How to Buy a Used Enfield

General Tips

- Ear Plugs! With out them the ticking of the Enfield engine gives me a headache on longer trips. Also helps to keep me sane by damping the noise of all the bloody car/truck horns. Difficult to get in India so bring some from your country.

- A can of spray chain oil. Cant buy them in India and engine oil flys off so quickly. For this reason I bought a small oil container for oiling the chain. I Velcro it to the inside of the air filter box. See pic for more details.

-At an Enfield dealer ask for the Indian Royal Enfield Dealer listings. Its a book with all the registered Enfield dealers in India with their contact details. I found it useful because if I needed a spare part or the bike serviced, I could know where the nearest dealer is, and also call ahead to see if they had this part.

- Card board, painted black on both sides, to cover the gap on top of the front sprocket (use black tape to hold it in place). Stops the chain oil flicking into the engine air vents (bloody hard to clean then) and also on to your leg and the rest of bike. Thus helps to keep things looking good. See pic for more details.

-A mobile phone with a local Sim card is really handy. Good to call ahead at busy towns to enquire/book accommodations, to call Enfield dealers if they have a spare part, to register your insurance with your contact number, to call some one if your stuck on the road etc

- carry a small piece of wood for lifting the rear wheel off the ground when it is on the centre stand. Easy to oil the chain then too.

-Come to India and bring a tyre gauge (the small pen ones). Many tyre pumps dont have a tyre gauge. (Pic as example)

-The Enfield has a tendency to kick back on the kick start. A good way to avoid hurting yourself is to first turn the handle bars hard left, and then jump up and down on the kick start. Thus if the kick start does fly back, thus shooting your right knee up, your right knee wont connect with your right hand or even the handle bars.

-Becareful when parking the Enfield and getting off it. The header exhaust pipe from the engine is very exposed which means there are times (due to the angle of the ground) that when you park the motorcycle your right leg calf could brush the exhaust pipe. I have been kissed twice by my girl; the last time leaving a faint burn scar behind. (a real hot kisser to say the least :)

-If your going to be spending a long time in the Himalayas or caught in the monsoon season a water proof bike cover is ideal for stopping your baby from rusting. I bought a 9 x 9 feet (2.52m x 2.46m) plastic cover (222Rs) and folded in over in position over the bike. Over the folds I simply hand stitched it myself. Most people I have seen with pre-bought bike covers are too small for an Enfield, especially if you have luggage racks. Ideally you should write (or paint) the motorcycle registration in permanent ink on the bike cover to deter it from being stolen. See pic for details.

- Plastic Bags: really handy to keep some spare with you. They are especially needed to wrap all your valuables and clothes in them in your carry bags. Back packs are generally not water proof, or at the very least, not water proof on a motorcycle riding in a 1 hour monsoon rain shower. (I Found out the hard way :)

- At petrol stations be very sure that the guy/girl (but lets face it, in India, its always guy) resets the counter before filling your petrol tank. Sometimes they try and scam you by not zeroing the counter and thus charging you extra for petrol one didnt buy.

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