I am starting to think that way too. The angle is only odd because the shifter is so close. Up one tooth is definitely better but up one tooth and slightly further away would probably feel more natural and give us some extra room. That’s a great observation Matthew ! Thanks for posting that, I’d be interested to hear how others feel about that. I think 3/4” longer on the lever would be helpful, personally. Cheers Matthew, comment pinned because I’d like to hear other people’s opinions ! Cheers, ER.
@@economicalrides I wonder if it’s the same length as the front section of the heal and toe shifter on the Meteor? I can only ride in my Blundstone Boots. However they are the sheepskin lined version and although probs not got the greatest protection, they are lovely and warm down well below Zero
@@matthewloewenthal5114 Hi Matthew, next time I have both bikes out, I’ll try to remember to take a look. Having watched this video again, I honestly believe that a slightly longer lever would help in being able to move your toe under and your foot back above the shifter. With a bit more space it would be easier to move your foot above and below the shifter without having to move your foot about in strange ways and with uncomfortable angles. Ergonomically : “Could do better” ! Cheers, ER
@@paulstredwick Thanks Paul, another vote for a longer lever ! You would think that somebody will come up with a less tricky shifter solution soon. A tad longer, maybe with a slightly different angle to it ? Somebody with a pair of winter boots and a feeling for good ergonomics should be able to come up with something better. Funny how the shifter was the first thing I noticed when riding this bike for the first time. It’s definitely not quite right ! Thanks for your input Paul 👍 ER
Warro just installed a heel/toe shifter on his Classic 350. Looks great and he seems pretty happy with it. Although they aren't everyone's cup of tea I really like mine on my Meteor 350.
Thanks for that Mark ! Yes, I've seen that he now has one, I will check the video out later, it's on my list of things to watch ! Take care and thanks for watching 👍🏻 ER.
Hi Rod, if you haven't tackled it already, try standing on the foot peg after removing just the rear bolt. For some people, removing the rear bolt was enough. If you are lucky, you can save yourself the effort of loosening the front subframe bolt. Worth a shot. In my case the lever wouldn't clear the spline without scratching the frame, so I had to loosen the big front bolt as well to get a bit more movement in that lower subframe when you press down on it, to be able to get the lever off the spline. Good luck and thanks for watching and commenting ! ER
Hey, Warro has no fear because he bought two Royal Enfield Classic 350's!!! All these channels are great - all of you do us all a service by posting them up! Thank you and... Ride Safe 🙏🏼
Thanks Scott 👍 Yes, I always intended my channel to be a source of information for people in a similar position. It’s the most rewarding aspect really, to hear that one of your videos actually helped somebody 🤗 I’m not in this for the fame, obviously. That’s clearly Ruby’s job and she’s killing it 😂😂😂 Thanks Scott, proud to have you onboard. Stay safe yourself 👍🤞 ER
Yes in one of Warro's videos he said - "I like the bike so much I bought another one." I also brought the same - Halcyon Grey classic 350 brand new. After the test ride asked the shop to reposition the gear leaver. Gotta say - love the bike !
I wanted to thank you for this video. My brother-in-law came over and we did what you did on the video and it has made a huge difference in driving this motorcycle! I would not have known how to do this if it were not for your video so thank you again!!!!!!!
Oh thank you Douglas, I'm really glad that I was able to help you out. I myself got this info from another UA-camr but put it up on my channel as well when I did it, just so that everything Meteor/Classic could be found in one place. Thanks for letting me know, it means a lot to me to know that my channel is useful to some folks from time to time 🤗 The lever is still an odd shape, maybe a bit too short, but at least this way it is in the right position for anything other than flip flops and sandals 😂 Baffling to me why they keep mounting them in this stupid position after all of these months. I would have thought that they would have got the message by now that we in the west tend to wear rather thick boots when riding ! Cheers Douglas and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice comment ! These are the little things which make all of my efforts feel worthwhile. Thank you. ER.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've now taken your first step in to a larger world. Seriously, that was one of the first things I did when I started wrenching on bikes. I did it to my old Yamaha Seca 750, and I didn't have the footrest issue; all I did was loosen the bolt on the shift lever, move it up a tooth; then tighten it back down... :)
That sounds far too easy Mark 😛 As an ambitious amateur mechanic, I fancied tackling a bigger job which involved dismantling a large part of the frame as well. Fortunately Royal Enfield gave me that opportunity 😂 Thanks for watching and for encouraging me to be brave and give it a go 👍🏻 I nearly gave up when I couldn't get that big bolt to loosen ( no room for a socket wrench behind the exhaust so had to be done with my shortish spanners ! ) but before giving up, I decided to shock the spanner, so heaving on it in pulses rather than with constant torque. That did the trick, the old human impact wrench 😛 So I definitely learned something there. If constant force won't shift it, start pulsing the force into it. Seems to be a lot more effective ! But as an experienced mechanic that was probably one of the first things you discovered. Thanks again for giving me the gentle "shove" on this one ! Cheers Mark, take care 👍🏻 ER.
@@economicalrides I don't know if I consider myself a mechanic more than a guy who tinkers with and wrenches on his own bike. For me, it's like swimming; you just have to dive in and do it, you know? Get a shop manual if you can, or at least read the RE message boards for how to do stuff. As for why I started, it was to save a few $, learn & know my bike more, convenience, and knowing the job was done right. My dealer is 45 minutes away, and they had a TWO MONTH wait last time I checked! If I wanted a valve adjustment done now, I'd be waiting till June to get it done-NO THANK YOU! Plus, there's the matter of getting a ride to and from the dealer. Finally, the feeling you get when you make your bike better by your own hands is great! Few things feel better than feeling your bike work better, and knowing it was by your efforts. BTW, if you want to learn about working on your bike, dansmc.com is an excellent site; it's by a motorcycle mechanic who takes you from knowing nothing to knowing what you're doing. BTW, when he first started riding, he didn't even know how to use the fuel petcock! The point is that, if he can learn all he did, so can we all Good night, and cheers... :)
@@markymarknj Thanks Mark, I forgot to mention it but I did do a lot of my own maintenance on the Bullet because back then there was no RE dealer here far and wide ( 2006 - RE were still considered exotic ! ). I used to adjust the pushrods, changed the rockers for better ones, stuff like that. I even swapped out the points ignition for electronic ignition. I did a lot, it was always broken. The thing is, although I can do it, I don't really WANT to do it 😂 I don't really have the time for it. If I have an hour to spare, I want to ride my bike and not fettle it. Hence why I decided to buy a NEW bike last year, thinking that for three years at least, I won't be expected to touch it ( well apart from chain and cable adjustment maybe ). Now with the Classic, it's the same thing, although unfortunately RE ensured that I had to adjust the gear lever into a sensible position myself 🤬 At the moment I am enjoying not having to get my hands dirty but I fully expect to do all of my own maintenance once the warranty expires. It's at that point that I will definitely be watching other peoples' "how to" videos and buying any additional tools I may need. With the Meteor I fully expect to be doing my own oil changes and valve adjustment once the warranty expires and once I have all of the necessary tools. So I will get there eventually, whether I want to or not. Currently enjoying having a warranty and staff for that kind of thing though 😛 Thanks for the tips Mark, it's great when you've made the bike better yourself, as you say. Some bikes are sods though, some bikes do try to screw you over at every opportunity. If you have a bike which plays nicely when you approach it with tools, I don't find it too awful. But I have had some very stubborn bikes in my lifetime where easy jobs have turned into absolute nightmares ! Take care Mark 👍🏻 ER.
Yes in one of Warro's videos he said - "I like the bike so much I bought another one." I also brought the same - Halcyon Grey classic 350 brand new. After the test ride, asked the shop to reposition the gear leaver. Gotta say - love the bike !
Hi Derek, yes, all of the RE 350s are lovely bikes and they all have their own unique character ! I'm amazed that the RE factory is still fitting these gear levers in this awkward position. Just about every Classic owner I know has had to move it up a notch. 🤷♂ Enjoy your bike ! 👍🏻 ER
Hi Daniel, I don't know if you read all of the comments to this video but if you need more room under the gear lever, you can possibly get away with just removing the REAR frame bolt. Most folks were able to move the bottom frame rail sufficiently by standing on the left peg with the rear bolt removed. That didn't work on my bike, the lever couldn't clear the shaft, so I had to undo the big front bolt too. I suspect though, if your Classic is second hand, that it has already been done by the previous owner, since the OEM position of the lever is terrible for just about everybody ! Good luck and enjoy your new bike when you get it. Cheers Daniel, ER.
@@economicalrides thanks ER, yes I actually found another video that demonstrated exactly that. The bike I am buying has only 141 miles on the clock, fairly unique circumstances with the current owner meant he only rode it three times so it is a mod I will have to carry out but luckily with your guidance I can take some spanners & sockets and get it sorted before I leave. Thanks again.
@@danieljudd2519 You're welcome Daniel ! Good luck with your new bike, I'm sure you'll love it and it sounds like it should be a very good deal 👍🏻 Cheers Daniel, Garry
Thanks Stuart 👍🏻 I think just about EVERY Classic 350 owner not in India has had to make this adjustment ! If you ride in anything more substantial than trainers, then you really struggle to get your toe under the gear lever. I have no idea why RE is still setting these bikes up this way. They must know by now that those of us who prefer to wear boots when riding, can't get on with the lever in the factory position 🤷♂ By the way, depending how your bike is made, you can probably get away with just undoing the rear frame bolt. For most people that gave enough flex in the lower subframe to be able to slide the lever off the spline. Unfortunately on my bike it didn't quite clear and I didn't fancy scratching the frame paint by persisting, so loosening off the front bolt as well got it done for me. Thanks again Stuart and enjoy your Classic 👍🏻 Garry
Simple ? For me that was borderline rocket science ER 😂 Still, I did it, without gouging or breaking anything, so all hail me 🤗 Thanks for watching ER, stay safe 👍 El Outro 😉
There is no need to loosen both bolts. Only loosening the bolt right behind the foot peg is sufficient. Then bending down the footpeg with your foot will give you enough space to remove the gear lever. This is not my idea but is demonstrated in a video by "Riding the Goblin" here on UA-cam. I just picked up my brandnew Classic 350 in halcyon green from my dealer today and have experienced this issue with the gear lever when riding home. Unfortunately I did the test riding with different boots and had no issues then. I think I will replace the gear lever with a heel and toe shifter. This will probably be the ideal solution. EDIT: just read the comment by Rob Spruitenburg and your (#EconomicalRides) reply. This encourages me in getting a heel and toe shifter.
Hi FTStratLP, congratulations on your new bike. Halcyon Green is another of my favourite colours for this bike ! Whether or not you have to loosen the front bolt to get the lever off the spline varies from bike to bike. Apparently the position of the footrest bracket varies by up to 1cm between bikes ( hard to imagine I know, but apparently it does ! ). On my bike the lever would not come off with just the rear bolt removed, at least not without gouging the paint off the footrest bracket, which I didn't want to do. But as soon as the front bolt was slightly loose I gained the extra millimetres required to be able to slide the lever off. It does vary from bike to bike and I have mentioned in subsequent comments that people should try it without loosening the front bolt because sometimes you can get away with it. The heel/toe shifter would be much nicer, without a doubt. Unfortunately buying things from India or the UK is really tricky for me ( Spanish customs ! ) so I haven't been able to get one myself. Cheers buddy, now get out and enjoy your new bike 😛👍🏻 ER
@@economicalrides Hola mate, ah interesting. I hope I can get a heel/toe shifter here in Austria. I have just watched a UA-cam video by @bennievee where he says it was only necessary to loosen the FRONT bolt. I have no idea if this works for every Classic 350 or also only for certain builts. Cheers
Hi ER, Now this is weird. Having decided that I really needed to adjust the gear lever on my Classic, I got out the tools in preparation for the job, but took out the lever bolt before attempting the frame bolts, just to see what the problem was, and as I slid it on the shaft just angled it upwards a bit, and it just slid off! No need to drop the frame at all. I don't know if I just got lucky or they've made a slight tweak in the foot peg position, but it was all done in minutes without breaking a sweat. It's made such a difference now I can get my toe under the shifter 😁
No, it does seem to vary from bike to bike. Some folks need to remove two bolts, some just one and some, like yourself none ! I could very nearly get mine off too but when it didn’t come off right away I tackled both bolts and it came off. To be honest, in my case, it would have probably been enough just to remove the rear bolt, but I didn’t bother trying and undid both at once. Mine was very close to coming off like yours and it really does seem to vary bike to bike. After all, we are talking millimetres here and 1mm difference can be the difference between it coming straight off or needing the frame bolts to be loosened. I think you just got lucky but there is certainly no need to be worried about it ! Yes, one tooth up is much better but for it to be truly “normal”, in my opinion, the lever also needs to be a bit longer, just to give a bit more room to move your boot in and out. It’s bizarre that nearly everyone has to make this mod. Maybe the factory could take that onboard and deliver the bikes this way in the future ? Cheers DoomNedwob 😛 ER.
@@economicalridesThanks ER, hopefully they'll take it onboard,.and send them out with the lever already a notch up, and maybe produce a longer lever for us folks with big boots 😁 Apart from that little hickup, I'm loving my new bike. Can't wait to get the running in done now 😊 Take care now, Adam
@@tonymiddlehurst8438 I guess I just got lucky with mine, just tilted upwards slightly as I pulled it off the shaft and it slipped off perfectly. Hope you get/got yours adjusted OK.
Lol made me laugh. Shredded wheat, to a corn flake. Class. I would also be apprehensive about any spanner work. Weather looks to have improved. Look forward to next video.
Thanks Mark, glad you appreciated it 🙂 After filming this one we had two days of heavy rain/snow believe it or not ! The weather is still all over the shop but at least now we are getting the odd dry day in-between, so I can work with that ! Just editing the next video now. It will be a video focusing on the sound of the Classic 350, so no stupid bloke banging on and no music, just engine and wind. After that, I really want to film another ride with the Meteor, weather permitting 🤞, I am missing the Meteor terribly ! Cheers Mark, thanks for dropping by and commenting 👍🏻 ER.
Hi Miros, the standard position is not compatible with boots at all ! Presumably the gap is set for trainers or sandals ! Try just removing the rear frame bolt. That might give you enough flex that you can get the lever off WITHOUT loosening the larger front bolt. For some people that works and you can save yourself the struggle with the front frame bolt. On my bike I did have to loosen the front frame bolt as well. I needed about 2mm more flex in the bottom tube to get the lever off without scratching the frame paint. But you might be lucky and find that you only have to remove the rear frame bolt. Good luck and I hope you enjoy my other videos 👍🏻 ER.
Thanks Andrew. Thanks for the "nudge" 😛 I was actually more surprised by how easy the filming was. I imagined it would take multiple takes and several hours to get it all on camera but it was a one take deal apart from the intro which I did do twice. So filming the whole operation didn't slow me down as much as I thought it would. Just don't go getting any crazy ideas and ask me to start making more of these spannering videos 😉 I'm quitting while I'm ahead 😂 It was interesting to see that when I had to go back in and adjust the lever for the second time, it literally only took five minutes. I think the first time it took about fifteen, so ten minutes of that time was just trying to crack off the factory tightness of those frame bolts. After that, easy peasy ! Cheers Andrew 👍🏻 I am now starting to feel like a mechanical engineer. Well, a little bit 😛 ER.
Hi Stephen, glad it helped ! I'm still amazed that after all this time, RE is still fitting the shift lever in this position. It makes it just about impossible to ride in adequate footwear, i.e. motorcycle boots. I would have thought that they might have taken the hint by now but apparently not ! 🤷♂ Still, at least it's not welded in place and we have the possibility to move it ourselves ! Cheers Stephen, thanks for dropping a comment 👍🏻 ER.
Yes mine is a brand new bike I picked up yesterday so had to get the spanner’s out today 😂. I also have a bullet 500 and that was spot on when I bought that. That said I tested a meteor and that was also almost impossible to change gear with 🤪
@@stephenyates7669 Hi Stephen, the Classic 350 seems to be the only RE that comes with a terrible shift lever position as standard ! I think it's because the bike was conceived to have the heel/toe shifter ( they are all sold that way in India ). I think that late in the day they realised that a heel/toe shifter wasn't very classic British, so at the last minute they knocked up the standard shifter for the export models. It would benefit from being a bit longer and being fitted at a different angle from the factory. It's just an oddity in the RE family, because the standard shifter seems like it was a bit of an afterthought. Still surprised that they haven't at least changed the standard fitting position from the factory by now though ! Presumably you didn't get on with the heel/toe shifter on the Meteor ? I really enjoy using it. A lot of people also retro fit the standard Indian heel/toe shifter to their Classic 350s. I find a heel/toe shifter nice to use but I know that some folks struggle with it. It's great because it enables you to shift up whilst wearing flip flops or sandals 😉 Cheers Stephen, enjoy your new lever position ! Garry
Thank you William ! Actually, watching this video back, I almost look competent 😂 So glad I managed to do it without any damage to the bike. At this rate of progress, I‘ll be adjusting my own valves soon. Hmmmm....no, maybe not 😛 Take care William 👍 Cheers, ER.
A interesting video. I found the gear shift lever difficult to get my toe under as well, when I demo rode the Meteor. and the Interceptor. Cheers. 🙂 🏍 🇨🇦
Hi Triketacular, I've never ridden an Interceptor and haven't really heard any complaints but the Classic is renowned for the factory positioning being only suitable for very thin toed footwear and certainly not winter or "all year" boots. The Meteor has a heel/toe shifter and you are not expected to try to get your toe under it. If you do try to use it as a normal shifter then yes, the gap is too small. But at least with the Meteor you have a choice. With the Classic you HAVE to somehow get your boot under the shifter and without doing this small mod it is extremely awkward and uncomfortable ! Cheers and greetings to Canada, ER.
Well done ER! Time will tell whether its absolutely right for you. But it really is a bit of a palaver to adjust a gear lever position having to drop that subframe. For the sake of a bit more clearance. You made that all very clear for us. Perfect. LE Lovely to see Ruby.
Thanks LE, definitely a bit of a faff which wouldn’t be necessary if they set it that way for us from the factory ! I also think the lever could do with being a bit longer, that would also give us more room to move our foot below and above the shifter as required. It’s definitely still not perfect but fine if you ride in regular shoes of course. Thanks LE, Ruby was desperate to be in another video but she got sidetracked by her rawhide chew, like she does 😂 Cheers LE 🥃 ER
@@economicalrides Ah well I'd get distracted nibbling away on a rawhide chew I think 😂. Now on the Meteor.... I believe there's a heel and toe shift available for the Classic 350 from India now? I've heard talk about it anyway though personally I don't care for them, as you know.
@@Lanes-Explorer5733 Yes, you can get a heel/toe shifter for the Classic, since they fit them from the factory in India. Although it might make the Classic nicer to ride ( for me at least ), it wouldn’t really suit the classic look in my opinion. A slightly longer standard shifter in the new position would probably feel normal. Maybe somebody will bring out a re-profiled, slightly longer lever in the future 🤞 Cheers LE ER.
@@economicalrides Good morning ER. Yes the reviews from those who have fitted the heel /toe lever to the classic 350 are mixed - but that's always the case I find with reviews. You, for example, like the Meteor's heel /toe shift and I cut mine off after a week!! I wouldn't have thought though that the appearance of the classic would be much altered by H/T lever? What I do like about the classic though and your video shows it very clearly, is the polished alloy engine casings. It's not enough to tempt me away from the Meteor however... I could always give mine the occasional spray with silver paint... 😳.
@@Lanes-Explorer5733 The thing is Peter, if it is the same heel/toe shifter as fitted to the Meteor, we both know that it is not very well engineered, will not be durable and will get slacker and slacker as the holes wear out. So for that reason alone I don't think it would be worth the hassle, even if it does make the bike easier to ride. As I said, I'd be happy with a slightly longer standard shifter with an optimised shape which, once put into the correct position on the spline, would give you ample room to move your booted foot above and below the shift lever without doing any contortions. Oh also, if the heel/toe shifter comes painted, that would definitely ruin the looks IMO because the current lever is chrome. A black heel/toe shifter would look like a bit of a downgrade. We just need a properly designed, ergonomic standard shift lever and not this current ( apparent afterthought ) one ! Yes, the engine casings are not properly polished yet, there is still some factory tarnish on them. I've not had the time to polish more than the painted parts so far. Once the drier weather arrives I will give the bike a proper clean and get some proper wax on there and polish those casings to the max ! Where they are tarnished, I have tested it and you literally only have to rub over the area once or twice and the tarnish disappears. I just need to have the time to go over the whole engine and gearbox looking for areas to work on ! Take care Peter, I see that Ainsworth Rider has now subbed your channel ! Steady on there ! Your UA-cam channel is careening out of control and losing its exclusivity 😂😂😂 Love from Ruby and I, ER.
Hi ER, a great and informative video there! Always nice to see some mod type videos, surely will help a lot of Classic owners who also need to adjust the shifter. Saying that, I’ve been meaning to do it on my Meteor for a while, just one up on the spline to help my lazy foot who tends to just rock back and forth 😂😂😂 Glad to see you had some nice weather, for a while at least! Can’t wait to see the next instalment on the channel 😁 I hope you and Ruby are doing well? Take care mate and ride safe. Cheers, Jon
Thanks John, I was pretty happy with how this video came out. I'm not really accustomed to spannering and certainly not to filming it as I go. It didn't take half as long or half as many takes as I anticipated ! Saturday was dry as was Sunday ( the day I filmed this one ). Then Monday it rained all day, yesterday it snowed then rained all day. Today it is not raining and things are starting to dry out. At least we are now getting some variation in our weather and it's not just rain, rain and more rain ! My Meteor mod is now my top priority because I've been waiting so long for all of the parts to arrive nd then it wouldn't stop raining ! Hopefully I can progress that and film it over the weekend. If I'm very lucky I might get it finished but I will need at least two days of pleasant weather for that to happen 🤞, knowing my speed of working. Ruby and I are fine. She has now hidden the rest of that chew "somewhere safe" in the garden and will no doubt be digging it out ( if she remembers where she put it ) when I am next out in the garden with her 😂 I believe that moving the shifter on the Meteor only requires pulling it off, moving it up and pushing it back home. I don't think you have to dismantle the frame to do it anyway ! Get it done 😉 Cheers Jon, thanks for watching. Take care mate 👍🏻 ER.
No more love for the poor Meteor? Sad. I mean, I’ll watch the Classic 350 videos because the motor and sound are the same but that’s it. I’m just a normal bloke who can’t (or won’t) buy a second bike because it’s new and all the rage at the moment. But I guess that’s what success on UA-cam demands: always new, always better. For myself, I’ll be riding my Meteor until it (or I) fall apart. Cheers and please take the poor, neglected Meteor out for a spin through the beautiful Spanish countryside again Thanks ✌️
Glenn, you could not be more wrong ! Look, I’ve had the Classic for less than two months and in that time I had about three dry days ! Of course I had to ride the Classic because I desperately needed to get the first service out of the way as quickly as possible. I’ve mentioned my upcoming Meteor mod in numerous videos, which got put on hold because of the poor weather and then a long waiting time for the final bolts needed. As soon as it is dry I will be starting that job and filming it. Believe it or not I am desperate to ride my Meteor again but since I bought the Classic I have genuinely had no opportunity to do so. Now that the Classic has finally had its first service, I can begin to treat the bikes equally and as soon as we get some decent weather it will be the Meteor and not the Classic which gets wheeled out of the garage I can assure you ! The only reason the Meteor hasn’t been ridden is because of the lack of dry days and the need to get the Classic’s first service out of the way, so you can relax. As of now I can’t see myself ever selling the Meteor, it has been faultless for 5500 km so far, for me it has been the perfect bike. I do appreciate you sticking around and not storming off in a huff though 😛 and hope that you understand why I’ve had to focus on the Classic for a few videos. There should be an even spread of content on both bikes from here on in Glenn, so hang tight. Thanks for expressing your concerns and I hope I was able to address them and reassure you that my love for the Meteor is as strong as ever🤞 Cheers Glenn, ER.
I have had a demo. of this bike and the gear lever is definitely a problem. The dealer immediately said he would move it up a single spline. I will try it again with this adjustment.
Hi Brahn. If they move it up one tooth on the spline it will be much better but even then the lever isn’t the best shape or length. But moving it up one tooth on the spline means that you no longer have to angle your foot down at such an extreme angle in order to get your toes under the shifter. Hopefully you’ll be able to live with it in the new position 🙂 Good luck, please let me know what you decide 👍 Cheers Brahn, ER
Well done, it makes for a much improved gear change, if you need to do this again try marking the position of the gear leaver with tipex for reference first, when I did mine it needed one spline up. Try using sockets, with extension bars if needed in future it will be a lot less effort and will not slip if you keep the socket on square. Warro has just fitted a heel toe gear lever on his Classic. Ride safe, Ride often.
Hi Derek, actually my mistake was taking the lever off the spline completely to show it to camera. Prior to that I had moved it up one spline, just by sliding it almost completely off ( but not quite ) and then turning it up and pushing it back on. That is the right way to do it, a tooth at a time ( although marking the prior position is useful for reference ) but I wanted to show on camera that the lever now came fully off. So if it wasn't for those pesky UA-cam viewers I would have got it right first time ! That's my story and I'm sticking to it 😂 I wanted to use sockets but on the 17mm side I couldn't fit one in behind the exhaust, there was not enough room. Even my smallest socket wrench with socket was too thick to fit in there. Maybe I need lower profile sockets ? Anyway, in the end I did manage it with "mere spanners" which does make me feel a little bit like I might be the Incredible Hulk 😛 The tightness from the factory certainly made me angry enough to possibly trigger the transformation 🤢 although my shirt did not get ripped, so maybe not ! Yes, I need to check out Warro's latest video, it's on my watchlist, just haven't had time yet. Thanks Derek, successfully doing jobs like these over time will hopefully increase my confidence in tackling ever more complicated jobs 👍🏻 Cheers, ER.
@@economicalrides Je suis abonné bien sûr et les conseils sont les bienvenus , ça m'a évité d'aller en concession et d'avoir la main d'oeuvre à payer . Celui qui la tiens est Vincent Philippe , neuf fois champion du monde en endurance sur Suzuki , on est de la même région . 😃
@@guycointet1322 Salut, c'est intéressant ! Dites à Vincent que je serai vraiment impressionné s'il remporte le championnat du monde en endurance sur une Royal Enfield 350 😂😂😂 Merci pour l'abonnement et désolé de ne pouvoir produire mes vidéos en français. Je suis ravie que ma vidéo vous ait aidé Guy. Cheers 🙂👍🏻 ER
@@economicalrides Bonjour , ce n ' est pas grave , j'ai les sous titres en Français . J'avais une Triumph Speed Triple 955 i , 140cv , maintenant j'ai perdu 120cv mais j'adore ma Royal Enfield , elle correspond plus à mon âge 68 ans . ❤
Recently moved to Spain. Sold my GS 750 IN UK and just bought a Meteor 350 from go Racing Malaga. Great little bike, ideal for easy cruising. No real probs apart from bike being delivered with empty petrol tank. Headlamp appears to be constantly on, can it be switched to daylight running only?
Welcome to Europe Trevor 😉 It's normal that they deliver the bike with about 1.5 litres of fuel in it. It was the same when I bought bikes in Germany. The first thing you have to do when buying a new bike here is to ask where the nearest petrol station is, because you will need one right away ! In Spain they usually also deliver the bikes unwashed, so you get to observe some of the packing material used in the delivery crate, lots of dust, oily mechanic handprints and handprints of everybody who touched the bike whilst it was sat in the shop awaiting collection. Lovely 🙄 No, the headlight is on all of the time, that's normal, it has been compulsory in Europe for quite a while now. On older bikes where the headlight wasn't permanently on, you could actually get a fine for riding a motorcycle WITHOUT the headlight on, so actually having it on all of the time is a convenience really ! The Meteor is a fantastic bike. I've done nearly 6000 km on mine without a single issue. I didn't have to adjust the headlight and the gear shifter and I don't have water in the instruments - unlike the Classic, which has had all of those issues within the first 700 km 🤬 The Meteor is great on the mountain roads here in Spain, probably damn near perfect. I don't know how many km you have on yours but after about 650 km the motor really starts to free up and you find you can go up hills in fifth gear whereas previously you had to use fourth. I'm noticing that again now with my Classic 350. The engine keeps improving until about 2500km I'd say, Take care Trevor and enjoy your Meteor, enjoy those mountain roads ! Cheers, ER
@@economicalrides. Thanks for the info on the light, I am a little surprised about the European law as daylight running lights are far brighter and therefore safer than a normal headlamp. If it is bright enough to be clearly seen in daylight then it will blind other drivers at night. Makes more sense safety wise to be able to switch between both types of light. Anyway it is what it is so no real problem. With regard to the fuel issue, they put enough in to travel 3.2km, the garage was 5km. In other words the tank was virtually empty. If they had warned me I would have gone for fuel in the car. The fuel gauge didn't help as it did have a low fuel warning but the display still showed a full bar. Anyway I now know to keep a close eye on the fuel level. On the positive side the bike was very clean and well presented. I only got the bike this week so only done around 70km. Very pleased with it and enjoying it very much, I think it is one of the best looking retro bikes on the market. Having a bit of an issue getting used to the heel toe gear change. I wear boots and find it hard to feel the levers. At this point I am thinking of changing it to a standard shift. I see other followers are actually going the other way but I guess it is a personal thing. I live near Almunecar on the coast, about 45 mins from Granada, maybe we will bump into each other some day. Kind regards. Trevor
@@trevpierce100 Hi Trevor, blimey, that was about three drops of fuel then, since the Meteor will do 35km on a litre, I would guess ! When I fill up on collection it usually looks like there were 1-2 litres in the tank, so your dealer must have been particularly stingy, although the Meteor does need 0,5 litres in the tank for the fuel pump to be able to draw the fuel, so maybe they put one litre in ? I don’t know of a decent standard shifter for the Meteor but I do actually prefer the heel/toe shifter myself and miss it on my Classic already. Granada is about two hours away but if you ever get beyond Granada maybe we could sort something out ! Just wait until the Meteor is a bit more run in, that’s when you realise just how lazily you can ride it. Once it is able to pull fifth gear on inclines you can really chug about on it, just switching between fifth and fourth as required. Very chilled 😎 Take care Trevor and enjoy your new bike 👍 ER
Glad you decided to do the mod, it really does transform the riding experience! I see in Warro's latest video he's managed to get hold of the heal and toe shifter from India and changed it for that, but it seems that unless you've a friend or relative living there you have no chance of getting one! You're right about the torque on the front bolt, I had to use a socket with a long ratchet handle. Looks like your weather's taken a turn for the better?
Hi Pete, yes, I just watched that video tonight. The heel/toe shifter actually looks better than I thought it would. If they become available here sometime I might now actually consider getting one ! I managed to do the job with the spanners shown in the video although I did have to sneak up on it to loosen the bolt. Constant force wasn’t budging it but jerking it in bursts saw it start to turn eventually. Felt quite proud of myself, almost like a proper mechanic 🤗 The weather was fine for this video, filmed on Sunday. Saturday was nicer still and I was able to film for next week’s video. But on Monday and Tuesday it rained and snowed A LOT but today was dry again. At least now we are getting dry days in between, even if there is still plenty of rain about. I can work with that ! Take care Pete, nice hearing from you👍 Cheers 🥃 ER.
Had my 350 Yesterday, Only removed bolt behind footrest. A little pressure on the footrest en the shifter van be removed. 4 minutes work. Don't touch the frontbolt, it's not necessary. Greetz, from Holland.
Hi Rob, it depends. The foot rest bracket varies in position by up to 1cm between bikes 😱 If you are lucky, removing the rear bolt is enough. If you are unlucky, like I and others were, you do need to loosen ( but not remove ) the front bolt to be able to slide the lever off. It’s always worth trying with just the rear bolt removed, I mention that here in the comments somewhere. Glad you got lucky, it is still pretty much an essential mod., surprising that RE are still fitting these levers at such a stupid angle from the factory. Greets to Holland and cheers 👍 ER
Yeah... U r ryt about the condensation part... Recently noted it and the condensation is at the exact point as yours. Evaporates eventually. But it is irritating. Gear lever mod was very impressive... I have noticed that in India we get a heel and toe shifter. International models get only toe shifters. And talking about the placement of gear lever, I ride wearing boots from Orazo. They are pretty thick but have never faced any issue with the position of the gear shifter. May be there is some tweaking that RE does for its international models.
Hi Avik, the standard shifter could do with being a bit longer, it doesn’t leave you with much space for moving your boot above and below it. I think I would have preferred it to come with the Indian spec heel/toe shifter but understand why RE didn’t fit one. Unfortunately the lever they chose to fit in its place isn’t great ! Unfortunately I also got water in my speedometer and when it dried it left a water stain on the inside of the glass. That is very annoying because I can’t get to it to rub it away. So now I always have to stare at this water stain behind the glass 🤬🤬🤬 Thanks for watching and commenting Avik 👍 Cheers, ER
@@economicalrides Yeah those stains really play a spoilsport in an otherwise very well sculpted and built bike. Yes u r ryt about the gear shifter. Heel toe shifter seems to be a better option. Happy miles ahead brother. ❤️
Yes, I'm keeping an eye on his channel now Tim. So he finally managed to get one ? That's good news. Will definitely check out that video as soon as I have some downtime. I don't think I'll be getting one because the Meteor one isn't very well engineered. If they use the same arrangement on the Classic, it won't be terribly durable. Also, I don't think it suits the style of bike to be honest. Bullets never used to have heel/toe shifters back in the day. I'd prefer to fit a longer, re-profiled standard shifter designed for better ergos, if somebody comes up with one, which I am sure they will eventually. Thanks for the heads up Tim ! Take care out there 👍🏻 ER.
@@economicalrides hi EC. The leaver fitted in India to the classic (that Warro obtained) is a direct replacement for the original, without the agricultural mess they fitted to the Meteor. From an engineering background, I would just weld a fabricated heel shifter to the original. To hell with the chrome. But then that's me. Enjoy the ride. Check Warro again when you have time. It's quite neat.
@@timsatch9198 Hi Tim, yes, I've now seen his heel/toe shifter and I actually thought it looked not too bad. It was in chrome and as you say, not with that weird connecting rod they use on the Meteor. It looked like a decent piece of kit, should be durable enough. Unfortunately they are not easy to get hold of for us westerners ! If they become readily available here, I might actually get one now ! Since I adjusted the standard lever it is better but still not ideal. I can now leave my foot on the footrest, pointed out at a certain angle and then getting under and over the shifter is fairly intuitive. It's not super comfortable though ! I like the sound of your mod ! Just weld something onto the rear part of the shifter and make your own heel/toe shifter 🙂 Sounds like a job for the mechanically gifted. That's me out then ! 😂 Thanks for you input Tim, appreciate it ! Cheers 👍🏻 ER
Well, to get around the problem, you don't need to take half of the bike apart - just think around the corner ;-) After having removed the bolt, push the lever forward until the rear edge is in the middle of the groove in the shaft. Then turn it a little and it will pass the footpeg when you pull. That way, it's only a 5 minute job.
I’d love to test this theory, sounds good, but unfortunately the Classic is gone now. It does sound as though it should work though, so have a medal 🏅 Cheers Carsten, ER 👍
Hi Isla, well in that case, here is my advice. Loosen the shift lever bolt and see if you can get the lever off the spline without loosening any frame bolts. Because of variance in the position of the footrest bracket and engine position within the frame, some people can get away without loosening the frame bolts at all. If the footrest bracket is preventing the lever from coming off the spline, remove just the rear subframe bolt first. Then you should find that the subframe moves down slightly when you press down with your hand on the footrest. You might get enough flex in the subframe that you can then take the lever off the spline. Only when this doesn't suffice, would I tackle loosening the front subframe bolts because they are pretty darn tight and that can involve some swearing and skinned knuckles - don't ask me how I know this 😂 So to summarise : 1) Try to remove the gear lever without loosening any frame bolts. 2) Remove just the rear subframe bolt and push down on the footrest. You will PROBABLY be able to get the lever off the spline. 3) If 1 and 2 were not sufficient, loosen off ( no need to remove ) the large front bolt. Then you will definitely have enough movement in the frame to get the lever off. Good luck, let me know how you get on 👍🏻 I just bought some new boots for riding the Himalayan and now have the same issue there. I now need to find out what my options now are for raising the gear lever on the Himalayan 🤬 Cheers Isla, Garry
@@economicalrides Will do Gaz. If I get away with either of the easier options I reckon 2 rather than 1 as there doesn't look to be too much space between the lever & subframe. Will let you know - best of luck doing the same with Norman ☺️👍
@@islaws4589 Yep, a lot of people seemed to have success with step 2. I was unlucky. I needed to go to step 3. It was incredibly close and with 2 I think I could have just about waggled the lever off at the risk of gouging the paint, but that was something I wasn't prepared to do. Good luck. We seem have limited adjustment on the Himalayan, I think it's going to be a question of finding the best compromise. I don't think it will be possible to get it how I actually want it without messing up the shift, unfortunately 😖 Darn those thick boots ! 😝
Yes, I really like the heel toe shifter personally and I’m quite sure that a lot of people will fit one to their Classic but obviously traditionally these bikes would never have had one. I’ll stick with the regular shifter on mine, just for the Classic look. After adjustment it is easier for me to live with it as it is. It will be interesting to see how many folks end up fitting a heel toe shifter to their Classic though. I think it will be a popular mod for Classic owners. Thanks for watching Corrado 👍 ER.
@@markymarknj I suppose that traditionally the Bullets never had one and this is supposed to be the modern equivalent of a Bullet. It isn't traditional for these models to have the heel/toe shifter. The reasons why they need them in India are well documented 😉 Although one would undoubtedly be better than the current shifter to use, I do think it would look a bit out of place on a bike like the Classic. In export markets the Classic is supposed to be a proper modern classic, so I can understand, as an enthusiast's motorcycle, they went with a standard looking, traditional style shifter. The current lever seems like a bit of an afterthought. It is both too short and the profile of it combined with the way they fit it in the factory really does not leave you enough room to be able to move your foot about on the shifter without putting it into some uncomfortable positions ( particularly if you are wearing thick boots ). It would be an easy part to remanufacture though, so don't be surprised to see a third party supplier come up with a replacement which offers better ergonomics. I'd probably be in the market for one if they made one ! Cheers Mark, ER.
@@economicalrides I don't think that Bullets or Classics had them, no; so, to keep the export ones historically and stylistically accurate, they'd have a regular shift lever. That said, I like the heel/toe shifter on my Meteor... :)
Cheers ER! looks like ruby was in her own wembley stadium of greenery :D Btw ive been doing some longer rides and my bum is hurting after about 30 mins, any idea if the touring seat might help or make it worse? Maybe its my overweight ass :D Anyhow i'm enjoying the bike even on the highways here in belgium (thats pedal to the metal 120kph every car drives here so i feel like i'm pushing to keep up sometimes. three lane highways)
Well clearly I can’t comment on your ass since it is beyond the realms of my knowledge but the discomfort you are feeling may be due to the softer foam of the standard seat getting less and less resistant to pressure and compressing more over time. The touring seat has a denser less pliable foam and offers more support, it will probably offer more support for longer too. It’s not terribly expensive, so might be worth a try if you are starting to struggle with the standard seat. The seats are also easily swapped out, so easy to switch back if the new seat is no better for you. Judging from what you say, I think it is likely that you will find the touring seat better but it is quite hard to begin with, so give it time to break in before deciding for or against it ! After three or so longer rides, your ass and the touring seat get to know each other and from then on it is comfortable for at least two hours at a time, I reckon. I hope this helps BD ! Take care and enjoy your Meteor. Mine is coming out again over the Easter weekend and I am really looking forward to riding my other (still) new bike 👍 Cheers BD 🥃 ER.
Hi Douglas, as demonstrated in this video, if you manage to loosen off the front frame bolt, then the rest is very easy. That's the only hard part because it is done up pretty tight. Hope this helps. If I could do it, anybody can. Genuinely ! Cheers, ER.
Hi Simon, no, sorry, can't find one on the internet either, although I'm sure it's out there somewhere. The front one on my bike was pigging tight. So when I retightened it, I tightened it to tight and then just nipped it up about a sixteenth of a turn. That is scientifically classified as pigging tight. The rear one I just did by feel. For the front bolt I used my medium length socket wrench, not the huge one, just to give you some idea of the leverage applied. For the rear bolt I used the smallest socket wrench and just one hand. In both cases I tightened to tight and then just gave a gentle pinch up afterwards. I did it by feel, as always. Just remember Simon, after tight comes broken 😂 Always better to not over tighten and just check again after each of the first few rides, than to try to do it up too tight and end up breaking something. Good luck. If you do it by feel and keep an eye on those two bolts for a few rides, you should be okay. Cheers, Garry
@@economicalrides Thanx for that detailed reply Gary. Much appreciated as I looked on line too. That all sounds like good advice especially on the overtightening of bolts etc. I did find a spreadsheet on the Meteor which must be pretty similar. The Wurx YT couple are working on a 2007 ish model so I'll ask on there too. If I get a reply I'll let you know in case you ever need it or if somebody else asks. Once again many thanx. Simon. Have a good day Gary and of course Ruby.
@@simonchilli2088 Thanks for the coffees Simon, very much appreciated🙂 Maybe you should have waited to watch tonight's video before thanking us for all of our "hard work" though 😂 Just sayin' 😉 Thanks again. Very kind of you ! Garry & Ruby
On the subject of installing a heel-toe shifter on the Classic 350, here is one thing to consider: On the Meteor 350, the tops of the toe shifter, foot rest, and heel shifter lie more or less on a straight line. That means that if you are wearing flat-soled shoes (or heaven forbid flip-flops 😲) the shoe can simultaneously rest quite comfortably and naturally on all three surfaces. However with boots, because of the indentation in the sole, you are faced with choosing between resting the toe of the boot on the toe shifter or the heel of the boot on the heel shifter or neither and just having the boot off to the side. None of those options seem particularly comfortable or natural. With boots, it seems like the foot rest needs to be raised a cm or so higher relative to the shifter. Would be interested if anyone else sees this as an issue.
Hi K Shred, I can't really say because both pairs of boots I own have completely flat soles and I have no issue using them on either bike. On the Classic I just have the problem that there is simply very little room between the footrest and the tip of the gear lever to slide your boot in and out of when you want to shift up, if you are wearing anything thicker than fashionable brogues 😛 The heel/toe shifter which RE fits to Indian Classics is a totally different design to the one used on the Meteor and I'm sure that it works on the Classic just fine, I certainly haven't heard any complaints about it. 🙂 Cheers K Shred, ER.
I saw that on the dealer's floor. It seemed to me like serious issue. Not only while resting. I like to move my feet on pegs during ride which I can totally see that accidental shift up or down is quite plausible. Or, just keep it in place the whole time which can be very tiring on longer ride.
Hi Allan, I think the shifter was a rush job and a bit of an afterthought. They suddenly realised that classic enthusiasts in the west might baulk at seeing a heel/toe shifter on the Classic 350 ( unlike in India, where they are used to them ) so hurriedly knocked something up which is ergonomically terrible. Even after moving it up a tooth I still struggle to move my boot under the lever. It could do with being about an inch longer which would give me more space to slide my boot in and out. It's really not great ! As soon as the heel/toe shifter becomes available in Europe I will be getting my dealer to order me one. Cheers Allan, ER.
Hi there. I just bought one of these yesterday, 6 months old, and got a lift 142 miles from home, to pick it up and rode it home. I loved the bike but found it extremely difficult to change up and virtually every time I tried to go from first to second gear, I hit neutral, so I need to do this job before I go out on it again. Thanks for the video and I will watch the other video with `Warro`. I can`t understand why Royal Enfield made such a bad job of designing this aspect of the bike, when the rest of the bike seems to have been well thought out. Also, why don`t they send them from the factory, one notch higher on the spline? A bit of a shame.
Hi Dave, congratulations on your new bike ! Well I think the shift lever was a very late afterthought. You have to consider that in India and Asian markets in general, the Classic is delivered with a heel/toe shifter, just like the Meteor. Some bright spark at the factory must have realised fairly late on, that western markets would find a heel/toe shifter out of place on a classically styled roadster, so I think they hastily came up with a standard shift lever. I imagine it was a bit of a rush job, since neither the length, the angles nor the OEM position on the spline suit riding in anything more than a pair of stylish brogues 😂 The lever should be longer and possibly protrude a bit further outwards in order to be truly ergonomic but at least moving it up on the spline does give us a bit more toe room under the lever. Just go up one tooth on the spline because two feels weird ( as I found out 🤗 ). Remove the rear bolt first and stand on the LHS foot peg. You might be lucky, the lower frame rail may move enough for you to get the lever off the spline. Some people were able to get away without undoing the front bolt. Apparently the positioning of brackets on the frame, such as here for the footrest, can vary by up to a centimetre, so if you are lucky you may not have to undo the front bolt at all. If you do have to, loosening it is sufficient to get the lower frame rail to move down when you stand on the LHS foot peg, no need to completely remove it, just loosen it off ! With regard to your first to second gear problem, that may persist once you have adjusted the lever position. You didn't say how many miles your bike has on it but when the gearboxes are new, some of them clunk into second gear ( you can hear that second gear has engaged ) but as soon as second gear comes under load ( i.e. as soon as you let the clutch out ), it jumps out and you end up in neutral. This happens on my bike. The solution is to PRELOAD the gear lever upwards before you pull the clutch in to shift from first to second. This way, second gear goes in AND STAYS IN. This seems to be necessary when the gearboxes are tight and the tolerances are not quite spot on from the factory. Over time everything beds in properly and eventually you no longer have to preload the lever for the shift into second. So if you are having your Classic go into and then jump out of second gear, preload the lever on the shift from first to second for a while. I think my bike no longer needs me to preload the lever, I've forgotten to do it a couple of times and the shift worked without it. But it has become a bit of a habit, so I find myself still preloading the lever when I go from first to second. Eventually though, it should no longer be necessary. Good luck Dave. Other than the silly shifter and tight gearbox ( in my case ), there is not much else to worry about with these bikes so far. The sticky speedo issue seems to be widespread but RE seem to be happy to replace speedos whenever it happens. In my case it seems to happen when the bike has been stood parked in the sunshine, so maybe try to park in the shade if you have to park outside on a sunny day ! Hope this information helps and good luck with your new bike ! Cheers Dave, ER.
@@economicalrides Well, first of all, thank you for that comprehensive and very informative reply. I appreciate the effort you put into that reply and it has helped me understand the origins of the problem. My bike has covered a little under 2,000 miles, so i would have thought that it may have bedded in by now. However, the original owner has not altered the gear lever but I will do it before I ride it again. I must admit, it did make me wonder if I had bought the right bike but I do like it, in just about every other way. I would think that there will soon be a revised design from RE and they should fit it on warranty but, in the meantime, I will change it. I hadn`t heard about the speedo problem. I did notice, on the trip home, that the fuel gauge went from 3 bars to flashing 1 bar in very quick time! Anyway, many thanks for your help.
@@davericketts9101 Hi Dave, I'd say 2000 miles is about the mileage where the jumping out of second gear problem should be pretty much gone. If it still happens once you've moved the shift lever, as I said, try preloading the lever before shifting into second gear for a while. No need to thank me, I'm happy to help, it's why I started the channel. If you have any further questions I'd be happy to answer them :) Cheers Dave and good luck with your Classic, ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks so much. Yes, I will preload it, once I have done the mod and I hope that will help. I am sure that there will soon be a new gear shifter to replace this one or even new foot peg bar. It`s good to hear that you are so keen to help fellow owners of these bikes. 👍
Thank you for watching and I hope this video helped you. Remove the rear bolt ( by the footrest ) first, you might get lucky. Some people didn’t need to loosen the front frame bolt, apparently the position of the welded brackets for footrests etc varies a bit. On some bikes, just removing the rear bolt was enough to be able to get the lever off the spline. The front bolt is tight but I managed to loosen it just using two spanners and I am no strongman ! Good luck Vincent, the standard position of the lever is hopeless for people who wear thicker footwear than flip flops 😂 Cheers, ER
@@vincentperez3160 Yes, definitely just go up one tooth on the spline because if you go up two, like I did initially, you have to physically lift your foot up off the footrest to change gears, which is most uncomfortable ! The whole lever shape and length is less than ideal to be honest, but moving it up one tooth is currently the best position for it ( even though still not truly perfect ! ). Good luck ! I think it's unlikely that you will have any problems if I managed to do it 😛 Cheers Vincent, ER
Thanks for that Thimbur. I’ve decided to alleviate the problem by just using a wet cloth on the nacelle, even if that might increase the risk of micro scratches. That still has to be better than permanent water stains inside the glass ! I will keep an eye on it and make more of an issue of it should it continue to happen ! Thanks for your input, we’ll keep an eye on the situation. Cheers 👍 ER.
I heard that you do not need to loosen off that long bolt at the front, just take the other out and stand on the foot peg to lower it enough to change the shift lever.
Yep that can work. Unfortunately on my bike there was still no clearance, so the front bolt needed to be loosened off to get more flex in the subframe. But plenty of people can get away with removing just the rear bolt, which is preferable. Always worth trying that first IMO and only mess with the front bolt if it becomes necessary. But either way, it's an easy job to do. Would just be nice if RE chose a different position for the lever from the factory, since just about everybody I know has done this to their Classic ! Cheers ER
@@sonnyday6830 That's a great mod ! Would have done it myself but whenever I buy something from India I get a load of hassle from customs, so I didn't bother. Really wanted one though ! Love it on my Meteor ! Good luck with it 👍 ER
Thanks Christy 👍 Although there are other videos out there showing how to do it, since I was doing it to my bike anyway, I thought I might as well film it for future generations of Classic 350 buyers 😉 Cheers 👍 ER
@@Ainsworth-Rider Hi, yes, in the rolling caption I stated that I subsequently took it back to one tooth higher than standard. Less room for my boot now but I no longer have to lift my foot to change down. It’s still not ideal but improved. I think if the lever were 3/4” longer, we’d have much more room to get our foot under and above the shifter. The lever could definitely do with being a bit longer IMO. It’s not just the angle to the footrest that’s the problem, the proximity of the two exacerbates the problem with big boots, I think ! The good news was, adjusting it for the second time quite literally only took five minutes. I had the required tools already laid out and the bolts were now “human tight”. Doing it for the second time was SO MUCH easier ! Cheers AR ER.
It’s certainly not ideal for winter boots or less sporty boots. I’m sure the RE testers wear boots but maybe racing boots which tend to be thinner at the toe. There seems to be A LOT of criticism of the shifter position from riders in the western world, in winter, probably collecting their bikes in their winter boots. At the very least RE should go one tooth higher on the spline on all export bikes IMO. Let’s see if that happens over time..... Thanks David 👍 ER
Good work! No scratches evident 🤣 I wonder if a heel/toe shift will become available, and if so would you prefer that? I see Ruby is a bit like me with my cream teas 🤪
Hi SB, apparently the Classic comes with a heel/toe shifter in India. It will surely be an option here soon but although it would probably make the bike nicer to ride, it wouldn’t suit the British classic style, so I wouldn’t get one. We’re hoping that Hitchcock’s or somebody comes out with a longer, re-profiled shifter someday. Not only is the shifter angle a bit daft but the distance footrest/shifter is too short, giving you little room to move your foot about without resorting to a degree of ankle contortion. Still, if a new lever does become available, at least I now know how to fit it 🥳🥳🥳 For the first time in my spannering life, here I was patient and very careful not to mark the bike at all. I succeeded ! Not once did spanner touch bike in an unintended way. It was a meticulous job. I AM officially a mechanical engineer now and in future spannering videos will probably be seen wearing a lab coat and boffin-esque glasses 😂 I was disappointed in Ruby, she wanted to help me. Then she found what was left of that chew somewhere in the garden and suddenly UA-cam was no longer important. The rest of that chew has vanished again. I’m guessing that she has left it “somewhere safe” for the next time we are out in the garden together ! She likes hoarding treats for hard times that one ! Thanks for watching Jeff and have a nice evening 👍 🥃 ER & Ruby
@@economicalrides you’ll have to convert to right hand shift for real British classic style 🤣 I’m always a bit dubious about doing my own work on bikes. I’ve managed so far but I wouldn’t make ‘how to’ vids unless it was something dead basic. I would feel like a charlatan and dread any questions and corrections 🥴 You have shared useful information here and deserve a spanner badge 🙂 Ruby, youchew while Dad UA-cam’s 🤣 Cheers El Otro 🍻all the best 👍🏼
@@Saddlebags73 "Ruby, youchew while Dad UA-cam’s" 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😂 Yes, you're right. I don't want people now expecting me to do spannering videos. It's not like I actually have a clue what I'm doing ! As you say, any questions beyond what I just showed myself doing, I'd be like "Shrug. I dunno but look, it still works !". This video was definitely an exception to my normal rule. I made it for two reasons. (A) because people were trying to convince me that it was easy to do and I was determined to prove otherwise ( failed on that one ! ) and (B) because most Classic owners will probably need to do this anyway. Well, if they wear motorcycle boots whilst riding they will. So probably a useful video for a lot of Classic buyers in the coming years. Cheers SB. Any chance of a new hombre pequeño being made as a replacement or are you still too deeply mourning the loss of el original ? ER.
@@economicalrides Ah yes, I have already replaced El hombre pequeño. I have yet to decide on a name. I was thinking El hombre pequeño dos, but Exeter Rider prefers John 🤣 I’ve had a few suggestions and will probably make a very serious video, opening it to a vote 🙄
@@Saddlebags73 Oh that's great news ! Life goes on and all that ! He wouldn't want you to be unhappy ! I'd go with El Hombre Segundo personally 😂 Whatever his eventual name, I look forward to meeting him in a future SB73 video 👍🏻 As the pandemic starts to become less of a thing, maybe he can accompany you on a few exotic trips soon, just like his legendary predecessor ❤️ Cheers Jeff 🥃 ER
Hi Allan, yes, fortunately Ruby doesn't like rawhide chews anyway, so I never buy them. She gets them as presents from time to time but she usually loses them in the garden somewhere 😂 She'll gnaw on one from time to time if she is bored but she doesn't seem enthusiastic about them, so I don't buy them. She is quite greedy (!) and prefers fast treats. Rawhide chews and bones are too much like hard work 🐕 Thanks Allan, take care 👍🏻 ER.
Pretty obvious but if you use a marker to make a line from the shifter fulcrum onto the shaft you can see where you were and move it to where you want to be.
Thanks Eric. Yes, I did think about doing that but I didn't want anything leaving a permanent mark on my bike and nor could I find anything that would leave a mark on the metal and NOT be permanent. So in the end I just opted to eyeball it and unfortunately ended up being one tooth out 🙂 But we got there in the end ! Cheers Eric ! Garry
I didn't feel that front was particularily tight for that size of bolt. Also, there was no need to completely remove it. Just loosening up, removing real bolt and pushing on the peg provided room to take off shifter and put it back on.
Yes, you don’t need to remove it as I explained. Mine was very tight though. Sometimes the lever comes off if you just remove the rear bolt, if you get lucky. Ask Tec Bike Parts, no two RE frames are the same. Cheers, ER.
Hi Tony, the footrest bracket position and position of the engine in the frame varies from bike to bike. I needed a fair bit of extra clearance to get the lever off on my bike, so loosened both bolts. A lot of people only had to remove the rear bolt to get the necessary clearance ! So how much work it is does depend upon how your particular bike was assembled, but it’s never a major problem, just poor design in the first place. Cheers ER
@@economicalrides I myself did what everybody else seems to do and moved the gear lever up one notch, it was nice changing up but like you said on the down change i was lifting my foot off the peg to change down so i reverted back the standard position that i find more comfortable for me, i'm thinking about the heel and toe shifter now as i like using it on my honda ct 125.
@@tonylawton6513 Hi Tony, if you don't mind buying stuff from India, definitely get the heel/toe shifter, it's WAY better. Unfortunately I couldn't get one in Europe and I always get screwed by customs when ordering from outside the EU, so unfortunately I never bought a heel/toe shifter for mine. But it is the way to go, particularly if like us, you've used and enjoyed them before. I would have certainly fitted one to my Classic 350 had I been able to source one from inside the EU. I've only heard good things about the heel/toe shifter on the Classic 350. It is what the bike was designed to have in the first place. The classic style shifter was only added as an afterthought for those of us in the western markets. The heel/toe shifter might not look "British classic" but by all accounts it makes the bike so much nicer to ride ! The ergonomics of the classic toe shifter are terrible ! Good luck Tony ! ER.
@@MeAndMyRoyalEnfield Belt drive conversion ? Now that sounds complicated ! I imagine that there is a lot to be explained with a big job like that, hard to imagine somebody not going into detail with it to be honest. Keep plugging away, I’m sure you’ll get there in the end. If the weather holds there is a chance that I could start my Meteor mod at the weekend, so the hammers.....erm....spanners could be coming out again 😬 Take care MAMRE and thanks for the encouragement 👍 Cheers, ER.
Yep, in edit I saw that. Should have never taken it off the spline completely but I just wanted to demonstrate that now it would indeed come off. Went back down a tooth and the second time, with all tools laid out and the factory tightness cracked off, it literally only took five minutes to do. But cracking those nuts off the first time ( even the back one on my bike ) cost me the most time ! Thanks for encouraging me to take it on. I feel all mechanicy now 😛 Cheers AR 👍 ER
@@Ainsworth-Rider Thanks AR. Glad to see you supporting LanesExplorer too, Peter makes lovely relaxing videos in gorgeous countryside 🥰 Thanks for nudging me towards tackling this job, you probably pushed me over the edge 👍 🥃🥃 ER
To be fair Kristopher, in my case, extra practice can only be a good thing ! Second time around it literally only took me five minutes. The time consuming part was cracking off the factory tightness with mere short spanners. After that, it was a piece of cake. Very glad now that I did it and could easily do it again if required 🥳🥳🥳 Cheers Kristopher 👍 ER.
@@anirbanbiswas6183 So do you have the heel/toe shifter fitted to your Classic 350 and you are looking for this more traditional style shifter RE fits to the export models ?
Oh trust me, I have hammers !!! This was my “watchmaker’s toolkit” in comparison to my usual one 😂 I thought I’d try to make a good impression with this video and tackle the job like somebody who knows what they are doing ! It nearly worked too ! Just had to go back in and adjust it a second time but the second time it was literally a five minute job, which actually made me feel like a real mechanic for a moment there 🤗 Take care CC ! Thanks for watching ! Cheers, ER.
Hi Marso, unfortunately I was unable to source a heel/toe shifter within Europe ( they all came from India ) so I never bought one ( customs into Spain is a real pain in the backside unfortunately ). It was definitely a mod that I wanted to do but I was hoping to be able to buy the shift lever in the EU but that proved impossible. Those people who have bought the heel/toe shifter from India love it though. A great mod because the standard shift lever is pretty terrible. Cheers Marso 👍 Garry
@@marsoelflaco5722 Yes we do have Amazon but I haven't seen one on there and even if they did have one, it would probably be a seller from India and I'd end up with hassle from customs anyway. Cheers though ! 👍
You telling me I can’t use a hammer? I sort everything with a hammer. Hammers are best. I do have a set of spaniards somewhere, but they just bend when you whack something with them. Useless! 😎🏴
😂😂😂 A man after my own heart ! The spanners were left out just to make a good impression. I actually did the job with hammers, which is why I didn’t film that part ! 🤫🤫🤫 Cheers Murdo 👍 ER.
Thanks for that. What we actually need is a longer gear lever!
I am starting to think that way too. The angle is only odd because the shifter is so close. Up one tooth is definitely better but up one tooth and slightly further away would probably feel more natural and give us some extra room.
That’s a great observation Matthew !
Thanks for posting that, I’d be interested to hear how others feel about that. I think 3/4” longer on the lever would be helpful, personally.
Cheers Matthew, comment pinned because I’d like to hear other people’s opinions !
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides I wonder if it’s the same length as the front section of the heal and toe shifter on the Meteor?
I can only ride in my Blundstone Boots. However they are the sheepskin lined version and although probs not got the greatest protection, they are lovely and warm down well below Zero
@@matthewloewenthal5114 Hi Matthew,
next time I have both bikes out, I’ll try to remember to take a look.
Having watched this video again, I honestly believe that a slightly longer lever would help in being able to move your toe under and your foot back above the shifter. With a bit more space it would be easier to move your foot above and below the shifter without having to move your foot about in strange ways and with uncomfortable angles.
Ergonomically : “Could do better” !
Cheers,
ER
Definitely needs a longer lever. If Hitchcocks offer one in future, I'll be their first customer.
@@paulstredwick Thanks Paul, another vote for a longer lever !
You would think that somebody will come up with a less tricky shifter solution soon.
A tad longer, maybe with a slightly different angle to it ?
Somebody with a pair of winter boots and a feeling for good ergonomics should be able to come up with something better.
Funny how the shifter was the first thing I noticed when riding this bike for the first time.
It’s definitely not quite right !
Thanks for your input Paul 👍
ER
Warro just installed a heel/toe shifter on his Classic 350. Looks great and he seems pretty happy with it. Although they aren't everyone's cup of tea I really like mine on my Meteor 350.
Thanks for that Mark !
Yes, I've seen that he now has one, I will check the video out later, it's on my list of things to watch !
Take care and thanks for watching 👍🏻
ER.
Thank you. Exactly what I was looking for
Hi Rod,
if you haven't tackled it already, try standing on the foot peg after removing just the rear bolt.
For some people, removing the rear bolt was enough. If you are lucky, you can save yourself the effort of loosening the front subframe bolt.
Worth a shot.
In my case the lever wouldn't clear the spline without scratching the frame, so I had to loosen the big front bolt as well to get a bit more movement in that lower subframe when you press down on it, to be able to get the lever off the spline.
Good luck and thanks for watching and commenting !
ER
Hey, Warro has no fear because he bought two Royal Enfield Classic 350's!!!
All these channels are great - all of you do us all a service by posting them up!
Thank you and...
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
Thanks Scott 👍
Yes, I always intended my channel to be a source of information for people in a similar position. It’s the most rewarding aspect really, to hear that one of your videos actually helped somebody 🤗 I’m not in this for the fame, obviously. That’s clearly Ruby’s job and she’s killing it 😂😂😂
Thanks Scott, proud to have you onboard. Stay safe yourself 👍🤞
ER
Yes in one of Warro's videos he said -
"I like the bike so much I bought another one."
I also brought the same - Halcyon Grey classic 350 brand new. After the test ride asked the shop to reposition the gear leaver. Gotta say - love the bike !
I wanted to thank you for this video.
My brother-in-law came over and we did what you did on the video and it has made a huge difference in driving this motorcycle! I would not have known how to do this if it were not for your video so thank you again!!!!!!!
Oh thank you Douglas, I'm really glad that I was able to help you out. I myself got this info from another UA-camr but put it up on my channel as well when I did it, just so that everything Meteor/Classic could be found in one place.
Thanks for letting me know, it means a lot to me to know that my channel is useful to some folks from time to time 🤗
The lever is still an odd shape, maybe a bit too short, but at least this way it is in the right position for anything other than flip flops and sandals 😂
Baffling to me why they keep mounting them in this stupid position after all of these months. I would have thought that they would have got the message by now that we in the west tend to wear rather thick boots when riding !
Cheers Douglas and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice comment !
These are the little things which make all of my efforts feel worthwhile. Thank you.
ER.
CONGRATULATIONS! You've now taken your first step in to a larger world. Seriously, that was one of the first things I did when I started wrenching on bikes. I did it to my old Yamaha Seca 750, and I didn't have the footrest issue; all I did was loosen the bolt on the shift lever, move it up a tooth; then tighten it back down... :)
That sounds far too easy Mark 😛
As an ambitious amateur mechanic, I fancied tackling a bigger job which involved dismantling a large part of the frame as well. Fortunately Royal Enfield gave me that opportunity 😂
Thanks for watching and for encouraging me to be brave and give it a go 👍🏻
I nearly gave up when I couldn't get that big bolt to loosen ( no room for a socket wrench behind the exhaust so had to be done with my shortish spanners ! ) but before giving up, I decided to shock the spanner, so heaving on it in pulses rather than with constant torque. That did the trick, the old human impact wrench 😛
So I definitely learned something there. If constant force won't shift it, start pulsing the force into it. Seems to be a lot more effective ! But as an experienced mechanic that was probably one of the first things you discovered.
Thanks again for giving me the gentle "shove" on this one !
Cheers Mark, take care 👍🏻
ER.
@@economicalrides I don't know if I consider myself a mechanic more than a guy who tinkers with and wrenches on his own bike. For me, it's like swimming; you just have to dive in and do it, you know? Get a shop manual if you can, or at least read the RE message boards for how to do stuff.
As for why I started, it was to save a few $, learn & know my bike more, convenience, and knowing the job was done right. My dealer is 45 minutes away, and they had a TWO MONTH wait last time I checked! If I wanted a valve adjustment done now, I'd be waiting till June to get it done-NO THANK YOU! Plus, there's the matter of getting a ride to and from the dealer. Finally, the feeling you get when you make your bike better by your own hands is great! Few things feel better than feeling your bike work better, and knowing it was by your efforts.
BTW, if you want to learn about working on your bike, dansmc.com is an excellent site; it's by a motorcycle mechanic who takes you from knowing nothing to knowing what you're doing. BTW, when he first started riding, he didn't even know how to use the fuel petcock! The point is that, if he can learn all he did, so can we all
Good night, and cheers... :)
@@markymarknj Thanks Mark,
I forgot to mention it but I did do a lot of my own maintenance on the Bullet because back then there was no RE dealer here far and wide ( 2006 - RE were still considered exotic ! ).
I used to adjust the pushrods, changed the rockers for better ones, stuff like that. I even swapped out the points ignition for electronic ignition. I did a lot, it was always broken.
The thing is, although I can do it, I don't really WANT to do it 😂
I don't really have the time for it. If I have an hour to spare, I want to ride my bike and not fettle it.
Hence why I decided to buy a NEW bike last year, thinking that for three years at least, I won't be expected to touch it ( well apart from chain and cable adjustment maybe ).
Now with the Classic, it's the same thing, although unfortunately RE ensured that I had to adjust the gear lever into a sensible position myself 🤬
At the moment I am enjoying not having to get my hands dirty but I fully expect to do all of my own maintenance once the warranty expires.
It's at that point that I will definitely be watching other peoples' "how to" videos and buying any additional tools I may need.
With the Meteor I fully expect to be doing my own oil changes and valve adjustment once the warranty expires and once I have all of the necessary tools.
So I will get there eventually, whether I want to or not. Currently enjoying having a warranty and staff for that kind of thing though 😛
Thanks for the tips Mark, it's great when you've made the bike better yourself, as you say.
Some bikes are sods though, some bikes do try to screw you over at every opportunity. If you have a bike which plays nicely when you approach it with tools, I don't find it too awful. But I have had some very stubborn bikes in my lifetime where easy jobs have turned into absolute nightmares !
Take care Mark 👍🏻
ER.
Yes in one of Warro's videos he said -
"I like the bike so much I bought another one."
I also brought the same - Halcyon Grey classic 350 brand new. After the test ride, asked the shop to reposition the gear leaver. Gotta say - love the bike !
Hi Derek,
yes, all of the RE 350s are lovely bikes and they all have their own unique character !
I'm amazed that the RE factory is still fitting these gear levers in this awkward position. Just about every Classic owner I know has had to move it up a notch. 🤷♂
Enjoy your bike ! 👍🏻
ER
Perfect! Just what i was looking for before i go to collect my used classic 350 this week. Thank you 👍
Hi Daniel,
I don't know if you read all of the comments to this video but if you need more room under the gear lever, you can possibly get away with just removing the REAR frame bolt. Most folks were able to move the bottom frame rail sufficiently by standing on the left peg with the rear bolt removed. That didn't work on my bike, the lever couldn't clear the shaft, so I had to undo the big front bolt too.
I suspect though, if your Classic is second hand, that it has already been done by the previous owner, since the OEM position of the lever is terrible for just about everybody !
Good luck and enjoy your new bike when you get it.
Cheers Daniel,
ER.
@@economicalrides thanks ER, yes I actually found another video that demonstrated exactly that. The bike I am buying has only 141 miles on the clock, fairly unique circumstances with the current owner meant he only rode it three times so it is a mod I will have to carry out but luckily with your guidance I can take some spanners & sockets and get it sorted before I leave. Thanks again.
@@danieljudd2519 You're welcome Daniel !
Good luck with your new bike, I'm sure you'll love it and it sounds like it should be a very good deal 👍🏻
Cheers Daniel,
Garry
Thank you for recognizing Warro; he is awesome.
He is indeed mate !
Happy to give him credit. He helped a lot of us solve this annoying issue with an otherwise wonderful motorcycle 👍
Cheers,
ER
A great solution to a design fault. I have a marsh grey signals model ,great bikes many thanka.
Thanks Stuart 👍🏻
I think just about EVERY Classic 350 owner not in India has had to make this adjustment ! If you ride in anything more substantial than trainers, then you really struggle to get your toe under the gear lever. I have no idea why RE is still setting these bikes up this way. They must know by now that those of us who prefer to wear boots when riding, can't get on with the lever in the factory position 🤷♂
By the way, depending how your bike is made, you can probably get away with just undoing the rear frame bolt. For most people that gave enough flex in the lower subframe to be able to slide the lever off the spline. Unfortunately on my bike it didn't quite clear and I didn't fancy scratching the frame paint by persisting, so loosening off the front bolt as well got it done for me.
Thanks again Stuart and enjoy your Classic 👍🏻
Garry
Good job ER, makes all the difference with that simple fix 👍
Simple ? For me that was borderline rocket science ER 😂
Still, I did it, without gouging or breaking anything, so all hail me 🤗
Thanks for watching ER, stay safe 👍
El Outro 😉
There is no need to loosen both bolts. Only loosening the bolt right behind the foot peg is sufficient. Then bending down the footpeg with your foot will give you enough space to remove the gear lever. This is not my idea but is demonstrated in a video by "Riding the Goblin" here on UA-cam.
I just picked up my brandnew Classic 350 in halcyon green from my dealer today and have experienced this issue with the gear lever when riding home. Unfortunately I did the test riding with different boots and had no issues then. I think I will replace the gear lever with a heel and toe shifter. This will probably be the ideal solution.
EDIT: just read the comment by Rob Spruitenburg and your (#EconomicalRides) reply. This encourages me in getting a heel and toe shifter.
Hi FTStratLP,
congratulations on your new bike. Halcyon Green is another of my favourite colours for this bike !
Whether or not you have to loosen the front bolt to get the lever off the spline varies from bike to bike. Apparently the position of the footrest bracket varies by up to 1cm between bikes ( hard to imagine I know, but apparently it does ! ). On my bike the lever would not come off with just the rear bolt removed, at least not without gouging the paint off the footrest bracket, which I didn't want to do. But as soon as the front bolt was slightly loose I gained the extra millimetres required to be able to slide the lever off.
It does vary from bike to bike and I have mentioned in subsequent comments that people should try it without loosening the front bolt because sometimes you can get away with it.
The heel/toe shifter would be much nicer, without a doubt.
Unfortunately buying things from India or the UK is really tricky for me ( Spanish customs ! ) so I haven't been able to get one myself.
Cheers buddy, now get out and enjoy your new bike 😛👍🏻
ER
@@economicalrides Hola mate, ah interesting. I hope I can get a heel/toe shifter here in Austria.
I have just watched a UA-cam video by @bennievee where he says it was only necessary to loosen the FRONT bolt. I have no idea if this works for every Classic 350 or also only for certain builts.
Cheers
Hi ER,
Now this is weird. Having decided that I really needed to adjust the gear lever on my Classic, I got out the tools in preparation for the job, but took out the lever bolt before attempting the frame bolts, just to see what the problem was, and as I slid it on the shaft just angled it upwards a bit, and it just slid off! No need to drop the frame at all. I don't know if I just got lucky or they've made a slight tweak in the foot peg position, but it was all done in minutes without breaking a sweat.
It's made such a difference now I can get my toe under the shifter 😁
No, it does seem to vary from bike to bike. Some folks need to remove two bolts, some just one and some, like yourself none !
I could very nearly get mine off too but when it didn’t come off right away I tackled both bolts and it came off. To be honest, in my case, it would have probably been enough just to remove the rear bolt, but I didn’t bother trying and undid both at once.
Mine was very close to coming off like yours and it really does seem to vary bike to bike. After all, we are talking millimetres here and 1mm difference can be the difference between it coming straight off or needing the frame bolts to be loosened.
I think you just got lucky but there is certainly no need to be worried about it !
Yes, one tooth up is much better but for it to be truly “normal”, in my opinion, the lever also needs to be a bit longer, just to give a bit more room to move your boot in and out.
It’s bizarre that nearly everyone has to make this mod. Maybe the factory could take that onboard and deliver the bikes this way in the future ?
Cheers DoomNedwob 😛
ER.
@@economicalridesThanks ER, hopefully they'll take it onboard,.and send them out with the lever already a notch up, and maybe produce a longer lever for us folks with big boots 😁 Apart from that little hickup, I'm loving my new bike. Can't wait to get the running in done now 😊 Take care now, Adam
@@DoomNedwob Cheers Adam, you too 🙂
🥃 ER
@@DoomNedwob RE hasn't addressed it yet, according to my new Classic at any rate which arrived two days ago (late June '22).
@@tonymiddlehurst8438 I guess I just got lucky with mine, just tilted upwards slightly as I pulled it off the shaft and it slipped off perfectly. Hope you get/got yours adjusted OK.
Lol made me laugh. Shredded wheat, to a corn flake. Class.
I would also be apprehensive about any spanner work. Weather looks to have improved.
Look forward to next video.
Thanks Mark,
glad you appreciated it 🙂
After filming this one we had two days of heavy rain/snow believe it or not ! The weather is still all over the shop but at least now we are getting the odd dry day in-between, so I can work with that !
Just editing the next video now. It will be a video focusing on the sound of the Classic 350, so no stupid bloke banging on and no music, just engine and wind. After that, I really want to film another ride with the Meteor, weather permitting 🤞, I am missing the Meteor terribly !
Cheers Mark, thanks for dropping by and commenting 👍🏻
ER.
Oh thank you ! The position was awful with boots. I’ll try it as soon as I can 😄
Pretty new on your channel so I’ll take a look to your other videos
Hi Miros,
the standard position is not compatible with boots at all ! Presumably the gap is set for trainers or sandals !
Try just removing the rear frame bolt.
That might give you enough flex that you can get the lever off WITHOUT loosening the larger front bolt.
For some people that works and you can save yourself the struggle with the front frame bolt.
On my bike I did have to loosen the front frame bolt as well. I needed about 2mm more flex in the bottom tube to get the lever off without scratching the frame paint. But you might be lucky and find that you only have to remove the rear frame bolt.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy my other videos 👍🏻
ER.
Told you it was easy! Well done.
Thanks Andrew. Thanks for the "nudge" 😛
I was actually more surprised by how easy the filming was. I imagined it would take multiple takes and several hours to get it all on camera but it was a one take deal apart from the intro which I did do twice. So filming the whole operation didn't slow me down as much as I thought it would.
Just don't go getting any crazy ideas and ask me to start making more of these spannering videos 😉 I'm quitting while I'm ahead 😂
It was interesting to see that when I had to go back in and adjust the lever for the second time, it literally only took five minutes. I think the first time it took about fifteen, so ten minutes of that time was just trying to crack off the factory tightness of those frame bolts. After that, easy peasy !
Cheers Andrew 👍🏻 I am now starting to feel like a mechanical engineer. Well, a little bit 😛
ER.
Brilliant thank you 🙏👍👍
Hi Stephen,
glad it helped !
I'm still amazed that after all this time, RE is still fitting the shift lever in this position.
It makes it just about impossible to ride in adequate footwear, i.e. motorcycle boots.
I would have thought that they might have taken the hint by now but apparently not ! 🤷♂
Still, at least it's not welded in place and we have the possibility to move it ourselves !
Cheers Stephen, thanks for dropping a comment 👍🏻
ER.
Yes mine is a brand new bike I picked up yesterday so had to get the spanner’s out today 😂. I also have a bullet 500 and that was spot on when I bought that. That said I tested a meteor and that was also almost impossible to change gear with 🤪
@@stephenyates7669 Hi Stephen,
the Classic 350 seems to be the only RE that comes with a terrible shift lever position as standard ! I think it's because the bike was conceived to have the heel/toe shifter ( they are all sold that way in India ). I think that late in the day they realised that a heel/toe shifter wasn't very classic British, so at the last minute they knocked up the standard shifter for the export models.
It would benefit from being a bit longer and being fitted at a different angle from the factory.
It's just an oddity in the RE family, because the standard shifter seems like it was a bit of an afterthought. Still surprised that they haven't at least changed the standard fitting position from the factory by now though !
Presumably you didn't get on with the heel/toe shifter on the Meteor ? I really enjoy using it. A lot of people also retro fit the standard Indian heel/toe shifter to their Classic 350s. I find a heel/toe shifter nice to use but I know that some folks struggle with it.
It's great because it enables you to shift up whilst wearing flip flops or sandals 😉
Cheers Stephen, enjoy your new lever position !
Garry
Thank you very much for showing. Moin 😀
Thank you William !
Actually, watching this video back, I almost look competent 😂
So glad I managed to do it without any damage to the bike. At this rate of progress, I‘ll be adjusting my own valves soon. Hmmmm....no, maybe not 😛
Take care William 👍
Cheers,
ER.
A interesting video. I found the gear shift lever difficult to get my toe under as well, when I demo rode the Meteor. and the Interceptor. Cheers. 🙂 🏍 🇨🇦
Hi Triketacular,
I've never ridden an Interceptor and haven't really heard any complaints but the Classic is renowned for the factory positioning being only suitable for very thin toed footwear and certainly not winter or "all year" boots. The Meteor has a heel/toe shifter and you are not expected to try to get your toe under it. If you do try to use it as a normal shifter then yes, the gap is too small. But at least with the Meteor you have a choice. With the Classic you HAVE to somehow get your boot under the shifter and without doing this small mod it is extremely awkward and uncomfortable !
Cheers and greetings to Canada,
ER.
Well done ER! Time will tell whether its absolutely right for you. But it really is a bit of a palaver to adjust a gear lever position having to drop that subframe. For the sake of a bit more clearance.
You made that all very clear for us. Perfect. LE
Lovely to see Ruby.
Thanks LE,
definitely a bit of a faff which wouldn’t be necessary if they set it that way for us from the factory !
I also think the lever could do with being a bit longer, that would also give us more room to move our foot below and above the shifter as required. It’s definitely still not perfect but fine if you ride in regular shoes of course.
Thanks LE, Ruby was desperate to be in another video but she got sidetracked by her rawhide chew, like she does 😂
Cheers LE 🥃
ER
@@economicalrides Ah well I'd get distracted nibbling away on a rawhide chew I think 😂.
Now on the Meteor....
I believe there's a heel and toe shift available for the Classic 350 from India now? I've heard talk about it anyway though personally I don't care for them, as you know.
@@Lanes-Explorer5733 Yes, you can get a heel/toe shifter for the Classic, since they fit them from the factory in India. Although it might make the Classic nicer to ride ( for me at least ), it wouldn’t really suit the classic look in my opinion.
A slightly longer standard shifter in the new position would probably feel normal. Maybe somebody will bring out a re-profiled, slightly longer lever in the future 🤞
Cheers LE
ER.
@@economicalrides Good morning ER. Yes the reviews from those who have fitted the heel /toe lever to the classic 350 are mixed - but that's always the case I find with reviews. You, for example, like the Meteor's heel /toe shift and I cut mine off after a week!!
I wouldn't have thought though that the appearance of the classic would be much altered by H/T lever?
What I do like about the classic though and your video shows it very clearly, is the polished alloy engine casings. It's not enough to tempt me away from the Meteor however... I could always give mine the occasional spray with silver paint... 😳.
@@Lanes-Explorer5733 The thing is Peter, if it is the same heel/toe shifter as fitted to the Meteor, we both know that it is not very well engineered, will not be durable and will get slacker and slacker as the holes wear out. So for that reason alone I don't think it would be worth the hassle, even if it does make the bike easier to ride.
As I said, I'd be happy with a slightly longer standard shifter with an optimised shape which, once put into the correct position on the spline, would give you ample room to move your booted foot above and below the shift lever without doing any contortions.
Oh also, if the heel/toe shifter comes painted, that would definitely ruin the looks IMO because the current lever is chrome. A black heel/toe shifter would look like a bit of a downgrade. We just need a properly designed, ergonomic standard shift lever and not this current ( apparent afterthought ) one !
Yes, the engine casings are not properly polished yet, there is still some factory tarnish on them. I've not had the time to polish more than the painted parts so far.
Once the drier weather arrives I will give the bike a proper clean and get some proper wax on there and polish those casings to the max ! Where they are tarnished, I have tested it and you literally only have to rub over the area once or twice and the tarnish disappears. I just need to have the time to go over the whole engine and gearbox looking for areas to work on !
Take care Peter, I see that Ainsworth Rider has now subbed your channel ! Steady on there ! Your UA-cam channel is careening out of control and losing its exclusivity 😂😂😂
Love from Ruby and I,
ER.
Hi ER, a great and informative video there!
Always nice to see some mod type videos, surely will help a lot of Classic owners who also need to adjust the shifter.
Saying that, I’ve been meaning to do it on my Meteor for a while, just one up on the spline to help my lazy foot who tends to just rock back and forth 😂😂😂
Glad to see you had some nice weather, for a while at least! Can’t wait to see the next instalment on the channel 😁
I hope you and Ruby are doing well?
Take care mate and ride safe.
Cheers,
Jon
Thanks John,
I was pretty happy with how this video came out. I'm not really accustomed to spannering and certainly not to filming it as I go. It didn't take half as long or half as many takes as I anticipated !
Saturday was dry as was Sunday ( the day I filmed this one ). Then Monday it rained all day, yesterday it snowed then rained all day. Today it is not raining and things are starting to dry out. At least we are now getting some variation in our weather and it's not just rain, rain and more rain !
My Meteor mod is now my top priority because I've been waiting so long for all of the parts to arrive nd then it wouldn't stop raining ! Hopefully I can progress that and film it over the weekend. If I'm very lucky I might get it finished but I will need at least two days of pleasant weather for that to happen 🤞, knowing my speed of working.
Ruby and I are fine. She has now hidden the rest of that chew "somewhere safe" in the garden and will no doubt be digging it out ( if she remembers where she put it ) when I am next out in the garden with her 😂
I believe that moving the shifter on the Meteor only requires pulling it off, moving it up and pushing it back home. I don't think you have to dismantle the frame to do it anyway ! Get it done 😉
Cheers Jon, thanks for watching. Take care mate 👍🏻
ER.
No more love for the poor Meteor? Sad.
I mean, I’ll watch the Classic 350 videos because the motor and sound are the same but that’s it.
I’m just a normal bloke who can’t (or won’t) buy a second bike because it’s new and all the rage at the moment. But I guess that’s what success on UA-cam demands: always new, always better.
For myself, I’ll be riding my Meteor until it (or I) fall apart.
Cheers and please take the poor, neglected Meteor out for a spin through the beautiful Spanish countryside again Thanks ✌️
Glenn, you could not be more wrong !
Look, I’ve had the Classic for less than two months and in that time I had about three dry days !
Of course I had to ride the Classic because I desperately needed to get the first service out of the way as quickly as possible.
I’ve mentioned my upcoming Meteor mod in numerous videos, which got put on hold because of the poor weather and then a long waiting time for the final bolts needed. As soon as it is dry I will be starting that job and filming it. Believe it or not I am desperate to ride my Meteor again but since I bought the Classic I have genuinely had no opportunity to do so. Now that the Classic has finally had its first service, I can begin to treat the bikes equally and as soon as we get some decent weather it will be the Meteor and not the Classic which gets wheeled out of the garage I can assure you !
The only reason the Meteor hasn’t been ridden is because of the lack of dry days and the need to get the Classic’s first service out of the way, so you can relax. As of now I can’t see myself ever selling the Meteor, it has been faultless for 5500 km so far, for me it has been the perfect bike.
I do appreciate you sticking around and not storming off in a huff though 😛 and hope that you understand why I’ve had to focus on the Classic for a few videos.
There should be an even spread of content on both bikes from here on in Glenn, so hang tight.
Thanks for expressing your concerns and I hope I was able to address them and reassure you that my love for the Meteor is as strong as ever🤞
Cheers Glenn,
ER.
I have had a demo. of this bike and the gear lever is definitely a problem. The dealer immediately said he would move it up a single spline. I will try it again with this adjustment.
Hi Brahn.
If they move it up one tooth on the spline it will be much better but even then the lever isn’t the best shape or length.
But moving it up one tooth on the spline means that you no longer have to angle your foot down at such an extreme angle in order to get your toes under the shifter. Hopefully you’ll be able to live with it in the new position 🙂
Good luck, please let me know what you decide 👍
Cheers Brahn,
ER
Well done, it makes for a much improved gear change, if you need to do this again try marking the position of the gear leaver with tipex for reference first, when I did mine it needed one spline up. Try using sockets, with extension bars if needed in future it will be a lot less effort and will not slip if you keep the socket on square.
Warro has just fitted a heel toe gear lever on his Classic.
Ride safe, Ride often.
Hi Derek,
actually my mistake was taking the lever off the spline completely to show it to camera. Prior to that I had moved it up one spline, just by sliding it almost completely off ( but not quite ) and then turning it up and pushing it back on. That is the right way to do it, a tooth at a time ( although marking the prior position is useful for reference ) but I wanted to show on camera that the lever now came fully off. So if it wasn't for those pesky UA-cam viewers I would have got it right first time ! That's my story and I'm sticking to it 😂
I wanted to use sockets but on the 17mm side I couldn't fit one in behind the exhaust, there was not enough room. Even my smallest socket wrench with socket was too thick to fit in there. Maybe I need lower profile sockets ?
Anyway, in the end I did manage it with "mere spanners" which does make me feel a little bit like I might be the Incredible Hulk 😛 The tightness from the factory certainly made me angry enough to possibly trigger the transformation 🤢 although my shirt did not get ripped, so maybe not !
Yes, I need to check out Warro's latest video, it's on my watchlist, just haven't had time yet.
Thanks Derek, successfully doing jobs like these over time will hopefully increase my confidence in tackling ever more complicated jobs 👍🏻
Cheers,
ER.
Merci pour les conseils , je viens d'avoir la même et le sélecteur était trop bas , je l'ai remonté est c'est nickel 👍👍👍
Merci Guy 👍🏻
Heureux de pouvoir vous aider !
ER
@@economicalrides Je suis abonné bien sûr et les conseils sont les bienvenus , ça m'a évité d'aller en concession et d'avoir la main d'oeuvre à payer . Celui qui la tiens est Vincent Philippe , neuf fois champion du monde en endurance sur Suzuki , on est de la même région . 😃
@@guycointet1322 Salut, c'est intéressant !
Dites à Vincent que je serai vraiment impressionné s'il remporte le championnat du monde en endurance sur une Royal Enfield 350 😂😂😂
Merci pour l'abonnement et désolé de ne pouvoir produire mes vidéos en français. Je suis ravie que ma vidéo vous ait aidé Guy.
Cheers 🙂👍🏻
ER
@@economicalrides Bonjour , ce n ' est pas grave , j'ai les sous titres en Français . J'avais une Triumph Speed Triple 955 i , 140cv , maintenant j'ai perdu 120cv mais j'adore ma Royal Enfield , elle correspond plus à mon âge 68 ans . ❤
@@guycointet1322 🙂👍
Pigging tight that’s the word I was looking for 😃👍
It’s a technical term applied by mechanics with a penchant for copious hammer usage 😂
Yes well done Ride with Warro and thanks 👍
Indeed ! It’s all his fault !
😂
Recently moved to Spain. Sold my GS 750 IN UK and just bought a Meteor 350 from go Racing Malaga. Great little bike, ideal for easy cruising. No real probs apart from bike being delivered with empty petrol tank. Headlamp appears to be constantly on, can it be switched to daylight running only?
Welcome to Europe Trevor 😉
It's normal that they deliver the bike with about 1.5 litres of fuel in it. It was the same when I bought bikes in Germany. The first thing you have to do when buying a new bike here is to ask where the nearest petrol station is, because you will need one right away ! In Spain they usually also deliver the bikes unwashed, so you get to observe some of the packing material used in the delivery crate, lots of dust, oily mechanic handprints and handprints of everybody who touched the bike whilst it was sat in the shop awaiting collection. Lovely 🙄
No, the headlight is on all of the time, that's normal, it has been compulsory in Europe for quite a while now. On older bikes where the headlight wasn't permanently on, you could actually get a fine for riding a motorcycle WITHOUT the headlight on, so actually having it on all of the time is a convenience really !
The Meteor is a fantastic bike.
I've done nearly 6000 km on mine without a single issue. I didn't have to adjust the headlight and the gear shifter and I don't have water in the instruments - unlike the Classic, which has had all of those issues within the first 700 km 🤬
The Meteor is great on the mountain roads here in Spain, probably damn near perfect. I don't know how many km you have on yours but after about 650 km the motor really starts to free up and you find you can go up hills in fifth gear whereas previously you had to use fourth. I'm noticing that again now with my Classic 350. The engine keeps improving until about 2500km I'd say,
Take care Trevor and enjoy your Meteor, enjoy those mountain roads !
Cheers,
ER
@@economicalrides. Thanks for the info on the light, I am a little surprised about the European law as daylight running lights are far brighter and therefore safer than a normal headlamp. If it is bright enough to be clearly seen in daylight then it will blind other drivers at night. Makes more sense safety wise to be able to switch between both types of light. Anyway it is what it is so no real problem. With regard to the fuel issue, they put enough in to travel 3.2km, the garage was 5km. In other words the tank was virtually empty. If they had warned me I would have gone for fuel in the car. The fuel gauge didn't help as it did have a low fuel warning but the display still showed a full bar. Anyway I now know to keep a close eye on the fuel level. On the positive side the bike was very clean and well presented. I only got the bike this week so only done around 70km. Very pleased with it and enjoying it very much, I think it is one of the best looking retro bikes on the market. Having a bit of an issue getting used to the heel toe gear change. I wear boots and find it hard to feel the levers. At this point I am thinking of changing it to a standard shift. I see other followers are actually going the other way but I guess it is a personal thing. I live near Almunecar on the coast, about 45 mins from Granada, maybe we will bump into each other some day. Kind regards. Trevor
@@trevpierce100 Hi Trevor,
blimey, that was about three drops of fuel then, since the Meteor will do 35km on a litre, I would guess !
When I fill up on collection it usually looks like there were 1-2 litres in the tank, so your dealer must have been particularly stingy, although the Meteor does need 0,5 litres in the tank for the fuel pump to be able to draw the fuel, so maybe they put one litre in ?
I don’t know of a decent standard shifter for the Meteor but I do actually prefer the heel/toe shifter myself and miss it on my Classic already.
Granada is about two hours away but if you ever get beyond Granada maybe we could sort something out !
Just wait until the Meteor is a bit more run in, that’s when you realise just how lazily you can ride it. Once it is able to pull fifth gear on inclines you can really chug about on it, just switching between fifth and fourth as required. Very chilled 😎
Take care Trevor and enjoy your new bike 👍
ER
Glad you decided to do the mod, it really does transform the riding experience! I see in Warro's latest video he's managed to get hold of the heal and toe shifter from India and changed it for that, but it seems that unless you've a friend or relative living there you have no chance of getting one! You're right about the torque on the front bolt, I had to use a socket with a long ratchet handle. Looks like your weather's taken a turn for the better?
Hi Pete,
yes, I just watched that video tonight. The heel/toe shifter actually looks better than I thought it would. If they become available here sometime I might now actually consider getting one !
I managed to do the job with the spanners shown in the video although I did have to sneak up on it to loosen the bolt. Constant force wasn’t budging it but jerking it in bursts saw it start to turn eventually. Felt quite proud of myself, almost like a proper mechanic 🤗
The weather was fine for this video, filmed on Sunday. Saturday was nicer still and I was able to film for next week’s video. But on Monday and Tuesday it rained and snowed A LOT but today was dry again. At least now we are getting dry days in between, even if there is still plenty of rain about. I can work with that !
Take care Pete, nice hearing from you👍
Cheers 🥃
ER.
Had my 350 Yesterday,
Only removed bolt behind footrest.
A little pressure on the footrest en the shifter van be removed.
4 minutes work.
Don't touch the frontbolt, it's not necessary.
Greetz, from Holland.
Hi Rob,
it depends. The foot rest bracket varies in position by up to 1cm between bikes 😱
If you are lucky, removing the rear bolt is enough. If you are unlucky, like I and others were, you do need to loosen ( but not remove ) the front bolt to be able to slide the lever off. It’s always worth trying with just the rear bolt removed, I mention that here in the comments somewhere.
Glad you got lucky, it is still pretty much an essential mod., surprising that RE are still fitting these levers at such a stupid angle from the factory.
Greets to Holland and cheers 👍
ER
Yeah... U r ryt about the condensation part... Recently noted it and the condensation is at the exact point as yours. Evaporates eventually. But it is irritating. Gear lever mod was very impressive...
I have noticed that in India we get a heel and toe shifter. International models get only toe shifters.
And talking about the placement of gear lever, I ride wearing boots from Orazo. They are pretty thick but have never faced any issue with the position of the gear shifter.
May be there is some tweaking that RE does for its international models.
Hi Avik,
the standard shifter could do with being a bit longer, it doesn’t leave you with much space for moving your boot above and below it.
I think I would have preferred it to come with the Indian spec heel/toe shifter but understand why RE didn’t fit one. Unfortunately the lever they chose to fit in its place isn’t great !
Unfortunately I also got water in my speedometer and when it dried it left a water stain on the inside of the glass. That is very annoying because I can’t get to it to rub it away. So now I always have to stare at this water stain behind the glass 🤬🤬🤬
Thanks for watching and commenting Avik 👍
Cheers,
ER
@@economicalrides Yeah those stains really play a spoilsport in an otherwise very well sculpted and built bike.
Yes u r ryt about the gear shifter. Heel toe shifter seems to be a better option.
Happy miles ahead brother. ❤️
Waro just posted another video on replacing the standard shifter for a heel&toe as fitted in India.
Worth a look.
Yes, I'm keeping an eye on his channel now Tim.
So he finally managed to get one ? That's good news. Will definitely check out that video as soon as I have some downtime. I don't think I'll be getting one because the Meteor one isn't very well engineered. If they use the same arrangement on the Classic, it won't be terribly durable.
Also, I don't think it suits the style of bike to be honest. Bullets never used to have heel/toe shifters back in the day. I'd prefer to fit a longer, re-profiled standard shifter designed for better ergos, if somebody comes up with one, which I am sure they will eventually.
Thanks for the heads up Tim ! Take care out there 👍🏻
ER.
@@economicalrides hi EC. The leaver fitted in India to the classic (that Warro obtained) is a direct replacement for the original, without the agricultural mess they fitted to the Meteor. From an engineering background, I would just weld a fabricated heel shifter to the original. To hell with the chrome. But then that's me. Enjoy the ride.
Check Warro again when you have time. It's quite neat.
@@timsatch9198 Hi Tim,
yes, I've now seen his heel/toe shifter and I actually thought it looked not too bad. It was in chrome and as you say, not with that weird connecting rod they use on the Meteor. It looked like a decent piece of kit, should be durable enough. Unfortunately they are not easy to get hold of for us westerners ! If they become readily available here, I might actually get one now !
Since I adjusted the standard lever it is better but still not ideal. I can now leave my foot on the footrest, pointed out at a certain angle and then getting under and over the shifter is fairly intuitive. It's not super comfortable though !
I like the sound of your mod ! Just weld something onto the rear part of the shifter and make your own heel/toe shifter 🙂
Sounds like a job for the mechanically gifted. That's me out then ! 😂
Thanks for you input Tim, appreciate it !
Cheers 👍🏻
ER
Well, to get around the problem, you don't need to take half of the bike apart - just think around the corner ;-)
After having removed the bolt, push the lever forward until the rear edge is in the middle of the groove in the shaft. Then turn it a little and it will pass the footpeg when you pull. That way, it's only a 5 minute job.
I’d love to test this theory, sounds good, but unfortunately the Classic is gone now.
It does sound as though it should work though, so have a medal 🏅
Cheers Carsten,
ER 👍
I am going to have to carry out this spannering task on Biscuit. New boots have forced the issue so to speak 😸
Hi Isla,
well in that case, here is my advice.
Loosen the shift lever bolt and see if you can get the lever off the spline without loosening any frame bolts. Because of variance in the position of the footrest bracket and engine position within the frame, some people can get away without loosening the frame bolts at all.
If the footrest bracket is preventing the lever from coming off the spline, remove just the rear subframe bolt first. Then you should find that the subframe moves down slightly when you press down with your hand on the footrest. You might get enough flex in the subframe that you can then take the lever off the spline.
Only when this doesn't suffice, would I tackle loosening the front subframe bolts because they are pretty darn tight and that can involve some swearing and skinned knuckles - don't ask me how I know this 😂
So to summarise :
1) Try to remove the gear lever without loosening any frame bolts.
2) Remove just the rear subframe bolt and push down on the footrest. You will PROBABLY be able to get the lever off the spline.
3) If 1 and 2 were not sufficient, loosen off ( no need to remove ) the large front bolt. Then you will definitely have enough movement in the frame to get the lever off.
Good luck, let me know how you get on 👍🏻
I just bought some new boots for riding the Himalayan and now have the same issue there. I now need to find out what my options now are for raising the gear lever on the Himalayan 🤬
Cheers Isla,
Garry
@@economicalrides Will do Gaz. If I get away with either of the easier options I reckon 2 rather than 1 as there doesn't look to be too much space between the lever & subframe. Will let you know - best of luck doing the same with Norman ☺️👍
@@islaws4589 Yep, a lot of people seemed to have success with step 2. I was unlucky. I needed to go to step 3. It was incredibly close and with 2 I think I could have just about waggled the lever off at the risk of gouging the paint, but that was something I wasn't prepared to do. Good luck.
We seem have limited adjustment on the Himalayan, I think it's going to be a question of finding the best compromise. I don't think it will be possible to get it how I actually want it without messing up the shift, unfortunately 😖
Darn those thick boots ! 😝
Hi ER, I really think that the heel toe control of the Meteor is more comfortable ... obviously for a "touring" bike!
Yes, I really like the heel toe shifter personally and I’m quite sure that a lot of people will fit one to their Classic but obviously traditionally these bikes would never have had one.
I’ll stick with the regular shifter on mine, just for the Classic look.
After adjustment it is easier for me to live with it as it is.
It will be interesting to see how many folks end up fitting a heel toe shifter to their Classic though. I think it will be a popular mod for Classic owners.
Thanks for watching Corrado 👍
ER.
I don't know why RE didn't leave the heel/toe shifter on the Classic 350s they ship here. They have it on the Classic 350s in India...
@@markymarknj I suppose because they feel that many Europeans don't like the heel/toe, so they have created an alternative to the Meteor.
@@markymarknj I suppose that traditionally the Bullets never had one and this is supposed to be the modern equivalent of a Bullet. It isn't traditional for these models to have the heel/toe shifter.
The reasons why they need them in India are well documented 😉
Although one would undoubtedly be better than the current shifter to use, I do think it would look a bit out of place on a bike like the Classic. In export markets the Classic is supposed to be a proper modern classic, so I can understand, as an enthusiast's motorcycle, they went with a standard looking, traditional style shifter.
The current lever seems like a bit of an afterthought. It is both too short and the profile of it combined with the way they fit it in the factory really does not leave you enough room to be able to move your foot about on the shifter without putting it into some uncomfortable positions ( particularly if you are wearing thick boots ).
It would be an easy part to remanufacture though, so don't be surprised to see a third party supplier come up with a replacement which offers better ergonomics. I'd probably be in the market for one if they made one !
Cheers Mark,
ER.
@@economicalrides I don't think that Bullets or Classics had them, no; so, to keep the export ones historically and stylistically accurate, they'd have a regular shift lever. That said, I like the heel/toe shifter on my Meteor... :)
Cheers ER! looks like ruby was in her own wembley stadium of greenery :D
Btw ive been doing some longer rides and my bum is hurting after about 30 mins, any idea if the touring seat might help or make it worse? Maybe its my overweight ass :D
Anyhow i'm enjoying the bike even on the highways here in belgium (thats pedal to the metal 120kph every car drives here so i feel like i'm pushing to keep up sometimes. three lane highways)
Well clearly I can’t comment on your ass since it is beyond the realms of my knowledge but the discomfort you are feeling may be due to the softer foam of the standard seat getting less and less resistant to pressure and compressing more over time. The touring seat has a denser less pliable foam and offers more support, it will probably offer more support for longer too. It’s not terribly expensive, so might be worth a try if you are starting to struggle with the standard seat. The seats are also easily swapped out, so easy to switch back if the new seat is no better for you.
Judging from what you say, I think it is likely that you will find the touring seat better but it is quite hard to begin with, so give it time to break in before deciding for or against it ! After three or so longer rides, your ass and the touring seat get to know each other and from then on it is comfortable for at least two hours at a time, I reckon.
I hope this helps BD !
Take care and enjoy your Meteor. Mine is coming out again over the Easter weekend and I am really looking forward to riding my other (still) new bike 👍
Cheers BD 🥃
ER.
@@economicalrides haha brilliant response, i'll check it out!
Can I do this myself, not mechanical or should I pay a dealer?
I hate the gear shifter position. It’s awful.
Hi Douglas,
as demonstrated in this video, if you manage to loosen off the front frame bolt, then the rest is very easy. That's the only hard part because it is done up pretty tight.
Hope this helps. If I could do it, anybody can. Genuinely !
Cheers,
ER.
Do you happen to know the torque setting for the frame bolts? I know it's 2 years ago but I thought I'd ask incase.
Hi Simon,
no, sorry, can't find one on the internet either, although I'm sure it's out there somewhere.
The front one on my bike was pigging tight. So when I retightened it, I tightened it to tight and then just nipped it up about a sixteenth of a turn. That is scientifically classified as pigging tight.
The rear one I just did by feel.
For the front bolt I used my medium length socket wrench, not the huge one, just to give you some idea of the leverage applied.
For the rear bolt I used the smallest socket wrench and just one hand.
In both cases I tightened to tight and then just gave a gentle pinch up afterwards.
I did it by feel, as always.
Just remember Simon, after tight comes broken 😂
Always better to not over tighten and just check again after each of the first few rides, than to try to do it up too tight and end up breaking something.
Good luck. If you do it by feel and keep an eye on those two bolts for a few rides, you should be okay.
Cheers,
Garry
@@economicalrides Thanx for that detailed reply Gary. Much appreciated as I looked on line too. That all sounds like good advice especially on the overtightening of bolts etc. I did find a spreadsheet on the Meteor which must be pretty similar. The Wurx YT couple are working on a 2007 ish model so I'll ask on there too. If I get a reply I'll let you know in case you ever need it or if somebody else asks. Once again many thanx. Simon. Have a good day Gary and of course Ruby.
@@simonchilli2088 Thanks for the coffees Simon, very much appreciated🙂
Maybe you should have waited to watch tonight's video before thanking us for all of our "hard work" though 😂 Just sayin' 😉
Thanks again. Very kind of you !
Garry & Ruby
On the subject of installing a heel-toe shifter on the Classic 350, here is one thing to consider: On the Meteor 350, the tops of the toe shifter, foot rest, and heel shifter lie more or less on a straight line. That means that if you are wearing flat-soled shoes (or heaven forbid flip-flops 😲) the shoe can simultaneously rest quite comfortably and naturally on all three surfaces. However with boots, because of the indentation in the sole, you are faced with choosing between resting the toe of the boot on the toe shifter or the heel of the boot on the heel shifter or neither and just having the boot off to the side. None of those options seem particularly comfortable or natural.
With boots, it seems like the foot rest needs to be raised a cm or so higher relative to the shifter.
Would be interested if anyone else sees this as an issue.
Hi K Shred,
I can't really say because both pairs of boots I own have completely flat soles and I have no issue using them on either bike. On the Classic I just have the problem that there is simply very little room between the footrest and the tip of the gear lever to slide your boot in and out of when you want to shift up, if you are wearing anything thicker than fashionable brogues 😛
The heel/toe shifter which RE fits to Indian Classics is a totally different design to the one used on the Meteor and I'm sure that it works on the Classic just fine, I certainly haven't heard any complaints about it. 🙂
Cheers K Shred,
ER.
I saw that on the dealer's floor. It seemed to me like serious issue. Not only while resting. I like to move my feet on pegs during ride which I can totally see that accidental shift up or down is quite plausible. Or, just keep it in place the whole time which can be very tiring on longer ride.
Yeah the stock setting of that gear shifter didn’t fit my boot either. I wonder why they don’t give you more room as stock?
Hi Allan,
I think the shifter was a rush job and a bit of an afterthought. They suddenly realised that classic enthusiasts in the west might baulk at seeing a heel/toe shifter on the Classic 350 ( unlike in India, where they are used to them ) so hurriedly knocked something up which is ergonomically terrible. Even after moving it up a tooth I still struggle to move my boot under the lever. It could do with being about an inch longer which would give me more space to slide my boot in and out. It's really not great !
As soon as the heel/toe shifter becomes available in Europe I will be getting my dealer to order me one.
Cheers Allan,
ER.
Hi there.
I just bought one of these yesterday, 6 months old, and got a lift 142 miles from home, to pick it up and rode it home. I loved the bike but found it extremely difficult to change up and virtually every time I tried to go from first to second gear, I hit neutral, so I need to do this job before I go out on it again. Thanks for the video and I will watch the other video with `Warro`. I can`t understand why Royal Enfield made such a bad job of designing this aspect of the bike, when the rest of the bike seems to have been well thought out. Also, why don`t they send them from the factory, one notch higher on the spline? A bit of a shame.
Hi Dave,
congratulations on your new bike !
Well I think the shift lever was a very late afterthought. You have to consider that in India and Asian markets in general, the Classic is delivered with a heel/toe shifter, just like the Meteor. Some bright spark at the factory must have realised fairly late on, that western markets would find a heel/toe shifter out of place on a classically styled roadster, so I think they hastily came up with a standard shift lever. I imagine it was a bit of a rush job, since neither the length, the angles nor the OEM position on the spline suit riding in anything more than a pair of stylish brogues 😂
The lever should be longer and possibly protrude a bit further outwards in order to be truly ergonomic but at least moving it up on the spline does give us a bit more toe room under the lever.
Just go up one tooth on the spline because two feels weird ( as I found out 🤗 ).
Remove the rear bolt first and stand on the LHS foot peg. You might be lucky, the lower frame rail may move enough for you to get the lever off the spline. Some people were able to get away without undoing the front bolt. Apparently the positioning of brackets on the frame, such as here for the footrest, can vary by up to a centimetre, so if you are lucky you may not have to undo the front bolt at all. If you do have to, loosening it is sufficient to get the lower frame rail to move down when you stand on the LHS foot peg, no need to completely remove it, just loosen it off !
With regard to your first to second gear problem, that may persist once you have adjusted the lever position. You didn't say how many miles your bike has on it but when the gearboxes are new, some of them clunk into second gear ( you can hear that second gear has engaged ) but as soon as second gear comes under load ( i.e. as soon as you let the clutch out ), it jumps out and you end up in neutral. This happens on my bike.
The solution is to PRELOAD the gear lever upwards before you pull the clutch in to shift from first to second. This way, second gear goes in AND STAYS IN. This seems to be necessary when the gearboxes are tight and the tolerances are not quite spot on from the factory. Over time everything beds in properly and eventually you no longer have to preload the lever for the shift into second.
So if you are having your Classic go into and then jump out of second gear, preload the lever on the shift from first to second for a while.
I think my bike no longer needs me to preload the lever, I've forgotten to do it a couple of times and the shift worked without it. But it has become a bit of a habit, so I find myself still preloading the lever when I go from first to second. Eventually though, it should no longer be necessary.
Good luck Dave. Other than the silly shifter and tight gearbox ( in my case ), there is not much else to worry about with these bikes so far. The sticky speedo issue seems to be widespread but RE seem to be happy to replace speedos whenever it happens.
In my case it seems to happen when the bike has been stood parked in the sunshine, so maybe try to park in the shade if you have to park outside on a sunny day !
Hope this information helps and good luck with your new bike !
Cheers Dave,
ER.
@@economicalrides Well, first of all, thank you for that comprehensive and very informative reply. I appreciate the effort you put into that reply and it has helped me understand the origins of the problem. My bike has covered a little under 2,000 miles, so i would have thought that it may have bedded in by now. However, the original owner has not altered the gear lever but I will do it before I ride it again. I must admit, it did make me wonder if I had bought the right bike but I do like it, in just about every other way.
I would think that there will soon be a revised design from RE and they should fit it on warranty but, in the meantime, I will change it. I hadn`t heard about the speedo problem. I did notice, on the trip home, that the fuel gauge went from 3 bars to flashing 1 bar in very quick time!
Anyway, many thanks for your help.
@@davericketts9101 Hi Dave,
I'd say 2000 miles is about the mileage where the jumping out of second gear problem should be pretty much gone.
If it still happens once you've moved the shift lever, as I said, try preloading the lever before shifting into second gear for a while.
No need to thank me, I'm happy to help, it's why I started the channel. If you have any further questions I'd be happy to answer them :)
Cheers Dave and good luck with your Classic,
ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks so much. Yes, I will preload it, once I have done the mod and I hope that will help. I am sure that there will soon be a new gear shifter to replace this one or even new foot peg bar.
It`s good to hear that you are so keen to help fellow owners of these bikes. 👍
Great vid, thank you
Thank you for watching and I hope this video helped you.
Remove the rear bolt ( by the footrest ) first, you might get lucky. Some people didn’t need to loosen the front frame bolt, apparently the position of the welded brackets for footrests etc varies a bit. On some bikes, just removing the rear bolt was enough to be able to get the lever off the spline. The front bolt is tight but I managed to loosen it just using two spanners and I am no strongman !
Good luck Vincent, the standard position of the lever is hopeless for people who wear thicker footwear than flip flops 😂
Cheers,
ER
@@economicalrides Will try! And thank you for clarifying the lever notch position cause it was hard to tell just by eyeballing it. Thank you again!
@@vincentperez3160 Yes, definitely just go up one tooth on the spline because if you go up two, like I did initially, you have to physically lift your foot up off the footrest to change gears, which is most uncomfortable ! The whole lever shape and length is less than ideal to be honest, but moving it up one tooth is currently the best position for it ( even though still not truly perfect ! ).
Good luck ! I think it's unlikely that you will have any problems if I managed to do it 😛
Cheers Vincent,
ER
I've seen a few videos mention the condensation in the clocks. Seems to be a common problem with REs.
Thanks for that Thimbur.
I’ve decided to alleviate the problem by just using a wet cloth on the nacelle, even if that might increase the risk of micro scratches.
That still has to be better than permanent water stains inside the glass !
I will keep an eye on it and make more of an issue of it should it continue to happen !
Thanks for your input, we’ll keep an eye on the situation.
Cheers 👍
ER.
I heard that you do not need to loosen off that long bolt at the front, just take the other out and stand on the foot peg to lower it enough to change the shift lever.
Yep that can work. Unfortunately on my bike there was still no clearance, so the front bolt needed to be loosened off to get more flex in the subframe. But plenty of people can get away with removing just the rear bolt, which is preferable. Always worth trying that first IMO and only mess with the front bolt if it becomes necessary. But either way, it's an easy job to do. Would just be nice if RE chose a different position for the lever from the factory, since just about everybody I know has done this to their Classic !
Cheers
ER
@@economicalrides fair point, I have just ordered a toe heel also so looking forward to the change, thanks for the video as they all help👍
@@sonnyday6830 That's a great mod !
Would have done it myself but whenever I buy something from India I get a load of hassle from customs, so I didn't bother.
Really wanted one though ! Love it on my Meteor !
Good luck with it 👍
ER
Nice video ER
Thanks Christy 👍
Although there are other videos out there showing how to do it, since I was doing it to my bike anyway, I thought I might as well film it for future generations of Classic 350 buyers 😉
Cheers 👍
ER
You Did it well done ER 👍 or have you best watch this now 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
Easy peasy. So easy I did it twice 😂
Cheers AR 👍
ER
@@economicalrides But have you now lower'd it by a notch ? looks a bit on the high side :)
@@Ainsworth-Rider Hi,
yes, in the rolling caption I stated that I subsequently took it back to one tooth higher than standard.
Less room for my boot now but I no longer have to lift my foot to change down.
It’s still not ideal but improved. I think if the lever were 3/4” longer, we’d have much more room to get our foot under and above the shifter. The lever could definitely do with being a bit longer IMO. It’s not just the angle to the footrest that’s the problem, the proximity of the two exacerbates the problem with big boots, I think !
The good news was, adjusting it for the second time quite literally only took five minutes. I had the required tools already laid out and the bolts were now “human tight”. Doing it for the second time was SO MUCH easier !
Cheers AR
ER.
Factory setting might be for India where they wear flip flops👟
It’s certainly not ideal for winter boots or less sporty boots.
I’m sure the RE testers wear boots but maybe racing boots which tend to be thinner at the toe.
There seems to be A LOT of criticism of the shifter position from riders in the western world, in winter, probably collecting their bikes in their winter boots.
At the very least RE should go one tooth higher on the spline on all export bikes IMO.
Let’s see if that happens over time.....
Thanks David 👍
ER
Good work! No scratches evident 🤣
I wonder if a heel/toe shift will become available, and if so would you prefer that?
I see Ruby is a bit like me with my cream teas 🤪
Hi SB,
apparently the Classic comes with a heel/toe shifter in India.
It will surely be an option here soon but although it would probably make the bike nicer to ride, it wouldn’t suit the British classic style, so I wouldn’t get one. We’re hoping that Hitchcock’s or somebody comes out with a longer, re-profiled shifter someday. Not only is the shifter angle a bit daft but the distance footrest/shifter is too short, giving you little room to move your foot about without resorting to a degree of ankle contortion. Still, if a new lever does become available, at least I now know how to fit it 🥳🥳🥳
For the first time in my spannering life, here I was patient and very careful not to mark the bike at all. I succeeded ! Not once did spanner touch bike in an unintended way. It was a meticulous job. I AM officially a mechanical engineer now and in future spannering videos will probably be seen wearing a lab coat and boffin-esque glasses 😂
I was disappointed in Ruby, she wanted to help me. Then she found what was left of that chew somewhere in the garden and suddenly UA-cam was no longer important. The rest of that chew has vanished again. I’m guessing that she has left it “somewhere safe” for the next time we are out in the garden together ! She likes hoarding treats for hard times that one !
Thanks for watching Jeff and have a nice evening 👍
🥃
ER & Ruby
@@economicalrides you’ll have to convert to right hand shift for real British classic style 🤣
I’m always a bit dubious about doing my own work on bikes. I’ve managed so far but I wouldn’t make ‘how to’ vids unless it was something dead basic. I would feel like a charlatan and dread any questions and corrections 🥴
You have shared useful information here and deserve a spanner badge 🙂
Ruby, youchew while Dad UA-cam’s 🤣
Cheers El Otro 🍻all the best 👍🏼
@@Saddlebags73 "Ruby, youchew while Dad UA-cam’s" 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😂
Yes, you're right. I don't want people now expecting me to do spannering videos. It's not like I actually have a clue what I'm doing ! As you say, any questions beyond what I just showed myself doing, I'd be like "Shrug. I dunno but look, it still works !".
This video was definitely an exception to my normal rule. I made it for two reasons.
(A) because people were trying to convince me that it was easy to do and I was determined to prove otherwise ( failed on that one ! ) and
(B) because most Classic owners will probably need to do this anyway. Well, if they wear motorcycle boots whilst riding they will. So probably a useful video for a lot of Classic buyers in the coming years.
Cheers SB. Any chance of a new hombre pequeño being made as a replacement or are you still too deeply mourning the loss of el original ?
ER.
@@economicalrides Ah yes, I have already replaced El hombre pequeño. I have yet to decide on a name. I was thinking El hombre pequeño dos, but Exeter Rider prefers John 🤣
I’ve had a few suggestions and will probably make a very serious video, opening it to a vote 🙄
@@Saddlebags73 Oh that's great news !
Life goes on and all that ! He wouldn't want you to be unhappy !
I'd go with El Hombre Segundo personally 😂
Whatever his eventual name, I look forward to meeting him in a future SB73 video 👍🏻
As the pandemic starts to become less of a thing, maybe he can accompany you on a few exotic trips soon, just like his legendary predecessor ❤️
Cheers Jeff 🥃
ER
Fyi- I understand rawhide is not good for dogs. They make highly digestible Dog chews that I give my German shepherd :) cheers mate
Hi Allan,
yes, fortunately Ruby doesn't like rawhide chews anyway, so I never buy them. She gets them as presents from time to time but she usually loses them in the garden somewhere 😂 She'll gnaw on one from time to time if she is bored but she doesn't seem enthusiastic about them, so I don't buy them. She is quite greedy (!) and prefers fast treats. Rawhide chews and bones are too much like hard work 🐕
Thanks Allan, take care 👍🏻
ER.
Pretty obvious but if you use a marker to make a line from the shifter fulcrum onto the shaft you can see where you were and move it to where you want to be.
Thanks Eric. Yes, I did think about doing that but I didn't want anything leaving a permanent mark on my bike and nor could I find anything that would leave a mark on the metal and NOT be permanent. So in the end I just opted to eyeball it and unfortunately ended up being one tooth out 🙂
But we got there in the end !
Cheers Eric !
Garry
I didn't feel that front was particularily tight for that size of bolt. Also, there was no need to completely remove it. Just loosening up, removing real bolt and pushing on the peg provided room to take off shifter and put it back on.
Yes, you don’t need to remove it as I explained. Mine was very tight though. Sometimes the lever comes off if you just remove the rear bolt, if you get lucky. Ask Tec Bike Parts, no two RE frames are the same.
Cheers,
ER.
You only need to take front frame bolt out and push the frame down to get gear lever off.
Hi Tony,
the footrest bracket position and position of the engine in the frame varies from bike to bike. I needed a fair bit of extra clearance to get the lever off on my bike, so loosened both bolts.
A lot of people only had to remove the rear bolt to get the necessary clearance !
So how much work it is does depend upon how your particular bike was assembled, but it’s never a major problem, just poor design in the first place.
Cheers
ER
@@economicalrides I myself did what everybody else seems to do and moved the gear lever up one notch, it was nice changing up but like you said on the down change i was lifting my foot off the peg to change down so i reverted back the standard position that i find more comfortable for me, i'm thinking about the heel and toe shifter now as i like using it on my honda ct 125.
@@tonylawton6513 Hi Tony,
if you don't mind buying stuff from India, definitely get the heel/toe shifter, it's WAY better. Unfortunately I couldn't get one in Europe and I always get screwed by customs when ordering from outside the EU, so unfortunately I never bought a heel/toe shifter for mine. But it is the way to go, particularly if like us, you've used and enjoyed them before. I would have certainly fitted one to my Classic 350 had I been able to source one from inside the EU.
I've only heard good things about the heel/toe shifter on the Classic 350. It is what the bike was designed to have in the first place. The classic style shifter was only added as an afterthought for those of us in the western markets.
The heel/toe shifter might not look "British classic" but by all accounts it makes the bike so much nicer to ride ! The ergonomics of the classic toe shifter are terrible !
Good luck Tony !
ER.
@@economicalrides I don't mind purchasing anything from india i will most certainly be getting one...
Another nice one chap ;-)
Thanks MAMRE,
hopefully the last spannering video I’ll ever have to make 😂
Cheers buddy 👍
ER.
@@economicalrides Oh no ER, I hope you do more. You did a good job. I am working on my belt drive conversion video and I'm too detailed I'm afraid.
@@MeAndMyRoyalEnfield Belt drive conversion ? Now that sounds complicated ! I imagine that there is a lot to be explained with a big job like that, hard to imagine somebody not going into detail with it to be honest. Keep plugging away, I’m sure you’ll get there in the end.
If the weather holds there is a chance that I could start my Meteor mod at the weekend, so the hammers.....erm....spanners could be coming out again 😬
Take care MAMRE and thanks for the encouragement 👍
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides Have fun with the wrenches, ah, I mean spanners 😉
@@MeAndMyRoyalEnfield Don’t worry MAMRE, one day you lot will learn how to speak proper english, I’m sure 😂
Cheers 👍
ER.
That looks like Two notches hope it’s fine 👍
Yep, in edit I saw that. Should have never taken it off the spline completely but I just wanted to demonstrate that now it would indeed come off. Went back down a tooth and the second time, with all tools laid out and the factory tightness cracked off, it literally only took five minutes to do. But cracking those nuts off the first time ( even the back one on my bike ) cost me the most time !
Thanks for encouraging me to take it on. I feel all mechanicy now 😛
Cheers AR 👍
ER
@@economicalrides it's great when a plan comes together well done ER. PS you never get this much pleasure with other Bikes :)
@@Ainsworth-Rider Thanks AR.
Glad to see you supporting LanesExplorer too, Peter makes lovely relaxing videos in gorgeous countryside 🥰
Thanks for nudging me towards tackling this job, you probably pushed me over the edge 👍
🥃🥃
ER
Nothing is worth doing unless you have to do it twice. 😎
To be fair Kristopher, in my case, extra practice can only be a good thing !
Second time around it literally only took me five minutes. The time consuming part was cracking off the factory tightness with mere short spanners. After that, it was a piece of cake. Very glad now that I did it and could easily do it again if required 🥳🥳🥳
Cheers Kristopher 👍
ER.
how to buy rebon gear lever
Sorry, is that a question Anirban ?
Are you thinking about swapping your current gear lever for this one ?
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides yes sir
@@economicalrides shopping website link
@@anirbanbiswas6183 So do you have the heel/toe shifter fitted to your Classic 350 and you are looking for this more traditional style shifter RE fits to the export models ?
@@economicalrides yes sir need single side shifter
You call that a toolkit?
Where are the hammers????
Can't go wrong with a collection of hammers...
Oh trust me, I have hammers !!!
This was my “watchmaker’s toolkit” in comparison to my usual one 😂
I thought I’d try to make a good impression with this video and tackle the job like somebody who knows what they are doing !
It nearly worked too ! Just had to go back in and adjust it a second time but the second time it was literally a five minute job, which actually made me feel like a real mechanic for a moment there 🤗
Take care CC ! Thanks for watching !
Cheers,
ER.
Check the Irish Rover channel just up the road from you.
Good job !
Subbed and comment left 👍
ER
Next up; changing to a heel-toe shifter.😉✌🏾
Hi Marso,
unfortunately I was unable to source a heel/toe shifter within Europe ( they all came from India ) so I never bought one ( customs into Spain is a real pain in the backside unfortunately ).
It was definitely a mod that I wanted to do but I was hoping to be able to buy the shift lever in the EU but that proved impossible.
Those people who have bought the heel/toe shifter from India love it though. A great mod because the standard shift lever is pretty terrible.
Cheers Marso 👍
Garry
@economicalrides Do you have Amazon? If so, that could be a great resource. 👌🏽
@@marsoelflaco5722 Yes we do have Amazon but I haven't seen one on there and even if they did have one, it would probably be a seller from India and I'd end up with hassle from customs anyway.
Cheers though !
👍
@economicalrides Good point.
Well, take care. Looking forward to more videos.😊
@@marsoelflaco5722 Cheers Marso 👍
Garry
You telling me I can’t use a hammer? I sort everything with a hammer. Hammers are best. I do have a set of spaniards somewhere, but they just bend when you whack something with them. Useless! 😎🏴
😂😂😂
A man after my own heart !
The spanners were left out just to make a good impression.
I actually did the job with hammers, which is why I didn’t film that part ! 🤫🤫🤫
Cheers Murdo 👍
ER.
You need a mate who can do it 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Nah, I can do it all, no bother 😬
🏍🔨🔨🔨