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Test rode a 500 Indian built example a few years ago. To my surprise it was a lovely, gentle bike to ride. All I wanted to do was amble about the countryside and soak up the sights, sounds and even smells around me. The brakes were a bit scary, but you just went slower to compensate. No big deal.
I have read a couple of pieces in various mags about people taking on epic journeys on these things and I must say it kind of appeals.My local bike shop (The Motorcycle Mart, Kidderminster), sells them alongside Fireblades and R1’s. Two worlds meeting.
Anybody out there taken the plunge and bought one?
i had a 500 sometime back in india.it’s a simple bike to own and ride,torquey,vibrates at high speeds,good for a cruise,now has a front disc,have heard tht they r upgrading it like the 350 with a left side gear and 5 gears too.
1987 Yamaha RD 350B
In first gear whack the throttle.cross post by a friend and a bullet enthusiast… which I would say is pretty comprehensive about the bullet scene here :
Firstly I hope your dream of touring India on a motorcycle comes true
one day, India is a really beautiful country once you leave the
metropolitan cities aside:).And when I say beautiful , take my word
it IS REALLY BEAUTIFUL:).Now coming to the bikes.
Enfield has been around for a couple of decades now , and has hardly
made any changes to their basic model they had come out with.In our
Bullet community a rider known as Ashwin who is a very learned person
said in an article of his :
“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.”
To read the whole article go to this link :
https://www.royalenfield.com/theride_content.asp?ride_id=453&news_id=Bullets are a very reliable bike to tour the country in.And if you
take proper good care of it this bike would never let you down.
I have just come down from Goa and have also posted the article on it
but did not mention about the foreigners who ride around the city
over there.Goa is flooded with Bullets modified in all kinds of ways
but most of it is cosmetic upgradation the heart aka the engine is
untouched for the simple reason they are more than satisfied with the
power and torque the bullet pumps out.And like Vibhu said in one of
his mails , any road side mechanic could fix your bike without any
hassles.In long rides hardly anything can go wrong and you should
know if anything does go wrong what could it possibly be.
ONce you have decided to come to India and settle for a bike I shall
give you all the problems and the medicine to them which you could
face on the road.Yes it is true that you have to pamper the bike a lot.Like Vibhu said
its a maintenance intensive bike, unlike the Hero Honda’s and other
brands available in the Indian market.Ride Safe
I also test rode a 500 Enfield and it was a really good bike. Trouble was they were asking a lot of money for what seemed like old technology. I guess it is just a different bike at the end of the day and can’t be compared with Jap, Yank and Euro stuff
Like the look and sound of them but never got to try one. Love the thought of going round India on one!
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