Even though we know the way it performs, and equally hate paying those big maintenance bills that it comes with, the Royal Enfield is easily one of the machines closest to mankind, imperfect yet amazing. To own a Royal Enfield is almost like being in a relationship. To keep it running in the best way there are mainly just two ways, either do little things for the other, be receptive to their problems, and of course, make them feel important through such little gestures OR buy them an expensive gift, like a Swarovski, once in three months, and then you can keep doing your thing. The same goes for your two-wheeled companion.
1 Kickstart every morning
Every time you start your Royal Enfield motorcycle in the morning, kickstart it. Why? Well, in simple words, the engine cools down in the night due to relatively lower temperatures. The mechanism that fires up your Royal Enfield works on friction and it becomes a little more difficult for it to function in the absence of heat. If you push the start button, that’s extra pressure on both the motorbike’s battery as well as the starter motor, so if you can, fire it up the old school way.
2 A wash every day is not that good an idea
This is where you have to differentiate between you, the man and your Royal Enfield, the machine. Machines do not need a bath every day. Why? There are two major reasons, 1) for all that metal on the motorcycle, contact with water every day will only act as a catalyst to speed up the corrosion, 2) the water eventually cuts through the clear coat on any motorcycle paint and it will so in the case of your Royal Enfield as well, which will speed up the aging and eventually lead to the paint starting to get dull. Instead, use a lint-free cloth to wipe the motorbike clean every day and only clean it with water on a fortnightly or at the most once-a-week basis.
3 Lube it right
The chain on your Royal Enfield motorbike plays one of the most important parts of riding it. Essentially it is the chain that gets the motorbike moving. Every 400 km or so and when you feel the chain needs some lube, do put the motorcycle on its main stand or paddock stand and clean the chain by rotating the tyre with your hand. You might as well use a designated chain cleaning liquid and brush and let it stay for a while. Then run water through it till the water that’s flowing out becomes clean. Once the chain is clean, use a good chain lube spray on it. Make sure you’ve reached all the chain links.
4 Exhausting Exhaust
We all want our Royal Enfields to sound good. One of the myths fed to us is that the aftermarket exhaust can cause damage to the engine. Unless your exhaust system has a catalytic converter, it’s just the muffler that plays with the sound using different shapes and patterns. Otherwise too, the absence of a catalytic converter doesn’t mean that the aftermarket exhaust is bad for your engine, it just means that your motorcycle will be a bit louder and produce very light flames on high revs.
Building exhaust systems is a multi-billion industry and a lot of motorcycle brands have the tie-ups with brands like Akrapovic, LeoVince etc. In case of a Royal Enfield, the only thing you have to be careful about is not using the cheap counterfeits as they are bad for the machine, bad for the ear and bad for the environment as well. Here are a couple of the good brands that we highly recommend – RRP, AEW. Look them up!
5 Tyre Pressure
This is one of the most crucial steps and yet the most ignored. Once a week, get the tyre pressure checked and regulated because lesser than the normal pressure would lead to a wobbly ride and that would be excess pressure on the rims. On the other hand, more than the required tyre pressure would lead to a bumpy ride, again, not that good for your ride. So, make sure that the tyre pressure is always on the right level. As a thumb rule, we should also keep in mind that regardless of the usage, a tyre’s life is a maximum of 5 years and it’s always good if you change it on time.
6 Scheduled check-ups
The service intervals of any machine are planned on the basis of the motorcycle parts that need a check regardless of how your Royal Enfield is being used. You should make sure to take your motorcycle for a service when its due. Setting a reminder generally works. Scheduled servicing helps increase the life of the engine and helps to identify and rectify any problem within time.
These are just some of the tips that if you follow, your motorcycle maintenance would be cheaper and more efficient. Remember, whenever you feel something is not right with your Royal Enfield, do not ignore it, give it the time and attention that it needs, and take it for a quick check. There’s another small point that wasn’t covered above which is the importance of a parking cover. It is quite important to keep your motorcycle covered when it’s not being used for longer durations, majorly to avoid dust particles in places you don’t want them to get to. If you love your Royal Enfield, which I’m sure you do, it won’t be much of a task to do these simple things. All it needs is some bit of dedication towards your machine and that is something we, the Royal Enfield owners, have in abundance, right? Keep riding!