Royal Enfield Bullet Electra X unbelievable breather, oil filler neck and dipstick nonsense!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- For anyone who might think they've seen it all!
I couldn't have made these issues up if I had tried and I just can't imagine the thinking behind that breather outlet from the top of the oil tank.
This video is made from three short clips which will appear again soon in a longer video with ride footage of this machine, but they deserve to be seen on their own, due to the ridiculous nature of the issues discussed here.
That is bizarre to say the least, I don't think even Grommit would have put a pipe in like that. A few friends have looked at me sideways when I mention thread files or pull one out of my drawer to sort something out. If you ever get really bored, put together a video of your worst finds as a house of horrors upload. Perfect timing, well done and thanks.
Well, that's a new twist and configuration for me on the famous later Bullet "Crankcase Breather Catch Can Sploodges," but here with an AVL engine. Similar woes are also common in the later years of the Iron Cylinder Engine predecessors to that short-lived Austrian-designed unit. My '05 Iron Cylinder Bullet had a similar problem. Now and then it would decide to commence glorping out a good portion of its multigrade, which is why I got it so cheap from the spooked previous owner. Turns out the culprit was that cockamamie breather catch can system that was "designed" (if you can rightfully use that term here) to also recirculate the gases from the crankcase through the carb via the air filter, thereby theoretically achieving the Shangri La of "reduced emissions". In actual fact, if any of the various lines clogged, which they absolutely would with a sort of nasty brownish mayonnaise (German owners call it "Nivea Syndrom[e]"), then the resultant pressure would force most of the oil out of the tank, overflow the catch can, and ejaculate mightily into the filter airbox. Hence, rather than reducing emissions, the whole misbegotten rigamarole ended up causing more and nastier emissions than a Boy Scout bunkhouse during a jamboree. The best course of action is to yank all that catch can nonsense out, punt it into the neighbor's hedges, cap off the "oil return" inlet to the tank, and run the "breather tube" steeply upwards through a check valve (like a KrankVent) and then down towards the road, or sort of fixed above the drive chain as an "oiler."
As far as the oil filler tube issue, the AVL engine was so short-lived (sold barely a couple of years for export, a bit longer in their home market) that finding parts for them is becoming increasingly challenging, with the FAR more readily available older model Iron Cylinder Engine stuff often being sold, especially by Indian vendors online, as suitable for AVL engines, when they're not. Maybe that's what's going on there with the varied threads? Or maybe Rajneesh the tap and die guy was just hung over...
What a can of worms - interesting video! Thanks Paul 👍
I am from India, I had the same problem but I solved it with this simple trick.
Take end of each breather pipe which goes to oil canister, tape the end preferably 10 to 12 rounds after that make tiny holes using pin. If u do that pressure released through that tiny holes completely and oil won't come out. Just do this u will find no trace of oil leakage. Also u would notice less vibration in the engine. JUST GIVE IT A TRY.
Thanks, but I got this one fixed, as can be seen here ...
th-cam.com/video/smJHu_olxMg/w-d-xo.html
And here ...
th-cam.com/video/2HPEO_UNKwI/w-d-xo.html
Excellent video… working at one currently… definitely need more videos like this about electra x
Thank you ever so much
You wouldn't want to hear about the Wassell part I tried fitting the other day.
This reminds me of a mate who used a an old rag in the crankcase well behind his cylinders on his 400 Honda superdream to collect oil leaks . He used to ring the rag out every 20 miles & recycle it back onto the engine ..He would of been made up with that lash up ,you had to rectify ,thinking it was high tech . Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to ,seeing examples of crass stupidity ,some of these botch merchant Philistines get up to on vehicles . Lucky for the bike & owner, the motorcycle is now being attended to by someone who knows what they are doing & actually cares like you Paul 👍
"Stand pipe"made me chuckle that...
i had the exact same process with my electra x - the extended pipe is meant to work with the canister thing on top, when canister thing is removed, thar she blows! - such fun. i believe the whole kit and caboodle was a mod by one of the older (british) importers of the bike.
Phew that looked a load of messing about just grt it sorted Paul, I obtained one of Hitchcocks breather mod's for my sixty five, fitted perfectly it had a bayonet type cap/ dip stick as well m8,
That "stand pipe" beats hen racing! I remember many examples of poor quality British pattern parts 40 or 50 years back, but the situation did improve.
In fairness, the entire idea of taking the crankcase pressure out through the oil tank was a total abortion from the get-go. Instead of giving up on the idea and going back to the crankcase breather that had worked for 50+ years, they doubled down and tried to make it work by adding complexity.
what confuses people when ordering parts from india for this model is that in india the electra is a version of the old design but with the crankshaft electronic ignition (electric start was a rarely taken up expensive option)and the AVL model is in india is known as machismo ,(also a custom version called a thunderbird) obviously having machismo written on the side of the petrol tank would have put off many in their export market so uk importers changed the name to electra (because of the electric start) lots of differences between avl and old bullet model and parts suppliers in india will not be aware that in the uk a machismo is called an electra so when you ask for an electra part you will get a bullet part
An old engineer I knew who had raced motorcycles at Brooklands back in the day .would on occasion say .'F'all fits F'all ' over the years I have found this to be very true !
So many people don't understand the Bullet lube system.
I will check my breather and see. I have some leaks and pressure buildup would explain them.. Strange design.
So frustrating & annoying when you come across rubbish that makes a bigger problem than it's supposed cure.
🤣🤣
I had similar issue with mine, so I need to check that bloody thing as well... Interesting. Did you fix it already?
Yes, all fixed, as can be seen here. The owner did another 60 miles on it to take it home and reported there was still not a drop of oil from the breather.
th-cam.com/video/smJHu_olxMg/w-d-xo.html
What a mess!
Sounds like different pitches, metric/imperial possibly?
Just poor manufacturing tolerances, 20 minutes with a thread file sorted it!
Is it just me or is there a tendency to over-complicate basic things at RE, especially when it comes to oil?
To be fair, the set up I removed was not original and it was far more complex and badly designed than the original, which, to be fair, is also rather poor.
My friend this is which country
Iam from india and you
Hi, I live in South Wales, U.K.
Hi👋. Same oil scavenging problem in canister. it’s not returning to the oil tank. When ever I cross 70km/h mark for 3km stretch, I can notice oil dripping on silencer through air filter box. Pls give me a solution 😀
Are you based in India? I had the same issue, solved the problem now, get in touch if you need help. Bye