Dear Friends, I am Mr. Subhash Kamath from Mumbai currently working as a Manager-Operations & Technical for Wasan Ford. Automobile is in my blood because of my father who owns a workshop were he maintains all kinds of heavy vehicles from where I learnt all the technical stuffs. Being a Manager Operations & Technical I am responsible for all kinds of technical related issues & operation that I find very challenging. I own a Royal Enfield Lightning 535 cc which is 5 years old now but no can say that it is 5 years old, it looks as if its just come from the showroom. Now to maintain my Bike in this state only I can explain to all of you that how many hours I have spent daily on it. Every morning I do a General Check up of My Bike that gives me all the minute detail of any abnormalities that I take very seriously & rectify it immediately; this attitude of mine has saved my money & not even a single breakdown has occurred. Till now the list of components that I have changed is just a clutch cable & spark Plug, all other components are original factory fitted even after clocking 24,000 kms & I have a gut feeling that at least for next 10,000 kms I wont have any problem. As I am from a technical background its very crucial to do a proper check in order to avoid any breakdowns. As you all are aware that every component has its life which depends upon the way it is used, if you find a failure better replace that component before is damages other related component which we call as a consequential damage.viz. If you don’t replace brake shoes on time then it will lead to replacement of brake drum that is an expensive affair hence remembers Stitch in time saves nine that I think every owner of a bike should understand. People do say that Yaar kya farak padtha hai meri gadi tho warranty me hai company wale free main replace kar denge. This attitude ruins the bike when it is newly born. Every bike or any machine is just like a kid; one should take great care during the initial period, a kid who gets the first class care does not suffer in long run. Always maintain your bike by an Authorized Dealer who will have the original spares, special tools & fully trained technicians who will only change the defective components with the right technique which will require less time. If at all you maintain your bike by a local mechanic then please make sure that you are around your bike when he works on which will stop the local mechanic from swapping parts from your bike which is in good condition & fit a part which is worn out, dear friends any one among you who has to visit your mechanic more frequently for different reasons? This point is worth noticing. Always stick to the service schedule made by Royal Enfield Engineers, which will ensure better life of your bike. Always use only genuine spares supplied by Royal Enfield, the spares may be slightly costlier than the one available in local market, but the later one will not stand any warranty. Check Tire Pressure only in cold condition, If you don’t use your bike every day then it is always advised to maintain low fuel tank level that will avoid gumming of the inlet valves & carburetor. While morning start as soon as you start maintain the engine speed at idle for at least 2 Minutes. If you follow it then the connecting rod bearing & rocker bearing will have more life. Only use the prescribed Engine Oil for your bullet, you can use a fully synthetic oil SAE 0W 40 or 10W 30 which is 5 times & 3 times expensive but good for your engine. Keep the Timing Cover & valve cover free from oxidation by applying metal polish. Get your bike Water Washed once every 6 months. There are still lots of advise but I think all these points are very important for you to maintain your bike in its best shape. My love for bullet started at the age of 7 when my father’s friend used to ride one & he used to take me for a ride. At the age of 12 I used to wonder how this men ride such a heavy Bike. My love increased further as years passed on, I used to turn my head towards the bullets passing by. I always used to wish to ride one but had no guts then at the age of 12. Days passed on & I Joined Manipal Institute of Technology where I did my Engineering. This Place was over populated by Bullet of different kinds, most of the students preferred to ride on the bull rather than riding on a donkey (100 cc Bikes) where I found my love. I bought a second handed Bullet 500 with company fitted front fairing that very few people know. Any one of you, aware? I used it for 4 year & sold it for 5000 +. I had to sell it because a various reason which I can share with you all. Then I bought this 535 cc Monster, which is more powerful than the 500s.The bike has just clocked 24,000 kms. The love increased further only after the incident which was very daring & feet shaking. My wife & I we both were riding back home on 26 July 2005 when the Mumbai got flooded. We were riding at a moderate speed when suddenly we realized that the road is blocked due to flood, we some how managed to overtake a couple of vehicle as the water level increased up to the silencer level I stopped the vehicle & started pushing it. We wadded from knee-deep water at least half a kms suddenly the water rose & it kept rising. My wife was screaming by looking at the rise, I immediately parked my vehicle on the stand & we both stood on the bike, further rise in the level made me worried but I maintained patience. The level was now 3 feet & literally my bull was half submerged, I was shocked to see that the level was still rising high now we both were standing on the seat. Looking at us other bikers also tried the same thing but those bike couldn’t withstand the intense water pressure & fell off. We both were now praying to god suddenly the level started dropping, we came to know that one of the sewage line was blocked & local tried their level best to unblock the line, within minutes we were standing in knee deep water & I hurried to take my bike in a safe place. I had to give a tempo driver Rs 2000/- just for 10 Kms ride which I did without bargaining. As soon as I reached home & drained the engine oil & made my bike lie sideway so that all flood water can be drained out. I did a complete Tune Up & tried to start my bull. To me surprise it started in just one kick. Really Royal Enfields are the toughest bike on earth. I love thumping down the lane at a very low speed at 30 kmph in fourth gear which can only be done on a bullet which has a heavier Crank Shaft, most of the bullet before 1970 comes with heavy crank of approx 10 kgs. All you Royal Enfield Owners you should try a bullet built before 1970 that will give you the real thump at a very low rpm. Guys you can count the engine rpm in idle run without any meter, only by counting the thump & multiplying the no of thumps per minutes into 2. Have you tried it? Just Try That… Regards, Subhash Kamath