The New Hotness.

[Megadan]

I did order myself a few accessories for it today. Most of them coming from India and one from the UK. Most of them will be here in roughly 2 weeks, which is fine. I figure by that point I may actually be done with my break in and ready to do the oil and filter change. Most of the parts are Genuine Factory upgrades. Their black LED turn signal kit with flasher upgrade, sump guard, and a tinted flyscreen "windshield" for now. Nothing crazy.

I've also been looking at some cheaper saddle bag options just to have some cargo carrying ability. These caught my eye, mostly because of the price and the brand is an ok one for cheaper but decent quality as I have a tail bag made by them that is a few years old. https://www.ebay.com/itm/116083639223

Same Brand, very different look, size, and style, but I like them too. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...M9K7GWGH&psc=1

The first set is a bigger pair (30L per bag) which is appealing for carrying capacity. The other set may likely fit my bike a bit better (I need to measure a bit). The first set is the most appealing as they are at least a little weather resistant, but are not ready for heavy rain. The second set is not very resistant on it's own but comes with rain covers.

In either case, I have a plan to built some simple supports to keep them away from the fender and tire.

I am trying to decide if I want a tail bag or not, and if so, what kind.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by Megadan

All 4 of my brothers do look quite similar to me, but our voices are rather different, and I am the tallest and most good looking, obviously.

Uh.....yeahhhhh.....please pass on my condolences to the other three.....

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by TominMO

Uh.....yeahhhhh.....please pass on my condolences to the other three.....

Other 4. I'm number 3 out of 5.

[2LZ]

I'm the youngest of three country boys.....and obviously the best looking. ;-)
The youngest. Learn to fight the hardest and run the fastest.

[Megadan]

I decided to pull the trigger on these guys since they were only about 60 bucks.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/29591641959...01&mpt=8361645

Not an ideal design, but I am going to see just how sturdy they are, and I may make a small modification to add a little support to the back section with the rear seat subframe grab handle mount points if I think they are going to flex too much and potentially cause a problem.

Originally Posted by 2LZ

I'm the youngest of three country boys.....and obviously the best looking. ;-)
The youngest. Learn to fight the hardest and run the fastest.

I grew up the youngest. My older brother and I are the sons of our mother, the other 3 are my half-brothers from 2 different women. The oldest was put up for adoption when my father and his girlfriend had a kid very very young. The 2 youngest are from his second marriage after my parents separated.

[2LZ]

Does the Super Meteor and the Shotgun have the same frame???? Hopefully those bars bolt right on.
BTW, my 88 year old mom still has me up for adoption...... No takers.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

Does the Super Meteor and the Shotgun have the same frame???? Hopefully those bars bolt right on.
BTW, my 88 year old mom still has me up for adoption...... No takers.

Yes, they do share the same frame architecture and swing arm/brakes. The Shotgun rear shocks are 20mm longer, the front forks are 30mm shorter, and the triple clamps are different. This is why the Shotgun handles so well, it has the same steering geometry of many sport touring bike, including my former vfr1200, with 25 degrees of rake.

The only real difference to the frame is where the Shotguns rear seat subframe bolts on, but the mount points these bars use are identical.

[Megadan]

I know a few of you saw my video on YT, but I may as well share it here too. Did my first service on it yesterday. Definitely a more complicated process to do a valve check than the Hawk since the tank has to come off... and the coils need removed, and their bracket needs moved out of the way all just to get the valve cover off, but at least it's nowhere near VFR1200 valve check levels of nightmare.



4 of my valves were tight/zero lash, an one set were at .02mm and the other was dead on spec still. I know that RE states the next service is at about 4700 miles, but I may check them again after the full break in period (1200 miles) is over. As much as I would love to just leave them alone, I just don't trust them until they have run longer than 291 miles.

I put in Castrol 10w-50 synthetic oil and a new genuine filter. I also installed a new pair of NGK Iridium CR7EIX plugs. I am keeping the OEM plugs as spares. I did find that my right side plug was actually not tight.

I also upgraded the turn signals to the Royal Enfield factory LED upgrades. I really like how they look, even though they do feel exceptionally cheap. For 99 bucks delivered for 4 direct replacement flashers and a relay it was a decent deal in my opinion. They definitely look a lot better.





Also, if you do find yourself with one of these bikes, or its brother the Super Meteor 650, the flasher relay is under a bracket, under the seat pan, under the seat. It's fun to get to.

[Do©Hawk]

Sweet bike, Dan. It's a looker, for sure. I'm still new to this motorcycle stuff, but Royal Enfield has really caught my eye.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Do©Hawk

Sweet bike, Dan. It's a looker, for sure. I'm still new to this motorcycle stuff, but Royal Enfield has really caught my eye.

They are great bikes. Just the right amount of power to do pretty much everything, or as others might say "all the bike you need."

I like them because they are mostly metal. Tank, fenders, side panels, trim pieces on the throttle bodies - metal. Not many bikes below 10k can make that claim. Yes, they still do use plastic - the turn signals are definitely a cheaper plastic, but I can live with that.

The real masterpiece is the 650 twin. It's not the most powerful for it's size, but still a real gem of an engine. RE bikes aren't without some flaws, but as time has progressed they have started to really iron out the quality issues that they have had, and while not quite as cheap as parts for a Hawk 250, most of the parts are quite affordable.

I am curious to see what the Classic 650 is going to look like. It's basically a Shotgun 650 but with different tank, fenders, and spoke wheels to give it the real retro look many people want that the Shotgun doesn't quite give. The Shotgun is more of a Neo-Retro Bullet.

[2LZ]

Originally Posted by Megadan

They are great bikes. Just the right amount of power to do pretty much everything, or as others might say "all the bike you need."

I like them because they are mostly metal. Tank, fenders, side panels, trim pieces on the throttle bodies - metal. Not many bikes below 10k can make that claim. Yes, they still do use plastic - the turn signals are definitely a cheaper plastic, but I can live with that.

The real masterpiece is the 650 twin. It's not the most powerful for it's size, but still a real gem of an engine. RE bikes aren't without some flaws, but as time has progressed they have started to really iron out the quality issues that they have had, and while not quite as cheap as parts for a Hawk 250, most of the parts are quite affordable.

I am curious to see what the Classic 650 is going to look like. It's basically a Shotgun 650 but with different tank, fenders, and spoke wheels to give it the real retro look many people want that the Shotgun doesn't quite give. The Shotgun is more of a Neo-Retro Bullet.

I'm curious on the Classic 650, as well, not that my Interceptor is ever going anywhere. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of RE and have been looking for an older Bullet 500 for the herd. I think one would look marvelous next to my '48 Model G.

I'm glad to see you got the valves done. It's cake working on these compared to other bigger bikes. All RE's in history have been designed for owner maintenance and repair. My Model G is an absolute joy to wrench on. Nothing is hidden.

That's a smokin' deal on the blinker package.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

I'm curious on the Classic 650, as well, not that my Interceptor is ever going anywhere. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of RE and have been looking for an older Bullet 500 for the herd. I think one would look marvelous next to my '48 Model G.

I'm glad to see you got the valves done. It's cake working on these compared to other bigger bikes. All RE's in history have been designed for owner maintenance and repair. My Model G is an absolute joy to wrench on. Nothing is hidden.

That's a smokin' deal on the blinker package.

Doing the valves on the Shotgun is a nice couple hours hanging out. Doing the valves on my VFR was akin to using the force after taking the entire bike apart.

I also love how comprehensive that little tool kit is. It's a feeler guage set, a couple of sockets, a ratchet, and extension away from being able to do almost every basic maintenance task on the bike.

Those LED flashers are nice and bright, but they are definitely cheap plastic. The 4 pin relay is the real bargain as it's hard to find on its own. Eventually I may go with a set of Rizoma or Motogadget signals, and at least now I have the right relay for them.

[2LZ]

Yep. The relay is golden. When I converted my Scram to LED blinkers, no relay was available so I had to wire in resistors.