OUR CLASSICS
The Royal Enfield Meteor gets an engine, a bespoke exhaust and other bits of progress...
We very nearly look competent...
RUPERT PAUL
After “titting around with this bike for seven years,” Rupert’s perilously close to getting it finished.
The bike that belonged to my old friend John Robinson is starting to look half decent. The rear frame’s been remade, the front end’s totally revised for better geometry, and it’s got 18in wheels with adjustable-damping Hagon shocks, and trick forks based loosely on Suzuki’s GS550 Katana. A few hours of struggle got the engine in, with the help of niece Lydia.
The next stop was NRP Exhausts in Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire. Nigel has been making beautiful one-off exhausts for years, often for classic racers. The Enfy’s low-slung motor is not great for ground clearance – and I need as much as possible. The obvious solution is a high-level system, but I wanted a more traditional 2-into-1.
I showed Nigel pics of bikes I liked and a week later it was done. It’s a masterpiece – full stainless, the tie rod holds the headers in, the welds are superb and the clearance around engine and swingarm couldn’t be tighter – £450 felt like a bargain.
Then I decided to sort out the primary drive side. The engine tear-down in 2011
had left me with a knackered clutch, worn primary chain and ancient, ill-fitting Lucas RM15 alternator. The scissor clutch takes the same plates as a modern four-speed Enfield Bullet, but it’s an odd design. I asked Allan Hitchcock (of Enfield specialists Hitchcocks) whether a later pushrod clutch from a Bullet would fit. “It’s relatively straightforward but the mainshaft has to be changed, along with two gearbox covers and bearing end cap. You could machine the inner cover – it only needs a tapped hole for the cable. You could also modify the bearing end cap; it just needs a hole for the pushrod.” I decided to stick with what I had.
Plates (steel and fibre) were £32; a primary chain, chaincase seal, two inspection plugs and a 16-tooth front sprocket (to suit the 2008 Bullet rear wheel) came to £100.58. I also spent £40 or so on fork seals. I’d first tried pattern ones I had lying around; the friction was unbelievable, so the forks now have genuine seals. Once I get the bike running I’ll ride it to Reactive Suspension to get tailored springs and damping emulators (a neat trick to turn primitive 35mm forks into something quite handy). But the most exciting stage in the build was when my old college buddy (and fabricator extraordinaire) Simon Martin volunteered to help sort the jobs I was having trouble with: fitting the footrests in a comfortable place, and making up a gear linkage; adding steering stops; improving the ovalworn holes in various engine mounting plates; and adapting my newlypurchased XT660 caliper (£60) to the Suzuki fork leg. Simon took measurements, made some notes and went home, promising to make various small items. He’ll be back in two weeks with his TIG welder...