In the following section we will attempt to build a database on how to repair and maintain a Bullet while on the road. I recommend buying the Bullet repair Manual, it really helps to use as a reference. If you feel uncomfortable doing the work on the bike yourself, an Enfield mechanic can usually be found in any city, just ask around. Mechanic's rates in India are usually around $1USD to $2USD per hour.

The tool kit we bought from Inder Motors contains the following tools:

Open end Metric wrenches sizes: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15,16, 17, 24, 27, 30, and 32.

Open end whitworth wrenches: 3/16W 1/4BS, 1/8W 3/16BS, 1/4W 5/16BS, 5/16W 3/8BS, 3/8W 7/16BS, 7/16W 1/2BS, 1/2W 9/16BS, 7/16W 1/2BS.

1 small and 1 medium flathead screwdriver. I would pick up a large long flathead screwdriver also.

1 medium phillip head screwdriver.

8mm L-shaped Allen wrench

Spark plug wrench.

0.75 meter long piece of gas hose

Coarse and fine emery cloth.

Needle nose pliers

Regular pliers w/ wire cutter.

1 set of feeler gauges

1 roll of electrical tape.

Additional tools recommended for Himalaya travel:

We were advised by our friend, Ranjeet Singh, in Derha Dun to also bring these following items on our journey in the Himalayas. He is the mechanic for many motorcycle tour groups and has motorcycled throughout the mountains of India, Nepal, and Tibet..... enough to tell ya what's good for ya.

1 foot pump

1 set of functional tyre irons

extra tyre tubes

1 Large flat head screwdriver (half a meter or so)

1 Clutch plate

Of course, all other spares you'd normally carry (ie cables, plugs, fuses, etc.) We'll be making a full list of recommended spares -Coming Soon.

The idea here is that there are virtually no tire repair shops in Kinnear, Spiti, Lahual, and on the way to Leh or from Leh to Srinigar. These tools would save you hours and hours, and may be the difference in finding a place to stay for the night or camping it next to your bike (which actually sounds kinda nice- however out of experience being stuck, tried and hungry isn't so nice). We only had to use the foot pump and tire irons once when Jared got a flat, but it was nice to have it and felt good to actually fix it ourselves. There;s something to be said for self-reliance.

Some Relatively Easy Maintenance Jobs:

Tappets: The tappets (to adjust valve clearance) need to be adjusted every 500 km or when they become too noisy. All you need to do is remove the tappet cover on the side of the cylinder (t's held on by one nut) to gain access to the tappet adjusters. Next you need to bring the piston to top dead center at the end of the compression stroke (TDC), so that the valves are in the closed position. One way to find TDC is to remove the spark plug, put the bike in 4th gear, and then look at the tappets adjusters as you spin the rear tire (you may need to put a small rock under one side of the center stand to allow the rear tire to come up off the ground) keep going until the right adjuster moves up, and then the left adjuster, now as you spin the tire neither adjuster will move and you are close to TDC. Now go to the other side of the bike and put a small screwdriver, or allen wrench in the spark plug hole. SLOWLY turn the wheel until the piston pushes the screwdriver/allenwrench the farthest out of the plug hole. If it starts to go back down, turn the wheel the other way. Next check the ammeter needle with the ignition on and kill switch off, it should be in the exact middle. You are now at TDC.

Now back to the tappet adjusters, inside you will see three nuts, one on top of the other. Spin them with your thumb, they should spin freely, with a minimal amount of resistance. If they are too loose (movement up and down) or too tight (hard to spin with thumb) then you need to adjust. Put a wrench on the top nut and loosen the middle nut (the lock nut), next turn the bottom nut clockwise to decrease tappet clearance (tighten) and counter clock wise to increase clearance (loosen). Tighten or loosen the bottom nut until the top nut spins freely with the thumb with slight resistance. Next put a wrench on the top nut and hold it steady as you re-tighten the lock nut. It may take a few tries to get it exactly right. Next, just put the tappet cover back on and re-tighten the nut. Don't tighten the cover nut too much or you can crack the cover, as I found out on my bike.

Adjusting the drive chain: Put the bike on the center stand. Remove the cotter pin on the left hand side of the rear axle. Remove the castle lock nut on the left hand side rear axle. Loosen the stub axle nut and rear brake anchor pin (it is the smaller nut to the lower left of the axle nut, the bolt it threads on goes through a slot.) Next turn the cam adjusters on the each side of the axle the same number of notches. There should be about 25 to 30 mm up and down movement in the middle of the chain. Next re-tighten the stub axel nut and castle nut, andut the cotter pin back in. Now spin the rear tire (put the bike in neutral if is isn't) and push down hard on the rear brake pedal. While still holding down the pedal, re-tighten the rear brake anchor pin.