Royal Enfield Riding Gear

Just got an email from RE linking to their shop with riding gear that is available in the US.  They have jackets, helmets, t-shirts, buffs, etc., that you can get directly from RE or that can be bought at the dealers listed at the bottom of the page.  Supposedly this stuff will eventually filter down to the local dealers as well.

The nicest thing, IMHO, is the leather riding jacket for $279.  This might be in my future.  I would hope that the sizing in these products have been adjusted for the American market.  We are some plus sized boys over here.  XD

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K&N Air Filter After Action Report

I see you! (At Llama Farm)

Winter has been with us for all of last week and there was not even a nice weather window to commute to work all week due to the cold.  However, yesterday the day was fairly clear and in the mid 50s so it was time to test out the K&N air filter.  I layered up and doubled up against the elements and headed up for a short run up Goshen/Strasburg to the Wawa at 3 and 352.  The Bullet did not need gas but it was a good target for a short run and nothing inhibits rust like a full tank so that was that.  Layering up and doubling up worked well except for my hands that got rather cold on the run but nothing to bad.

The K&N air filter seems to have helped with increasing power, it hasn't added much but there definitely is a noticeable improvement.  At some point before Providence Rd, the Bullet was clocking 80 mph on the speedo.  I know that the speedo is ambitious but before the change in filters it would not pass 70 mph, so there is some measurable gain there beyond my feeling of improved performance.  After crossing Providence on Goshen, I noticed what I thought was another biker in the distance in front of me and gave chase.  I didn't close the gap until Duttons Mill, where he turned left towards Rt. 3, but I did catch up to him.

From Duttons Mill is just a short run to the Wawa where I stopped for gas.  Two guys on Harleys pulled up to the pumps while I was there and one of them came over to ask how old was my bike.  He had a tremendous look of surprise on his face when I told him that it was built in 2012.  I probably told him more than he ever wanted to know about REs but he was nice enough to listen and compliment the Bullet.

Clock still on DST!

I left the house at around 12:25 with approximately 2513 miles on the odo.  I say approximately because I don't remember checking the mileage but I figure 10 miles between the house and the gas station.  At the Wawa the odo had 2523 miles and the tank took 1.906 gallons.  That's a total of 105.9 miles since the last fill up for a mileage of 55.56 mpg.  Most of that 100+ miles were commuting miles to and from work.

From there it was an easy shot across 3 on 352 to 926 and then a long loop back home via Garrett Mill and Goshen to a left on 252 to Newtown Street Rd and the Sugartown - Church Rd loop.  It was a great ride.  Nice to be out moving on country roads after a good couple of weeks with very little riding.  I would have liked to stay out longer a ride some more but my hands were staring to really feel it and it there's no joy in that.  The K&N filter has made a difference in my opinion and I'm glad that I made that change.  I am thinking, for next season, of adding the Nfield Gear Stage 1 EFI performance kit to the Bullet.  Supposedly this will increase power by 20% and improve the exhaust sound to make it more like the originals.  That will probably be good thing, we'll see.

When I got back to the house the weather was still great so I decided to take the MG for a spin as well.  I had some errands to run at the grocery store so that was the first stop.  I had noticed that the llamas were out in Llama Farm so after the grocery store I headed out that way and took some pictures from the car.  The llamas were in the back pasture but there were sheep in the front pasture.  I had never seen sheep there before but I am not surprised that they keep them together.  I came back via White Horse and got a little lost back there when I took a wrong turn onto Wayland Rd.  Ended up at the end of Wyland by the Melmark school that looks like a French chateau.  On the way home I took Sawmill Rd to avoid the steel plates on Earles Lane and I saw another Tesla, this one charcoal grey, merging from Martins Rd unto Sawmill.

The MG ran like a clock despite being in the garage for over two weeks.  I had not lost a lot of oil but I filled it up none the less.  I love taking it on those back country roads as much as I love riding them on the Bullet.

Snow expected for next Wednesday with a Nor'easter on the way so who knows when I might be able to ride again.  This afternoon, I took advantage of the good, clear, warm weather and took the Bullet to work after lunch.  Didn't do it in the morning because the roads were pretty wet from the rain last night and I had a ton of things to bring to work.

The exotic car tally now stands at 8 Ferraris, 4 Teslas, 2 Lambos, 2 Maseratis, 2 Cobras, 2 Unknowns, 1 Bentley, 1 DeLorean, and 1 MGA.

Llama Farm

Llama Farm

Llama Farm

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Pierre Terblanche Hired by Royal Enfield

Pierre Terblanche, the South African designer that created bikes for Ducati, Piaggio, Norton, and Confederate, has been hired by Royal Enfield.   This guy changes jobs more often than I do.

This is an interesting combination of an ultra avant garde designer with an ultra traditionalist brand.  What does it mean for the future of design at RE and how will it affect the RE fan base?  That fan base appears to be grounded in the Way of the Bullet and not likely to take kindly to radical changes to that icon.  Also, looking at Terblanche's résumé in the last ten years would lead one to question how long will he remain with RE.

Is this a good thing?  It could be, it could also be a disaster.  Only time will tell.

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Coco Mats

Black and Natural Coco Mats

The UPS truck delivered the Coco Mats I ordered about a month ago.  Drew, the owner* at Coco Mats, sent me a VW pattern that had to be altered to fit the compartment of the MiGi II.  Once I made the new patterns and sent them in, I go a call from Drew to make sure everything was fine and then they began making the mats.  I ordered the coco in black and natural to go with the carpet kit already in the MG.

The mats fit like a glove, they are incredibly well made, and they look like they were original "factory" fit.  I am really happy with the quality of the product and the service from the company.  Drew worked with me, was helpful, friendly, and stayed on top of my order to make sure everything was as I wanted it.  I highly recommend them to anyone interested in quality custom mats for their cars.

*(Errata:  Since this posting, I've received an email from Drew who told me hes is not the owner, just "a simple vice president."  Well, I assumed he was the owner because he certainly took care of the customer (me) as if his personal interests were involved. Kudos to him!  That's what happens when you hire good people.)

Passenger's side

Driver's side

Interior

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K&N Performance Air Filters

K&N High Flow Air Filter

Yesterday afternoon UPS delivered the K&N High-Flow air filter from Nfield Gear. I wish they would have delivered it a little earlier in the week because at least I would have had a chance to test it out.  The temperatures have dropped to the low 30s today and they are forecast to remain that way for quite a few days.

Regardless of all that, the filter got installed as soon as I had it on hand.  It is a rather easy task.  The filter is in the box on the starboard side of the bike.  The older filter boxes were attached with screws but in the newer models there is simply a bolt and a 13 mm nut holding the box in place.  Once the nut is removed the box has to be worked out around the key latch and a bolt and nut that protrude from the lower inside of the filter housing.  The OEM filter is held in place by a black metal plate that in my case had fused with the OEM filter.  I had to use a screwdriver to separate the filter from the metal plate.

The easiest way to replace the filter is to lay it on to the filter box and then place everything together into the filter container and move it around until the bolt falls into the metal plate hole and the filter box hole.  After that is a simple matter to reattach the washer and nut to the outside of the filter box.

I commute on the Bullet yesterday morning and took it to the dentist's office in Newtown Square for my afternoon appointment.  After replacing the filter I took a quick spin around my subdivision just to make sure everything was good.  Not a big ride but it appears to me like there is a definite improvement on performance just by changing this filter.

Part numbers from Nfield Gear.

Filter housing on starboard side of bike.

Filter Box held in place by 13mm nut.

OEM filter held in place by metal plate.

K&N High-Flow air filter.

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Green Tesla

Not this green Tesla

This week the temps have been low in the mornings but rising to the low to mid 60s by the afternoon so I've been commuting on the Bullet every day so far.  Unfortunately, the sun is on its way down by around 17:00 so by the time I leave work the light is on its way out.

Yesterday on the way home there was an accident on the bridge that crosses over Darby Creek on Sawmill Rd blocking my way home.  It was already dark and I couldn't see what had happened, but I could see a car astride the road blocking the bridge completely.  To get home, I had to continue down Church to St Davids up to 252 and back to Goshen.  It wasn't much of a ride because there were quite a few other commuters doing the same thing but it was a couple of extra miles on the Bullet.

This morning on the way in to work, there was a dark green Tesla making a turn onto 30 from Spring Mill Rd.  I know I have seen this particular Tesla before at this same spot but never while on the Bullet so today it goes onto the exotic car tally.

The tally now stands at 8 Ferraris, 3 Teslas, 2 Lambos, 2 Maseratis, 2 Cobras, 2 Unknowns, 1 Bentley, 1 DeLorean, and 1 MGA.

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Bogart's 4th Annual Open Car Show

Headlight Bucket Reflection

Not as cold as yesterday although the morning started at about the same temps but by midday it had warmed up to the low 50s.

So with fairly good temps and a clear and blue sky it was time to head out to Bogart's 4th Annual Open Car Show.  The flyer I had said that the show was starting at 13:00, however, by the time I got there at 12:45 there were cars everywhere.  When I pulled up one of the organizers sent me over to a spot between the hot rods and the Corvettes.  Shortly after that, my friend with the Mercedes 500K replica rolled up and took a spot across from me.  

2006 Maserati

This show was not as big as the HCCP or Delco Cruisers shows but there were quite a few cars none the less.  It is another benefit show, so no registration and no judging.  Things were fairly low key but there were quite a number of people and I talked to several of the other drivers and some of the visitors.  I also took the opportunity to take some pictures, the light conditions were not great but some of the shots turned out OK.

The show ran from 13:00 to 16:00 officially but when I left there were quite a few people still milling around.  This is a nice, small, local show.  I saw some cars from Delco Cruisers and some that were at yesterdays show including the Rolls I had photographed.  There was also a really nice 2006 black Maserati.  Ordinarily, I would count a Rolls and a Maserati in the exotic tally but a car show is like shooting fish in a barrel so they are not going in.

With the Hot Rods

Mercedes Benz 500K replica

To see more photos of the Bogart's show, please, check out my Flickr Cars album.

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