The Bullet: Mysteries & Myths -
Don't just love but get to know your bullet more - by B. R. Gurunandan

Men and the Science of Bullet Maintenance

Anyone can ride a two wheeler, and almost anyone can ride a Bullet.
But in times of breakdown the few men stand out from crowds of boys.
The boys are still waving hands for help from passing traffic, while
the men are wiping fingers, problem rectified, ready to move on.

The boys are skinned by sharp mechanics & dealers while the men never
go to mechanics for small jobs and routine service. For big problems,
they already know the possible cause, the solution and approx costs.
So they never get cheated; their maint-bills are surprizingly small.

So where would YOU stand ? With the men or with the boys ?

Don't wait for a breakdown to find out ! Just read down this page !
At the end are some assorted questions, pertaining to a few areas
of the Bullet. A percent or two of the knowledge that makes you
a man in the world of Bullets and motorcycles.

If you find yourself stumbling on the questions below, it is very
much advisable to do a bit of homework before you go to the highway
or to a mechanic. You could become a stranded "damsel-in-distress"
or a badly skinned "bakra" if lady-luck should be busy elsewhere !

The internet is bursting with knowledge and information of all kinds,
and you should be able to get whatever you need, given time.
and clubs will help you locate it even faster.

But the verification is upto you ! YOU have to judge how applicable
to your Bullet are the ideas that work on Goldwings, figure out why
one manual says "NEVER use solvent to wash the chain" while another
says to leave the chain immersed in solvent overnight, etc, etc.
Or else you are back to asking wolfish dealer/ mechanic for advice,
or your boyish buddies for explanations. Tsk !

For those of you have no time for all that, there is hope yet !

If you are in Bangalore, you are in LUCK ! Bookmark this page!
If you are anywhere else on Earth, don't lose hope !

Encouraged by all the interest in the Bullet Course, I am making
it available on CD for people who can't attend in person.

The "Men and the Science of Bullet Maintenance" course
* runs you thru the essential theory in an easy-to-grasp tone,
* guides you through exercises to hone your practical skills,
* guides you in developing a feel for mechanisms,
* guides you in the practical aspects like replacement decisions,
* explains dozens of emergency-repairs you may need on tours,
* provides reference details for those inclined to dig deeper.

With HUNDREDS of line-diagrams, photos of Bullet internals,
new/ worn/ broken part comparison photos, failure-analyses,
diagrams of mechanisms and maybe sound & video-clips too.
With e-mail-support thrown in for free.
And an optional Touring-Toolkit.

The cost ? Close to the annual subscription of a magazine.
Could be cheaper. Or costlier. Depends on the demand volume.
The more the copies sold, the cheaper each one will be.
Be sure to pass on this lead to all the Bullet-eers you know !

The illustrating and photographing is on and it will be a while
before the entire job is over. But this is the time to send your
suggestions and views, and also your enquiries.

But first see where you stand now :

* A brake/ clutch cable has broken EXACTLY at the lead-nipple. What should you do before replacing that cable ?

* Your spare clutch-cable breaks on a long tour because you did not know the answer to the first question above, and there is no Bullet shop in the village you were passing thru. Yes, there is a Bajaj-scooter-repair-and-parts-shop there though. What next ?

* Your spare clutch-cable breaks on a long tour because you did not know the answer to the first question above, and there is no village for miles down the highway. And you have no tools either. AND there is no helpful traffic either. What next ?

* You skidded in the city... ok, ok, your bike fell over when parked, and you have a broken the clutch-lever and/ or bracket. Assume you left the touring-kit at home. Now what ? ( Not for you Disc-brake guys. YOU have to reach for your cell-phones & call for help ! :-)

* You are late already to an appointment, and a cable breaks. What is the fastest way to get going if it is :
a) The accelerator cable
b) The brake cable
c) The clutch cable
d) The decomp cable
Assume availability of " Nandan's Touring-kit " ! :-)
Assume rear-brake is fine ! ;-)

* A few strands are broken in the brake-cable, but the brake is operating OK. What could happen if neglected ? Is it OK for a little while ? What if it was the clutch-cable ?

* What are the advantages & disadvantages of lubing the cables ?

* You installed a new clutch-cable, but now the clutch-lever feels hard in mid-position, like the brake-lever. Is the cable jammed ? Will a real hefty squeeze on the lever free it ? Should you lube it again ? Should you re-route it ? Should you just junk it ?

* You absent-mindedly let the petrol-station boys pour into the primary-case the remainder of the can of engine-oil you bought. The best engine-oil. Now the engine's doing fine, but out on the highway your clutch has developed a slip ! You have no other oil with you. What next ?

* The clutch was adjusted like the manual says, with a bit of slack in lever, and all, and it's fine when you set off from home. But halfway to the office you notice that neutral-finder no longer works well. On stopping at a traffic-signal you just can't get to neutral from first or second gear till you kill the engine. While returning from the office, it's the same. You start off OK, but halfway home the bike starts repeating it's quirky behaviour. Is the route or your Bullet haunted ? :-) What's happening ?

* You dismantled the clutch-pack, and now notice 2 steel-plates are different, they have axially offset centres. What's that for ? Do they have any special place or orientation ? What can happen if fitted otherwise ?

* How do you tell when the fiber-faced clutch-plates need to be replaced ?

* When do you replace the steel clutch-plates ?

* You go to buy new clutch-plates for your 500/ 535/ Electra/ Thunderbird, but the dealer says he has plate sets only for the old 350s. What next ?

* You intend to tear down the entire primary to change the drive-sprocket on the gearbox shaft. You have just the standard tools, should you wait till your dealer gets you the special-tools ? Should you save time & money having the tools fabricated locally ? Or do you know how to do the job without them ?

* Centering the stator around the alternator rotor is a job that sometimes makes grown men weep. It can be simplified in most cases by a simple trick. What ?

* What is the setting of the primary chain ? How is it adjusted ?

* How do you decide whether the primary chain & sprocket need replacement ?

* In rare cases the clutch-sprocket may have run-out. How do you detect that ? How would you adjust the chain if there is runout ? Will the system be silent as a normal one now ? How can you make it approach that ?

* What are the symptoms indicating a Tappet-check may be needed ?

* How would you park the engine of a standard-Bullet, an Electra and a Thunderbird for checking tappets ?

* If you do not have the time to complete the setting properly, how would you leave it temperorily ? A bit too tight or a bit too loose ?

* What could happen in each of this positions over a long time ?

* What is the danger in setting the tappets with a warm engine, ie neither cold nor hot as normal running temp ?

* You had original rocker-blocks (not for Thunderbird guys) and were adjusting them cold. You switched over to Samrat. Cold adjustment will be: better/ worse/ no different from earlier.

* Why does the pushrod adjustment change on tightening the locknut ? What can be done about it ?

* What are the tests you would do before closing the tappet-door, after adjustment ?

* There is a slit in the gasket for the tappet-door. What is it for ? Where should it be when installed ? What could happen otherwise ?

* There are 2 washers (1 fibre, 1 metal) under the tappet-door-nut. Why and what is their order ? Does it hold true for the oil-filter-cap, timing-cover-screws too ?

You got them all ? Confidently ? Come, be my partner !
You got most, were unsure of a few ? Read before you ride !
You got a few, but most were Greek or Latin ? Join the Course !
You got foxed & annoyed ? Sell your Bullet, buy a bicycle. And ice-cream :-)