Indian Enfields.

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  • #8200
    Radar
    Moderator

    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?

    #16319
    rajnish
    Participant

    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.

    #16320
    imperialdata
    Keymaster

    That’s quite a big upgrade, a new gearbox design in fact.

    #16321
    diablo
    Participant

    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

    https://www.vibhurishi.com
    https://www.bikenomads.com

    #16322
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    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

    #16323
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Like the look and sound of them but never got to try one. Love the thought of going round India on one!

    #16324
    Radar
    Moderator

    Diablo, thanks for the piece on the Enfield and the interesting links. I do have a definate soft spot for them and one day when the pressures of work and family life subside I would like nothing more than to tour India. The place sounds absolutely beautiful.

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