design almost unchanged, re-introducing it to the British market in 1977 under the name 'Enfield'. This was a period of stagnation for the Bullet. Due to the protectionist nature of

1925-430: The birth of the Roadking. The Roadking though, still retained the protuberance on the left engine cover that housed the oil pump in the Oilking. The Yezdi Roadking was based on the 1974 CZ 250 Falta, where the original bore and stroke of 70 mm × 64 mm (2.76 in × 2.52 in) was retained, but detuned for lower power than its Motocross original. The engine block is smaller than and different from

1980-454: The bore of a locomotive cylinder or steam engine pistons . The term bore also applies to the cylinder of a steam locomotive or steam engine . Bore pitch is the distance between the centerline of a cylinder bore to the centerline of the next cylinder bore adjacent to it in an internal combustion engine . It's also referred to as the "mean cylinder width", "bore spacing", "bore center distance" and "cylinder spacing". The bore pitch

2035-543: The company to not only continue the Bullet Standard with the traditional system but even on the Electra, it was offered only as an option, leading to the Electra four-speed (traditional) and Electra five-speed (left-shift) variants. Sales figures indicated that Indian Bullet customers had shunned the new gearbox, foregoing even the attraction of five-speed transmission to keep the gearshift traditional. However, it became standard fitment on all exported models. New developments included

2090-514: The exhaust header to convert carbon monoxide into less harmful carbon dioxide, thus lowering emissions. When existing stocks of motorcycles were all sold the British-design engine Bullet became no longer available. All new models exclusively featured the AVL 'lean-burn' engine. The introduction of a five-speed, left foot change gearbox meant that Royal Enfield could 'fix' one of the long-standing quirks of

2145-691: The factory after the Twin was discontinued. In road races at Sholavaram , the Roadking ran in its own 250 cc class, while in the Indian open class category its main rival was Royal Enfield Bullet and later the much more powerful Rajdoot 350 . Power was usually increased to 25+ bhp or beyond for Group E categories where the engine was bored up till 300 cc and over-engineered in stock trim. Among prominent racers were C.K. Chinnappa and Somender Singh. In rallies, N. Jagadeeswara Reddy won many rallies until 1980. Then racing couple Jagat and Anita Nanjappa and Thirumal Roy won several victories before switching to

2200-406: The factory and produced complete motorcycles independently under licence. The 1955 model remained almost unchanged for years and Madras produced over 20,000 Bullets annually. In 1955, Royal Enfield carried out some retooling and redesign at their Redditch plant, in the UK, to modernise the Bullet, and in 1959 some changes were made to the gear ratios. These changes, however, were not incorporated by

2255-419: The first among British bikes to develop a fully incorporated swing-arm frame rear suspension. The "bullet" engine also used an aluminium cylinder head. A number of changes were implemented in order to bring the bike up to date. This model featured a vertical engine with an alloy head and higher compression. The frame was changed to a fully sprung design using a swing arm with non-adjustable hydraulic shockers at

Yezdi Roadking - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-480: The former was exclusively for the Roadking while the latter was used for the Classic D250 model. The spark plugs were cold and the bike also featured a semi-automatic clutch , where a mechanism by the name cam and roller connected to the clutch push rod to engage/disengage the clutch which is unique to this and other Yezdi/Jawa models. The cam and roller is mechanically coupled to the gear selector thereby eliminating

2365-488: The large-scale Army/Law Enforcement orders to bail the company out, there was only the individual sales route in which the company had to perform if it were to survive at all. The company also faced the difficult task of catering to a very diverse market. To preserve the Bullet's nature and reputation as a classic British bike, as the Raja Gaadi, and to attract youngsters away from the newly appeared performance motorcycle market,

2420-422: The limit of minimal wall thickness, the water passage is eliminated between each pair of adjacent cylinders, the deck height is increased to accommodate a longer stroke, etc. but in general if the bore pitch is the same, the engines are related. As an example of development, the Chrysler 277" polyspheric V8, first introduced in 1956, was gradually increased in size by bore and stroke to 326" by 1959, then received

2475-408: The need for a hand-clutch while engaging the gears. The motorcycle featured dual exhaust ports with dual silencers akin to most Jawa motorcycles, but unlike the CZ 250 on which it was based, which featured a single exhaust port. Another unique feature of the bike was that the kick-starter and the gear shared the same shaft as with all Jawa/CZ/Yezdi motorcycles. Once the gear rod is reversed it doubles as

2530-425: The old cast-iron engine had been completely phased out, including in the Standard 350 model. Now all Royal Enfield bikes are only available with the all-aluminium UC engine. The 500 cc UCE features fuel injection system , and has greater power than any Royal Enfield 500 cc motor. The 500 cc UCE, with an integrated five-speed gearbox, powers the current Bullet Classic model. Starting in 2009, this engine

2585-474: The positions of the main bearings must be between individual cylinders (L4 with 5 main bearings, or L6 with 7 main bearings - only one rod journal between main bearings), or between adjacent pairs of cylinders (L4 with 3 main bearings, L6 or V6 with 4 main bearings, or V8 with 5 main bearings - two rod journals between main bearings). In some older engines (such as the Chevrolet Gen-2 " Stovebolt " inline-six,

2640-406: The rear, while the front used a brand-new telescopic fork of Royal Enfield's own design. This enabled the introduction of a dual seat made of simple foam with no large springs. Power transmission was via the same four-speed Albion gearbox as the previous model, with a unique 'neutral-finder' lever the rider could press from any gear other than first to shift to neutral. The crankshaft continued to have

2695-470: The sales plummeted until finally it ceased operations in 1996. At the 1996 Auto Expo, Yezdi displayed a model which used the Yezdi 350 Twin frame & fuel tank, and the Roadking engine. The rims were 18 inch as opposed to the regular 16 inch. However, it sold only in few numbers. Although some attribute its low sales volume to the company's need to get rid of the surplus Yezdi 350 frames that remained in

2750-528: The world, examples being Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Turkey etc. Bore (engines) In a piston engine , the bore (or cylinder bore ) is the diameter of each cylinder . Engine displacement is calculated based on bore, stroke length and the number of cylinders: The stroke ratio , determined by dividing the bore by the stroke, traditionally indicated whether an engine was designed for power at high engine speeds ( rpm ) or torque at lower engine speeds. The term "bore" can also be applied to

2805-485: Was an overhead valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle initially made by Royal Enfield in Redditch , Worcestershire England. It was later produced by Royal Enfield at Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India, a company originally founded by Madras Motors to build Royal Enfield motorcycles under licence in India. The Royal Enfield Bullet has the longest and unchanged production run of any motorcycle having remained continuously in production since 1932. The Bullet marque

SECTION 50

#1732876732277

2860-790: Was available only in the EU to satisfy emissions regulations, but as of 2010 it is available in the United States under two frame models, the Bullet Classic C5, or the Bullet G5, which looks similar and shares paneling with the earlier AVL Electra models. In 2011 a third export model, the B5, was introduced combining the newer 500 cc UCE engine with the traditional Indian domestic tank and frame. In 2017 Royal Enfield equipped Bullet 500 models with Euro 4 compliance which included ABS brakes for front and rear and

2915-560: Was bought by the British Army for dispatch riders and 3,000 were also supplied to the RAF during the Second World War . This model refreshed Royal Enfield's model line-up for 1939. It differed in cosmetic details, as well as in having two rocker boxes, which resulted in higher volumetric efficiency for the engine. The post-war models incorporated a hydraulic front fork, and Enfield were among

2970-497: Was called the 'Bullet Electra'. A major addition with the Electra was the Electric Start, which resulted in a bulkier engine package, and which was not without mechanical and reliability complications. The Electra 350 went on to become the best-selling Royal Enfield model, accounting for around half the company's sales. Alongside these developments, Austrian engine firm AVL was contracted to produce an all-alloy engine suitable as

3025-457: Was developed in partnership with British Plastics and featured as a series in The Motor Cycle magazine. The engines were the same and the only differences were in exhaust, seating, instrumentation, handlebars and fuel tank. Numerous technical improvements were also made, including moving to alternator charging (1956) and coil ignition (1960). The 350 cc model continued in production, but

#276723