Why I would never buy a Royal Enfield Bullet!
Few days ago I posted on Twitter and Facebook that I am now using Thunderbird and loving it, while I was talking about Mozilla Thunderbird; few people misunderstood and thought I had bought a Royal Enfield Thunderbird. Even those who knew me well and I think know that I would never actually buy one!
Also I quite often get suggestions from people (mostly those who own Bullets) to buy a Royal Enfield motorcycle for touring, while people pitch as hard as they can about benefits of owning a Bullet, I usually end up telling them that a Bullet isn’t the motorcycle for me and usually end up reiterating why I would never buy a Royal Enfield Bullet:
Royal Enfield Motorcycles aren’t reliable: Well let’s face it, while a few might love spending a day in the middle of Manali – Leh highway, fixing their motorcycles (I respect their idea), it is certainly not my cup of tea, and I would rather be riding and exploring the beautiful landscape around me than getting my hands dirty to get the bike running again. Heck even Royal Enfield knows this and despite it’s motorcycles being positioned toward motorcycle tourers, offers warranty for the least time (km wise).
Royal Enfields don’t have good range: One of the most important aspects of any touring motorcycle being used in remote areas is the range it can travel on a tankful, since petrol pumps are tough to find in remote areas. Royal Enfields have smaller petrol tanks (compared to Karizma, Pulsars, Unicorn etc.) and on top of it, they are thirstier (especially in hills). This means for a ride to Zanskar Valley or Leh – Tso Moriri – Sarchu – Tandi, a guy riding a Bullet would need to carry at least 7-8 liters of spare petrol, while on a pulsar I can do it without even hitting the reserve!
Royal Enfields are heavy: While the heavy weight and long wheelbase helps tremendously while riding in plains in strong crosswinds, it becomes a dead weight as soon as you get in to a sticky situation in hills. Now if all that weight was due to something quite important like a more powerful engine or fantastic suspension setup, I wouldn’t have minded, but the fact is, it is mostly useless as it is there more for the show and in attempt to retain the classic feel, than for any utility.
Egoistic Bullet riders: That’s right, even though I know of plenty of fantastic travelers who use bullets, most often than not, I run in to people who believe that the Royal Enfield is fantastic and an iconic bike, and rest of the motorcycles are crap (jap-crap to be precise). While it is great that Royal Enfield has such a cult like following, I am not too keen to be seen as part of the herd following a brand name blindly, and treating fellow bikers and travelers like crap!
As for majority of these nincompoops, well the only reason they buy these bikes is to try and get associated with some of the things that a few great travelers have accomplished and were incidentally using a Royal Enfield. To them, it is not the spirit and determination of the rider, which demands accolades, it is the thing they were sitting on top off!
Every time I come across such individuals, they reaffirm my faith about not owning a Royal Enfiled and make the determination even stronger!
Edit: Just wrote a blog post on the Kind of Royal Enfield Bullet I would like to buy, check it out as well and let me know what you think.
Some feelings I very well share. The weight has always been a pain to handle. And reliability is a real bother(I got into trouble once). Nor do I like the noise it makes. I would rather be on a modern, reliable and light weight machine. The one area where it scores well is – if there are two people and lot of luggage to lug, these bikes come handy.
Arun the AVL engine ones i.e. Thunderbird, Machismo and 500 don’t make that much sound, sadly most of their owners put different exhausts to increase the sound.
I agree about the part about load carrying capacity, but then again it is mainly the 500 which is real good at it.
Yogesh! You sound like your EGO, I respect your thoughts but at the same time i think you had a bad experiance “EGO” and that made you turn aganist Royal Enfield. I feel you have lot of love for it boy.. go for it!
I sometimes wonder about the following questions…
- Its been decades, only one model is still around.. with the same technology…?
- Why does it feel so good when you are on it?
- Why do i feel like i’m sitting on a Mule with other JAP-CRAP?
- Why do i learn to be patient with it?
- HOw it speaks to me?
- Its the only thing from the past that keeps, only Humans who belive in it ——MOVING.
- It’s power is RAW and not for ppl with small hearts…
If you think this is not your cup of tea, then just leave it alone or some Bulleteer someday may punch on your face and you may never taste it.
Jagan I was going to reply to your comment and then I read the last part:
“If you think this is not your cup of tea, then just leave it alone or some Bulleteer someday may punch on your face and you may never taste it.”
Well all I can say is, it is retards like you, who give Bulleteers a bad name!
If i were that Bulleteer then i better be a retard… now can you comment or do you have any?
Actually the person who tries to punch me, would there after be known as a physically disabled person.
The reason why I said what I said in my last post was due to the fact that it appear to me, that you seem to think that just because some one doesn’t agrees with thoughts of a small minority and shares his point of view freely, he would either be physically hurt or deserves to be physically hurt.
I share the same thoughts I have shared here with my friends who own bullets and they share their thoughts about my bike or other motorcycles in the market, it is always in good humor and done in a respectable manner. However a small minority feels that just because they bought some thing which can be bought by any Tom, Dick and Harry, he is in some way special?
With respect to only one model being around for decades, well there are plenty more like that, just look at the Hero Honda Splendor or Honda Cub. Also just because something has been around for decades, it doesn’t mean it is without flaws or is the best thing around. Also going by the way Royal Enfield is developing its product line, while the classic designs would remain, the original engine would likely be a thing of the past, in the years to come.
As for having the feeling that you have about your bullet, well good for you and it shows how much you love and care for your motorcycle.
Believe me; I share similar feelings about my Pulsar 180, who has been my constant companion for over 7 years. Even though I had thought about buying other motorcycles and done test rides of almost all the Indian motorcycles (including 350std, Electra, Thunderbird and AVL500), nothing has as of yet, made me feel like it can replace my sweetheart.
Of course there are plenty of niggles in her that at times piss me off and one of them is the quality and life of spare parts and after sales service, which is why I wouldn’t likely be buying another Bajaj Motorcycle any time soon, even though the current 180, 200 and 220 are perfect for my style of touring.
Hey! I can only be hurt physically! Try!
“Minority” nice word but i guess it doesn’t apply purely to us. “Majority”, boy!! this is the word for rest. Be free to express your thoughts …
Any TDH can buy it dude.. you are right! but it is pampered, maintained. PPl now only want to race aganist time, they want no problems, its only like running away from them. It has always been that way.
Royal Enfield sells Bulls built with problems i agree, its a package that comes to you, for the ride you get. As Dave says(http://www.chuckhawks.com/royal_enfield_letter1.htm)
“This is NOT a bike for a guy who goes to the dealer to change a lightbulb.” incase you feel like reading (Don’t become a fan). It was the same with the Horse’s in the old days. Nothing comes cheap.
You compared it with a Splendor, it gave me a tickel but i could only give a funny smile. Thanks for love’y touch.
Like I said in the blog post, while a few prefer to spend the day fixing the bike in the middle of nowhere, I like to spend the time exploring the beautiful places.
As far as Splendor is concerned, you can say all you want, but it still sells like hot cake under numerous different names and still carries the same “classic engine” and the same goes for the Honda Cub, which had completed 50 years last year and there are over 60million of these on road and as shown in the video, almost indestructible.
http://www.indiaon2wheels.com/honda-cub-50-years-and-60-million-sales-old/
You can express your views all you want Yogesh, there can be no comparison with a 350 or 500 with 100 or 150CC bikes. Hero Honda bikes still sell like hot cakes yes but for a reason. Our country has a sizable population of Middle class who cannot afford a bike like Enfield due to its cost (but still a good number of middle class guys are now buying it) & they always think in terms of Mileage.
Every bike has its own capacity, you can still see Enfield is the only long standing bike apart from Harley Davidson, which is still selling in India & abroad. As for you enjoying the places & the a guy who has a Bullet is repairing may well be frustrated however there is still a difference here, he is learning how to fix a thing with his own experience! coming to which would you do the same on the highway? We got Bullet enthusiasts all over the world & in India currently number of people riding Bullets is steadily increasing call it money power or something else!
Coming to the Leh & hilly region, weighty issues are there yes but still how many people would you expect to do a ride to Leh on other bikes every year or for that matter to a hilly region?
No offense on you but don’t degrade anything or see it as good for nothing. We derive pleasure in riding the Bullet, people do think its noisy & stuff like that, but still when the heads turn to see whats coming is what makes us stand apart from the other bikes. The stares we get when we stop at a signal is something we wont get that easily with other bikes!. There are people who ride bullets arrogantly however they may never form the part of Bullet community or rather put they are mere city dwellers!
Wonder if you have done riding on a Bullet for a long distance?? well I have heard people change their view about the bike after they have ridden it. We maybe going to the Mechanic every other day but we still have the pleasure of riding a machine with RAW power & who likes to get pampered all it wants! & we’d definitely would pamper it haha!!!
Before signing out I’d just want to say The bike is still “MADE LIKE A GUN GOES LIKE A BULLET”
About the stares forgot to say something, its not negative its the envy we see in them!
Nutter…. !!! Nice Name dude… ENVY he he he he……he
Yogesh! We are waiting.. do treat this in a Hurmorous way or a positive way…. “The CUB is for the Mass’s, i need not say wat a BULLET is for….”
Keep Riding you HONDA / PULSAR ….Watever.I do like them, but wat good are they when you grow old? or will pulsars be around. When we are old, we still can fix our BULLETS and will still Ride.
So… are you around or wat?
Nutter first of all, please read the post title again, it is “Why I would never buy a Royal Enfield Bullet!†No where am I saying that others shouldn’t buy it and neither am I saying that Royal Enfield motorcycles are useless! I am simply saying that at this moment, it isn’t the bike for me and have listed out the reasons I feel that way. If it suits your riding style, then by all means go for it, just don’t try to convince me to buy one, which quite a few people I know, try and do again and again!
Motorcycles are a very personal thing and different people have different preferences and there is no reason for attacking one another, just because of the brand motorcycle you are riding, does not suits the other person’s need (like Jagan did). After all when I don’t refer to Bullets as water pumps, why should I tolerate any one referring to my motorcycle as jap-crap or plastic toy? Especially when my bike has done what 99% Royal Enfield Bullet riders would only dream of doing!
I am sorry to say this, but problem with majority of the bulleteers (or at least those who claim to be one) is that they don’t respect people for who they are, instead they respect people for what “they ownâ€. While the 99.9% of the tourers I know, respect each other irrespective of the vehicle owned or club/brand allegiance.
As far as fixing your bike and learning something about it goes, I had done plenty of small modifications and apart from the usual before and after trip service she receives at my usual mechanic and oil changes (due to problem of disposing old oil), rest of the niggles are taken care of by me and I love working on my motorcycle. However when I am out touring, I want her to be my reliable companion and not break down in the middle of nowhere and I think every one deserves that, especially after spending so much time, money and effort on maintaining their motorcycles.
I have taken the old Thunderbird on the highway and I loved the acceleration, but frankly, the seating position left a lot to be desired and there was virtually no feedback from the front. I would also like to mention that the Electra I got for a test ride from a Royal Enfield dealership in Delhi, belonged to a customer and was there for its first service, I guess it shows the level of commitment they have for their customers. Though I do respect the management of Royal Enfield for the fact that they promote touring are decent enough to accept the fault where it is due, because they had refunded the cost of a 500AVL to a friend of mine, who had suffered multiple sprag clutch failures and company wasn’t able to resolve his issue.
Hi Yogesh ..
I agree with your points and very much admire your efforts to pin point the problems of Royal Enfield.
Infact I do love Royal Enfield but there are many disadvantages in it which makes the ride totally uncomfortable.
Thanks & Regards
Sherry John
Bhai-Keep writing pages and pages on this, we really don’t care.
RGDS,
Patel
Thanks Sherry
Well Patel, you cared enough to comment
If there is one thing I miss about my youth, it is this propensity to fly into rage for no reason in particular – here this discussion about Royal Enfields. It’s just a bike guys, so don’t kill yourselves over it. Punch your pillows instead.
That said, I’ve always enjoyed the verve and honesty that Yogesh Sarkar brings to his blog so, in spite of myself being an Enfield biker of long years (I’ve bought 3 of them – all new – all 350 std.) I do agree with many of his takes on this bike.
I’ll begin by saying that the guys who manufacture the Royal Enfield in Chennai could not be real bike lovers. The product is badly engineered with no quality control – at least for the models sold in India. Simple things like nuts and bolts and gaskets are a big pain. The engine is always leaking like a guy who’s had his prostrate removed (not me, yet!).
Just sprucing up the looks (minimally) is like putting make up on an ugly face. We all know how that comes across.
I agree with Yogesh when he says that riding the Enfield is an EGO trip. In spite of being an ugly old geyser, I feel like a KING when I’m in ride-mode. Gives me a kick to have young and old tell me ‘ Bike ho to Aisee’ (Many of these guys have never ridden anyhing except a Luna – the Kinetic moped which died a premature death).
I cannot agree with Yogesh on mileage. I filled up the tank in Tandi and carried an 6 litres of fuel but I did not need this extra fuel. The 375 kms. from Tandi to Leh were accomplished with some fuel left in the 14.25 litres tank.
I owned 2 Yezdis 250 cc. (1977-1985) and took many trips from Pune to Goa on these. With a lighter bike, I found the fatigue factor higher. The body vibrates more and tires the muscles – mine at least – even though at that time I was only a young 35 years. On the heavier Enfield, these vibrations are minimised and that’s a BIG thing for an older body (which tires earlier and takes longer to recharge – like an old battery).
Anyway…. all said and done, there is no ‘phayada’ in going for each others throats and threaten to handicap someone just because of this. Don’t trust these sudden emotions. Emotions are unreliable things. Bound to change in a jiffy. For all we know, Yogesh, you might fall in love with the Enfield – if they bring their export model into India. I saw some real good quality Enfields in London! And I’ve got 4 emails from guys who ride them in Spain, Finland, London, New Hampshire, US. They loved my book also because they love their Royal Enfields.
AMEN.
Sir first of all, thanks for commenting.
I agree with you that Royal Enfield should bring the same quality and models that it is exporting to other countries, to India as well. Its not like Royal Enfield are a cheap motorcycle to buy, slight price increase for better quality is something I am sure majority of the people would be ready to pay for.
Of course then there is the question of models being first released abroad and then coming to India, even though they are manufactured in India by an Indian company.
With respect to mileage, well I am not that big a mileage monger, but it would be nice if Royal Enfield can at least fit a bigger petrol tank, which quite a few owners do. However an aftermarket job is always a aftermarket job and can not be compared with something which is provided by the company.
Hey Ajit – You are right! It was my Emotions which were hurt and made me do this… i guess, what we love is wat we love.
@Yogesh – we are not so bad and neither are our bulls. I’ll take a turn here coz this might lead to a highway. I rather ride the road less travelled. There’s some good work you got there, much Appriciated.
Regards,
Jagan
Thanks Jagan, I guess as bikers we are a emotional lot and can often end up saying things we don’t so harshly mean. Well I just wrote another blog post about bullets, this time it is about the kind of bullet I would like to buy. Check it out and let me know what you think and whether or not you would like to buy a bullet like that
http://www.yogeshsarkar.com/blog/2009/06/18/kind-royal-enfield-bullet-would-like-buy/
well yogesh,
i read your post and i feel that you are completely mistaken, Enfields are not reliable? what world are u living in dude, am sure u have ridden to leh and nubra and changla etc etc, do u think a jap crap bike would carry that much of luggage and you? well the logik is, if you keep ur bike fit n fine, be it anywhere ur bullet will never dissapoint u.
no good range: i am 100% sure u have not ridden the newer avl or UCE royal enfields, so you dont know, and for god sake dont compare a bullet with the plastik bikes yaar!!
weight issue: i feel that the weight issue is genuine, but hey u know what, u cant expect a bull to be as light as a plastik bike, what will be the difference between them and us?? i feel that the weight tot he traction ratio of a royal enfield is just amazing.
egoistik riders:
now this is the topik i will write the most about, please dont feel offended too. we are bulleteers and we love to ride so we own bullets and its not that we blindly follow the brand name. infact we care a damn about the brand name, its the ride that matters. so i feel that your perception about the bullet is wrong and i feel there is a lot of room, for a change. anyways am not asking u to be a bullet fan or anything, but would suggest that if you are a rider, you would know what i mean. the feel of riding in real india can be felt only on a royal enfield, i guess i cant explain it to anyone, one has to feel it to understand it.
Shyamal
Hi Yogesh,
Nice writeup and i wont make it long. I know there are so many people out there who have so many reasons for not doing things in life. Likewise there are people (though few in numbers) who just need one reason to do something. I am one of them.
BTW: I also ride a bullet and I just ride cause I like it…..
Shyamal go through this travelogue of mine, Ladakh and Zanskar, return to your heaven. My jap crap took me and around 30-35kg of my luggage (was carrying a lot of useless stuff) around Ladakh for 18 days (on a solo ride) without any major fuss, even though the timing chain and piston kit were in a bad condition but it still went along just fine. Now if you want to carry your entire living room with you, obviously Pulsars, Karizmas etc. are not for you. In fact you really ought to think about buying a mobile home!
So far the major ride stats for my jap crap are three rides to Ladakh, one ride to Spiti and another to Sach Pass (not counting numerous smaller ones).
Now let me ask you, where have you been lately on your waterpump?
We can keep on throwing insults towards each others bike or we can discuss things like civilized, mature people, choice is yours.
As for the reliability issue, just go through the replies to this blog post and see what other Royal Enfield riders are saying about it. I know some of them are quite reliable as well, for instant Bhuwan’s Thunderbird (in our 2007 group ride) didn’t face any major issue, apart from the drum brakes smoking while descending from Chang La and started easily every day. But then again, majority of the feedback I see from the Royal Enfield community says that the bike isn’t as reliable as others and then people use excuses like it being a classic bike and being one for those who love to work on their motorcycles. If you feel the same, good for you, but it is not what I want.
You are talking about the 500AVL? How much does it give? 26-28kmpl coupled with the usual 14.5liter tank? One can get similar mileage from a BMW F650GS and that thing still has a larger usable petrol tank capacity. I am not even going to mention the 150+cc motorcycles in India which can easily cover twice to thrice the distance on a full tank, despite being “consumer and city orientedâ€. Of course if you ride in a city or go touring on the smooth National Highways and to known destinations, you won’t really notice.
With regards to weight, well I couldn’t care less about the “retro looks†and even lesser about why you feel more rust catching materiel is better than power to weight ratio!
If you didn’t cared a damn about Royal Enfield brand, you wouldn’t be here defending their entire line up and would instead have been focusing on the particular model you ride and love.
Vineet your reply brought a smile to my face, completely agree with what you have written.
ok!! agreed, am not here to argue or something, i agree that plastiks perform, but the real fun is to reach changla on an enfield. just imagine an ancient technology still existing?? how come? its cos the person taking care or loves his bike that much, why is it that bullet ha survived more than 50 years in india and no other bike has been able to do that? see!!?? so forget comparing the bikes and technology that these bikes use. what matters to me is the ride. the feel of riding a bull is something one would understand only after riding one.
reliability issue, i dont see any reliability issue in a newer enfield, yeh ofcourse if ur enfield is used and abused badly then a brand new enfield will also give up in no time. so the point is, how one rides his bike makes the difference and not the brand. mileage is never a concern to someone who rides a bullet, yeh infact the bullet is meant for national highways and open roads, i feel that its not meant for the city. i hate commuting on a bullet. its a pain to ride it in traffic. besides who likes to ride in traffic.
and dude you have no idea what fun it is to ride this rust catching material on the road, its a crazy feel, i cant explain it to u.
yes we thumpers care a damn about the brand, coz we are together not coz we own royal enfields, coz we all love to ride together. touring is not a passion for us, its a habit. so please dont misunderstand us, its just that we clubbies just take it a little personally when it comes to our machines.
I don’t mean to interrupt, but have to share a experience that i had in the initial days with the bullet.
I was travelling to chennai from bangalore- SOLO. There was another rider with a 80′s Bull. We both nodd our heads and ride together till the end and he is a friend of me to date.
Recently i saw a guy on a pulsar, when travelling to Tenali from HYD. The guy just zoomed into my way and left me far behind, for i could only smile, there was also this strange/envy/desire looks of him on my Red Bull as eeryone. After a while, there was another guy on a pulsar and they were racing like there is no tomorrow, when i saw them after a while. Both were tourers with l’il bags on the back. I wonder if they could lock their eyes and talk to eachother or travel together? EGO’s game?
I think BULL’s are made with character, just like humans. we have to interact, understand, listen, demand (both ways)/love/ live…. all the things with the BULL.
NOT TRYING TO ARGUE: The new bikes are just pickin up and have killed the desires of many bikers for centuries. All that a person does is grow up and buy a bike built for the Masses and marry. He’s settled. Bulleteers are no different with a X-ordinary taste and we build up with it. Chraracter Man… Its worth everything (if you know wat i mean).
Shymal could you care to explain why reaching Chang La is real fun on a bullet? For me although Chang La is a nice ride and at times beautiful due to snow, it is still not one of the passes that I remember when I remember Ladakh, Tanglang La and Pensi La are way better (you will know if you have been there).
Also which ancient technology are you talking about?
In your last post you were going gaga over the AVLs and UCE, which aren’t really ancient technology! The only bike which is like its predecessors is the 350std, even the Electra is not what real bullets used to be (TCI, 5 speed gear box on the wrong side), even though it still uses the cast iron engine.
Also if you feel that ancient technology is so superior, then why is Royal Enfield practically taking out all the cast iron models from the market and replacing them with AVLs? Which is what majority of the Royal Enfield riders are buying these days!
With respect to survival, well it was just that, survival. A company which has changed hands many times and has mainly survived due to Army orders and has thus not been able to invest much in R&D (barring the last decade or so).
While I respect what Royal Enfield is doing by bringing out new models, let us be clear that these are neither classics and nor British or Indian, these are designed by an Austrian firm and that too in the recent years!
Also, in case you ride a Thunderbird, Machismo or the new 500, just an FYI, it is not a Bullet, its a Royal Enfield Thunderbird/Machismo.
Also if touring is not a passion for you and is a habit, then you would be agreeing with almost all of what I have written as it is from the point of view of a tourer, not a brand bash. Unless of course you are mainly traveling to well known destinations with smooth national highways with petrol pumps at regular intervals, in which case most wouldn’t apply to you.
Jagan may be both of them were friends and were having fun and thus too preoccupied to notice you? After all the friend you met during your Chennai – Bangalore ride, was also traveling alone and thus not preoccupied with anything.
As for what you have said, well I would like to tell you that majority of my friends are people whom I have met online and who have similar passion (irrespective of mode or brand of travel).
My first ride to Ladakh was with Shamik, who I met at an online forum and it was our first ride together, ditto for my second trip to Rohtang, in which case Salil and I traveled together for the first time and he was by my side, when my bike was having some serious issues.
Also check out this recent photolog by Shamik, in which he traveled with another tourer from Kanpur, who he met along the way, http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travelogues-north-india-f61/against-wind-photoblog-t11993/
In 2007 Ladakh ride, there were 11 riders and 1 pillion, all from 5 states and with different bikes, many of whom had not met each other before the ride and we were behaving just like a bunch of long lost friends when we gathered together at Manali!
When I meet travelers on the road, I don’t wave/smile/talk to them based on what they own or which group etc. they belong to, I do it because they are travelers like me.
ps. character is not something that can be bought from a showroom, it is something which is developed over time.
Pps. Just because a person grows up, gets married, have kids and buys a motorcycle built for masses, it does not mean that he is no longer a biker/tourer, check out the following two travelogues by two riders, who fit your description and yet are in no way less than you and me.
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travelogues-north-india-f61/once-lifetime-t11474/
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travelogues-north-india-f61/10-days-10-passes-jammu-kashmir-earths-heaven-t11915/
forget it dude!! i guess you have had a bad day today, i dont wanna carry a conversation which has no end. am not here to say that enfield is better or any other bike. believe in what u want to. coz i feel that you are just few of the plastiker who likes to yap. i would rather believe in “letting my riding do the talking”. sorry pal i posted on your site. my mistake. you enjoy riding your plastik. have a good day, enjoy some gulps of beer on my behalf. and sorry if i offended you.
This is my last post.Cheers!!
[...] a Bullet engine I would reply to that, but I guess I have already pissed off a lot of people , Why I would never buy a Royal Enfield Bullet! | Yogesh Sarkar's Blog and Kind of Royal Enfield Bullet I would like to buy | Yogesh Sarkar's Blog Ps. BCMTians who [...]
Fuck man, I read bad things about whatever I buy after I have bought the damn thing(s). Had this trouble with my guitars & amps. And now my std 350. Its not my fault that your blog showed up in google at the 11th page.lol. Anyway, I didn’t need a bike, just wanted the bullet for all the reasons which were in no way inspired by the engineering behind the machine. The sound, the feel, the look & the legacy is what got me. Oh and Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance did its bit too…being close to the motorcycle etc.
Nice blog.
Woah guys, what an epic! The number of comments out numbering the actual post! Well I love riding Bullets, but like Yogesh I would never buy one.
Well I do own one plastic bike- a Bajaj Pulsar with a meagre 150cc engine having clocked 1,51,000+ kms in 5 years with one block+piston change at 1,15,000 kms- that too my negligence coz the newly tried synthetic oil had vapourised. A SaddleSore success of running 1723 kms in 23 hours when the odometer was reading 1,38,000 kms, later to a ride covering 3200+ kms in 4 days. It ran like a war-horse and except for the piston cease as mentioned, its never broken down.
Love the feel of the Bullet, I havent ridden superbikes yet- but to confess, nothing comes close to the feel of riding a Bullet. I would have loved to buy one if it was as reliable as my trusty steed.
This is a never ending arguement… all i can say is .. To each his own…
Am part of a Bullet riding group based in Noida.. and we have covered quite a few places… and wherever we have gone we have seen people from all walks of life approach us to enquire abt our journey…
but i guess that is more to do with how u ride than what you ride…
Ride sensibly and the world is going to appreciate it…
be a bit rash and you’ll bring all other riders a bad name…
as for meeting a fellow bulleter on the road… well all i can say is I have never seen a pulsar rider stopping to help a stranded pulsar rider while it has not been the same for RE’s..
maybe it’s just a feeling of belonging to a community that brings us together…. that’s why bulleters have riden every year from all over the country to Rider Mania..
Ajit how many stranded Pulsars have you seen stranded in the first place and after seeing one, do you stop to help?
In case we come across one (http://flickr.com/photos/kartz/1431621639/) we surely stop, though that is not because the person is riding a pulsar or a brand specific bike, but because he is a fellow traveler in need of help. Heck on our 2007 ride, even though we were running late, we stopped to help a person in a car, who turned out to be a Raid De Himalaya contestant, out for recce.
Another of my friend who rides a CBZ, stopped to help a Israeli couple on a 350, which couldn’t even climb Chang La, while another lent fuel to a foreigner riding a bullet, who had run out of petrol in Nubra Valley.
I can go on and state numerous such examples, and one thing would be clear in all of them, we help out fellow travelers, irrespective of the brand or type vehicle they have.
Well I missed all the action LOL.. Its about love and relationship not about with whome you had it..
Rajnish
We can start again if you want
Hi yogesh,
well i was saying sumthing else and you have taken one point and stretched it..
I was talking about the feeling of belonging to a community that is seen more in bullet riders…
as for helping out fellow travelers.. that’s what every who’s riding out should be doing…
and that’s what i try to do.. even if i m riding in delhi or outside…
no point in having an argument on it… the road’s big enough to accommodate all of us… be it a bullet or pulsar…
Cheers!
ajit
Ajit commented on the part which I found inaccurate;
“as for meeting a fellow bulleter on the road… well all i can say is I have never seen a pulsar rider stopping to help a stranded pulsar rider while it has not been the same for RE’s..”
Rest of the part I agreed with and hence didn’t said anything against it.
For me it is more about lending a helping hand to fellow human beings, rather than choosing whom I am going to help, based on what they purchased from a showroom.
The Enfield Bullet – few love it, most hate it.
Choose your clan.
wtf….i own a 89 bull n a pulsar 220…….i luv the bullet….its more maintenance…..but the ride is more comfy n the sound is just amazin…..the bull n puls is almos the same weight bro!….but the bull is much steadier….i feel safer on my bull at high speeds…..my bull gives me 38 n the puls gives 45………ppl who ride the bull don giv a fk abt the mileage!…..we jus ride 2 feel the thump!…..i hear the new bulls give 42 anyways………n also less maintenance…..u cud proly buy the new one if u want 2….i’d suggest the old ones…….coz the new ones are more like the new byks like puls,zma’s n all……..its ur call man…….the reason y a man wont buy a bull……..is low income n less time……..
Nice one Yogesh, and many of the replies from some actually prove your last point about ego. I too love bullets but these are the major issues which are keeping me away from it(such bullet gangs/clans). I really hate it when someone with one particular brand of vehicle hates another fellow traveler just because he is riding a different brand. Come on, we are supposed to enjoy the drive, love the outdoors and never hate someone else for such a petty issue. If someone still hates/demean another tourer then that person is not a true traveller but just a another stupid tourist, no matter even if he is on a Big Bull or whatever.
Whatever!!! you need to understand this charachter “Royal Enfield” its not just a bike. You have given due respect to Royal Enfield by writtngs a blog on it (be it anti or pro) otherwise who would write about pulser? thats the difference. Me being a rider I can appreciate you as a rider, I can salute your spirit for riding but sorry dude i can not salute your pulser…no no dont take any offense, pulser is yet to proove that where as Royal Enfield has earned that respect over the period of 60 Years brother
Ride Safe!!!
- Throttleking
Hi Yogesh …
Have allways had u in high esteem … but … your blog has let me down bigtime
…
Live and let LIVE mate …
Sorry but you have lost a regular visitor …
This article of urs seems to be a desperate effort on your behalf to generate or increase ur adsence earnings …
Ciao and god bless u …
Annish first off, let me make one thing clear, I do not run my personal blog for money. I have a hell lot of websites, which earn me more than enough money. As for visitors and readers, well I run this blog for my own satisfaction, not to please others. If you don’t like what I write, then don’t read it. It is not like I am holding a gun on your head to read it!
As for the points I have made, go through the comments and you will see that each and every point is true and has been proven so by the Royal Enfield owners themselves, whether by behaving like the arrogant jerks I have written about or by being truthful and accepting the facts!
Throttleking quite a few of my blog posts are about my bike and Pulsars in general, a quick search on google will easily shatter that belief of yours!
Yogesh!
Who are you calling Jerks? US? Its your blog, but there is something you are talking about that belongs to us.
If Bulleting is a religion, we are as good as you are. We can write too.. but that would provoke more restless’ss in you. You write coz you wanted ppl to read and comment. And you offended, agree to that point.
Look around the page man… Its you who is arrogant, if at all you can see? You are loosing ppl who come with a certain trust(not money) and friendship.
We never gave up.. Can you give us Pulsars and ride a RE?
By the by,it was you who used the term JAP CRAP. I heard it for the first time. Nice name DOH.
I say, Ride and let RIDE man…
Jagan next time read my comment properly and then react:
“whether by behaving like the arrogant jerks I have written aboutâ€
There are comments above where I feel the commentator was being a arrogant jerk and that is what I have reiterated.
example:
“coz i feel that you are just few of the plastiker who likes to yap. i would rather believe in “letting my riding do the talkingâ€. sorry pal i posted on your site. my mistake. you enjoy riding your plastik.”
In any case, my request to every one would be to once again read the title of the post, nowhere am I stating that Royal Enfield motorcycles are crap or useless, all I am saying, they are not for me and I am stating those reasons, which if addressed by the company, might see me buying a Royal Enfield motorcycle.
Till that happens, I am going to laugh at every occasion some bulletier tells me to buy a bullet and probably point them towards this blogpost of mine, to save time on having to reiterate to them, why I wouldn’t!
Of course if you are too arrogant to understand that one size/bike doesn’t fits/suits everyone, then you will hear me using the above term again and again!
ps. pointing out a bike’s deficiency isn’t same as insulting them with little or no knowledge, which I see quite a few “arrogant bulletiers†do, who in majority of the cases are just city riders, who buy the bike for the supposed legacy, cause they themselves are incapable of creating their own!
Pps. That was the term I first heard from Karthik of Royal Beasts
Every biker is specific about the brand he rides and so am i, i love yamaha as much as i love a royal enfield….Not only bikers have ego, everyone does have ego, some have little others more……Let the biker choose his ride, i have seen many freaks on enfield’s act like they r flying an aeroplane over clear blue sky, atlest thats how they sound like, the point is anyone who rides a bike is a biker irrespective of how he looks or dresses or what he rides….I agree all your comments on this post….but i do not agree that bullet is not reliable, everything is reliable if u know how much to rely on it…..my bullet electra 4s is as reliable as my yamaha fz, i can say that because i maintain both very well, my yamaha starts with a push of a button while my royal enfield needs a single kick, now there is a major difference…..Technology!!!! It advances through time, there are some draw backs on bullet, why do u think there is?? because its old technology, Royal Enfield is a vintage bike for god sake, he is considered a fool who compares a modern motorcycle with an old……if u like vintage style and have money and time and patience to spend on it then u shud buy a royal enfield….. I have had various track sessions at sepang & brno circuit several times on yamaha, ktm and ducati it is quite thrilling actually but im still a vintage bike fan and love riding my bullet because its a bike which is exciting even at normal riding speed, and the bike can be modified like a chopper with ease….everyone has different reason why they want royal enfield, so do other bike owners…….its riding that matters not the bike……PEACE
Naveen I agree with most of your points, except one. Out of the six models being sold in India by Royal Enfield, only two have the ancient engines, the rest have newer engine than that of Karizma!
Even the ancient engine engines have been worked upon over the decades, so they aren’t as nearly as ancient as you think.
Hey Sarkar,
It seems like you have already come to some conclusion even without experiencing it.
Well,looks like nobody can think like you, Yogesh!
You can only agree on everything but one.
You can keep replying as long as you can type, coz i surely think there will be comments like this coming and no wonder you will be responding.
Please keep up the spirit, stand for wat you have said (Right or Worng). It would be your Legacy.
Keep fighting -^- Try Peace but don’t be Peaceful. Learnt from you.
Hi Yogesh,
I am Happy that you have an Opinion on Bullet Riders. Everything has Good and Bad aspects, all that matters is the Choice you make.
You feel happy not to ride a Bullet
n
Others feel happy to ride a Bullet
In the end all it matters is a Nice Long Ride.
TC
I said vintage not ancient…….
Dude u have mistaken, I don’t like AVL engines that Royal Enfield make, They suck even more than their service center mechanics, compared to those 150 cc bikes r better…..i ride a bike with has the same iron cast engine as bullet std 350 which is a 50 yr old technology in other words vintage…
dear yogesh, the pulsar and the karizma are the best bikes to ride on to the great mountains – ofcourse next only to the beemers and the ktms. no doubts at all but i wonder why so few of the riders do that? are they scared to go there due to lack of availability of spares?
hey yogesh bro…no offence but royal enfield believes that the day they see 4-5 bullets at a traffic light together they will prune down production, and how many non bullets do you see that are touring the length and breadth of the country.
i always feel that a guy who has to depend on a mech to get every single problem in his bike is not a true bike lover.
anyways its a free country to voive your opinions.
but my 2 paisa…as an ardent fan of Royal Enfield i would want every tom, DICK and harry to ride a bullet just to show off.
as we bulleteers always say “WE RIDE THEREFORE WE ARE”
Akki I have done test rides on Enfields, now if you are talking about buying one and then deciding, well if things worked like that, we all would end up owning dozens of motorcycles.
Karan exactly my thoughts.
Naveen I agree that it is ancient technology, but then again the longer you have something, the more time you have of removing the imperfections. After all it isn’t like cast iron engines haven’t been tweaked/updated.
Mamda just go to any biking forum or a touring forum like ours http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/ and you will see thousands of people touring on those very motorcycles. In any case, just because others are buying something, does not mean I have to follow them blindly. I make my own decision and do not rely on what others are doing or what a company’s PR agency is saying, which I believe is the case with you, otherwise you would be riding a Hero Honda Splendor, cause lets face it, nothing sells more than that in India. In any case, if you are happy with your Enfield and so are others, then great, however it does not means my need and preference is same as yours and I should also buy the same motorcycle!
Sudhan no company in the world would start to prune production because their motorcycles are selling more every one is out there to make money, just that each one’s marketing strategy and target audience is different. No offence but I believe you are just being too naive and eating into their propaganda if you actually believe that! After all if this was the case, why would they launch AVL engines and shift the gearing pattern to other side and even think about launching lighter motorcycles (was in news couple of years back)?
Glad you have accepted you havent had experience with Royal Enfield. If you had Owned one OR even if you had driven a rented one for more than 500kms you would have mentioned a dozen of bikes is still not good enough for royal enfield.
Of course not, else the title of this post would have been “Why I would never again buy a Royal Enfield Bullet†or “Why I hate Royal Enfield Motorcyclesâ€!
Btw going with your logic, have you owned each and every other motorcycle? If not, then how do you know that Enfield is any better?
Ps. Do yourself and other Royal Enfield enthusiast a favor and don’t ever recommend anyone to make their opinion about it by renting an Enfield, because they are about the worst types of bikes one can ride!
Yogesh,
<>
You have the freedom to buy whatever you want, but your insistence on why not to buy a Bullet has offended all the bullet lovers.
After all, everyone agrees ateast on one point that riding is like a religion.
And, as we would all just follow a religion we want to, without pointing out flaws or issues in someone else’s religion.
Similarly, you should just stop writing negatively about bullets (that you do not want anyway) and rather focus your energy and blogspace on pointing out benefits of your choice of Pulsars/Splendors.
It seems to me that you tried to provoke others (maybe unintentionally) and then refused to take responsibility for your actions by hiding behind the “my personal comments” excuse.
“Let other men ride other ‘things’…the King of the bikes shall remain the bike of the Kings”
Its’ pointless to even compare different classes of bikes…pretty immature I say, like comparing your weenies in the locker room ;-P
Chill out guys, this discussion is pointless and endless. Even bike mags will compare bikes in a particular section/class/genre.
“but your insistence on why not to buy a Bullet has offended all the bullet lovers.”
All I can say is, lol!
Ps. it is not why not to buy a bullet, it is Why I would never buy a Bullet.
Apparently, you seemed to have stirred a hornet’s nest
Saw a long thread on your post in one of the forums I belong to.
As for me: I agree with almost all you’ve written but despite its shortcomings I still love the Bullet as much as I love my other bikes. I have ridden four different bikes in the Himalayas but the best ride was on a LB500 which I rode last year. I’m yet to try the Karizma. Sadly, my kind of bike isn’t available here and I don’t want to pay twice as much as it costs elsewhere!
Cheers!
lol, seems like I have a talent for pissing people off
. Btw how is your LB500 doing? Heard the sparg clutch issue has been sorted out now and Navnit isn’t facing any issue with his but I guess yours is from the problem lot?
ps. let me guess, wanderers?
Some talent yeah — you’re not alone
BTW, I don’t have a LB500. I rode a friend’s LB500 last year and fortunately no major issues. IMO, its the best “Bullet” so far although I know the purists won’t agree! Waiting for the Bullet Classic.
PS: I’d rather not disclose it
It would be fantastic for riding in high altitude, Fi really makes a difference at that altitude. Heck Eric’s 220Fi at a few points in Ladakh was going 30-40% faster than our bikes.
Hi Yogesh
I agree and disagree with your post, so here are my experiences and views.
I own two bikes – A Yamaha RX100 and a Bullet Machismo 350.
I have done my fair bit of travel in India and most of it on the RX100 but some on the bullet too. http://faakira.blogspot.com
Now this is how I choose which bike to take when traveling.
Traveling alone – The RX100 (no questions) – The RX100 gives me reliability, lightness (its a bike I can pick up if dropped on my own) and mileage.
Traveling in a group – The Bullet (or RX100 – depending which is serviced and ready) If you have people around to pick up the bike and fix it the bullet is great. It offers stability on any road and most importantly it has the highest capacity among bikes in India today. Of course like you said there are reliability issues and tank capacity issues. Both I believe can be fixed. Get a bigger tank and maintain the bike for least issues. Its what I do to have no breakdowns. As for mileage – That depends on how the bike is maintained and the setting. For eg – My bike gives between 35-40Km and thats pretty high.
My issues with the bullet are that RE has no competition in India hence they get away with palming off a 1955 model every time with just a different model and year detail. I agree with your other post on how a bullet should be except for stuff like a charger etc. Common this is bikes we are talking about not cars.
So bottom line to me a bike is a choice. If you know all the draw backs of the bullet and still enjoy riding it – I think its fine. Everyone to their own after all, naa?
Now my story of how I bought the bullet. I always said that the day I find something that the bullet can do that my RX can’t I would buy it. That question was answered by a friend who said ‘A bullet can breakdown, can your RX?’
Within a week I had bought my bike and I am happy with it, though sometimes you’ll catch me cursing under my breath in the middle of a road when she doesn’t start and am cursing the people around who have that look that says ‘This is why women shouldn’t ride bikes’ not my bike.
The bullet with all its issues gives me stability on road, very few men mess with me and I am vain – I love it when men look at you with that WOW look. Its one-up-man-ship but its fun
So thats my two cents or rather two million cents but yeah… I think its a good bike atleast until we have some other option.
Freya I am not going to argue with why you bought your bike or what not, cause I respect your choice and the fact that you are enjoying the ride, which is what matters at the end of the day.
As for charger, well I am a lazy fellow and those electric compressors take half the effort of fixing a flat tyre away, so can’t really do without them.
Ps. can’t help but chuckle at ‘A bullet can breakdown, can your RX?’
ok guys stop arguing, lets plan a trip altogether with your respective bikes, lets enjoy n we will discuss on this topic there only
Hey,
I completely agree with you and own a Pulsar 220 myself, which did a Delhi-Srinagar-Manali-Delhi Round Trip without so much as a puncture.
But even after all that you get on a good old 500 n let the clutch out n the feel of it is so goooooood!!! its nothing that u can get on a pulsar or any other Jap Crap…..
The feel of it so good that even after your hired bike makes u waste a few days getting it fixed every now n then u still want to buy it.
Its not something u can put down on paper its just so special
Hello Yogesh brother
I’m Arun from Kerala. I own a Royal Enfield Bullet (Electra 5s Model). This is the first motorcycle I’m buying. I have read all what you have written. I’m happy to know that you have different view about Bullet. I also liked the way you presented the matter. Your writeup had four sections
1.Royal Enfield Motorcycles aren’t reliable
2.Royal Enfields don’t have good range
3.Royal Enfields are heavy
4.Egoistic Bullet riders
I’m telling my views and experience on the four sections
1. Thinking about my Bullet; I didn’t find any problem till today. My Bullet has gone more than 5500 km and is perfect in all means. It’s always recommended by mechanics to service(oiling and tightening of parts) the Bullet before going for a long ride. That will solve many problems we may face on the way.
2. Bullet has small petrol tanks and have low mileage (some have less than 30km/ltr). This is true and will not help in remote areas. People can add bigger tanks if they go for long trip. But for a person like me the tank is more than enough.
3. Royal Enfield have heavy motorcycles. It’s stable and the weight gives better braking. Don’t say the weight is useless because if it is so the company will definitely go for less weight which will give more mileage. There will surely be some technicalities behind it and; “More for the show” – Have you seen what some guys do with RX-100 and pulsar?
4. There are some people who think that all other bikes are “jap crap”. Some even hate new models in Royal Enfield. I think you know; my bike; Bullet Electra 5s have right side 5 gear, self start and disk brake. I add below some comments from Bullet owners and some other people:-
*
Me: This Bullet has self start
Other person: The Old way is the best. Adjusting with the decompresser and kick stating the Bullet.
—–What if you have 15 vehicles behind you sounding horn?—–
*
OP: Is this a new model ?
Me: Yes; the gear is in the right side and this has self start and disk brake.
OP: I didn’t like it. It’s of no use. The Old model is the best
—–I felt like slapping the guy. He went on talking like as if he had payed for my Bullet. Actually he liked my Bullet. But he was not ready to admit it.—–
*
op to mechanic(My friend; Shekar): Old Bullet is the best. Isn’t it. I didn’t like the new one. The old one has good performance.
—–Shekar came near me and whispered. He doesn’t know anything about your Bullet. Your model has the least maintenance than any other model.—–
*
op: There is a bike called Karizma. What’s the use of such a bike. They don’t even have good mileage. It’s a bad bike
—–He never knew Karizma got “BBC Bike of the Year 2003″ award and also “the best two-wheeler in the category of over Rs 70,000″ award—–
But Yogesh, There are really some people without ego and they really understand and respect other peoples feelings. Don’t think all Bulleteers are Egoistic. And “ego” is humanly problem. A machine don’t have it.
I have a request to other Bulleteers. Yogesh is a normal person. He is like one of us. He has the right to express his ideas and thoughts. He wrote all this from his experience and views. I have another experience. I have started a blog to share it – http://royalrider.blogspot.com. Others will have a different experience. If so share it.
Final message to everyone including Yogesh. Choose your bike according to your needs and likes. Don’t force anyone to go for Bullet or any other bikes. Explain to them what you know about a bike. I was not forced by anyone and I don’t like to force anyone to buy a bike. In my family, no one likes Bullet except me and my father. So choosing your bike is all upto you. Bullet is not everything(There are more important things in life) and Bullet is not nothing(There is a lot to learn about Bullet. It has a big history). Every bike has goods and bad. Maintain your bike properly to get maximum life for the bike.
Thank you Yogesh
Thank you all
Thank you GOD
Keep riding
Arun if you are happy and satisfied, thats all that should matter to you. Don’t listen to what others have to say (usually negative stuff), just go out there and enjoy your bike.
Ps. One thing I would like to mention is, never buy a bike with the thinking that you would fit an aftermarket part to overcome a major shortcoming (low range) when there are other choices which fulfill it, in stock form.
No Yogesh, I didn’t add or don’t need to add any after market product. I have everything needed in my Bullet. I’m satisfied with what I have.
[...] if its so called fans take constructive criticism as an act of hatred (have seen it first hand here), then all I can say is, close your eyes and go back to your dream land. [...]
Hey yogesh.
I have to admit this is one of the best conversations i have come across. you have covered almost everything. I wouldn’t dare to try and talk you into buying a Bullet(ROYAL ENFIELD). everyone has their own needs and wants, And fulfilling that is the primary concern. you gave four reasons why the enfield doesn’t suit you and i really respect that. but the last part “Egoistic riders” is what caught my attention and made me laugh. u say
“most often than not, I run in to people who believe that the Royal Enfield is fantastic and an iconic bike, and rest of the motorcycles are crap (jap-crap to be precise). While it is great that Royal Enfield has such a cult like following, I am not too keen to be seen as part of the herd following a brand name blindly, and treating fellow bikers and travelers like crap!”
if you are from bangalore i can show you any number of people (which you mention) owning Pulsar’s or any other bike for that matter acting like F**king Lunatics and treating fellow bikers and travelers like crap. and interestingly the number exceeds that of bullet owners. so when you say that egoistic riders are one of main reason’s why you dont want to own a bullet i say it would be truly kiddish to think that way. hey man don’t forget that there is positive and negative in everything. to be very precise what im trying to say is judging a group of people just by looking at one or two of them is totally unacceptable. just answer me this man …. if i show you a couple of pulsar riders that i personally know who are total losers and morons and treat other people and commuters/travelers as though they and their lives and safety counts for nothing, will you give up riding your pulsar ??
all I’m saying is this, if you don’t like a bike for its technical shortcomings then don’t buy it … but for god’s sake don’t insult other bikers. and please don’t try to defend yourself saying that you didn’t insult people here, by saying that you don’t want to buy royal enfield because of egoistic bikers directly refers to all the bullet riders being egoistic.
personally i hate pulsars due to certain mishaps that have happened and certain bad experiences that i have faced so i dont even go near one as long as i can help it, that is my personal choice. the experiences i have had doesnt compel me to tell all the people i know that pulsar riders are morons just to let them know why i havent bought a pulsar.
dude let me tell you… i have 3 Bikes, I own not one but 2 what you refer as Jap-Craps and a royal enfield as well. my family has been bullet owners from the year “1964″, yeah you heard it rite … i have never seen my grand dad or my dad or myself acting egoistic that i own a 64 bullet … on contrary i have something that is totally opposite “Pride”
so please stop kidding yourself and to others that you dont want a bullet because we are “Brand lovers” or “Ego maniacs” or what not
Peace brother
Ajay Kamath
PS: I’m totally open to discussions, not arguments.
Kamath first off, let me just say that Egoistic Bullet riders are one of the reason, but not the primary reason why I wouldn’t buy a Royal Enfield motorcycle. I would be a fool to simply discount a motorcycle, solely because of some of its idiotic blind followers, which I quite often run into offline and online (a few in the above discussion as well).
Now I never said that all those who ride and love Royal Enfield motorcycles are idiot or egoistic, if that was the case, I wouldn’t have any friends who owned Enfields. Just that there are quite a few of them, and more often than not, these are just commuters who feel buying a Royal Enfield motorcycle boosts their ego and thus feel compelled to insult others, who don’t subscribe to their feelings.
As for few of those owning Pulsars etc. being idiots, yeah I agree that there are quite a few of them out there who ride rashly, get over indulgent in flame wars and mine is better than your debate, however I haven’t yet come across any who simply discounts another rider or calls them a non serious biker/kid because they ride a motorcycle of a different brand.
Maybe this post from a rider who owns a Royal Enfield would drive home the point I was trying to make and people I was pointing at, http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/motorcycles-f13/best-indian-touring-bike-production-t24-18/#post117481
yogesh sir …
I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. i think you are just trying to collect all the bad experiences of all the riders who have ridden bullets and people who have been treated badly by bullet riders.(I’m talking only about the ego here not the technical shortcomings) i can give you more good experiences than you can the bad experiences.
i guess what I’m trying to point out here is that if you don’t want to buy something its fine but mentioning the minority of the people who own that thing and them having a bad attitude is not the right thing to mention. As i have mentioned in my earlier post if you don’t like the attitude of some people then just forget it …. its not right to mention that as one of the reasons.
as i mentioned earlier this is a feeling of mine just like this blog of yours.
if you feel what you did is right then that is all that matters man.
cheers
Ajay Kamath
and by the way sir…
i would like to congratulate you on the way you stand for your opinions and thoughts in face of diversity. I’m as you would call it, an ardent WATER PUMP rider and a JAP-CRAP biker but i would never dare to pick a fight over what a person rides coz riding is like the only thing which has not been divided yet like all the other things in the world… and i would hate to see it being divided or be the one to start the process ……….. riding is a activity that is pure and exciting. we don’t have to fight over who’s bike is good and who’s is not. “To Everyone His Own” is what we must live by. If we are true bikers we will find Unity in Diversity and ride on. There are enough roads that we can all ride on we don’t have to fight our way through it. And as for the PPL who you mentioned who buy bikes just because some legendary People owned those bikes all i have to say is this
“RIDE HARD OR STAY HOME ”
Ajay Kamath
Ajay what I have stated is my personal experience, which may or may not be true for others, but then again this blog post is on why I wouldn’t buy a Royal Enfield bike and this is what I feel, irrespective of what others might have to say.
What I do not understand is, why are you getting worked up about me pointing a finger at a few idiotic Royal Enfield owners. After all it is not like I am saying that each and every Royal Enfield owner is an idiot or pointing at riders like you, who not only respects what they ride, but also respect others’ decision.
As for me sticking by my word, if I had any doubts about what I writing, I wouldn’t have written it. And if I believe in it, then why would I back down?
sir who said i was getting worked up …. as i told u in the beggining im here for a healthy discussion not argument ……. i very rarely loose my cool …. and that wouldnt be over trivial matters like my bike is good and yours is not …. i truly respest your views and your choice. after all what sort of riders are we if we dont respect our fellow riders and their steeds
cheers
Ajay Kamath
Hi Yogesh
Nice to read your article. I own a CBZ Extreme and a Enfield Bullet electra. When I owned only the CBZ there were some questions in my mind which lead me to buy the engield.
I will share those.
How many bikes other than the enfild can has a life of 40 years? we can see many 60s enfield till date.
Jap bike has a life of 5 years after that they are sold out as crap to pple who have dream to own a vehicle but can not afford..
Why people dont prefer to tour long distances in jap bikes,if they would have preferred there should have been many riding communities like the enfield clubs.
If CBZ is good, reliable , milage better than Bullet no dought about those but is is the bike that I can ride for next 20 years, of course no.
When people become young they make girlfriends and love them no dought, Most of them are not mature enough to judge if they can spend the whole life with them. But the decision of marrying some one is a very mature decision.
So blindly speaking about your current girlfriend is not right.
we buletters keep our machines like a life time companion.We love them maintain them because we know that they have a life as much as the humans. It is not a bike for us it is something we dont get tired maintaining life long.
How long have you had that Royal Enfield Electra (it is not a bullet)?
It is bullet electra…and yes it is Bullet…and it is not a question of how long i have had this but how long it runs….
Let me guess, it has been less than six months since you bought the Electra?
Your bike’s honeymoon isn’t even over and you are talking about commitment and long term relationship and the bike lasting for 40 years and what not?
How many people do you know, who own a 40 year old Bullet?
I have had my Pulsar 180 for over 7 and a half years, a friend of mine has a similarly aged Pulsar 150 and a 6 year old Pulsar 180, which is currently doing a trip to Ladakh. Two more of my friends own 2000 model CBZ, and another couple of friends own 6 year old Karizmas. All these bikes are not only with their first owners, but running impeccably and doing touring duties.
I am not even going to mention guys like these, who I know who own couple of decade old RD350s (it is a jap bike after all) and are demolishing even the newest “power bikes†on the block!
Heck even the mopeds are capable enough of not only lasting decade’s of abuse, but also capable enough to conquer the so called “highest motorable road†despite begin decades old, which quite a few Enfield owners speak of as test of the man and the machine and whatnot!
As for people touring on other motorcycles go, I know a tourer who owns a Karizma, who recently traveled across India, Nepal and Bhutan. Another tourer who did Round the World trip on his Karizma and another guy with Pulsar 180, who did pan India trip. Heck I even know a person who has traveled acorss India on a scooter! Not the mention hundreds of bikers I know, who do travel regularly on their "jap bikes".
Now let me ask you, how much have you traveled on your new Electra?
Hey guys. Couldn’t help but write something into this thread from a british guys perspective. I’m 26 and have been riding bikes for 10 years. The reason I found this thread was because I’m off to Delhi in a weeks time and will probably be buying an Enfield.
I realise that there are draw backs to this bike and I did seriously consider getting a hero honda or bajaj. Problem for me is the engine size. Have ridden small bikes and big bikes alike.
Bottom line is small bikes are great around town, but become a chore on the highway. Its nice to have a bit of weight and torque to a bike. If hero or bajaj did a larger bike I would jump at it, but as it is I’ve decided to suffer with potentially poor reliability, but with a bit of character.
As I said before I’m British and old British bikes were never famed for their reliabiliy and as soon as the “jap crap” came over all our factories became obsolete. Though Triumph are back and making some amazing machines.
Outside of India you would be shocked at the bikes you can get and which are considered ‘normal’. This is understandable as your fuel is very expensive relative to peoples wealth. Has your government had a quiet word with hero and baja and told them not to make big bikes? Or is it lack of demand?
Truth is I’ve had as much fun on small bikes as big bikes. My favorite bike was probably an old Yamaha TZR125, but that was probably a combination of being 17 and having the keys to 100mph 2 stroke stealth bike. Last bikes I owned were Kawasaki ZX7R and a KLR650, both great fun but in truth I probably enjoyed riding the KLR650 more once I got onto the twisty mountain roads
If anyone knows of any good bikes for sale I’ll be in Delhi next week. Contact me at IanHutchings82@gmail.com
Happy riding all!!
(Oh yeah, Yogesh, RD350′s are rule!)
Hey Hutchings,
I like your comments dude and very happy, you liked our honda and bajaj
and if you want you can go to karol bagh in delhi, u will get all kind of bikes.
but just one thing, Bullet is ALSO a good bike.
have a happy stay in India.
Ian I think you have got the Indian biking scene a bit wrong. Majority of 150cc motorcycles are faster than 350cc Enfields, not to mention have better fuel economy and brakes. Even the 220-223cc motorcycles from Bajaj and Hero Honda and 150cc R15 from Yamaha, can beat the 500cc Enfield in top end, acceleration and of course braking and fuel economy. Karizma (223cc, 17ps) and Bajaj Pulsar (220cc, 21ps) aren’t light bikes by any means, as they too weigh around 150kg, which is around 20kg less than the Enfields.
As for big bikes, following big bikes are officially sold in India, Yamaha R1, VMax, MT01, Honda CBR1000RR, CB1000R, Suzuki Hayabusa, Intruder M1800R, Ducati 1098R and four more models from Ducati. Harley Davidson would be launching its motorcycles early next year in India and KTM, Kawasaki, Triumph and BMW are also expected be here soon
Is this still goin on man.. ?
Yogesh, ur enjoying it eh?
Enjoy..
This is like Duracell battery, it goes on and on and on and on…
woooooof, i had to do so much of reading
I feel touring spirit is what matters and not the bike u tour on.
By the way i own a pulsar and a bullet electra. I have done a few long rides on both. Both bikes are superb in their own ways. When i have money to shell out i take the bullet else its definitely the pulsar.Lets respect each rider (tourer) and his machine.
cheers
2 years back I bought a thunderbird and this was the biggest mistake of my life!
3 months and 2000Kms the carb starts leaking oil, another month later engine starts leaking oil!
Now is this how all RE are?
thankfully I sold this pile of junk in the 8th month and bought a pulsar 220FI.
I meant leaking petrol, carb leaking petrol
Few month ago i brought Machismo 350, i love my bike.
I think its not yet time to ride bull who has a complain on Machismo.
if there can be some problem in each human then why not in machine / bull man.
First think………………
First of all, i can not believe this thread has gone past the first post of Mr. Ajit Harisinghani. Anyway, Yogesh, it is unfortunate that you think bulleteers are egoists. I must say, you have come across those bulleteers who bought their bullets with the sole purpose of racing P-220s and karizmas on a flat highway and I bet their ego only inflated when realized at top gear and full throttle they are 1000 yards behind P-220s and karizmas. But please dont confuse them with a true bullet lover.
Bullets are leaky, heavy, demands regular maintenance and slower than the modern bikes. But I guess its these properties, which make the bullet owners closer to their bikes. While owning a bullet, each of its parts will eventually have to be replaced/repaired and everytime you do that, the bike becomes more complete to you. Much like a puzzle being solved. So, once you have done around 15k on this bike, you will start to feel this bike rather than ride it.
I have driven P-150,180, RTR-160, CBZ extreme, and consider them much smoother but none of them gives me the PLEASURE of the Lightning 535 that I own.
Sounak I never said all bulleteers are egoists, if I would have said that, then it would mean people like Ajit sir, Prem aka Predator, Gaurav Jani, Ashwani Khanna, Bhuwan Singh and many more motorcycle tourers who tour on Enfields and I know and deeply respect, are egoistic, which is something I can not even dream of doing.
On a lighter note:
I read it somewhere in the web,
How would you recognize a bullet lover? He must have another 100cc bike and a mechanic as his best friend!!!
Actually, its not about bullets and “jap-craps”.In my opinion, there are only two kind of bikers, one which loves cruisers and the other falls for the racers. Maybe thats the reason I dream of a Harley VROD, not a hayabusa….
boys ride toys, men ride bullets
just as a piece of message i like to say that royal enfield bullet engines are based on war vehicles for its tremendous power,and its a crap to say it wont climb a hill,secondly every bullet buyers know that its engine has some flaws,and it is hungry and they buy it by accepting it,only hand full of bikes can be modified,that too their engines,to my knowldge no splendor or a bajaj engine can be modified with a custom made spares,and an proud owning a ROYAL ENFIELD
writing doesnt help…
CAN SOMEONE PL GIVE A RIDE ON HIS BULL… THAT SHOULD DO THE TRICK…
its more then 100 years old framework……there are few draw back, and this happens not only for RE, it happens with all the bikes, dont compare a gold with cheap metal……… you have put stupid crab………. you should feel the charm of the ride…… then you would know…………..
Hi brothers
I’m Arun from Kerala. I’m a regular reader of this blog. I’ve read all the comments that’s been written on this page. Even I have written my experience here (see – Arun on August 23rd above).
I’m happy to announce that my Bullet Electra 5S have completed 10000 km and all free services are over. I’m also happy because I didn’t come over any problems or breakdowns other than changing the left hand side switch (due to tightness in switches) and common key set (wire shortage). That too was done from the service center and comes under warranty (They were done free of cost). The service of Royal Enfield was really fast. I got it changed within a week. The service engineers Biju and Sreeraj were really helpful in maintaining my Bullet in top condition. I feel really sorry for people who had bad experience with Royal Enfield. I think Bullet is for single use. If there is more riders for the same Bullet with different riding style; there is more chance for break downs. Do anyone has other opinions? I also think that no one should go behind second hand Bullet other than vintage lovers because I have seen many people coming twice or thrice in a month to the workshop with their Second hand Bullets. Even one of my classmate got an old Bullet-1979 model and spend around 15000 for repairs and one day he came to me and said that it’s foolishness to go behind second hand bullets and he is going to sell the Bullet and get a new Standard 350 from the showroom. What do you people have to say about this? Any comments Yogesh?
And yes one great news. We have made a hydrogen kit for Bullet. The kit produces HHO gas (combustible gas) from water. This gas is mixed with petrol in the carburetor. It’s really working and more testing and improvements in design are going on. At present we get around 8 km extra mileage (41 km normal and 49-51 after conversion). We are expecting more power and mileage. I’ll inform my brothers when the project becomes successful. You can see the updates here (http://royalrider.blogspot.com).
And advance MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BROTHERS.
Respect your ride
Respect other riders
Obey traffic rules
AND ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
KEEP RIDING……….
Arun it is always best to buy a first hand motorcycle, good to know your experience with you bike is going great. As for your friend, my sincere advice would be to get a bike with disc brake, irrespective of the model he decides to go for.
Isnt it obvious that this guy is going on and on just to increase his blog’s ratings…. all u true riders stop commenting on this and go enjoy riding on ur bikes… am off to do the same
Happy Riding…
Well “True Rider”, I thank you for your “in depth analysis” and comment.
well, yogesh i dont really know who u r.but want to tell u something that enfield bullet motorcycles are only classy bikes that u see on indian roads and one thing i say is that all the bullet enthusiasts have great respect towards the machine. which i see is lacking in other bike riders. the worst cult is the 150-180 cc craps. have u ecver noticed the bike accident rates? almost 80-85 percent bike accidents includes cheap pricks like pulsar and bla bla bla. but ull never see a bullet rider riding his machine violently or violating the rules cus its their love for the machine and their passion for riding. we dont need to do some flashy things to get a girl, man. if u have the bull…… the world will follow. and at the end of the day we dont give shit about an ignorant blog that explains why one wont buy a bullet. u r blog is funny.
by the way mine is a 71 made standard 350. still giving 30 on a highway. dont think wat ppl refer to as jap crap would last that long. regards and all the best mate. after all we love riding be it a bike or!!!!!!!
If only people would read properly before commenting, anyways. Well Soumik, if you think you need to buy something, in order for people to start following i.e. liking/admiring you, then all I can say is good luck with that!
As for people riding bullet not riding it in a “violent manner and violating rules”, well I don’t know which city you are from, but I come across as many rule breakers and idiotic riders on an Enfield, as I do on any other bike.
well yogesh im from kolkata. here very less number of people ride a bullet. and i can tell you they ride responsibly.
Come to Delhi or for that matter any city in North India, you will get the shock of your life
Meanwhile a small video for your indulgence, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBVMhFVdVEY
yogesh iv watched all these vids. but its about the riders. and i assure you if someday i move to delhi ill bring my bull along with me and decency ill show on the road. it seems u r an enthusiast and responsible rider too. so we r not fighting here over our preference of bike. rather we’ll keep on riding. and yeah went through your blog. really liked it.
except this one. lol
Soumik that is exactly the point I wanted to convey, it is the rider who matters, not the bike. You simply see more accidental Pulsars, because there are more of these on road and to a certain degree, because they are preferred by younger riders.
Btw earlier I was talking about this post, not the blog. I have simply said here that I wouldn’t buy an Enfield in its current avatar (Classic 500 is a step in the right direction) and most people take it as a abuse/insult to the bike, which it is not.
Any ways, keep riding and have fun
wat do you mean by younger riders?????? man im only 21, final years of my grad. do i sound like a grandpa????????
lol. by the way how do u use the smileys here?
By younger rider I meant teens and well, around your age as well
. I remember when I was 21 (27 now) I used to ride fast and somewhat rash, heck I was even organizing “stunt meets” in Delhi. Thankfully the touring bug was stronger than cheap thrills one and I learned my lesson the easy way.
As for simileys, simply key it in like this (without space and + sign of course)
: + ) =
: + D =
; + ) =
i also mistaken by ur posts. i thought u must be in ur 40s. http://www.yogeshsarkar.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif
made a mess. i paste the link of the gif. anyway wont post in this thread again. its meaningless draging this crap issue i guess. n fact u should delete some of the comments.
So I do sound old
, I don’t have any issue with the comments above, as none of them are actually offensive. Yes some didn’t actually understood the point I was trying to convey, while other understood it well and dissected it neatly, but hey it is all in good time.
Plus being an Admin of a forum (where no one is spared) and being an active participant of quite a few forum, such discussions are something I see, deal and argue with on a daily basis, and boy do I love it
Ps. removed + sign from your above post, as you don’t need to add it in the smiley.
Bullet lovers are so heartly impacted just like yogest might have touched the bee hive. And one of the unwanted chap well above in the comments have written and named the other bikes as plastic bikes. buddy think about yourself as you are also not made up as ironman. And driving a steel or ironed bike does not only speaks stability or reliability. its the heart of the rider whos sole is just unbeatable, then what is leh? and one thing about yogesh, he does not write about the negativity of anything, but he only says what he feels which is apart not all can think. Who says bullet is finest or reliable bike. does it have not punctured yet…or have a nitrox gas button to take you in the sky?, if that doesnot matter, i would prefer my karizma which is suiting me from last four years which is confined as Best touring bike…it can carry loads as bullet can with another rider with a better mileage and picks….stability should not be questioned and this is what pulsar 180 can also do……
Common…be a human …not a ENVY.
okay now I will tell why I would select Royal Enfield bikes
1,It’s royal than any other bikes in India(leave the foreign ones)
2,Comfort level is fantastic(No other bike will get like this)
3,Royal enfield makes us more masculine and more male like(I don’t know how to explain this),just think if you are sitting in pulsar or any other bikes will you get the same style and proud?
4,It’s correct what they say…built like a gun goes like a bullet…when a bullet get heat up…just ride some 10 kms…no bike will be able to catch it(now don’t trust magazines,top spedd of Royal enfield bullet is 100km/h they say….its fake…it will reach 130+ easily)
5,cruising at low speed in a bullet is worth getting some girls as well as showing our inviduality
6,well I seen guys talking about brakes are poor here?why?OMG it will not slip like other bikes as it got more weight…you shoukd have a disk brake..and bullet’s disk brake is the biggest too
7,I love its sound,let the dudes notice us…who cares when starting a pulsar or karizma..(well I’m telling this coz I have experienced it,I own a pulsar 180)
8,Then its royal again….no other bikes will last like bullets…
I will also say what I dislike in this bike
1,I don’t like the gear ratios of this bike…if ratios are raised sure it will exceed 160km/h coz of this low end torque(guys notice that bullet have the highest torque)
2,Bullet seriosly need a oil cooled engine…it will become so warm in no time,over heat
Enfield company should make a sports model too
well Guys I think you got why to buy a bullet
okay then don’t misunderstand me that I’m an old guy….a bullet lover…yeah I’m but I’m new generation….just 18 years old
“Royal enfield makes us more masculine and more male like(I don’t know how to explain this),just think if you are sitting in pulsar or any other bikes will you get the same style and proud?”
Ever thought about buying another Enfield? That would make you even more masculine and male like!
another? it seems that he doesnt have first one
its evident which one he has from the post though 
Hi brothers..
I don’t have much to say other than
I LOVE MY BULLET (completing 12000 km).
….ANY BIKE IS JUST A MACHINE…..
WHEN YOU BUY IT, IT GETS LIFE.
WHEN YOU LOVE IT, IT GETS WINGS.
WHEN YOU RESPECT IT, IT GIVES BACK WHAT YOU DESERVE.
WHEN YOU NEGLECT IT, IT DIES AND LEAVES NO MEMORY.
Best of luck Yogesh
Keep riding
ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
Hi Yogesh,
Its a never ending discussion…
I do agree with u in terms of reliablity, performance and pricing of the bike….however just wanted to share..
I have a Yamaha Rx100 93 make which is still going fantastic and has not troubled me even once in the last 10 years.I have a electra and have booked the classic 350 as well
Trust me, when we talk about bikes its not just a medium to commute.. we are talking about the experience of riding…… i just ride these two bikes only… its the fact that i don’t,rather wont own any other bike other than these two..its not about the looks, its solely coz of the performance…If u say that you love your Pulsar 180 Gr8… Dont mind u r a traveller not a biker… being a biker u r least bothered about the problems what u face.. u just concentrate and love the throttle and feel the bike not the road while driving….
Hey Bulletters Keep going.. let people say what they wanna say… we are not the travellers… we know the machine.. we love the thump… we feel the throttle…. Jai Hind
If being a biker means putting up with bike troubles and treating it as some kind of blessing, then I am so vary grateful for being a traveler.
@ navin
buddy with due respect i want to ask you something………… who gave you the right to say that bullet riders are not travellers?????????? enfield bullet is meant to be a travelling bike. first get your issues clear or dont talk words that bring shame on the community. and do you really think when i a biker travels its someone else who take care of the bike and he only enjoys the site seeing and take photographs????? get a life dude. and you own two grat bikes ever happened to india rx100 and bullet, so why dont be a traveler for a day? im sure u’ll get to know ur bullet dsnt belong your fancy city streets but that wilderness.
no hard feelings and nothing personal here.
Hey Soumik.. I believe that i was not able to put my words right…
However I still feel that there is a huge difference being a commuter and a biker…..If one needs a bike for their daily use.. then why people go for Harley or Bullets…u go for these bikes because you love to drive something to which u can relate….i never intended to say that bulleteers are not treavellers…just wanna ask u.. will u go 500kms on a platina or even pulsar… u dont just wanna see places or capture the beauty in ur lenses.. u also want to feel the ride….what say…probably the right word was commuter( traveller)… M sorry for that
lol, dude have you ever even done 500kms in a day? Btw the Pulsars you are talking about are not only capable of doing Srinagar – Delhi (936km) in a single day (http://www.yogeshsarkar.com/trips/ladakh05/day16-17.htm) but are also capable enough to do saddle sore, http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/general-discussions-f21/finally-i-make-iba-list-t11808/ and http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/travelogues-f9/1813-kms-23-hrs-33-min-log-t3012/, which hasn’t yet been done by any Bullet, not to mention numerous Raid De Himalayas and other Rally titles which majority of the Enfields can not even finish!
navin
dude i told you, first get your issues clear………… do you even know the difference between commuting amd traveling????? i guess no. its needless talking to you. and about yogesh’s blog, well i dont support the topic. but we made it clear earlier that its all about the spirit of discovering the road. u can chk earlier posts.
I am a bulleteer and I am fed up of my RE Machismo 350. I also own a 125cc bike that gives me 70kmpl. The Bullet’s mileage is deplorable. The gear shift is unreliable. Got no electric start. The maintenance is comparable to keeping an elephant. Still, when I ride the mean machine, the thump ringing in my ears, the breeze brushing my hair, I really feel Royal. Almost everyday I notice people looking lustily in the direction of the thump. Most people stop and let me go first when I make a turn. I hit my horns and the Splendor rider gives way
. Its just about getting your priorities right. The RE stands for “Royal” Enfield. Its meant for people who love to ride and not just commute. You choose how you want to ride…….Keep riding.
These are my take on the points put forward by Yogesh:
Royal Enfield Motorcycles aren’t reliable: My take is that Bullets are not unreliable; they are quirky. It needs a little understanding of the technology behind it to treat this quirkiness.
Royal Enfields don’t have good range: 400km on a full tank (14 litre * 30 kmpl) is a good enough distance between two petrol bunks. It is not that we fill it and forget about it. Fill it and have a small planning in the back of your mind.
Royal Enfields are heavy: This weight factor adds to the comfort of the ride. What I’m trying to do with my Bullet is ride and discover new places; not haul a lorry that was capsized on the roadside. So far I never got stuck up any where in any of my rides for want of torque so that my Bullet can climb up a gradient.
Egoistic Bullet riders: Well this is a A generalisation. And I like this comment on generalization – no pun intended here – “One who generalises is one who generaly lies”. Ego is human trait and not the character of a Bullet rider. It could be that a major chunk of egoistic men flock towards Bullet as its look, feel and thump pampers their ego.
I like to put forward that we Bulleteers are not driven by logic while purchasing a Bullet. Some factor of our growing up process made us inclined to like that kind of naked, old school style of design – only metal, see thru look, and no plastics put around it to give it a veneer. What it has, it needs. For now it is just a Bullet that fits our dream in India. I think all Bullet lovers would also love to lay their hands on any naked bike or choppers from Triumph or Victory or Harley.
Recently I came across the following lines in an article by one Mr Dilip Bam in indiabike.com. And I liked them. I’m just copying them below.
“Eliminator will get eliminated by a bigger, faster, Eliminator. A new terminator will overcome the pulse of the Pulsar. The Shogun will be overshadowed by the Ronin, the RX 135 by the ZXR, and so on. But the Bullet will remain Bullet. For it is not a reality. It is a dream. … A dream called BULLET.”
Sunil in the first three points you are just trying to justify the inefficiencies, which is all good if you are in love with a bullet, but not really for a traveler like me.
As for egoistic rider part, I haven’t said anywhere that all the people who own Bullets and RE motorcycles are egoists.
[...] it was the fact that the petrol tank capacity has been reduced by a liter (according to me even the initial capacity was low) and so has the ground [...]
Well Yogesh may be you are right in your cribbings about bullet. But, by the way most reilable two wheeler on earth is a bicycle and it fullfils all the points you mentioned. Its light, needs no petrol and you can carry all the things in it with rider power being the only limitation.
I view a two wheeler like bullet or bigger bikes or a sport bike is just like a toy. Just the way one does not try justfy the toys one should play or buy same is true for this.This bikes are for riding pleasure and NOT FOR JUST GOING TO A to B. That you can do in car or anything else. You do not have to bash bullet to say this. You can say you just need a powered two wheeler to carry to from point A to B. Except the commuter bikes all the other bikes have characters and either you like it or hate it. As far the reilability of bullets all the new ones has excellent reliablity. Finally try to maintain any of your favorite commuter after 10 years you will understand the meaning of relaiablity. And please keep in mind many bullets running on our roads are very old – ~ 20 years or more.
Guys, here’s my 2 cents to the discussion, and still Yogesh I do agree with the reliability or rather the lack of it with bullet’s. Atleast my bullet is not what I would call RELIABLE, but somehow when I am back in India I still ride it more than the other 2 bikes that I have ( 1 HH Passion ) and (Bajaj Pulsar).
You have a right to your opinion and me to mine, so I’ll leave this place with this article I read somewhere.
What can be bigger than a Bullet ????????
Why a Bullet
A great article for those interested in the Enfield Bullet ! Check out when time permits.
Might explain why guys like me still ride the Bullet Inspite of all the negatives that naysayers can shoot at it,,,….
What’s bigger than the Bullet? – Swami Ashwinananda Friday, November 07, 2003
Seemingly innocent question, teenaged boy on a bicycle, small dusty village on NH 45. And considering I was on an RE 500, I smiled confidently and replied ‘nothing else in the country’! Little did I know I was being set up to be knocked down. The young chap had been strolling around my bike as I enjoyed the customary ‘chai’ at a local tea shop, his casual air of disinterest thinly concealing the gleam of admiration in his eyes. My answer was met with a disdainful smirk. ‘I saw a foreigner on a Yamaha last week. That was much bigger. He told me they’re going to make it in India. 1200 cc, and it was sooo (he stretched his arms out as far as they would go) big. When I’m old enough, that’s what I’m going to ride’. He gave my bike one last look out of the corner of his eye, then pedaled away nonchalantly on his creaky bicycle. Many kilometers down the road, and alone with my thoughts on the highway, I pondered his question. It was the classic mental pivot. Both ridiculously simplistic and unbelievably deep at the same time.
‘What’s bigger than the Bullet?’
In the old days, people bought a Bullet not because of displacement, size or weight, but for very different reasons. It was the ‘Raja Gadi’. The choice of real men. At least that was the picture Bullet advertising painted then, and a vivid and colourful picture it was, best viewed with the ‘Bullet meri jaan’ jingle playing in your head.
Then about 15 years ago, the Jap Bike wars started. First there were the hundreds, then later the one-tens, the one-fifties, the one-seventy-fives… each claiming to deliver more power and ‘better mileage’, if that’s even possible at the same time, than the other. Buzz boxes abounded, tiddlers screamed manically on every street, and on another road far from where these marketing, R&D and advertising wars were being fought, the Grand Daddy of them all chugged steadily towards the brink of oblivion.
Recently though, there seems to be have been a revival of sorts, at first glance, rather heartening to a die-hard British motorcycle enthusiast like me. It seems as though more people are waking up from their Jap drone-induced stupor, and noticing that there was always a bike that was ‘bigger’ than the plastic clad Jappos available in the country.
Suddenly, one sees many young, macho, iron pumping, testosterone charged, leather clad gentlemen on Bullets. Not just the new-fangled ones, but some even on bikes a tad older than they are. Heartened by this turn of events, I accosted one recently, and asked him why he had chosen to ride a Bullet. My eager curiosity was met by a flat and fake-accented answer. ‘Who wants to buy a 180 cc when there’s a 535 cc available maan. It’s the biggest bike in India!’
I smiled thinly, shook his hand, and walked away thinking to myself ‘maybe the Bullet did manage to stop before it got all the way to oblivion. But it’s probably just standing there teetering at the brink.’
There’s a reason for my pessimism. Viewed from the cubic capacity perspective, the BHP perspective, the wheelbase and weight perspective, the ‘sheer size’ perspective or the advertising budget perspective, there will soon be many, many contenders to the position of Biggest Motorcycle in India. Which means that our testosterone-charged gentleman would buy one of them the moment it shows up on the market (attractively priced I might add). Just as soon, I presume, as he’d use an opportunity to take his shirt off and flex his tattooed muscles.
People today seem to be buying the Bullet for reasons like machismo (pun unintended), attitude, power and freedom. All the wrong reasons if you ask me. Because they’re all easily re-created, duplicated, and maybe even outdone by competition. Just like the 100cc Japs stopped the Bullet in its tracks 15 years ago, we’ll soon have 250, 350 and maybe even 750 and 1200cc Japs shooting the Bullet down again with weapons like cubic capacity, cruiser styling, fatter tyres, more chrome, and more jeans-leather-and-scantily-clad-women advertising — all of which are in vogue now.
So what is it that will keep the Bullet competitive through the waves of onslaught from bikes that cater to the changing fancies of fickle Indian motorcyclists? What does the Bullet have going for it that no other manufacturer can hope to match no matter how much money he spends on research, development, space-age materials and nubile models?
I think the answer can be summed up in one word. Character.
To me, the Bullet stands for simplicity. A design that worked well not because it changed to incorporate every new discovery at NASA, but because the folks that designed it 50 years ago got everything right the first time. And then didn’t try to fix things that weren’t broke. It’s a bike that has built a reputation for being reliable, simple to work with, comfortable to be with, and lasts a whole lifetime… which is definitely a whole lifetime longer than the Japs, who outdate their throwaway models before one has even paid the second EMI. The most interesting thing is that over the years, this unglamorous but truly solid reputation has rubbed off on people that ride the Bullet too. The result, when one looks closely, is a bond between an individual and his Bullet, where one is but the mirror of the other.
To some folks like me who’ve wanted a Bullet since we were kids, it was the persona of these people that inspired the choice of a motorcycle more than the intrinsic value of the motorcycle itself. They were simple people, responsible people, strong people (not just in body) and they were people you could trust and rely on. I for one just bought into the quiet pride, solidity and soft spoken yet powerful image of Bullet riders I saw as a child, only to realize much later that these were the qualities of the bike itself.
In this day where people are realizing it’s better to step back from technology and glamour sometimes and fly subsonic rather than supersonic, I hope that people soon learn to appreciate and aspire to own the Bullet for what it is. A piece of machinery that has lived, served, rewarded and stood by its owners long enough to develop a character of its own. A motorcycle that has reached that point in evolution where its value cannot be measured in cubic centimeters, kilometres per hour or pounds per square inch. And a brand that speaks volumes for its owner for a lifetime… always saying just the same old good things.
If I had encountered my cyclist friend on the way back, I would have stopped him on his creaky bicycle and given him the answer I should have given him in the first place.
There’s just one thing that’s bigger than the Bullet. It’s the pride of owning one.
I think it’s not the good time to post a reply as I didn’t finish yet reading all of the comments(Gone halfway). First let me tell that I don’t ride a bullet and I have only a Honda Stunner(Real Plasticky).
I apologize to all devoted bulleteers but I kinda share the same feeling as Yogesh. What I got from the top 15-20 comments and the post itself is that Yogesh is not against Bullets or RE. It is quite simple that he doesn’t love it. So what’s wrong in it. In the comments section many bulleteers are just throwing anything to him(even harsh words). Man we all love our machines!!! And there should be a strong character in a tourer. He should be listen, help and understand others. But no bulleteers have shown that.
Even for the past few days I have been facing this kind of arguments from one of my colleagues. I only drive for max 15 Kms average everyday as my office is just 5 Kms from my house and I don’t find much time to ride after work hours on Weekdays. I rarely go for touring also. The road to my office goes through a busy sabji market in Kolkata(belive me it’s true) where I literally push my bike through the numbers and numbers of heads… I will give 5 out of 10(maybe 6/10) as my preference to mileage and 8-9/10 on maintenance. But still he tells me everyday that I need to buy a Bullet. That person has bought the billet but never went on a tour yet and gives me gyan on touring and pleasure to ride bullets in a tour. He tells me that he bought it only for sound!!! Yogesh is perfectly true that some ppl(not everyone) just buy bullet for it’s brand name or legacy(some even buy it for sound).
What I can say is that, I am not a automobile geek, not even a passionate tourer. However, I am i touch of a tourer gang who often go for touring. They all have different kind of bikes like FZS, Fazer, Karizma R etc. That proves that it is not true that plastic bikes can’t tour. Rather these bikes can make way through busy traffic effortlessly and can tour also.
Even I have heard it from many automobile geeks and knowledgeable bikers that RE has some issues with it. They own or have tested bullets and still they confirm this fact. That doesn’t lower their love for the bike. So Guyz(everyone including me and Yogesh).. please keep aside your EGO and put some facts, opinions and suggestions in a polite way, so that people like me can decide whether they should go for RE or not according to their requirements.
Man…. just imagine you own a bike and literally love it. Now can you make a scratch to a bike of a different brand owned by another biker and put a devilish smile on your face???
A true bike lover never insults any bike as well as the rider also.
Hi to all my brothers..
I’m happy tell you I have completed 20000 km in my 2008 model Bullet Electra 5s and I have only experienced minor problems on electrical. See my blog and I also welcome comments.
Hi All,
I know this, that after touring on RE’s TBTS, I feel ripped off and cheated, the company for that matter has absolutely no sense of responsibility, unless you have contacts and a rapport.
Everytime I get my bike serviced they manage generating a huge bill, with no good quality.
I cannot go to a technician outside of RE, because even the best CI and AVL mechanics, have confidence issues when it comes to the UCE, and I have experienced this by trying them out.
The the warranty part is true, RE offers a 1 yr warranty or 10K kms, and Bajaj offers a 3 yr warranty or 30K kms.
I did 14K kms in 11 months, and the wear and tear of my bike was higher than their estimates of a “touring” bike, because of which I had to slow down on the kms I was touring.
To think of it, the company does not spend a dime on advertising in India because of their followers and everyone knows what a bullet is, and they pump in crores into advertising outside of india.
I think a loyal customer base deserves a hell lot more than that.
UCE engines for that matter is quite similar to all other bikes now a days, in the sense that the bike will keep moving as long as the battery in intact, and it will help you complete your rides.
It also puts on a huge drain hole in your pocket, before, during and after the ride!
Honestly the reason I want to buy an older bullet today is because I want to understand the machine that I started riding on, I’m used to the low rpm torque now, the problems will be manageable because there will be other technicians outside to company that can do a good job and it puts a smaller drain hole on the pocket in terms of cost of spares.
I will definitely switch to another bike at a later stage, but i’m waiting for KTM to hit indian markets, because I finally want to get into dirt biking. I know the maintenance will be higher but i can atleast expect to get some service value for the money I’m spending.
I feel the company has ruined a lot that was good about the bike, neither have they kept it vintage nor have the been able to cope up with other manufacturers, and their eye wash attitude to their loyal customer base will see consequences very soon.
Royal enfield Killed Enfield and the redditch and made something that their maintenance workforce cannot and do not want to handle.
Till date AVL engine motorcycles have been the only ones RE could make suitable for touring, but it is definitely a different sense of achievement doing it on a CI, for reasons we are all aware.
For all the criticism around RE, the company RE deserves nothing better.
Anindyo
I am a ‘new covert’ to royal enfield motor cycles. Happened after buying a RE Classic 500. For the past six years, I have mostly used only cars. But still I have my HH Splendor which I bought in 1997. I occassionally used to ride Splendor too, it covered 55000 km, and even now gives a milieage of 65 kmpl. Starts at 1st kick, and easy to use and maintain.
The CL 500, just done 1600 km. I face the following issues.
1. Difficulty in changing gears, some times gets stuck in between, and also requires some efforts to shift.
2. The rear view mirror is useless beyond 60 kmph, due to excessive vibration.
3. The pait has started pealing off, substandard painting and not so good finish.
4. Minor oil leak near engine head.
5. Occassional Engine cuts when head-lights on.
Needless to say, my HH Splendor never had any such issues, and the painting is still as good as new.
I still love my bullet – classic 500, beacuse of its over looks, power and the prestige assoiciated with owning a bit of history.
i just wanna say one thing……and dat is…” i just love my royal enfield, coz it makes me feel Royal”
Built like a bullet goes like a Gun
Everyone makes way for bullet
These two statement just give what a bullet is
First of all how can you compare a bullet with some plastic bikes?You say bullet is not reliable…I should laugh at this so hard because if its not reliable there won’t be bullets running in good condition which is made in 1970s.Show me a pulsar or any other bike which is 5 years old?It will be sure a crap with no power.If you want range go for bajaj CT 100 or Hero Honda Passion…but maybe some boys will laugh at you,don’t be embarrassed.Bullets are not for guys who cares about range that much.But it gives good range(35 k is enough for me).No one wants a bike which will fly away if a truck passes fast.Just take any other bike and you can feel a push when some heavy vehicles pass by.You will never feel that in a Bullet and comfort is so great you can travel long distances in a bullet not any other Indian bikes and this weight add stability too.Best bikes in the world are heavy not light weight although they say light weight.Now about egostic bullet riders.Bullet riders respect there bike and care for the bike unlike other japs bikers who spray mud on their bikes.Other Indian bikers are like I should buy another bike after completing one year,a bulletier never feels so,say if a bulletier buy a hayabusa or harley davidson still he won’t sell his bullet.Bullets are majestic and they are not for chocolate boys…Maybe guys with a chocolate boys mind coz in our college every guy now ride a bullet.They sold all there other bikes like jap ones.I started it..just said one guy to ride my bull and he buyed a bull..Now my every friend got bullet,they always say Man I feel proud to be in my bike…feel like I’m the king of roads…this is not ego..this is way they feel…coz bullet is always a bullet…NO alternatives for a bullet…
One more thing
Its so nice to see a guy with some muscles in bullet with a leather jacket,Woodland boots and a Rayban cooling glass and a nice helmet….Let him start his bullet…The whole guys and girls around look…and even ask him.Where did you get this bike from.Girls will give a nice smile looking his face…
Another scenario…A jap bike chocolate boy just push the button it start silent and goes like Vrooom…Has anyone seen it…?No who cares about a jab guy in a small bike..
@Jitz: I had a Pulsar 150 DTSi for 6 years. Clocked 1,70,000 kms- it includes a certified Saddlesore ride from IBA, USA having done 1723 kms in 23 hours. With just 2 engine rebuilds with the first change at 1,11,500 kms and the second at 1,50,000+.
Tell me your stats apart from the Rayban glasses, woodlands shoes, girls looking at you et al.
Well forgot to add- as you mentioned a 5 year old plastic bike will be crap with no power, my SaddleSore run was done when my bike was more than 5 years old and had clocked more than 1,38,000 kms.
Eagerly looking forward to your stats.
My Pulsar is 8 and a half year old, still in great condition and manages to hit 110+, whenever I wish. Now Jitz, which model of Enfield you ride and how long have you owned it?
Oh!!! 5 years and 8 years I was so surprised lol … My bike is 24 years old not just 5 or 8 … which means its thrice old as your bikes and of course I have a pulsar 200 too.
Thats good, so how many rides have you done on her and where all have you taken her recently?
Btw why did you buy a plastic bike, when you had such a classic bike?
I have done so much,I don’t know correctly how much I traveled coz I travel a lot…I go for tours every time and you know this bike ran 3 lack k plus coz its was my fathers bike…and my Pulsar is my bros 6 th standard guy
Well I would hate to get down to such a basic level..but here I assume that in 24 years your bike has clocked 3,00,000 kms in 24 years, which means approx 13,000 kms per year, which again translates to around 1000 kms per month, which frankly is hardly anything. I have ridden Bullets- its an out of the world feeling to ride them. But I would never buy one- the reasons are there on top aplenty. And you mentioning that a Bullet guy will always stick to a Bullet unlike other guys who keep changing bikes. I could have kept my Pulsar forever- its a machine after all. Regular servicing and replacement of parts will keep it running well as it could. Seen those old three-wheeled motorcycles used as donkeys in Gujarat/ Rajasthan? They still do run don’t they?
I needed a better touring machine and hence I shifted to a Karizma. I feel your comment about sticking to a bike is simply a static mindset and nothing else. You love your Bullet and you keep it forever- you feel we don’t love our bikes. Yes, we do as much as you do, till the time it is with us. But after one point of time, you have to use your common sense to move on to better options. A person staying in a 1BHK today moves on to a 3BHK is not silly- or nothing like he didn’t love his earlier house. I do understand the attachment that one builds with a Bullet- got enough friends who own Bullets. And if all your ideology is based towards this attachment, then stop comparing in real world terms.
P200 for a 6th standard guy- I guess he’ll be 12 years old. Nice!
haha sounds silly as hell…I bet you won’t stick to your karizma or pulsar after 5 years,I’m pretty sure about it and I will be still sticking to my bullet for sure…That’s the difference…and yeah here 9 year old guys ride car…and you know what my bro is loving my bullet and he wants it but he can’t handle this now I know but why?Answer is there is something which attracts youngsters to bullet…
Hi all…
It’s really interesting to read all these comments, views and suggestions. I’m also happy to see some proud Bullet owners like “Jitz”. I’m also proud to be an owner of Bullet Electra 5s (2009 model) completing 23000 km. Anyway “all keep riding….”
Best of luck Yogesh
ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
Silly as hell….ROTFL….talking in real world terms seems silly to you. Whereas Rayban glasses, Woodland shoes etc etc are supposed to be constructive examples. Pretty much shows the way you think brother. I said na static mindset? Holds so true to that.
Yes tomorrow in case I afford a bigger bike or an imported tourer- I’d buy that one too. I’d care a damn about girls look at me or not, am sure they will look at it. But then I’d be least bothered, that won’t be my purpose anyway. Your love for bikes is restricted to a brand/make- I love what I own, and my passion is riding and it doesn’t cling to a particular object.
Kids riding cars and your bro riding a 200! Hope not everyone thinks like you.
@ Arun
Thanks for your complements buddie
Keep enjoying ride in your bull
@ Deepak
I don’t know what you mean by this “real world terms” lol …and of course style does matters and Rayban Glasses,Woodland shoes are considered to be stylish.I don’t think if a guy who wears a Dhothi cruising in a bike is accepted,I don’t know whether its accepted in your state,lol
haha imported tourer?sports bike bhuahaha I should laugh at this so hard because even guys with a harley Davidson won’t sell his bullet and you gotta understand this Royal Enfield is not only in India but also in America,England etc.For them Royal Enfield is relatively less costly,then they keep Royal Enfield.This is all I need to prove whatever you say and don’t say there are other Indian bikes in USA that would be so lame.
Kids riding cars and bro riding pulsar,its related to a state…You may open your mouth if a 16 year old guy in USA ride a Porsche :O
Royal Enfield USA site http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/
@Ritz brother:
I give up…you win. So:
1) What if you have blindfolded yourself for your beloved bike- not ready to even consider superior species of machines (so called plastic bikes which half the amount of displacement can smoke out the metal ones in terms of performance or reliability) out there or accept the faults of your own steed?
2) What if you refer to other motorcycles as plastic bikes and we don’t refer to Bullets as “FART MACHINES” or “WATER PUMPS” just coz we love motorcycles in general and not a brand in particular?
2) What if you feel that wearing Rayban glasses and woodland shoes and getting on your bike attracts the attention of the opposite sex, where we spend substantial amount of money to buy ourselves a decent riding gear, but that doesn’t matter. Does it or rather we care a shit about what the general population thinks about how we look? Talk about attraction- here people hardly care even when a superbike or a supercar goes by- and you talk about the Bullet turning heads?
3) What if for you tourer bikes only mean Harleys and Bullets- again an example of a stagnant mind that refuses to look further? Are you aware of bikes like the VFRs, FJRs, KLRs etc? I guess you have a close look on forums on hardcore motorcycle touring like ADVrider.com- do check out what major of the population tour on.
4) What if you feel that the concern I have for kids given to handle a machine for which they are too young for means opening my mouth in disgust?
5) What if I sell my Karizma after 3 years or maybe 5, because I can afford a better piece of machinery for my touring needs. So what if am not one of those who will live in a 10×10 room in a slum blindfolding myself thinking that its the best place in the world?
You win brother you win!!
@ Dee
1,Very funny…You question got the answer,As you said its “plastic” and its so funny coz you said they can smoke the metal ones,lol and what do you mean by reliability?A bike which is a trash after five years?Have you forgot about comfort,style?I don’t want to travel in a bike which will fly if a big truck goes past by.I don’t want to sit like a duck in a plastic machine,I would rather prefer sit like a king
2,I say plastic bikes beacause their parts are made of plastic,got sense huh?You are just senseless to say blah blah lol and you said another drawback of plastic bikes,you are revealing the truth,its what you said sounds like farting!!!
3,You have no idea about it coz that bikes are cheap compared to harleys,some models exceed 30 lack,don’t open your mouth now,so less expensive bike will be more,if you are saying this you will say small bikes like passion is more and they are better than hayabusa that’s so lame
4,Maybe you are so arrogant to say that only big guys can ride bikes lol,We are not living in 1980s Grown up man!!!
5,lol sell your Karizma and get 50 ps lol,I guess you don’t know bullets have the best resale value now,1972 bike can worth more than 100000.I don’t know that karizma would get more than this whoa!!!
Yes sure I do!!!
Well thanks for enlightening me…I didn’t know anything on whatever you said.
Well I wish to share my trip account, pls do share yours:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pulsurge
And I can guarantee you, I never flown off by a truck…well they never overtook me..maybe your bike was too old to overtake them
As for comfort- a decent seat mod is enough for a comfortable ride. I don’t know which city you are from- but if you’re from Mumbai you would have seen it for yourself or rather let me point out certain facts for your kind perusal. I find hordes of Bulleteers lining up at a well known seat modifier. Ask any Bulleteer from Mumbai about Perfect Seats- they’ll tell you.
If you call a bike trash after 5 years…what do I call yours? The so called 5 year old trash bike can kick the ass of your 24 year old vintage piece in performance. Forget doing the Saddlesore- try doing 500 kms in 10 hours- am sure you’d be calling up the towing guy.
One of my friends has a 1969 Bullet- feels great to ride but with niggles. He once overtook my 5 year old trash bike at 80 kph and his engine ceased.
The vintage value of a machine doesn’t establish any connection to its superiority. You know how much an old Beetle costs? If you want to compare your bike based on vintage value- I would rather suggest you keep your mouth shut on performance statistics.
Man you are so knowledged about bikes- but unfortunately half-baked knowledge is dangerous. 30 lacs….do all Harleys cost that much? You’ve given a useless and un-needed comment on the Passion and a Hayabusa.
Well I open my mouth to talk everything in facts and figures- your points are like all based on emotions and state of your stagnant thinking mind that has been evident in all comments that you have made up.
Am nowhere arrogant- I see so many accidents here in Mumbai of kids riding bikes and losing control in excitement and ending up with fatal injuries. It was just a concern and nothing else- but again you took it in your own way. Grow up….I usually yawn at this phrase. Don’t just say for the sake of it.
Well am really eager to know if you ride as much as you talk. Do share your trip account. I eagerly look forward to it
lol you are so funny about overtaking,when your bike is trying to gain speed at 6000 plus RPM,mine is just going faster than you at less than 4000 RPM and hope you know bullet got more torque than any other bike in India so your bike choke when high range come and mine fly
I don’t want to be rude but are you saying your plastic bike will get as comfort as bull,Pure exageration that’s all I can say.
You said the fact!!!,Well if your bike is that much old I’m sure you can rev it so hard that you can hear some explosion,won’t even move.Oh yeah May be 20km/h?No I don’t think so.
Its not about the vintage value.Its just about the quality of bikes…Just want to say one word.Plastics got no quality and they won’t give the riding pleasure bullet is giving and they are not durable too.Riding position is bad compared with the bull.Its proven that the handle position of bullet is the best.More over its a bike for guys and not boys and your bike got so many alternatives check it out anywhere.When compared to a Ninja 250,a karizma or Pulsar is just nothing whereas bullet don’t have any alternatives.
Yeah correct that’s what I want to say to you.You have only half knowledge about bikes.
.For you its un needed coz you are just saying Blah Blah!!!
http://www.merinews.com/article/harley-davidson-released-in-india-price-specifications/15825875.shtml
Check this out and don’t “OMG what is this?”Am I dumb and I said a guy that 30 lack harley davidsons don’t exist
Oh I don’t know that lol,According to statistics guys from 22-35 die more than boys!!! and its a shame that you don’t know that
I don’t take videos when we ride
I just feel it and all my friends will be with me so I don’t need to show anyone you know.There are some videos though 
@Deepak Dongre
Hey man; I saw the photos in picasa. They are really beautiful places. Saw your bike too. nice one…
Keep riding
ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
^^Heya thanks Arun!
Torque at low RPMs- here’s a very good example for you my friend since you are harping so much on torque and low RPMs. An elephant may have great power to pull things even at walking speeds- but then it cannot run like a horse. But I guess you like elephants…ooops I forgot- Kings loved their elephants. Now I get your point of feeling like a King while riding a Bullet.
Explosion…20kph…I guess you have gulped your eyeballs down your throat brother. I shared a link which you failed to even see.
Check this again- and do check out the speed on the GPS chart that my 6 year old trash bike did. 20kph….LOL you never fail to amaze me with your balltalks.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pulsurge/SaddleSoreSuccess#
Try this on your torquey and powerful flying Bullet. Let me see if you come out like a King or a hanging face LOSER! I think it will be a cakewalk for you since your bike is sooo soo comfortable, torquey, fast as flying blah blah blah! So when you attempting? You succeed, I pay for all the expenses incurred (only the ride expenses- not for the parts).
Alternatives to Bullets- yes there were. The Yezdi, the Rajdoots- but they shut down long back. I feel they didn’t have the advertising skills as RE has…”It takes a man to ride a Bullet”…”Everyone makes way for the Bullet”. Big talks and money into advertisements. Ever wondered why a company making motorcycles for more than a 100 years have not been able to make a good gearbox forget about making a good motorcycle. Shifting gears is like kicking a donkey to wake it up.
Half knowledge about bikes. Dumbo, dont give me third party website links- check out the Harley India website after your eyeballs are back from your throat. The starting range is 6,95,000 for the Roadster to the to the Roadking being the most expensive at 20 lacs. Where did you get the 30 lacs figure from…LOL, talk about knowledge!
http://www.harley-davidson.in/harley-davidson-india-our-motorcycles.html
You don’t even click pics for memories? I feel your rides also exist without proof like your talks do. Anyways do share the videos of your rides…as I said again let me see if you ride as much as you blabber.
Well forgot to add the applause on the comment or rather the joke of the century:
“Its just about the quality of bikes”.
On the accident part…I wonder how can you be such a moron to even debate on that. I have seen terrible accidents in front of my eyes where kids were involved and you’re taking it as a statistical debate. Its amazing the way you think!
I agree and honestly apologize on a foolishness of mine. I missed out on the HD Glide which does cost over 30 lacs. Apologies again.
Come on man don’t hide any thing with curtains and prove you are a moron.I said 20-29 year old guys die more in accidents than 10 year olds…So there is no arguing that small guys should stop riding coz of accidents,learn to accept the fact.
Welcome back. What’s there to hide…your brother lands up in a mess- it’s not going to affect me anyways. Anyways I wish for his safety all the time.
Me a moron…got a mirror at home? LOL!
Anyways the upper point apart…where are your videos dud(e) and some more valuable opinions of my trash bike and you doing something better than what my trash bike did?
On the other hand thanks a lot. You pep me up from my boring office atmosphere. I feel so happy to see your comment up here.
Eagerly looking to your next
If you don’t know anything about torque atleast don’t show your dumbness by comparing a horse and elephant,that’s all I can say,I’m laughing at it.
Brother I was talking about not about your 5 year old one,if it was 20 year old it won’t even move,so don’t talk about 20 km/h.Utter non sense
You are not talking about comfort,Fear to say about it?lol
You are proving,you are a big idiot by saying all these,dude Rajdoots and Yezdis were two stroke with less comfort,less Mileage,Less style obviously…Are you dreaming and just saying blah blah accept the fact buddie,even Royal Enfield was 4 stroke from that time and don’t talk about gears and kickers…just say I don’t know to ride a bullet?lol and by the way I love a bike which is made of metal than plastic crap which will only get 50 ps after 5 years lol
lol No I don’t,I’m not going for a photo shoot and here we are taking about bullets and not how long we gone.
And why do people who drives crap plastic bikes like yours fell most of the time and die?There are proofs for that
and if your plastic bike was better,why do Indian army and Police take bullet and what about the foreigners who always take bullets…Oh yeah many be its like they don’t like plastic cycles lol
All new motorcycles being procured by Delhi Police and from what I can see, Haryana and other state police are Pulsars! And now that they have these motorcycles, they are finally chasing down and stopping criminals and traffic violators!
As for Army, well, they are used to outdated equipment
.
As for foreigners, I can show you comments of plenty of foreigners, who swore never to hire another Enfield again. But then again, majority of the renters only have them, so not much choice for them.
In any case, just because a motorcycle is used by particular group, proves nothing. What matters is, what you have done with yours and as far as I can tell, apart from presumably inheriting an old bike from your dad, you haven’t done much with it!
Sorry for butting in Deepak, but it was too tempting
.
Bhuhahahahahahaha Pulsars???I’m laughing my butt off because they are not service vehicles,they are private
Army is much modern than Police and it should be like that else no one calls army where police can’t help,still they use RE again make me to say its the best
Are you kidding?lol coz lies can be easily identified coz foreigners love bullets so much,here there is even a store which rent bullets to foreigners
Yes that’s what I was saying too,just bragging about a bike coz its new is just idiotic
Wow, you do live in a well!
Yup atleast a well not in a small hole like you
I know what torque is. You might be a genius in motorcycle knowledge- but am not a noob either. You can laugh at my elephant-horse example as much as you want- am happy that I made you do something constructive by my statement i.e. to laugh. Get off your chair and try dragging your bike with a 150cc or a 180cc bike- you’ll know what I meant by the elephant and horse example. If you still don’t agree- then its your plain ignorace of reality my dear friend.
About my bike turning 20 and not exceeding 20kph…well there’s a long time to go. But if you can come over to Mumbai- I’ll give you a ride on a 20+ year old Hero Honda CD100 which can still carry two loads like you without fuss. And yeah it goes much faster than your mentioned 20kph. I would suggest its about time to put a full stop to your stupid assumptions which would never see light of the day.
Fear to say about comfort..and fear what..your comments. Hahahahaha. Brother my rides are enough testimony to the fact how comfortable my bike was. Try doing half of what I have done, then come back and blabber.
Rajdoot’s and Yezdis- I think your grey matter ran out of thinking power to inteprete the context when I gave these examples. Don’t know to ride a Bullet…..freaking LOL. Nice way to wrap up things (read faults) under the carpet in the pretext of riding skill. You love metal or plastic doesn’t matter my dear friend…who has asked for your choice anyways? Tomorrow you might go and buy a Road Roller instead of a car just coz it is completely made of metal and defend your preference…who cares for your choice! The context here was bikes in general- so don’t mix your like and dislikes.
Talking about Bullets and not how long you ride- then what’s the big deal. The most shittiest of bikes ridden just 500-1000 kms per month will last a century with minimal maintenance and expenses. Go ride buddy before you open your mouth on quality and reliabilty. If the stone age engine of the Bullet was of so good quality- why didn’t they continue making it. Why did they venture into UCE?
One one had you talk about the mass produced bike being more in numbers compared to Bullets, and then in contradiction question back the number of accidents of the so-called plastic bikes. Don’t blame the cause of accidents on the machine- its the rider who makes it happen. Anyways a couple of snapshots for your kind perusal.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28109792@N05/4150012022/in/set-72157622912195398/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28109792@N05/4149259447/in/set-72157622912195398/
See all the other plastic bikes are safe and undamaged…why the TB in a mess?
The Indian Army started ordering Enfields from the year 1955- tell me which other options were around then? Anyways that was long back then. As for the present day- here’s something for your perusal again my dear friend:
http://www.royalenfieldmotorcycles.co.cc/2010/07/bullets-are-on-their-way-out-of-mumbai.html
The number of Bullets has now been reduced to just 80 from 650 in the 1980s. Police officers said that of these, only 50 are in working condition. Many who used Bullets have been complaining of backache or finding it hard to ride in heavy traffic. The police force now prefers bikes that require less maintenance like Avenger and Pulsar (Bajaj), Achiever and CBZ (Hero Honda), Yamaha and Ferro (Suzuki). These bikes have self-start and are easy to maintain, an IPS officer said. Deputy commissioner of police (Motor Transport) Kishore Joshi said, There is a huge demand for lighter bikes as their pickup is faster, they are low maintenance and easy to ride in a city like Mumbai.
Well my dear friend here you can say “They don’t know to ride a Bullet”. LOL!
Foreigners using Bullets….Well Yogesh has amplified that clearly.
It is very very clear that you live in your own dream world- where only you and your beloved bike exist and you so sternly stick to your whimsical facts that you resort to ultra cheap remarks just to prove yourself right. You know nothing what’s going outside- absolutely nothing. Time to wake up from your bed and smell the coffee.
About calling others living in a hole- sorry to say but your level is no more than that of a rat in comparison. Go ride!
By the way you are still arrogant to say a horse vs elephant!!! I gotta say this and 180 and 150???Drag???Take 200 or 220?why you are picking your small bikes…but don’t be so idiotic to compare the base model of Royal Enfield with the top model of Pulsar which is 220,by the way who cares about 150/180…Atleast take a 200.Well my friend you must understand the fact.Why Royal enfields are always in Boneville races and why plastic bikes are not there?A pulsar 220(which is the best bike of bajaj till date) can do about 145km/h!!!I’m laughing just 145 km/h!!!yes its best when compared with other bikes in India,take the Royal enfield V twin which can do 160 easy.So bro if you say take a drag with RE,I can say take your bajaj boxer which is a base models lol
Don’t know about Hero Hondas they are sure reliable than bajaj…leave that.My friends 4 year old pulsar is just a trash so don’t give much explanation in that coz I’ve seen how it grown up and ofcourse the quality of plastics is so less that after 1 year it looks older so much.Its with every plastic bike not only pulsar
Don’t say Blah Blah when I say a point…it further proves that you can’t say a point,I was saying how rajdoot and Yezdis disappeared.
Just one point about this will make you cry…Yes talking about durability…there are bullets which are so old and guys don’t even stuck to Pulsars why?Once they are taken and test for some months they are boring and you are a big idiot to say that bullets ride less than pulsars or other plastics,infact they are the bikes which travel more than any other vehicles,there are bullet clubs all over the world,why not a Pulsar club?No you won’t get guys,coz guys don’t selects craps and plastics
Which is more safe a bullet or a plastic crap?if you say plastic you are an idiot,coz its proven that bulls are the safest bike beacause of weight and stability and the position of handle and hey haven’t you read in news that pulsars make more accidents than any other bike in India.Better read news buddie
Oh again you said the point.Its started a long time back and still continues why don’t army take another bike,coz they select quality things which are durable…I gotta say built like a gun,goes like a bullet and now don’t say Police is modern thinking.In cities they only need a lighter bike,bullets are for highways
http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/times-are-tough—even-for-the-indian-army.htm
LOL time for a big laugh off coz Bullet is from England,how come they don’t know to ride it
,Oh yeah but I don’t see you as a foreigner lol…May be you can’t hahaha
Yes its correct I was going to tell you that,you are living in a dream world and beacause you don’t have points you keep saying elephant and horse and rats…yeah one day when your bike is in some dirty places where rats drool…You must be in another bike…I will be still on the king of bikes…You better yell and show off don’t be sad coz no one cares about plastic craps!!!
I didn’t even talk about the Pulsar 220, I was talking about a 150 & a 180cc bike. Base model?? Look at the displacement my dear friend…the base model of a Bullet is 350cc. What more you need? Is all that displacement just to show off?
Aaaah look where you have ventured for credit…Boneville? Taking nothing away from the team who did all the running (my salute to them)- if you read closely- the Bullet was competing in the 500cc vintage pushrod fuel class. How can you expect the modern plastic bikes to compete in a totally different category (vintage) my mis-informed/ half baked knowledge friend? Do you expect modern cars to race in a vintage car rally? Do your homework well before you bray. Go back- look out for the modifications (engine/chassis) that were done on that bike (including NOS/120 octane fuel). You’re talking as if the bike was on the flats immediately after rolling out of the factory. I’ve seen tuned RX100s doing 140 on a drag strip- so another suggestion of mine would be to talk on things which are on as-is-where basis.
Yeah Hondas are reliable- I agree. Your friend needs to learn some maintenance or probably a better mechanic to service his bike. I’ve given you enough proofs of my bike with pics and albums which you cannot ignore. Its all about how you maintain a bike. About plastics- use a good quality polish and see how it affects your bike in the long run. Except the fairing- I never replaced any other plastic part of my bike. Want to see how good it was- go and see my album again.
My blah blah was you talking abt quality, comfort and speed. If these things are so true- why don’t you prove it to us by doing a good enough ride to show how reliable your bike is. And anyways you don’t have any evidences to support it either.
Me crying…no buddy. I can only laugh and giggle at your comments. Sticking to a bike is one’s mindset- you like the Bullet, even I do- but I won’t buy it coz I don’t find it suited to my needs. I might dream to buy a R1200, but I cannot afford. I’ve bought the best I could afford and am happy with it. There are more Bullet clubs across the globe for the simple fact that they are exported to more countries. On your comment again on plastics….well the plastics can kick the daylight out of the metallic counterparts despite being much lower on cubic capacity.
Check this:
http://www.clubmotopulsar.com/clubes.php
Talking of accidents. In the good old days when the Jap bikes arrived, there were a lot more accidents on the RX100s…why? They sold like hot cakes and the nuts who rode them had no brains to handle them.
Me an idiot??? Thanks to your company on this interaction- like you even am turning into one
Got your eyes open?? See this:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_BNWg9z9-5SE/Swf0UlJmBFI/AAAAAAAADDQ/UrNr-dL4yT8/s640/bullet-accident.jpg
Do you blame the bike or the rider?
Built like a gun, goes like a Bullet….hahahahahaha. That would have been true when the time it was made in the 1900s. I wonder what makes them still stick to it. Weren’t you the one talking abt the Police and Army using Bullets..now you say they are for highways. What do you think the police and army bought the bikes for motorcycle touring? You and your comments…..phew!
What do you want to potray by the army stunt? The load carrying capacity??? I guess we never disagreed to that.
I don’t mind you laughing my dear friend- am sure your own comments are making you laugh so much. Bullet from England- my dear friend the Royal Enfield factory in Redditch had to shut down because they couldn’t keep up with the competition from the modern Japanese bikes. They tried to salvage the losses by setting up their unit in India. So stop living under the emotional euphoria of England. Man your LOL’s and hahahahaha make me feel like you are suffering from constipation.
My facts and figures are enough to show you who lives in a dream world and your ultra cheapo examples (just like you) are a disgrace to your ownself. Rats drool…man which school did you study in?
I won’t be or rather am not sad. I explore new places on my bike, whereas a King like who uses his Royal bike to go shoppping for vegetables in the market. Plastic crap??? You’re at it again. Poor ignorant soul you! I pity you, your knowledge and your state of mind brother. Wake up before someone kicks you really hard to.
I take back my words on mistakenly referring you to as a genius in motorcycle knowledge. Your top speed comparison of the P220 and the so called Enfield V-Twin which is not even a production bike rather a custom- simply showed what a big NUT you are.
220cc single cylinder: 145 kph
700cc twin cyclinder: 160 kph
Then you come down to a Bajaj Boxer. Am sure you won’t even remember what you would have typed. Stop eating garbage coz that is what is coming out of your mind.
Come on dude take the best of Royal Enfield and take the best of Bajaj,You are just talking nonsense by comparing the base model of bullet and the best of bajaj?Atleast have some sense.Why are are taking displacement?Just take the best bike of RE and Bajaj if you have guts…Else take a base model of Bajaj,OMG No I can’t see it…Even Pulsar is Pathetic.So can’t dream of the base model…
Again you said it.Atleast bullets made its way upto Boneville…Why Pulsar haven’t made it upto there?You are supporting me lol…untieing every knot and Pulsar is just a bike which is only known in India,bullet is known all over the world and is a recongnised bike and Pulsar don’t even stand and change when on international level,As I said just plastic crap which will be eliminated when another bike come.Bullet will be a bullet everyday and check any site there are no alternatives for bullet except another bullet..What about Pulsar.Full of alternatives…
Again when you are boasting about your bike,I have another friends who says the same thing about Pulsar,its not durable,engine is not even durable for 3 years.Moreover a pulsar which is 3 years got no resale value and its looks like its more old just because its plastic low quality material and Pulsars silencer always got a hole in that after 2 year approx…Its just low quality thin metal.Leave about my friends,check out the net,guys are always complainting about their pulsars
You say pulsar got quality then you are an idiot I’m not being rude coz even Pulsar guys says its parts lack quality but hero Honda is better compared to that.Comfort???Are you serious?Are you comparing with it a bull?Should I say that word again???lol coz Bullet is the most comfortable bike beacause of everything.its position and weight of bike,I don’t wanna sit in a Pulsar like a rabit.Pulsars handle is lower so spin bends automatically and Is that what you called comfort?Phew Man you are so cool then bhuahaha.Speed>>>again take your bajaj boxer lol I’ve said this many time…Don’t be senseless!!!
agian u said it…Bullets are imported and exported and pulsars are not because its lack quality and style like bullets.If pulsar was a better bike then it would have been exported as well.Again saying about alternatives pulsar is just a baby when it comes to bike world.220 cc which is the best?Who cares?But Bullet is exported to every country coz its just the best bike which haven’t failed on sales from an early times.Its just continuing…
about carying capacity…Do the same on Pulsar and your Pulsar is dead…RIP pulsar…Its not strong as Bullets…its frame is weak compared to a bull…again plus point for the bullet
Again you are saying points…Now where are all the jap craps now?Its all gone?huh?Still the bullet is here…hey wait a second you said stopped production right?Bajaj stopped even new bikes…coz of failure..Pulsar 200,XCD are egs..By the way Royal enfield is still selling like hot cakes with its old design…When another bike comes Pulsar will be eliminated,A Royal Enfield will be always a Bullet no matter what comes…search any sites Pulsar got alternatives bullet don’t even got alternatives other than Bullet itself.Why?coz its the best bike..No bike in India can stand it…else Guys who have better bikes like Harleys will dumb bullets still they are keeping it coz of its value…and I didn’t know you laugh when constipation comes.Wow different gene,Alien?lol
Yes correct…Every one knows who compares a plastic crap with a legendary bike and say my bike is the best…and that too and Pulsar which is infact the worst bike.Even guys riding it now is buying new vehicles.So who lives in the dream world?lol its you..comparing a bull with Pulsar?The worst thing you can dream of and shows you are an idiot.jus prove it more and more and I didn’t know you didn’t know the meaning of words…sorry lol
haha explore new places on your crap plastic?Well run away before someone spit you hard coz its a plastic and bulletiers are the guys who travel so much…You don’t even know this fact..Then what are you bragging?Just saying on…You may even says PUlsar guys travel more than bullet guys…that much senseless.Well you said about you a lot…and its correct wake up before someone hits you hard…
again you show you reley on Half Knowledge coz twin engine custom models are also made,Hey wait a second your Modern day pulsar can’t even beat Royal enfield interceptor 750 which was made long time before…shame on that…keep on boasting let me laugh more and more…Now you pulsar is not durable,not famous all over the world,plastic crap,small bike with less weight,less quality things..then keep boasting…lets see….lol….
and one more question?Why Royal Enfields are shown in many movies than Pulsar….Just dream about it…haha coz Enfield is the best..Got a Majestic look.
For all this crap of yours- I have only one reply coz you have been only blabbering. You have been deviating from the topic and jumping around here and there. I have been giving you realistic replies based on facts and evidences to show. But somehow it doesn’t seem to get into your head. Different gene, alien, foreigner, rat drool….you have shown your limited/ non-existent knowledge time and again.
First of all Royal Enfield neither has the expertise nor the capital to invest into a modern bike. Hence they have stuck to their dated (legendary in your terms) technology even today. The maximum investment they do is advertising. Admit it or not, Royal Enfield major revenue comes not from the sale of bikes but from the sale of spare parts. I know people who carry half the bike in spare parts when touring and we with a basic toolkit. Google around kid, you will come to know of the technical issues that hog Royal Enfield bike just after they have come out of the showroom. On the part of exports- the Royal Enfield thrives more as a hobby product rather than a hardcore touring machine- just a style statement you see coz its the cheapest bike available and just coz of the history behind it. I had shared the link of ADVrider with you to check what people abroad tour on. At least take some effort to research into whats real rather than just bickering on what you think is right.
King appeal, performance, reliability, then comes the army, then you go to England, then you go to Bonneville, then the Interceptor comparison of the bike made by the original company which fell apart ages ago. Keep trying I would say.
The only bright side I saw of Royal Enfield was the Classic 500, but then that too with bugs:
http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/motorcycles-f13/my-new-royal-enfield-classic-500-efi-t17139-98/
Bullet is the best bike
Get onto a mature biking forum and start discussing your air-castles there- you will get your worth. Bulleteers tour a lot- how much have you done kiddo apart from your bhaaji market tours? Go around hunting on the net- you will find people touring Ladakh on Kinetic Hondas, Splendors, Passions etc. Thankfully they don’t have a fanboy and fanatic sick mentality like you have for one machine. Its the riding spirit that matters of which you haven’t got a speck. Yeah I tour on my crap plastic- what do you do? As I said- get up from your bed and go ride your Bullet- as you said its meant for touring and Bulleteers tour a lot. Don’t be an insult to the beauty. As for the Bhaaji market tours- you can always use your brothers crap plastic P200.
After having read the post and most of the posts. all i can say is, Yogesh you dont deserve a thing of beauty like Royal Enfield.
Asif, frankly speaking, in its current avatar, I am not really going to buy it, so there is no question about me deserving or not deserving it!
As for your comment, hope you aren’t confusing Royal Enfield with Bournville, cause that is what one really has to “deserve”!
[...] few days back I wrote a blog post on why I would never buy a bullet, today I am writing about the kind of Royal Enfield Bullet I would like to buy, if Royal Enfield [...]
My story… bulletier for over 12 years..hate those plastic bikes.. but sadly after lakhs of rupees spend on maintaining my 3 bulls and god knows how much fuel money spend ( I travel 80kms minimum a day).. my wife has back problems and even I have had it.. its very unreliable and sadly now I am not a teen to spend every alternate day at garage to brag bout my bullet…
I retire.. sadly I dislike sports bikes and in India there is no alternative to Bullets (HD are way out of my budget).. I will be buying a Activa soon… damm gay but i surrender to comfort..
Yogesh.. I do not want to counter your point on bullet or anything because if i do i would be talking to a deaf and mute person since the language i would speak would be far to superior to your understanding.
To own a bullet and drive is no child’s play since one needs to be man enough to handle the tigress which same as taking care of your gal. One needs to be strong enough to take the responsibility of the babe and also soft enough to withstand her charm and at sometimes mood swings.
Yogesh.. it not your fault to fall under those screwed up people who wants everything ready made and perfect as people like you are never go as far a spit. So go on and cry baby because when a bulleteer would pass your plastic bike all that your hear is your fart.
P.S: I would not be surprised if this post is not published because only a person with balls can do that and i doubt you even have one..
Regards,
Bulleteer all the way..
I would seriously like to hear your “superior” language, of course as long as it is not all dhoop, dhoop, dhoop!
Hi,
I’d like to join the discussion by stressing on a point that has been long existing in here. Bullets are meant for men. You need to go with the problems that a Bull delivers, I even know that the basic design is almost intact for more than 50 years.
But, the question is, why is it selling even today beating all the competions of a series of past commercially successful hit-makers like YAMAHA, Hero Honda, Jawa-Yezdi, Rajdooth(although it got its RD-350 from YAMAHA) etc. ?
Did it fade away or see a fall out? Not really!
Simple answer is, whatever problems it had, people did not care to let go of this “beast”. We should not forget that it was seen a slow runner (well, for atleast more number of times than the others) when raced with a RD-350, Yezdi Roadking.. And when RX-100s started to flood in the market of India, every youth wanted to own one! I can mention a few proffessional racers who opted to join the RD350 team from Bullet.
But today, in a dramatic development, suddenly everyone wants to buy an Enfield. People know that its difficult to maintain with higher costs and frequent check ups than a Bajaj Pulsar or a Hero-Honda Karizma. Growing huge population now believes that Bullets are for men. Of course, Bullets were always for men since its birth, but, earlier young guys buying a Bullet was a rare scene!
Thanks to guys who mature faster now, these Macho machines are selling more than earlier. Plastics are not what we want, of course, unless we can afford a Bull.
All I wanna add here is, this guy (Bullet) is the dream of a man. The dream will live on forever.
Regards.
Chopper – Bangalore.
All the discussions and arguments (I too have been involved), I think purchasing a Royal Enfield is more of an emotional decision. It is not that I hate Bullets- in fact I love them. Whenever I see a pic of an RE or on the road- I cannot help but smile. I get that urge from within to own it someday, but then am a practical guy, who wants a fuss free machine and somehow a Karizma suits more to my riding style.
And as for the problems and the ‘MANLY’ image attached to it. I wonder if the followers of RE accept the issues that come alongwith the bike as part of its character and simply accept it- how will a manufacturer even think to improve on quality (am simply amazed at this mentality)- and as for the MANliness- I’ve seen this kids working at garage riding Bullets so easily when they come for repairs, hence I wonder how this ‘MANLY’ character can be attached to the bike- its a machine after all. If I have to talk on this MAN thing- I would rather consider someone as a MAN who rides his 100cc to far off places rather than someone toddling around the city on his Enfield. When bikes come into discussion- I feel its rather the attitude of a rider that differentiates than what machine he rides.
I’ll give an example of my friend Dr. Arnob Gupta who’s been riding a Karizma for nearly 2 lac kms now. He has so many biking records to his name which have still not been surpassed. So just coz he not riding a Bullet makes him a lesser MAN- I guess not.
So let us keep the emotions out of this discussion- most of the points that Yogesh has made have been on technical & practical terms.
@Deepak Dongre:
You made a good point here. I completely support your view that the attitude makes a man and not just riding a Bullet and showing off.
First of all, my first bike was a Karizma. Its a great performer. I have done a few long tours on it with a group of friends. I know how well its built. I still have the Karizma. Its suited very well for long rides without a stress on the body(at least lesser than the others).
But when I said that Bullet makes a man, I refer to the feeling and the kind of things you get started to deal with and become used to them. Well, one shold really own a Bull to really experience this.
When I got my Bullet, I knew it would require me to take care of it more than I did with the Hero-Honda product. But, after 2 months, real problems started comin out. I was made to learn the few mechanical check ups every week, when I take it out for a ride. I initially hesitated to feel that, but later on, I have got an emotional bond with it as you have said.
Old school ways are the ones that really makes you man. I know that this point is very much acceopted by everybody as well as you as well.
I never would say that riding a Karizma makes you lesser man, than with the riding of the Bullet. But, the modern age trend is not what you can enjoy with the owning of an old Bullet. And this factor definitely takes it a matured cool head, which I would prefer to call a MAN, to own than to depend on the dealer for every nut and bolt to be taken care of.
As you said, its good to keep out the emotional aspects here in this discussion.
But I doubt that, without the mentioning about the attachment to these old guys, unlike the modern age – style centered, technology driven and comfort rides, can the talks about Bullet be a complete one?
And yes, its also a welcoming news, if theRoyal Enfield makes some changes with the traits with its models!
Regards.
Chopper
@Chopper: That was a very humble and thoughtful reply
I expected missiles coming towards me 
Thanks for being cool.
Ride on!
Regards,
Deepak
@Deepak:
LOL:)
You don’t have to thank me. I liked the way you looked at my comment. May be it was a kind of what you said, though I already made it clear that it wasn’t.
BTW, liked your profile. Nice pics too. Keep posting
Regards.
Chopper
If you look at this blog,You can see how much support does the bullets get and what about other bikes?Should I tell you guys anything more???Bullets rocks good time…Well if you create a blog like I hate another other Jap craps,you won’t get even get a comment
@Yoyo Man: Yeah you are right- you won’t get reactions from other bikes.
As I said in my earlier comment- its all about emotions. The RE is like a girl you see, fall in love and want to marry. Our so called Jap-craps are like arranged marriages- you know its going to be good, but you are not in love with it. You start loving or hating it once you’re with it. (Sorry for the terrible example).
I owned a Pulsar and now riding a Karizma- if someone called Pulsar an unrefined machinery- I would agree coz thats the fact and the owner will heartily accept it. If you say Karizma comes with cheap plastics- I would still agree, coz I know its true. I won’t defend or argue on its setbacks citing reasons built upon emotions.
Its so easy to say “Man, the Pulsar is not unrefined, its wild- its the character of the bike you know”..”Nothing like its a bad handler- its rather built for a thrilling ride”. But then what’s the use- deep inside I know the truth…I know it lacks on that parameter and I will sincerely accept the fact.
So that’s where the difference is.
Yo Yo man, that is because quite a few of the “Men” (not boys), went crying back to their groups/forums, to garner support against my choice of not buying a Royal Enfield
. Since I am a boy (cause I own a jap-crap), I wouldn’t know whether that is the normal act of “man” or just something that girls do!
But it is damn laughable to see people react in that way
.
Hello Sir,
I am a big fan of Royal Enfield bikes and also I love Bajaj Avenger. When I read your article ,it was a bit straightforward and sounded a bit rude but in all honesty ,it is the complete truth and truth is bitter. I think people like shawer buy bullets to overcompensate on the real man thing and when you make them realize of it ,they cry like little girls.Probably his gf/wife left him for another man because he might have been more manly than the so self obsessed manly shawer. Its your big heart that you let his comment to be published. If he would have been in your place he would have definitely removed the comment because he lacks the balls (maybe thats why his wife keeps cheating on him). Anyways back on the topic ,the main cultprit here is the company Royal Enfield who takes advantage of cry babies like shawer and dont even improve their product and service. Although I don’t own a bullet but I am still a huge fan ,I dont know why ,maybe even my balls are not big enough but I certainly have a big heart than those hypocrite bullet riders.
@Neo:
Now why do you want to talk about anybody’s wife or girlfriend? I am asking this in public interest. If you think he is a cry baby, are you not becoming an indecent third category scumbag?
Have some respect for women. Is this what your parents taught you? Or you get a “manly” feeling by commenting on the wives or girlfriends of people?
Shame on you to go to such a level.
@Yogesh:
It would have been nice if yu did not allow that comment from Neo to be posted.
Hi, Yogesh, Deepak, Jitz, chopper and many more. I am following this blog(or should I say comments) from quite some time. Let me put my two cents. In my opinion, no bike is perfect. Even Yamaha R1/HD VROD/ Honda fireblade may have scope for improvements. I must say that pulsar as well as RE both are good or bad or best. The only thing is that they cater to different segments or different set of people. For example, someone old and not really interested in thrills, like our dads(most of the people around 45 – 55) will never go to check the specs for R1 or RE TBTS. He may choose the CD Dawn or splendor. Coz for them most important is Mileage, VFM, ease of operation, Reliability and handling. However a college goer with average budget may settle down for Honda stunner/Yamaha Gladiator, coz he looks mostly for design, balance between power and mileage and good resale value. In a same way a tourer may search for Harley or Bullet or Indian or American chopper(last two are for abroad) or many other brands or even Honda VFR 1200. So its clear that people choose their bikes according to their needs.
Now let me announce that, I quite agree with Deepak and Yogesh on their views. Me too will not buy any bullet which is now available in the market for similar reasons. But that doesn’t mean bullet is crap. Even, I am not very fond of Bajaj also and I have reasons. But that doesn’t mean Pulsars doesn’t attract others. But my point is if someone doesn’t require a bullet or if he doesn’t like it what is the problem? Let me give few of my observations collected from the mountain of comments for this blog.
1. Majority of RE fans are dead against people who doesn’t love RE(like Yogesh or Deepak). Why so? Can somebody like or not like something based on their requirements/taste/views?
2. Its really emotion which I think plays the prominent role behind the RE sales. The stories, the history, the status drives the RE sales not the technology. And trust me RE management will never be concerned about having new technology or investing in R&D or eliminating the reported niggles until the sale drops. Clearly there are better cruisers in the world but when you consider price there are no substitute for RE.
3. Of-course there are people who can carry out the tasks RE is designed to do with other bikes. Like Deepak done the saddlesore. I don’t think pulsar is a tourer in complete sense, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tour on it. If you are satisfied touring on this machine and if it allows you to avoid any of dislikes about RE then let it be Guyz. If Deepak has some problem riding a RE and he can do his job with help of Pulsar as well as avoid those problems then where is the problem. Some people love to eat a lot but go crazy if asked to cook; whereas some love to eat as well as cook. Similarly some bikers just love to ride but faints in the name of maintenance where-as some people get serious interest in maintenance of his machine by his own hand. And let me tell you nobody is crap.
4. RE users are fond of the phrase “Plastic Bike”. They tell that having metal adds safety to their bikes, but in my opinion if you crash straight to a truck/Bus at around 60+ KMPH speed; consequence will be same for both a metal and a plastic bike. Plastics are there for a reason. Otherwise why don’t we see cars built by all steel. Its the road roller which has all metal body but thats too for a reason. So don’t hate the plastic or the metal.
5. There is no such thing called “Manly” which you can be taught by riding Bullet. It depends on the individual and the bike doesn’t teach him this. It comes from within. For example once I was a speed freak, use to drive at higher speeds within not so broad lanes ofmy locality. I used to feed a little dog around there and one day it got killed by a reckless biker like me. I saw that in front of me and one day I realized speed has lesser priority than safety. I changed myself, the bike didn’t force me to change.
I am not sure whether I could express myself clearly or not. However, if anybody wants to correct me or do not agree with me, I am a good listener also.
P.S. – By the way I ride a bike, a plastic one – Honda Stunner 125 cc – The best/second best fulfilling my set of requirement.
One more thing I would like to add – regarding the army and police. Indian police were given RE as bikes long ago. The actual reason is in any country the rule or trend is that the police must be given the best/one of the best bike in terms of speed, handling and few more factors. At that time the best option was RE, so that they can chase someone trying to escape with a scooter, bike, moped or even with a maruti 800. For similar reason they were given the jeep that is nearly an all terrain vehicle. Army were also given the Bullet for similar reason. Just google and you will see that this is the trend for most countries. However the other countries might have started with a vehicle similar to RE in performance, but as time has progressed they have upgraded thereselves. Its only India where these things take time(or should I say century/decade). So the point of being still used by police or army is having no value. Even you will see that in most cases the police officers/army men always go for other vehicles than RE when they buy it for personal use. You can easily verify this if you have access to a army CSD store where they usually by their bikes. Check the bookings there and you will know the truth.
@Anupam:
I don’t think I made it clearer myself, than I’ve did in my previous comments. I agree its a very personal opinion and I do not point out at others with using bikes like Pulsar or Karizma or anything for that matter.
First I’d take your experience of your time when you saw the dog kill by a speed biker – as your personal, though it is a lesson to everybody as you said. At the same time, I also admit that Bullet makes me change – as my personal. I am sure you do not have an issue with my experience. Because, I myself am the proof for that.
Secondly, I do not belong to the small group of Bulleteers who hate other bikers. Kindly note this, in every walk of life, there are nice people and there are people who are rude to the others and Bullets are not an exception. I agree with your point completely. Everyone has his love to his own model. I loved the Karizma. But who cares what others say?? Bulleteers? I have time and again told that its not at the best to compare these models(please see my previous comments again).
I do not have problem with plastics, unless they are of cheap quality. Honda gives a good qality with its scooter Dio, anyone got an issue with that? NO!
Of course, when one collides with a bus, he should die along with his bike!! But this comparison seems bit irelevant. Its like checking the strengths of bone and wood by keeping them on a railway track and waiting for train to crush them!!
And old people not only look for mileage. I have seen too many mid aged and lod guys who ride their Vespas, Bajaj scooters, Bullets, Jawas, Yezdis, etc. They have their share of love and bonds too, even though they get a low mileage out of thier wheels, just like us!
THird, everybody knows that Royal Enfield has not changed much from the time it got its license in 1955. Everyone knows that the design is the same and it takes a lots of investments for the company to make in order to implement new technology. (Forget the latest technology adoptions) They are not in such a situation. They can’t afford it. But the fact that these old moels still are a good deal of owning. Thats simply because of the vintage styles and authencity which we do not find anywhere else. Reliabity and maintanance are really an issue. But, its not a huge disadvatnge when you see it with a close angle. We do not mind it at all! We know it very well.
Hell yeah, Police in Karnataka, at least in Bangalore, stopped buying Bullets long ago. First it was the Fieros, then came F2′s and now they are happy with thier huge fleet of Pulsars. May be the 180cc models. Only old Bullets that have little maintainance problems are seen, but those too are fading away now.
Yes the army keeps its preference for Bullets. It mostly is a matter of history and pride(which I doubt any other bike would replace! Pulsars, anyone? lol). So there’s no need to browse about sales and know the “truth”, like you said
And lastly, you must here understand the “manly” (not again!) issue. I am again taking this word because, I want to make it clearer that I DO NOT VIEW THAT ONLY BULLETEERS ARE MANLY. Please get this straight. The contant vigilance on our bikes make us be more vigilant and a need to change ourselves to its own mood swings!
Speeds and adventures definitely make you man. But its an additional tasks to care for these beasts. Its built hard.(Please don’t misunderstand this. I, again do not mean that, the others are built with sand!!
)
All this to just clarify the things you put out, purely from my side. I don’t think I offended anything here, did I?
Regards.
Chopper
Fellow Biker brothers, I am waiting for Neo’s reply.
@Neo:
Do not bring doubts on a Biker’s code, character, to this blog.
Sharing a personal feeling:
I got the first tour with my Bullet in 2007. I was a little doubtful about changing from the Karizma to a classic category. The throttle was not at all responsive like the sports category Hero-Honda. Oh, gears were a problem – from the left, all the way to a right sided gear system. One may say that REs have an old design with the gears. But the long thumper gives you a cool experience of an old British motorcycle. I would love to say that shifting through the gears is a blast! I admit that they are a little sticky sometimes and downshifting is gappy at moments. Every Bulleteer knows this. But I travelled a long tour to suprisingly know that on country roads, Bullet handled like a champ and it always makes riding through them a romantic, nostalgic kind of experience. Reliabilty facores seem important here, but apart from small issues, it feels like heaven.
Would an addition of 10-15 more hp been good to catch up with pick up? Very much YES, but then it would need to be a different bike!
It’s not about going fast or carving up the wave, it’s about going slow and enjoying the ride. Authencity and classic title do not come together more often than this guys!
For this, you would need to own and experience the old guy. That may be the change when you experience when changed from a Jap bike to a Bull
@chopper
I’ll also add that riding itself(be it any bike) adds character to the rider; sometimes subconsciously.
). But only because of this small issues/niggles with RE(mind that these are issues to me and only me, others may easily ignore them or may use them positively) me and Yogesh and several others are not buying the RE. We are waiting for the future RE(or any affordable cruiser from any stable) which will be out of these problems. And seriously, the moment it comes, we will rush to the booking desk.
Agree with you. But my writing was not exactly based on your comments or to counter you. Man, you are decent and logical enough. Rather, my comment was dedicated to that “small group” that are dead against other branded bikes. I have already said that RE has histories, stories, pride feeling, status with it. I also agree that the Bull has brought changes to you(and many others like you) and obviously to the brighter side.
Actually I am not a RE or Bajaj or any other brand hater/lover. However, I am not quite happy/satisfied with the companies producing bikes for India. So I have a little problem with RE, with Bajaj and with Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki also.
I havn’t started the discussion to blame the Bull or its riders. Rather I was really sad/hurt while reading some comments directed to Yogesh or Deepak by few riders like @Neo. So, I tried to counter those remarks. What I think and believe is that if Yogesh has confessed that he sees few issues with RE and so not buying it right now, no body should criticise him. But here lot of people are cursing and abusing him. Many are trying to prove that he is a fool and doesn’t know anything about biking.
I also share the same opinion/view as Yogesh. I too, believe that as an affordable cruiser RE still stands tall(till Harley announce 70% – 80% New Year or Festive discount
u have no right to drew conclusion without experiencing something.
i wanted to buy a pulsar 220.
my dad ask me to use my cousins standard for sometime.
i used it for 4 months(2000km) and i fell in love with it.
i have a new bullet electra. but there is nothing like standard. i would love to own a 70′s-80′s bullet one day.
its the greatest bike on indian road.
hey u r a great rider. but i m hurt by your post.
u dont wanna buy a bullet please dont buy it. but plz dont insult it.
pulsar 180 is a nice bike. but if u dont have a bullet why do you want the world to know “REASONS YOU DONT WANNA HAVE IT”
YOU DONT KNOW THE BIKE. HOW CAN YOU CONCLUDE SOMETHIG.
BE A REAL BIKER.
WE LIKE YOUR 180….I GUESS YOU CAN GIVE A LITTLE RESPECT IN RETURN TO THE COMMUNITY OF THOUSANDS OF ITS DIE HARD LOVERS
AND AGAIN
YOU DONT KNOW BULLET
ride a bull 4 some time… am sure any true biker will start respecting it(even if you dont love it by then)
Thanks Anupam.
What we finally summarise together is that Indians need a motorcycle thats rugged, also suits a city biking cult, fits well for touring, also comes with a life time worth of owning. I don’t mean to point out at any products. But, see the other bike loving nations. Say, USA. They enjoy the most benefits from their wheels – of course at a very high price(that we can’t afford very immediately) – but worth it. What we commonly see here are companies compete and target on speed, performance, mileage(which I support extensively, we all need more miles per litre) but do not mind to care for the people who want a reliable tourist, off road, yet a steady product. So people are left with too few choices when they plan their tours with motorcycles.
I need not mention that we have only Bajaj Avenger(Kawasaki Eliminator) under the cruiser bike category. We very well know that we Indians do not travel as much with bikes as Americans or British do. But, there is still a group of huge people who rely upon bikes or tours. Adventure lovers are the majority. Its the ease of finding mechanics or the less coverage of deserted areas that support the long distance biking plans here in India. That is why we do not seriously feel a strong need for a dedicated product.
Moreover, the companies have a fear. Even if they come up with one, who is gonna buy it, if the cost is not feasible? After all, we look for mileage first. Well, I mean majority of people(commuting daily).
So its here that Yogesh’s points come up. His ideas about the changed(improved) Bullets, which I like to see too, would play a key role. Why?? Because of Enfield’s strong body frame, we see its physically reliable. You go up the Himalayas with 2 people and 100 and extra weight, it still gives a speed of 40kmph atop. But, reliabity? Not so good. And I don’t see this problem in other bikes – only till they need to carry loads and loads up the hillside areas! One could say he has been riding up mountains nicely with his Karizma with the same luggage, but he knows its not an easy task.
Enfield’s new UCE (Unit Construction Engine) engine boasts of a good refinement and the 5 speed gear shifts are a cool feature compared to the old Standard(Now the Standard has a LHS gear system). But, again we know that the engines show their traits after a few years. Hmm. I don’t see any good reason with the new than buying an old one.
Yep, as you said, lets wait for any good model from the stables of Royal Enfield. If its a cruiser, I bet it won’t put the company in a loss. But, first let us get the news if the company has any plans about that!!
Regards.
Chopper
@hooda:
Whatever you have said, is a continous repition of what we all have already talked, or argued or fired missiles at each other about. And again, I know that Bullet is something people turn heads to when we ride it through the streets ot the vallies. Its a pride and part of life.
But, the point you put about your Pulsar and Bullet may seem a little personal her. Don’t you agree? I don’t see any wrong if Deepak or Yogesh or Anupam or any others see you as an arrogant Bulleteer. I am not a decision maker here to comment on you. But let me take a little liberty in being honest. These are the words which make the others feel that all or majority of Bulls are arrogant.
Bullets have a character, which I believe gets shdowed under our talks.
Please enlighten me if any of my words here make no sense.
Regards.
Chopper
To all biker and non biker readers:
Wish you a happy neww 2011.
Let all our dreams come true.
“Sarve Janaaha Sukhino Bhavanthu!”
Hello my brothers
I’ve completed 24500km on my Bullet(2008 Electra 5s) and faced minor problems on the electrical side. I’m also happy and lucky that I got this bike for an on-road price of 94000 in 2008. But the new Electra cost more than 1L. I think there is only one model available below 1L. People may think twice before going for a new Bullet.
Coming to point. It has been two years I’m using this bike. I feel some kind of deep relationship between me and my Bullet. It’s like “made for each other” kind of feeling. It may sound crazy. But this is how it is. I asked myself; why this machine makes me so happy? why does it make me proud? and why I’m not able to love other bikes which are or may be better than a Bullet in one way or the other?. And I got answers and I share some with you all.
* It’s huge and the exposed engine and parts gives a complicated machine look.
* Acceleration and deceleration is very smooth.
* The sound – I love it.
* The Bullet turns a lot of heads and eyes(priceless).
* Bullet is heavy and gives a good stability. I feel other bikes weightless(even though they may have same weight)
* I don’t know why; but I never had a temptation to race with others in my Bullet.
* Riding pleasure is high at low speed 45-55kmph and this is safe too.
* Riding up a hill feels like conquering that hill.
* I don’t feel tired while riding long distances.
The list can go on.
I don’t hate other bikes but I definitely don’t love them like the Bullet. Not only me; I have seen many Bulleteers take extreme care for their Bullet. Some even wait for a full day in the workshop monitoring each act done by the mechanic. I think this is the only bike in India which gets this much love from their owner. It is interesting to hear that there is even a temple in Rajastan where the people worship bullet and pray to save them from accidents and misfortunes.
After all, no bike is perfect. Each rider should accept this. It is better to enjoy a ride in your bike than wasting your time, fighting in a blog to make others say one bike is better than the other.
KEEP RIDING
ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
HAPPY NEW YEAR
@chopper-
you r completely misunderstanding me.
m not at all arrogant about my bike.
i like my 2005 splendor as much as my bullet.
my bullet has company fitted silencer. it dont great that great sound which u guys like so much. and i have no plan to change it.
i like the way it is. i dont care what my friends say. I DONT RIDE IT FOR TURNING HEADS I RIDE IT CAUSE I LOVE THE FEEL I GET FROM IT.
the feel u get on riding any bike.
U KNOW WHY I PICKED BULLET AND NOT ANY OTHER BIKE. THIS IS ‘CAUSE I WANNA GREW OLD WITH IT.my dad has a well maintained 30 year old scooter. n i feel very inspired by seeing his bond with that machine.
i want to have same bond with my bike that my dad has with his scooter. it was my dad who asked me to go for bullet and i thank him for that.
i asked yogesh to ride a bullet for sometime, ’cause that will help him in knowing the bike. he dont know it…….like i didn’t know it sometime ago.
n u know my fav ride is my old bicycle. and a still ride it whenever it rains. i love the feel i get from empty roads…the sound of lightning…the heavy rain and me on by bicycle completely wet!
chopper u r similar to yogesh….dude u dont know me….
call me freak,retarded,mad or anything but plz dont use the word arrogant.
and i dont call myself Bulleteer. i m just a normal person who likes nature and love to travel. bike is just a small part of it.
Hooda, what makes you think that I haven’t ridden a Bullet (which is a completely different machine than the Royal Enfield you own)?
Also what makes you think that our tastes are same or that it is only a Royal Enfield, that one can grow old with, especially considering that you have only owned your Royal Enfield Electra for a few months or maybe even a year, while I have owned my Pulsar 180 Classic for close to 9 years now!
As for the reason behind this blogpost, well it is my personal blog, so I can write what I feel. If you don’t like it, then don’t visit it, it is as simple as that!
@Hooda:
It’s good that you like your Bullet, splendor and your bicycle.
It’s good that you want a bond with your bike like your dad.
Now, what do you mean by “you are similar to Yogesh”? Are you wishing to see a fight here? I am teaming up with nobody here. It’s just what I have to say. That is all what matters. Let’s be clear in what we mean.
If you say bike is a small part and travelling is the main stuff, you would never have asked the others to ride a Bullet. Am I right? Kindly, let us know what is the stand that you are taking here.
Of course I don’t know you. I know none here. If you are looking for a team up, sorry I am the wrong guy. Anyway, goodluck with your Bullet.
Regards.
Chopper
Yes what I said about that scum shawer was wrong but he also stooped as low as me when he attacked yogesh sir,What do you have to say about that? Why only single me out when shawer spineless impotent is doing the same thing???
Come on, Neo. If we do what others do, whats the difference?
I am not singling you out. You talk about bikes and the people involved. It’s a pleasure. You can simply have a debate about bikes.
But, what makes you think you can justify your talks about others’ women, by just pointing out at the other guy’s mistake or abuse? Yogesh is not asking you to back him up by doing such things, right? He’s capable of answering to those people himself. He’s cool(look at his profile and posts). So please, do not find any reasons to get down to a low level. It does nobody any good. The idea is to keep our own civilization intact.
It would have been nice if you had realised what ways you are taking to wage a simple debate. Sad that you want to back yourself up. I am nobody here, yet I want to have a public sensitivity.
Anyway, its upto you to understand.
Hey Dude…
I agree with you…But keep it simple bro…
Every bike has its own cons and pros…
RE is cool in its own regard…I know it must have 100 issues…
People who own RE treat it like their kid…and if your kid has some problems you rectify it… Thats the only thing I can say…
Cheers and enjoy riding …
Yogesh, We agree this is your blog & whatever crap you want to write you can write. There is no doubt about it. But when you allow others to see and write their comments they have full right to express their views. I am not getting why you are feeling that you are getting convinced. You expressed your own views and the viewers are expressing their own views. If you do not want an argument don’t write this kind of negative views (If you keep these views yourself nobody knows whether they are negative or positive) otherwise don’t come for an argument.
Also don’t make any hard statements about anything. If you don’t want to buy a Bullet don’t buy it. I am clearly getting that you wrote this post to defame RE bullet and hurt the feelings of Bulleteers. Otherwise who cares whether you love to buy a bullet or not.
It is just like commanding others not to watch you or complain about you, by standing nude in the middle of a busy road.
Just Remember:
1. Nobody asked you whether you love to buy a bullet or not
2. Nobody asked you to allow them to see your posts
3. Viewers are allowed to post their comments. Otherwise better you restrict them from seeing itself and keep your comments to yourself.
Finally comparing a bullet with Hero Honda 100 or 150cc bikes or Bajaj bikes is ridiculous as they are in different product lines. It is just like comparing a child with a well grown man.
People buy bikes with their own views and requirements not by any ones comments.
The debate is needed when there are variants in the same product line.
For Ex: Suppose a racer wants to buy Honda or Yamaha then they need a discussion. You cannot say a racer to buy a bullet and a Traveler to buy Yamaha racer bike. At the same time we can debate if a person is in dilemma to buy a Bajaj pulsar or Honda Unicorn.
Finally it is not only you who would not buy Bullet. Whoever wants a bike with good mileage (obviously with less power and gravity) at a cheaper price they go for 100 or 150cc bikes. Whoever has riding as a passion and who needs stability and comfort they go for Bullet.
You can climb a hill on a pulsar, Unicorn and off course even on a tvs 50. But it all depends on how often you climb. Travel in ghat roads on a pulsar and bullet for 50 times then you will understand.
Just think why military prefers Bullet over Bajaj Pulsar though it is cheap and it can travel in any kind of roads (As per your opinion)
You have seen a guy reparing his bullet whole night. But you did not realise how much passion he has towards bullet and how much confort he would have enjoyed till then.
You name a bike I rode it. RE offers a good vehicle for a good price. Just compare the price of RE and Hearley Davidson.
Always compare the comparables. No hard feelings buddy….
Also why do you think Bulleteers are egoistic and thinks that is the only bike? If they think also why do you want to accept? I am getting that you also became like them only by praising your own bike there by criticizing bullet and improving hatred towards a good bike.
All I have read is the first line of your first comment and your last comment and all I am going to tell you is, read your own first comment, before asking me, why I feel Bulleteers are egoistic!
Next time you want to have a discussion, write your comments in decent manner, otherwise go argue with a wall, because you ain’t going to get a reply from me, as I would rather not start a conversation with a guy, who feel it is right to start his first comment words like crap, because I know, they are only going to go down one way and I do not wish to stoop to that level!
Cool Buddy, I have already told you that I am not here to argue with you. Those are just my views in responce to your views. When I searched for something in google, your post appeared. That is not my fault. Obviously I thought your post might have hurted some section (Majority) of the people. So just wanted to say above. May be you can change the word “crap” with “comments” and read above with open mind
. Infact I am a very decent Bulleteer.
Guys, this is one of those times where people get to concentrate on other aspects of talks than the actual subject. It’s been long since I found an accurate view from an unbiassed guy. Sad
Regards
Yes Chopper you are absolutely right:-)
Here we talk more about egoistic bulleteers than the bullet.
Here we talk more about the cons than pros.
Here we talk more about uncomparables than the comparables.
Here we talk more about desired features than the existing features only to make the tiger a cat and so on …………………………………………
I find more reasons not to buy any other vehicle than a bullet. If it is really an “accurate view from an unbiassed guy” then i should see more posts on this blog on other vehicles as well:-)
To each his own, and i have no problems with that. I used to have a RD350 earlier, infact to be precise i went through 8 of them, from the ht to the lt and even the american kit one, but now i have simply upgraded to the bullet. This bike is basically a 50 year old bike that is still being made(i ain’t mentioning the new crap bullets), so you just have to deal with the problems that old technology brings along, which any modern bike would not be expected to have. Frankly, there’s very little difference between my 59 and 06 model bull, and that too is mostly just in the electronics department, and should i forget, the 18kg crank in the 59. But as far as i am concerned, i feel its the only bike out there(again due to old tech) that still has its soul intact, and not become a lifeless piece of metal, like the harley’s have become now, or even the new bullet for that matter. You pamper it and it treats you well, you kick its ass and it kicks yours harder. Its not just 2 wheels and a frame for me, its an experience.
They say Honda, opps , i mean to say Hero and Royal Enfield are teaming up to make a 400cc some-thing diesel motorbike, complete with a new chassis frame ( seems like they have finally woken up from their deep slumber and are like, ” dude, don’t you think the frame we are using is a wee bit outdated “, or maybe they just finally realized no one wants to buy that junk of a unit construction motor bull anymore, and since they cannot revert back to making the old ones due to emissions, therefore are trying to come up with some new ideas before they hit the wall. Lets see what both these companies which are probably run by circus clowns come up with, that is, if they ever do.
They say” Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”.
If you fall in love with a RE or a Pulsar or a Honda UC, nothing else can seem better or more logical or more sensible. Its also true as normal human beings, we tend to convince ourself that what we like is right by simply proving everything else is wrong.
If you like it and like it madly.. its works for you no matter how bad the mileage or the reliability..
I know a guy who swears by his yezdi 250 is the best bike in the world and has been all the way from bangalore to Leh.>> one hell of a ride..
I am a bullet fan and I love my bike for only one reason.. riding pleasure.. The compromise of every other aspect is thus fully compensated.
Hi Yogesh,
I am a bike lover and have driven more than 800km a day at a streach. Had I not reached home, I would have driven more.
I own a Pulsar 150 cc and also owned a bullet (second hand) for a while as I was highly influenced by bullet lover’s blogs and all superlatives used by them.
I did make some very long drives (Delhi-Leh-Delhi on Pulsar and Delhi-Kaza-Delhi on bullet to name two unique ones and even on a Honda Passion I made a trip to Keylong a decade back) within north India, especially, covered most of Indian part of Himalayas from J&K to Uttarakhand.
Having first hand experience of the whole spectra of 100 cc to 350 cc bikes, I can tell you with full conviction that I too will never go for another bullet but will definitely go for a Pulsar.
The selection of appropriate bike is more of what you expect from your ride vs what exact specs of bike you need for your journey. Bullet is definitely a good bike but unless some serious upgrades are done to it (which are being done now in new versions) will become a vintage bike.
The negatives of bullet as I perceived:
1. With full tank you cannot go more than 350-400 kms at a stretch. Smaller tank with lower mileage adds to this headache of looking out for petrol pumps.
2. It does not have a fuel indicator to let you know in advance that you are nearing reserve. Once you hit reserve you will not have enough fuel to reach next station in remote areas. Well alternative is you carry tank loads of fuel which can well be avoided if you don’t have a bullet.
3. The Tapets required adjustment after 500 kms of running which is not required in newer generation bikes which are chain driven. Newer bullet have been modified to this respect.
4. You cannot kick start in gear with clutch pressed. I normally do a lot of camera clicking while riding (just stop-click and go). In bullet I felt a lot of trouble in this activity as after each stop, I had to being it to neutral, and then restart all over again.
5. 5 gears help in driving in 3rd gear in hills which does help in better fuel efficiency but in 4 geared bullets, you have to go in 2nd gear which adds to consumption.
6. Unless you carry all your households in bags, you really do not need that 350 cc of power. I found that with around 65 kgs of my weight another 30-35 kgs of additional weight can be carried comfortably on a 150 cc bike in any difficult terrain and gradient. In fact my bullet failed to climb in 1st gear near Nako and on way to Sangla valley but never faced any such thing on Pulsar. May be just a co-incidence.
7. Power to weight ratio for bullet appears to be one more adverse factor. More the weight of its own, more of its own power will be lost in pulling itself. So a lighter Pulsar with 150cc is not very bad as compared to a heavier bullet with 350cc.
8. Lack of a self starter.
9. God or your friends would have to push the bike with full load if you get stuck in any sinks in the glacial streams.
10. The headlight got very dim when the RPM of your bike is low, specially when you drive down hill it was pathetic, I had to drive at around 20-25 kmph where I could have gone at higher speeds.
Well Bullet is not all that bad when you cruise long distances without stop and start or you are self motivated enough to ignore all the above issues or resolve them with alternate and additional planning. The thump of a bullet is something that still attracts my attention every time a bullet passes by but …..
I don’t mean any offense to Bullet lovers but facts are facts. With modern bikes many of the above are non-issues. It is quite possible that one of two of the performance related issues are specific to my bullet but the what I overall felt is that it was once a very advanced bike (like the 4stroke technology) but has not been upgraded to meet changing requirements of bikers and prefers to maintain the legendary/traditional tag that prevents from being a modern one.
Sudhakar,
The 3rd gear of the 5 speed box and the 2nd gear of the 4 speed box have an absolutely small difference in ratios, so its not going to help the fuel consumption at all. What it does give you is that since the 2nd gear of the 5 speed falls somewhere in between the 1st and 2nd gear ratio of the 4 speed, its easier to select a road speed in the 5 speed box that falls between the 1st and 2nd gear of the 4 speed, which realy does help in very bad roads, like the ones along the Tabo-Kaza route in Himachal Pardesh ( By the way, this is where the enfield excels because of its longer wheelbase. Also since the chassis frame of the enfield uses the engine as a stressed member, it allows the frame to be a lot more flexible than the rigid double downtube chassis’s used in the other bikes in the indian inventory, enabling the enfield to maintain a lot more balance. Fact is that the chassis itself was designed for trial bikes and it was st one point, extremely successful at that.
The headlight is weaker in the lower rpms coz the electronics have been upgrades to onces used in all other modern bikes in India, i.e., shifted to a magneto powered headlight. This wasn’t a problem in the older bullets that had a battery powered headlight. Also since the bullet has the ability to idle at a lower rpm than the other bikes, helped by the long stroke of the engine, the magneto therefore doesn’t have enough output to power the headlight. the output of the magneto increases with rpm.
You say if the company doesn’t improve on things you’ve stated it would soon become a vintage bike. But brother it already and always was one ( although technically only vehicle made before 1950 are called vintage and the later onces classic, but quite close). Until last year, the bike was using an engine that largely remained unchanged from when it was first made in the late 1940′s. The chassis and the suspension remained absolutely unchanged from 1950′s. Infact even the latest bullet uses the same chassis and suspension (yes, the engine is the only thing they have changed, so they now cannot even market it as a modern bike, nor as as old bike that is still being made,lol), and the only reason why they launched the bull with the new UCE motor was not due to the fact that finally started thinking about the Indian customer, but coz in this modern world of emission controls the old engine just couldn’t cope up anymore.
Let me tell you something about the mentality of the people who make Royal Enfield. In Germany, there is this guy who used to buy new Royal Enfield’s from India, chuck out the petrol motor and plant a Hatz diesel in it ( yes diesels are big business over there),and sell it by the name of Sommer Diesel Enfield. During he 90′s, he visited the factory at madras, and there he saw this contraption they had setup to test the gearbox transmissions. They used to mount a few gearboxes on it an, and run them with the help of an electric motor for about 20 minutes, after which , with a simply back-of-the-hand method they would check the temperature of the gearbox, which would determine what bike it would be mounted to. This is what happened
1) If the temperature of the gearbox was cool, it would be mount o bikes meant for Export, no question about it.
2) if it was hot, it was mounted to Bikes meant of us 3rd grade Indian customers,
3) If it was way too hot, than it was mounted to bikes meant for the Indian Army (yes, talk about taking the defence of the country seriously. Give them such vehicles, that would be sure to give up when they would be needed the most, like in case of a war. Disgusting).
If it were any manufacture abroad, the 2nd category of the gearboxes would have been opened up again and sorted out, and the 3rd category almost certainly discarded. And what goes without saying is that the top notch boxes would have certainly been mounted on defence bikes.
Proof that this mentality still hasn’t changed. Well, look at it this way. Every fuel injected engine has this oxygen sensor in the exhaust pipe, mounted as close to the exhaust sensor. Its job is to sense the amount of unburned fuel exiting from the exhaust. If the amount of unburned fuel is more than normal, the oxygen sensor sends the signal to the computer to either increase the amount of air or decrease the amount of fuel so that it burns proper, and therefore minimise pollution and maximise efficency. Without this sensor, there is not much of a point of fuel injection itself. The new classic bullet uses fuel injection and the indian version DOES NOT HAVE AN OXYGEN SENSOR. The export version does have one, which i think was mandatory since i don’t think Any of the market of Enfield abroad would allow them to sell their bikes without one. All this just to cut costs and thereby make just a few hundred more rupees of profit with an utter disregard for the environment, and ofcourse, us Indian customers, jeez. Not only that, the chassis and suspension is still the same as the old bike, which was the first chassis frame made by Royal Enfield,Reddich that had a rear suspension, so rightly it more than 50 years old)
I Love my Enfield (although that only goes for the old cast iron cylinder version, the new ones rightly belong in a junk yard) and it always will remain my favourite motorcycle, but god, do i hate the people that make them.
Hey guys… i’m seriously disappointed by seein these posts… first of all let me say that i own a bullet… and i love the bike… love the feel of riding it… BUT that doesn’t mean that u gotta say crap about other bikes…. Its the ride and the rider that counts.. . it’s the experience u get outta riding…. being one with the bike and the terrain… the bike is a religion .. diff ppl opt for diff religion to suit their needs.. …. I PERSONALLY FEEL BEING A BULLETEER U GOTTA RESPECT THE FELLOW RIDERS… AND THEIR RIDE…… I MEAN THAT’S WHAT A TRUE RIDER IS ALL ABOUT … THE REST ALL ARE WANNABEES WHO R TRYIN TO PROVE A POINT…. YOU DON RIDE TO PROVE A POINT … U JUST RIDE SIMPLY FOR THE SAKE OF RIDING, with that note i’m outz….. peace guys…
Hi Yogesh,
My friend is using his father’s bullet which is 33 years old. Can the bikes you refer to live such a long time ?? Now I have booked one. Bullet is not a use & throw bike. It is bike for lifetime.
–Edwin.
Edwin, my Pulsar 180 just completed 9 years and has just come from a trip to Jalori Pass, where a Bullet 350std refused to climb, till its rider was told to ride a Pulsar 150 (which climbed effortlessly) and a much lighter rider was asked to bring the 350std!
I know plenty of guys running 25+ year old RD350s and even more running 100cc Hero Hondas!
Oh yes, there is no Bullet in RE line up! All are UCE lean burn engines, which are newer than that of Karizma!
Yogesh,
Do you mean the pass next to Anni along the Satluj? The road that takes you from Narkanda to kullu district? Done, using a 2006 model electra bullet 350cc (2 people, luggage rack, 30 liters extra fuel in jerry-cans,3 huge ruck-sacks). To be frank, i did have problems during the decline, but that was since my bike was using antiquated drum brakes, and that too on alloys wheels which heat up very fast and then refuse to work. The 2 point-ignition Bullets along refused to climb with 2 people aboard.
A few years ago i did that same stretch on a Bolero i owned during the time( there is a guest house farther on in some place called Gosiani or something. The entrance is only through a rope bridge above a river, and the entire house is made of wood, covered in creepers, and even the floor tiles in the wash room are made of slate.), and during the decline i smelt something like burning clutch plates. When i stopped farther on , i found out that it was actually the front disc brakes, which had a cloud of smoke surrounding it. A pick-up guy, who stopped by warned me not to use any gear beyond the 2nd, because then the brakes just cannot handle the momentum during the decline. Told me a Tata Indica crashed 2 days before due to brake failure. Much more careful after that day.
Yes, thats Jalori Pass. We were doing it from other way and stayed at Shoja, 5km before Jalori Pass on the Kullu side. All other motorcycles (150cc as well) made it without any drama and same goes for the Santro and petrol swift that was accompanying us, only that 350std stopped climbing at one point.
While returning, since I didn’t wanted to stress front brake, I simply loaded my saddle bag into a 4×4 Safari til Aut and could easily make it there with the help of rear brake and engine braking. On hindsight, I could have easily done it with the luggage as well, just that didn’t wanted to put unneeded stress on the already leaking brake hose.
Having said that, you really have to do that stretch in a Mercedes ML350 to appreciate the torque of a diesel engine, that thing climbs the Banjar – Shoja route like its nothing, all the while you are shoved back into your seat, while the torque just keeps on coming!
The mercedes m-class is technically a soft-roader, though it can tackle roads like these with ease. I mean, with the independent suspension, i would really be banging up the under carrage real hard. A solid axle vehicle would fare much better, especially when the conditions get more hard-core (like the mercedes g-class for instance. a solid axle vehicle has a lot more articulation to offer). I have been a hardcore offroader for the past several yrs, and plan to open up an off-road cum outdoors store in chd. Presently i have a willys jeep with a bombed 2.6 liter scorpio motor.
Coming back to the topic, you should convert your brake line to steel ones ( like the stainless steel braided hose). These lines are much more better and reliable than the rubber ones that the company puts on(mostly for cost reasons though). You can get these made from any good machinist, and make them such that you can just screw them on to the caliper and the master cylinder sides. This makes it much easier to replace them in the field.
Maybe, but then again, the guy who owns it, isn’t really into off roading as such. Mostly interested in travel (including yearly run to Ladakh) and for that purpose, ML350 is pretty darn good and comfortable as well. Of course he has his eye on petrol Cayenne
in the long run.
Don’t think that would be necessary, considering that these ones have lasted for 9 years and is only leaking from the joint. Having said that, will check with KRP, last time I saw, they had steel braided hose at their place.
My opnion :Not need to compare Sehwag and Rahul Dravid , Pulsar and Bullet both are made for different purpose.
No scrap plastic all over body.
It is better to respect each other , i have bullet , basic reasons i go for bullet
is )
1) Good Stability in the road while on braking no skidding.
2) Weight makes ride comfort , less jerks on humps , i have pain while using Jap bikes due to low weight of it kerb ,impact directly comes to the lower back.
3) Does’t make overspeed .
4) Experience .
5) Energertic thumping sound ,showing the presence.
6) Better gear ratio , good power deliverance on high gears also.
7) Big and strong heart , i mean very good engine , which stands for a lot of years…..
Also i don’t feel we must not consider other’s ego or self ego while choosing a bike , that is completely brainless !!!
but it is certain there must be many thing to improve for bullet , 350 cc , but power is not proportional , bad maintaince and service experience,spare part quality and availability .
Small Correction
Also i don’t feel we must not consider other’s ego or self ego while choosing a bike , that is completely brainless !!!
it is
..
Brainless to consider other’s ego or self ego while choosing a bike , Made Simple
I am not sure about all the points you have listed for not buying Royal Enfield Bullet but I totally agree with “Egoistic Bullet riders”. I have felt this everywhere – from Karol Bagh to India Gate to NH-1 to Himachal to Rajasthan, almost everywhere I have been.
Here is an funny instance: I was in Karol Bagh getting my seat cover replaced from renowned Khajanchi seat dealer. There were few guys from delhi bull riders group getting their bikes fixed. There was this guy wearing dbr logo t-shirt probably in his early 20s, very proud of owning a bullet and being a member of so-called elite bulletier group. Some friendly worker at Khajanchi asked him “when would you get me this dbr t-shirt”? So the kid says “you don’t get it, you EARN it” and I wanted to explode laughing but resisted the temptation. To my wonder rest of the dbr members accompanying him, all of them who seemed and sounded grown ups, nodded seriously in his support. EARN IT!!!
Anyway, I had another encounter with these EARN IT dbr guys at Karna lake while returning from Chail – Kasauli trip but this time it was unpleasant.
Based on Jagan’s praise for Dave – why do bulletiers always ride with shoulder bag on – because they like to keep light bulbs handy all the time – for toilet, bathroom, refrigerator, computer table, you name it
P.S. I still maintain that not every bullet rider is bad but everyone out there taking this post on heart is the culprit. Did you, ugh, EARN IT ?!?
Bulleteer, but when you want to win matches and have to choose between Sehwag or Dravid, who would you pick? :p
Sanwano, lol
Hi Yogesh,
How you doing? Its been long since I posted here. Ah, I guess Sehwag would be the choice for a quick score but Dravid will be a wise decision if the team needs a WALL, lol
not to forget we miss Dravid now!!
Keep Riding Bikers
A wall which just keeps being a wall and does nothing? (this wasn’t meant for Enfield, just Dravid, who I utterly dislike
)
Guys are you so mad to compare plastic crap Pulsar with Royal Enfield bullet?Doesn’t even make sense…Ask an American what is Pulsar…and if he see this plastic,he will shit on it…Bullet is just legendary
What? Americans approve of Royal Enfield Bullet?
Wow man, then I must buy one today!
After all I always wanted to look like Hell’s Angel wannabe and now that Americans approve of Royal Enfield Bullet, my dream of doing that can finally come true!
Derick, will you be so kind to let me know of a place where I can pick up a leather jacket and pant, along with a Che Guevara bandana and tshirt, a half face helmet which is all show and no protection and leather saddle bags which are about as useful as an umbrella made of mesh?
Hi,
Well Yogesh, I liked Dravid since the beginning. Was an ardent fan of his style of batting.
And keeping cricket apart, Derick, I am a Bullet rider too. But I wouldn’t be sure if Americans prefer Bullet. I mean, Bullet is an antique and ethnic model, damn, they are 50-60 years ahead of that, may be even 100
Though I don care what they really care about, I’d like to tell Yogesh that Bullet is still in demand in the US and UK, even though you can’t compare it with an all American motorcycle. Its just that the old school design is still liked by people over there.
So, without me underestimating the Pulsar, I’d say that both the views of Yogesh and Derick are partly correct.
Chopper
Yogesh,
What a crap article. I am a proud Bullet rider – I agree some of the indian made models are rough, however my ENGLISH built unit is still going strong. Having said that, I have ridden for over a month with three mates throughout india on local models and we covered 2000km – with a combined distance of 8000km we did not have one break down – I am sure we passed you on a crappy honda hero a few times. We found fuel in Manali – we also found hills – we crossed deserts and rivers – never a problem. You ride a bullet for the same reason you use a zippo lighter and a cut throat razor – you will never win an arguement on the finer things in life pulling up to biker gathering on a honda hero, wearing a $2 digital watch using a $1 gas lighter – if you simply want to get from A to B catch a bus, and keep the hell out of my way.
Benny
Good for you Benny, btw when and where was your “English built unit” manufactured? Don’t tell me that you are talking about a bike built in Chennai, India, by a company owned by tractor manufacturer in India!
Its great that you didn’t face a breakdown in 2000km, but having covered 3600+km (in a single trip mind you) on a Pulsar, along side crappy Hero Hondas, which too didn’t face any issue, I am inclined to say that your “zippo” still hasn’t done anything substantial for you to come here and run your mouth in a manner that you are!
Oh yes, while you are at it, enroll in a English Etiquette class. Because you need that more than that “English made” motorcycle you claim to be riding!
Hi Yogesh,
Sorry to burst your bubble mate but my machine is actually English – and I live in Australia. The engine and chassis numbers have been varified by the Royal Enfield mob in the UK.
8000kms is further than 3600+ unless you meant 3600+4400 then I stand to be corrected – then again, not much did add up in India.
Your claim to etiquette beggers belief – so much so I have changed my opinion – don’t ever try and ride a Bullet mate – English or Indian – I met plenty of your sort in India and that was enough. Two locals tried to sort out one of our party who got separated in Agra – they had him cornered in a dead end street for brushing past them whilst they were riding a mumma boy’s scooter (may have been you) – needless to say they left him alone when we turned up.
Enjoy your 60km’s an hour mate.
Benny
Yo Benny,
Who cares if you live in Oz or in The White House? I am sorry to be frank, but I start getting a feeling that its because of people like you who live abroad, that Indians tend to get bad impressions. Don’t be such a miserable jerk dude! Blogs are meant to be the places to express one’s view about his things of interest. Who the hell invited you to let us know about what your bike has in specific?
Yogesh, you can go ahead and delete this comment if I intruded between you and Benny.
Anyway, Regards.
Really? Was it manufactured before 1970? If not, then you need to update your history of your so called English Enfield! As for the combined distance like you are claiming, well considering there were 11 of us (two enfields, one of whom kept on breaking), then as per your style of calculations it was 3600 x 9 = 32,400 combined kilometers with no breakdowns.
Yes, riding in Ladakh and Zanskar doesn’t really compares to riding to Manali, Agra or Australia, where your bikes (or was it zippos?) proved their worth!
As for the last part of your comment, well it just shows the kind of riding sense and etiquette you and your mates have.
u r simply not man enough to own a royal enfield
Guess I am not. But I think you proved your manhood by purchasing an Enfield, congrats
I have been reading all the comments posted here. However I feel that in this day of this year Royal Enfield have put a lot of work into their motorcycles esp Thunderbird. Now the Bike has come with
unit construction engine ,
self start,
twin spark,
220 watt electrical energy,
6 plate clutch for better friction, hence less stress on clutch therefore longer clutch life. And
The best part is Automatic Primary Chain Tensioner which is not found in other bikes.
So with all these said, I don’t think other bikes stands a chance with Thunderbird to compare and also the mileage have increased to 50 km/l. So I believe our new Thunderbird’s are really going to satisfy our long ride around the country with eyes of envy to leave behind.
50kmpl? Wow, who needs 150cc commuters when RE has the technological know how to squeeze 50kmpl from a 350cc heavy motorcycle.
only reson iam planning to buy a bullet is that i will not feel bit low when new models are introduced to replace the old once…like pulsar series…so many models within 5 years…and the value of classic increases over time…and if u purchase a jap bike it may be replaced by a facelifted version next year and anyone will think he should have waited for it…so iron and chrome last of ever.
Really? Which “Classic” are you planing to buy?
As far as current crop of Enfields are concerned, hope you do know that they aren’t the same as earlier and the 500 has seen about just as many updates in the same timeline as a Pulsar 180!
Oh yes, you are buying a motorcycle with the intention of selling it sooner or later, while I bought my motorcycle with the intention of riding and thats what I do. I don’t really care what it second hand value is, because for me, my bike is priceless and a fantastic companion, who won’t be “sold” because a new one is in the market!
This guy’s a real RE lover
http://www.punjabiportal.com/forum/weird-funny-bike-mods-t1365-20.html
I can understand Why you feel that way about Royal Enfield. I own and drive a 350cc and Yes it has problems. But I still love it and ride it. The Weight issue? Don’t worry You’ll get stronger.. believe me. I’m only 5’6 and can handle it well. Initially I had a problem with the weight, but guess I’ve become stronger.
The thing with Royal Enfield is that it’s just not like owning any other ordinary bike. It’s like a marriage. Initially you would be wowed by the beauty, later problems come up but the trick is Keep On Going. And soon you will have a Bike that you will ride years on.
Owning a Royal Enfield is a wonderful experience. You just don’t ride a Royal Enfield, You have to get to know “her”.
If you can’t handle the problems that come to you when you own a bullet switch to another bike. The difference between a Bulleter and other bikers can be summed up in a few words. ” When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”
RIDE ON………………RIDE SAFE.
Hi…
TBTS… Takes me out the blue. It is cool & Pleasant drive
WOW…. 3 days with it…HIP HIP Hurray
Guys, I own 1986 RE Beast. Certainly it has problem but if you tune it periodically then it wouldn’t give any problem. It just like your Girlfriend who shows some attitude some time.
Can Anyone Clear this doubt?? – How much weight can TBTS hold? My self and my Brother went for a drive, I could hear a discomfot sound from the Shock Absorber in TBTS… is is because of Over weight??
Yogesh,
Fantastic article. I read your other article too on “what kind of bullet I would like to buy” and both were absolutely bang on. I have recently given away my old darling 150 cc Pulsar to my brother(which I dearly loved and she never let me down) so looking to buy a new bike.
I don’t like to (and can’t
)drive cars so was looking for a bike and started researching. This time I was leaning towards getting a >220 cc bike so looked at Thunderbird twinspark, Pulsar, Avenger etc. Clearly each has a different character, but I was leaning towards Thunderbird even though it is heavier for my lean frame.
However after reading all the fan posts, always there was something that was left wanting. I mean the bike looks awesome, ride is very comfortable but then again no (rear) disc brakes, no tubeless tyres (which improve safety) are something which always hold me back. I could discount sub-standard mileage, easily rust-able parts, unreliable oil leakages and to some extent even the fact that it comes with bare min accessories (not even leg guards for chrissake!!) but the fact that I may have to keep taking her to a mechanic quite often is a scary thought. Hell no one wants a high maintenance g/f. Some may but def not some who saves up to buy such a bike.
I think I read about one third of comments and there seems certain silliness in belonging to a (bulleteer) clan (i am sorry if this wasn’t the current offensive argument towards the end .. lol). But one day my friend asked me, “you work 13 hrs a day, what do you think is the best time of the day when you enjoy”. I said, “the 45 mins it takes me to go to office and the 45 mins it takes me to come back”. He laughed hard but prob didn’t understand the picture. But I think it is these small moments and the hours (on long trips) on bikes that you cherish, not the thump, not the egoist macho-ism.
Before I go off-course, I am taking the test ride of Thunderbird in a week and if it doesn’t feel right will wait till RE fixes atleast couple of things on this bike. When I buy this, I shouldn’t have any self-doubt of perfection about this bike.
Happy riding!!
Kamal, majority of the guys commenting above are behaving in the manner they are, because they didn’t buy a motorcycle, they think they bought an image of being tough, manly, tourer and what not and get offended when someone points out even a genuine fault in that so called holier than thou image!
Having said that, this blogpost was made when the existing Enfield lineup hadn’t been launched in India and although Enfield has made some progress and completely changed the engine of the motorcycle, so much so that at this moment, the only old thing about it is the chassis and rest is as new if not newer than other 150+cc motorcycles in India.
Austrian designed UCE engines are nice, though a far cry from the classic aura, British Heritage or for that matter, thump that above detractors having been going on and on about! In fact, majority of the hardcore bulleteers don’t even consider these as bullets (which factually they aren’t) and put them in the same league as the Japanese and in case of Pulsar, Indian designed motorcycles. Which is right, since the UCE are more similar to these than to the older Enfield engines.
Now coming back to the bike, Thunderbird is a good motorcycle and thanks to larger than other Enfields petrol tank, it gives longer range as well. I for one don’t like its ergonomics, but if you do, by all means go for it.
Nice Article, I totally agree to your article.Some like The Enfileds for no Specfic reason.Its just a matter of taste,For eg Movie actresses: Some guys like the Actress Shakeela and Some like the Skinny Kareena.
Now for the ardent Bullets Fans…I am not trying to brag here but want to give you my backGround before I ask you the Golden question!!!! ..I have been a Hardcore Biker since my college days.Owned Multiple bikes in the past 15 years, Started with a Kinectic Honda,then a Splendour,a Yezdi-Road King(As it was the fashion Statement before the CBZ’s),A Enfield350(For three Months after whcih I Sold it), then a RXZ135 and finally a RD350 which I restored from scratch with my own hands. I Love the kharishma and R15 even though I have never owned one. I have also rented many Super bikes like the harleys, MT01,Hayabusa’s and BMWs In US and UK.
When one look at a bike it should have atlast two of the below characterestics.
1 Mileage,
2. Reliability and qulaity
3. Low maintainance.
4. Good handling(Curves and not straight lines)
5 Good Pick up.
6 top end speed,
7 Low cost of owner ship.
I dont think a Bullet can boast about any one of these. What Is the reason to still Say a Bullet is a good bike???? I have owned one and the only Plus point is its low end torque which can be put to good use only in very very rare situations… Rest its a pain in the Ass in everyway…..
@Anand.. dude with all due respect . u missed out few …
1. Character.
2. Substance.
3. A rich history.
4. Elegance.
5. Classic Brit styling.
6. Involvement with the bike thus building a relationship
7. Relaxing thump… nd not givin a damn about top end speed.
8. Rugged handling which takes u way back to the good ol days of biking where the riders skills are tested to its limits, where too much electronics didn’t play their part in spoiling the ride.
@Anand – I own a bullet and personally hate it for it has many short comings but its still a brilliant bike cause it does some things just so much better than others. On the others out there available in India, try:
1. Munching miles in thousands without back, neck, should ache
2. Munching miles in thousands with all your stuff required for a month long trip
3. Finding mechanics in god-forbidden areas who can fix the bike or getting an army guy to fix your harleys around Ladakh.
4. Finding alternative fixes when you do not have spares/tools to fix the bike.
+1 to Bruben for other points! I don’t deny that people pull off crazy trips with other bikes but maybe they just can’t afford a bullet or like making their lives difficult.
@Nilesh: Well said…the last sentence in general and the ‘making lives difficult’ in specific. If I’ve to do a long ride- I’d rather enjoy riding that worrying at the back of my mind of a breakdown, and if it does happen- then as you said ‘making our lives difficult’.
Harleys…I doubt if anyone will think of taking it to Ladakh- but then its a cruel comparison anyday…can’t think of comparing Harley to an Enfield
Ride on.
Guys Pardon me, I wasnt Comparing the Bullet with a Harley….
@ Bruben:You did put in a lot of thought for your response.I agree with the Comment “Involvement with the bike thus building a relationship” Unlike other bikes replacing a faulty part/Item alone wouldn’t solve a problem with the Bike.You need more knowledge on finding a workaround on the Design flaw or the Qulaity issue
.
@ Nilesh: Personally my experience with a bullet was really Bad.Maintainance(Specially oil leaks) and qulaity issues was the main pain area and RE Franchisee/Service station having no spares when you need them. Most Mechanics wouldnt touch a RE and ask me to take it to a Bullet specialist. Also I wouldn’t say its a comfortable Tourer.Unless you are 90+ kgs the Suspension doesnt even move a Bit and I had Back problems.
Only a person Who is passionate about Riding can own Bullet,My Friend always says Owning a Bullet is like getting Married
.You got to Deal with the problems life Long or never get Married.
I think a 500cc EFI does justice atleast in performance.
@Anand. … u either hate a bullet or luv it …. but one thing for sure.. u just can’t ignore a bullet… I mean this blog itself is an example for it… No other bike will give the blog so much of following… as for teh faulty parts.. i guess u r somwhat rite about it…. the bullet demands the rider to get a bit greasy…. that’s part of the whole experience… even though the new UCE engines are bit more reliable… u said about design flaws nd quality issues… Tell me one thing.. how many 60′s and 70′s built bikes from other manufacturers do u find on the road… nd the bullet to survive whole throughout with this simple design.. I mean this is the oldest bike which is still in business… .Guess that itself will explain … Bullet surviving all these japanese competitions.. and stil existing while most of its competitors are long extint. And if u look at the present sales figures for teh bullet .. u’ll surely find that it has its set of followers not just in india.. but all throughout the world.. It is not the bike for a performance freak.. also not the bike for a perfectionist who is scared to get dirty… Bullet is meant for those riders who don jus need some bike.. but needs a bike with a soul, with life, a bike with he /she can communicate with , …. I feel it is somwhat true for all the Brit bikes from that era… Only THE BULLET managed to survive ……
now the other brit bikes r also goin back to their roots. nd tryin to bring back that era…
Good points put across Bruben, but then this is somewhat of a misleading fact on the design part of having carried over for years. Its not about the legacy of the Enfield, rather the reason has been that Royal Enfield has been in terrible losses to even survive. They didn’t even have a penny to invest into a better machine- be it design or engineering. Googling on the history of RE should clear the picture. It was Eicher Motors (makers of trucks and tractors) who bought it and its recently that RE has been picking up- an example of it has been the new Classic models. A bike with a soul- on this statement I would say that its the rider who gives the bike a soul, its his compassion and attachment towards his machine that brings the soul in a bike- so be it a Bajaj M80 or a Hayabusa. There are a lot many other mfrs in the world who have carried on the classic style legacy and they have evolved with better quality and engineering. But then RE is stuck where it was, or rather crawling at snail’s pace and always played the emotional card to get their sales up. I wish the money invested into the emotional kind promotions were diverted into R&D to make a really good bike. Won’t a Bullet be a Bullet if its trouble-free and still retaining its character and original charm- if that happens, I’ll be the first one to buy.
@deepak… dude.. i’m not tryin to argue with u or nythin.. just puttin across som thoughts…. First of all u mistook me when i said design… when i said design i didn’t just mean the engine.. i was talkin about the overall stylin … nd yah true the engine had its de merits… nd also true that it went to brindge of bankrupcy.. But it is also true that royal enfield had its glory dayz.. nd not just the classic even the bullet std has its share of buyers even now nt just in india also abroad… And about the biker givin the bike teh soul.. i don think so dude… see when u talk about cult brands, they hav their own personality, an aura around the brand.. Here i’m not sayin royal enfield is the only bike with a soul.. and all jap bikes r shit.. No i’m not sayin tha… But most of the jap bikes failed to bring in that character or soul to it.. example.. lets compare the new Yamaha FZ with the good ol’ RX 100 … teh moment u say RX 100 or RD 350 u’ll feel the aura or persona attached to it.. whereas for FZ is just another bike u see around…
U mentioned about other manufacturers carryin on the classic style… i’m not denyin it.. I’ve even mentioned that in my previous comment… nd u r absolutely rite when u said they didn’ invest much in the R&D .. But now things r changin under the Eicher group.. even the quality has increased a lot.. the new UCE ones are pretty good… it still has that bullet charm and it is a trouble free machine.. bt yah som quality nags r there here nd there.. but over all the new UCE bullets r good buy for a person who’s not a hard core bulleteer.. Nd about the company spending more money on emotional promotion.. yah u r rite in that aspect also.. but teh emotional promotion started recently only.. But u gotta remember it has its hard core loyal customers… see dude whatever said nd done.. it is a cult brand.. a brand becomes a cult brand when the brand has certain character, personality , aura , soul to it… nd only those who can relate to that will personality will buy that ..they r not buyin a product… its more of like a long term relationship…
i mean deepak can u imagine one guy creating a blog stating his dislike for Hero Honda Karizma.. and ppl discusssin (both for and against)with so much of enthu ???? nd so many followin it? I really don think so…
as a closin statement.. Another example for just a bike and a bike with soul… take any Hondas, Suzuki’s etc… nd then compare it with a norton cafe racer, or a bonneville.. i’m sure performance wise the hondaz nd its like with whoop the nortons, nd bonnevilles.. but then ther’s somethin about the cafe racers that makes a person go crazy… the aura around it.. as if the bike is takin u for a ride nd not u.. as if the bike has got a soul…
Deepak, well said.
Bruben, can you please explain how does a Austrian designed engine, retain Classic British Characteristics?
@Deepak good points on bike’s character/soul.
However I do see some merits in Brueben’s arguments. I see this slightly akin to Apple for whom people are fanatics. Now before you jump and say that Apple is flawless, outstanding innovators, consider this. Apply always had its fanatics and they were the ones that the company depended on when it was close to its bankruptcy and Steve Jobs well exploited this fact. I would agree when someone says that iPad/Mac have their own distinct persona compared to Android tablets or Windows PC.
Ok enough of gadgetry. From my personal point of view, even I am enamored with the style and look of the bike but that should be more of an add-on rather than the selling point. I find the high cost of maintenance and lack of some standard features a deterrent factor so decided to wait until RE introduces those features. SO when RE introduces those features, fans wouldn’t complain that its soul is killed. Similarly those who are waiting out wouldn’t say NOW this has soul. As for as attachment, it is upto each rider. I owned a pulsar earlier and I had to send it to my brother 2 yrs back when I was leaving the country for a while. I was very sad seeing it go. When I came back, I saw that my brother didn’t maintain her well (no regular servicing) and I shouted hell on him and took her to service center myself.
RE just happens to be a beautiful girl but high-maintenance. If it were akin to marriage I’d rather choose a sensitive non-nakhra girl.
To each his own.
+1 to Deepak and Yogesh.
@Kamal Please don’t use ‘Apple’ and ‘RE’ in the same sentence. ‘Apple’ is ‘Apple’ coz its a revolution. Steve thought yesterday what people will think tomorrow and presented the product. Do u think Steve got inspired by a blog, or customer feedback, or a review in a website and presented the ipod or iphone or ipad. A big NO!!! Whereas after so many cries and anger by some bulleteers or bullet-haters they brought the UCE or FI or this and that. So frankly no comparison.
@Bruben 1. I also admire the bullet for its looks but never for the performance and technology. Also I can’t ignore a bullet, but that purely bcoz of looks of a cruiser. Many people like me can’t ignore the look of bullet but they also can’t ignore a Harley, or a Suzuki intruder or a R1/R6/R15 or Honda Fireblade/CBR 250 or even a Bajaj avenger.
2. Don’t compare FZ with RX100/135 or RD350, coz there is a hell and heven difference between those. FZ was never targetted/introduced to recreate the RD or RX. It was introdeuced just to meet the demands of a naked goodlooking bike with adequate power.
3. if ——-
1. Character.
2. Substance.
3. A rich history.
4. Elegance.
5. Classic Brit styling.
6. Involvement with the bike thus building a relationship
7. Relaxing thump… nd not givin a damn about top end speed.
8. Rugged handling which takes u way back to the good ol days
is only important they why did Mahindra reinvented the ‘Jeep’ with so many extra features and technology?
Again an ending note from me will be – after a no-problem(or maybe only with minor problems) BULLET is introduced, you’ll see me in the queue to RE showroom among deepak, yogesh and ppl like them.
@Anupam. Do note that I used them in same line to only compare “the fanaticism” associated with products of the both brands. For apple too, ppl were equally fanatic when they were churning out some crap products when Steve Jobs took over coming back from Next. RE is in a slightly bad shape today but still ppl are fanatic about this. Hence the comparison.
Else I am nearly on the same boat as you
Royal Enfield isn’t like Apple in its early days; it is more like Linux in its early desktop days. When its cult followers felt that the best remedy for lack of compatibility with hardware was a custom complied kernel eg. removing electric starter from the LB500 and lack of customer care was easily remedied by message boards, IRC and Yahoo Groups run by fellow geeks eg. road side mechanics and city based rider groups.
When cornered, they would argue vehemently in the support of Linux, overlooking its shortcomings and even defending the shortcomings as a good feature/character of the OS, and herald it as the operating system that would eventually replace Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.
What they failed recognize was the fact that although it was a great operating system for servers and still is, Linux at that time wasn’t matured enough for general desktop environment! Because in server environment, things like GUI, lack of extensive hardware compatibility, limited number of applications and lack of technical support didn’t really mattered, especially since there was server staff to take care of it all. But in case of desktop environment, these things were crucial. Sure it could be made to run well on a desktop, provided the end user was interested in working/tinkering with the Operating System, but at the end of the day, how many want to buy/own a computer, just to work on the operating system?
Similarly, people cite examples of how the Enfield has been doing duty in the Indian Army for decades, despite of all those shortcomings. But they fail to understand that the army doesn’t always have the latest or the greatest equipment, and with defense contract approvals running into decades, they are usually stuck with whatever choice they make, for a long time to come. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since they have to train scores of people to work and fix those machines, and in case of replacement, one is looking at a scenario, where replacing a said piece of equipment, translates into a massive exercise, involving restocking of spares, retraining of support staff and of course the riders themselves.
However, that does not mean that an Enfield is the best choice for civilians or for that matter even the Police, which too has realized this and have started replacing Enfields with Pulsars and other motorcycles.
Yes, Enfield has more than its fair share of vocal supporters and it isn’t necessarily a bad motorcycle. However it isn’t the best option for each and every person either, and brushing its shortcoming under a carpet and attacking those who point them out, isn’t going to make it better either!
@Bruben: Thanks for the patience and the composed reply….seriously appreciate that
Not many Bullet lovers possess such an attitude. Cheers!
+1 to Kamal.
+100 to Yogesh for citing the perfect example of Linux OS. Actually not few but most of the bikers don’t want to spend much time in the workshop or in their garage tinkering with the internals of their bikes unless it is for some mod/performance boost up/styling. However some people are happy with this as they admire the product. So there’s nothing wrong with any of those BULLET guys until they think that should be followed by every other biker.
@yogesh… even though bullet is not a british brand ny more, its still considered in the catogory of thumpers(british singles)… nd how did the australian designed UCE engine retained the british characteristic…. See it isn’t teh same as the CI engine.. but it still manages to deliver the thump .. actually the newer UCE engines retains the thump better than the AVL engines… and as for Deepak .. thanks dude.. and just a clarification to all those who r opposin bullet… Here i’m not tryin to say a bullet is a better bike … its just different meant to cater to a different class of riders… And being diff doesn’t mean that he/she is any better rider than others…
@anupam i thnk u got me all wrong.. I’m not sayin those points i mentioned are the only important things to consider when buyin a bike.. I was replying to anand’s previous message where he mentioned some points nd said those r the criteria where ny guy shuld buy a bike.. So i was just mentioning some other things which some riders look for when buyin a bike..
@Anupam again…. about FZ and RD or RX… u r rite in one aspect.. the diff is like heaven nd hell.. they launched RX or RD’s as aperformance bike of that time… now with the R15s nd FZ’s Yamaha is tryin to come back to the performance segment after a long gap.. so in that aspect i feel u can compare those bikes with the RD’s and RX….
Enfield is not meant as an everyday trouble free commuter.. also not as reliable as the tourers like Honda CBR 250 etc… But the enfield do have a niche segment. And as a biker we shuld give recognition nd respect to that segment…
@anupam i feel u shuld check out the new bullets with the UCE engines..
@as for others who complain about the build quality of the bullet, id’ like to mention that the pulsars, avengers , tvs(Except fr suzuki feor0) are also of low quality .. i can say that coz i own a pulsar 150 and a classic.. and from my experience teh pulsar 150 is of lower quality than my classic… the only Indian made bike which can boast of high quality is the hero honda nd that’s coz of the honda engineerin..
And to all here i’m not sayin a bullet is better than others.. Its just a diff segment catering to diff class of riders.. In stead of fightin againsteach other ifeel we shuld respect each rider nd his/her ride for what they r …. No matter how much we keep talkin and braggin about our bikes… ultimately it all boils down to the rider and the miles covered on the bike… So a big salute to all em serious riders nd their ride….
@Bruben: Thanks man! BTW just needed to add a bit on the Pulsar quality. I had a Pulsar 150 too which I sold off, and at present ride a Karizma…to be frank- I find the Karizma parts to be of extremely cheap quality and expensive too, worse is they don’t last long either. My Pulsar 150 was much cheaper to run- well not as smooth as the Karizma, but then I expected better quality from a Honda.
Am sure you’d like to know the kms Yogesh has clocked on his Pulsar Classic and me on my DTSi
@Bruben Agree with most of ur points. But still would add some.
FZ is still not showcased a power monster, rather its only a naked bike in the lower segment(say less than 250 cc category). R15 on the other hand is a powerful beast, but its mostly introduced as a track tool. Whereas RD or RX was purely power monsters.
I agree that the UCE ones are better, but as I said earlier I would still wait for the ‘choosen one’ – the troublefree bullet.
I completely agree to your last point and feel that every bike is targetted towards a group of riders, and that should be the correct thing. We don’t buy the same T-shirt/denim from the shop rather go for the one we like. See I am also against the fighting.
hey every one…i m 21 years old, i could not read all the comments but read about 30 of them. What i feel is that Mr Yogesh expressed his views abt him not buying a bullet or RE n bulleters r getting offended cuz of that…As far as the ego part concerns i agree with Yogesh, a lot of bulleters who i ve met are really egoistic (even some of my friends who are bullet owners) n do not respect other bike brands especially pulsars, its like they feel their bikes are the best n others (especially a pulsar) is a crap machine which every tom dick n harry rides. But its not ive owned a pulsar for a year now A Pulsar 220dtsi which has given me enough comfort, feel(which is claimed by every bulleter) and adrenal rush while riding…As many bulleters claim RE is admired by many near traffic junctions n signals its true..but please think n give it a thought before commenting ,,it does not matter who sees(girls as commented by almost every bulleter) your bike or admires it ,is ultimately what you fell out of your bike.
Word of advice to bulleters…
Respect other bikes especially pulsars(as its a first Indian 4 stroke bike capable of some real performance and reliable)…Dont keep on trying to convince that RE is best bike for touring n blah blah…there are many other bikes capable of doing what an RE would do n may even out perform an RE…
@harsha.. dude chill out…. take a deep breath…. now no one is saying ur pulsar is a cheap bike.. from ur post i’m gettin a feeling that sombody really hurt ur ego(most prolly som bulleteer since u show so much anger towards em). … As a bulleteer and mre than that as a rider i am showing respect to u nd ur ride… nd i neva tried convincing nyone about bullet being a better bike nd stuff.. first of all i don really care nd secondly its more of a personal choice.. u can see my previous posts for that…
One word of advice for HARSHA… dude don bother about what others say nd think about ur bike.. if others think ur bike is shit, let em feel that way .. instead of showin such hatred nd worry concentrate more on riding…. nd when i say riding i don mean signal to signal racing and teh adrenaline rush u get out of it.. THat’s well nd good .. but u shuld also get to know the other side of riding.. taking ur bike out for long rides.. gettin to know her .. nd finally fallin in luv with ur bike.. nd as for the feel u talkin about.. the feel of riding a bullet is totally diff from that of a pulsar.. nd i’m not sayin better.. just different… .
Hi all,
Anybody got an idea about the new models that are supposed to be launched from the stables of Royal Enfield?
One curious factor I’m interested in is about the headlights. Heard that new models might be saved off from the current style, especially the integrated headlight part running till the fork.
Any wild guesses, anyone?
Regards.
Guess everyone is waiting for the Thunderbird 500, which I hear has been delayed once again. But once launched, should be the most capable tourer in RE’s current stable.
Yogesh,
Stupidity! thats what u have covered in your article. i wasted 10 mins of my time in reading your article
Well Mr. Owner of Youtube, who told you to read this in the first place?
Hi, Yogesh,
Thanks for the info Yogesh. Hope they make it real capable tourer. I am going wait for this curious thing.
Regards.
Gentlemen, I highly recommend you pressure Royal Enfield to make your Indian-market bikes as well as they make the export bikes.
I’ve put 12,500 km on my 500cc Electra EFI since I bought it here in Spain last March.
Other bikes are faster.
Other bikes are louder.
Other bikes are bigger.
But as my friend JoseAngel grumbled the other day, “Fuck, man, I spent 22,000 euros on my 1200RR BMW and nobody even looks at it–everyone comes over and takes pictures of your Bullet!”
There are lots of riders and lots of rides. Nothing is like the Bull, though, for better or for worse.
Never going to happen, unless people accept its shortcomings and demand change. Which as you can see, doesn’t really happens!
Yeah, that part of the Bullet experience makes no sense. I’m always urging everyone here to complain to the manufacturer (or importer), not just to take their Bullet to a mechanic, pay, and act as if it’s part of the charm. The Bullet has more than enough charisma on its own, it doesn’t need any more “charm” from bad workmanship. No motorcycle does. It’s dangerous to the bike and the rider alike.
Yogesh, after so many posts and arguments here, I forget: what bike are you riding these days? Are you happy with it? That’s the most important thing–be happy with your bike and ENJOY LIFE on the road
“The Bullet has more than enough charisma on its own, it doesn’t need any more “charm” from bad workmanship.”
What a comment! Thats called hitting Bulls Eye!
Thanks Jonico, glad you understand and agree.
I ride a decade old (well it would 10 years in April) Bajaj Pulsar 180, not the best bike in the world, but has kept me happy thus far.
Even though I was never a Fan of Enfield my perception abt one changed after riding a 500 CC bullet.I have been itching to buy a new bike ever since I sold my RD(Due to lack of spares).After giving it a lot of thought I decided to book a Bullet 500 EFI. Considering the facts that I rarely use a bike(Last 3 years my bike did just 1500 KMS) and therefore I should not worry about the Maintaince.Since my wife is an IPS officer,two of the dealers declined to take my booking even though I was offering them a full payment. They said they cannot guarantee the availability of spares and also the new bike could have a lot of defects which they might not be able to rectify.It seems one of the dealers sold a bike to a policeman in June and after three months they had to refund the entire money to him as his bike had major issues,They wouldnt want to burn their fingers again.Moreover I came across a person whose 500EFI refused to start on a trip to a remote Village and the local mechanics could not fix the simple starting problem and he had to hire a Ace truck to get the bike to a dealer 150 KMs away and it took 4 weeks before the ECU problems were rectified
.So I am still in a dilemma if I should still buy a Bullet or wisefully buy a Honda(a plastic bike as Bullet owners would call them:-)) and forget about Maitainance for another 5 years.
@Anand Not sure if you love the Sportsbike look or not? But, if yes, go for the CBR 250R with ABS. Can be safely called a Sports Tourer, I guess. Of course if you were going to book Bull 500 EFI, you surely would not mind the price of CBR 250R with ABS.
@Yogesh: Enjoy! I’ve been reading good things about the Pulsar 180. It looks like a good performance bike in general and for India in particular. There’s not much need for more hp unless you’re planning on hauling a lot of weight (me on the pillion, for example!) if you live in a very hilly area. So it’s a matter of each biker finding the right blend of taste, affordability and practicality. BTW, I haven’t been around India since 1996, so the Pulsars weren’t even on the road yet. Man, I am getting too old. But I need to come back and visit–you have a great country, my friends!
@Anand: I agre with Anupam. The CBR250 is a sure winner. Follow your heart–either way, may you be as happy with your bike as I have been with mine!
Interesting article. However, if we keep the “minority ego issues” part aside, RE bikes do offer lot of functional benefits – The new models are much more reliable than older models, Riding comfort & stability are unparalleled, the 350cc+ power is just optimum for tackling the rough Himalayan terrain….
Afa the thirstier point is concerned (“and on top of it, they are thirstier”), that goes without saying for any 500cc+ touring bike (be it RE or even Harley Davidson). Do you know how thirsty a Karizma is?
Reliability is purely a factor of how well maintained a bike is + how experienced the rider is. So stereotyping RE bikes (esp the new models) as unreliable is not fair.
Each bike (and its rider) has its own pros and cons. It’s just that the rider needs to find a bike that matches his unique expectations. RE definitely does not meet the Yageshs expectations (as evident from the article. Quite fair actually.) However, many like me are incapable of seeing beyond RE Bullet simply because, we feel that Bullets are a perfect match for us.
“To each its own” Happy Riding folks!
@ yogesh….. i loved all ur articles and comments..
@deepak,,, loved ur comments…..n i just cant hold my laughs @ place where u say…
“starting a bullet is like kicking a donkey to wake him up”
what i can say is …
“I would never buy a Royal Enfield Bullet!”
lol.. i don know whether yogesh is realising it or not.. but indirectly he’s advertising the brand royal enfield. its called negative publicity… i mean if u search pulsar or hero honda u’ll never find blogs where they discuss about that brand with such emotional conviction… i mean mostly ppl don really care…. but when it comes to royal enfield.. all of a sudden ppl are gettin all emotional… some ppl luv the brand and r die hard fans.. and others die hard haters and both debatin against each other…. I FEEEL THAT’S THE REAL CHARM OF A ROYAL ENFIELD.. LOL …. u gotta have certain feelin towards a royal enfield.. u just can’t feel nothin about the bike.. THIS VERY BLOG ITSELF IS THE BEST EXAMPLE… EVEN IF THE FEELIN IS OUT OF HATRED TOWARDS THE BRAND..
… anyways…. keep thumping all my friends…
If you want, I can help Royal Enfield even more by writing another blogpost
lol…
lol, I doubt chotu mechanic would be advertising on the web to get clients.
hi, bro, I think ur stupid
ur comment Royal Enfield Motorcycles aren’t reliable: above 50 yrs why people die for it….. why people caring this machine more than family…why people dare to achieve long drive……. etc etc
ur comment Royal Enfields don’t have good range: well with 15 lt tank u can go above 500 kms, this is decent enough, this is bad for ur health to travel more than 500kms …… if u want bigger tank u can fit 25 lts tank……….
ur comment Royal Enfields are heavy: this is the one of the vital point why re is so famous…. because with its weight it is much stable on the road and once u ride on it, u will never feel the weight………
ur comment Egoistic Bullet riders: emmmmmmmm bullet riders r more confident than other riders…..becoz they know the capacity of their machine and its fair that confidence often turn into ego…..
@ajit why r u being so emotional…. take it chill. Bullet riders are suppose to be mature and show maturity and not cry and yell like teenage kids… A true biker attitude(be it any bike) is not bothering about nything pppl say and livin ur lyfe the way u want it…. nd here u r trying to prove ur point… i say instead of wasting ur time chit chattin y don u hit the road .. nd keep ridin… (nd i’m hoping u do go out for long rides) …
hi bruden, I m mature enough, I hadn’t commented ur comments, but u enter ur nose with my comment, thats the prove who is mature, who is teenage kids…
yah hights of maturity …” ur comment Egoistic Bullet riders: emmmmmmmm bullet riders r more confident than other riders…..becoz they know the capacity of their machine and its fair that confidence often turn into ego…..” …. lol …
Goin by ur comment… it is only fair for a harley rider to look down on a bullet ?? .. coz they know the capacity of their machine..
Come on bro… ..
Now even i disagree with yogesh in certain aspects.. but that doesn’t mean that whateve he’s sayin is stupid… that’s just plain kiddish….. i’m a bullet rider.. nd previously i’ve owned a pulsar… nd i sure like ma bullet better than ma pulsar… but that’s just personal .. that doesn’t make a pulsar any less of a bike…. nd i’ve done my share of long trips on my pulsar as well..
Ajith if it makes u happy .. then yah u r very matured and i’m a teenage kid.. just chill … nd enjoy ur ride..
RE bikes are unreliable: I dare to differ. The new generation of Twinsparks can handle speeds of 120 at max for a long duration of time. The breaking-down of the vehicle is very less ( nothing more than a few screws/nuts and bolts and punctures), no overheating either. I own an Thunderbird and I am pretty happy with it. I had a Hero Honda Passion for 8 years and I am not new to riding a bike. Yes, I have to agree here that the old bikes have a high resale value and that is purely because of the Vintage feel. Those bikes give a high thump but are seriously not the avg-high speed, long distance material. Absolutely not! People having old RE should reconsider their thoughts. It isn’t about a 5 year old crap or a 50 year old shit. An old bike can never beat the gen-next bikes with advanced engines, IC controlled fuel consumption or the light weight high performance engines.
RE not for a long range: Here too I agree to what he has said, but for the Cast Iron Engines only. They are fuel guzzlers and were once having huge tanks during their prime. Now there are other bikes which produce higher power on a less heavier engine and a lighter bike which the Cast Irons cant beat. But the AVL and the Twinspark engines are at par with the new age engines like the Pulsar or Karizma. The mileage is good too, arguably better.
RE bikes are heavy: I agree, hands down. The Old Cast Irons and even the new Twinspark STD are very heavy. I wonder why the RE guys still keep the new STD all metal. The fusions, like Thunderbird, Classic and the Electra have considerable fiber parts here and there and that is why they are comparatively lighter than the STD which has been kept there to have the same feel like the old RE bikes. Weight is an issue with RE, but I think the new age bikes except the STD are just fine. I always pray that the bike shouldn’t get a puncture anywhere. I’ve no fear of the Break-downs, but the fear of a puncture is always there.
Egoistic Bullet Riders: I’ve met them, and for them RE are the best bikes in the world. All other bikes are mosquitoes/plastic bikes for them. Such people are plain stupids and have closed their doors towards sense. A pulsar or a Karizma can easily beat RE in terms of speed. A lighter weight, high power bike can easily beat RE while climbing hilly stretches. There are these egoistic people in our Bullet club, and I sincerely hate them for being so egoistic. I definitely am a Bullet guy and I will choose my Bullet over all these bikes. This doesn’t mean that I tell my friend that his bike isn’t worth it. A bullet is my choice. His choice may be a faster bike, or a lighter bike, or a bike with a better mileage, or a lighter one because he doesn’t want a heavy bike, or a much stylish gen-next bike. Its his choice and I don’t have any right to say that his bike is plastic. They say that a bullet teaches patience and maturity. But there are people who own a bullet just for the sake of having a 350 cc punching under their ass and think that they become Gods. Being a bullet rider myself, and being a member of a bullet club, I sincerely hate people who are egoistic and think that Bullets are the best thing to happen to the world of motorcycling.
A bike is like “personality” you either like it or dislike it. I see no point in comparing two different personalities.
with all due respect i disagree with pankaj.. not all bikes got personality.. sometimes the rider gives bike its personality…
But there are certain bikes which has got its distinct personality and this time the rider is influenced by the bikes personality.. such bikes are cult bikes…. THe way i see it the jap bikes lack in this aspect.. there are few exceptions though..
Again its just my opinion…
Royal Enfields are heavy… so what..? then wt abt harley davidson and other cruicr bikes..? you dont have to carry the vehicle, just ride it n feel it. dont be foolish my frnd..
Yogesh Sarkar on October 29th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
My Pulsar is 8 and a half year old, still in great condition and manages to hit 110+, whenever I wish. Now Jitz, which model of Enfield you ride and how long have you owned it?
hey Yogesh, my bullet is 54 year old,1958 model. still it goes like a bullet..great condition..Im sure it coverd more than 10 or 15 lakhs km..
i have just completed 2.5 years of reading from 2009 – 2011 in the last 6 hours or so… and yes… i was reading at a stretch ( my boss is going to kill me )…
such healthy discussions actually lets every rider blow out some steam….
now pretty sure that we all understand each other a lot more now than when we started the blog and comments…
lets all look out for each other on each and every ride…
Ride safe,Ride tomorrow