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-   -   Enfield Bullet : Classic 350 versus Classic 500 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/103698-enfield-bullet-classic-350-versus-classic-500-a-12.html)

That's a good decision Ann, congratulations ! I am also in the market for a bike and might settle for a RE. Which store did you use, a small initial ownership will be helpful.

^^^ you can try at south delhi motorcycles - near kailash colony metro station. They MAY have something ready for delivery.

I got a white royal enfield helmet - costed 4.8k which is substantially more expensive than studds helmets that can be had for around 1k. I did get a black studds helmet as well for pillion rider though. But I definitely wanted it in white for greater visibility during night rides.
Looking for white/ reflective windcheater/ summer jacket.

Still trying to convince my wife that I can go to office on the bike :)

Ownership experience is good except that it gave me starting trouble early in the morning after its "first night" at my place. I had to use kick start, but by that time my daughter already left to catch her bus. She was quite sad.
Have just seen some other threads on button start giving trouble and use of choke. Honestly, I don't know where is the choke :)

Rest everything is fine. I am owning a bullet after 12-13 years. Earlier I had a ~74 model which I liked very much. I had it for ~6 months on rent. It did have very low mileage - which didn't bother me except once when someone in the office took it for a long ride and I was stranded with no petrol in the tank. I had tank full before he took so never imagined that he had emptied the tank. I was in the middle of the road kicking it like crazy for half an hour before it struck to me that tank COULD be empty. Next day the other guy said he didn't take it too far.
I did have a problem with it couple of times, but I used to leave the bike and the guy who rented it to me would come and collect it.

There seems to be so much variation from bike to bike. I was fortunate enough to get the actual Desert colour and the paint job on my bike seems to be perfect. A friend of mine also has a desert storm and it seems almost green.

Extremely happy that I chose the 500 over the 350. Even in stock, the thump is there in contrast to the 350 which is really flat and not to my liking. I found the 350 to be very average in performance. The torque of the 500 is amazing. Can easily lug me in 3rd gear after going over a speed breaker and I am 6 foot 2 inches tall and easily 95kgs.

Thumpers,
I am a 42 year old of reasonable fitness, 5' 11' 90 Kgs. I have driven a lot of cars but the only motorised 2 wheeler I rode was a Dio a while back. So to be honest, I have never ridden any geared 2 wheeler.

I am tempted to buy myself a Classic. The question is a) Should I succumb to this mid-life crisis and buy myself a Classic or do you think I should get some experience with a 100cc first? b) If I do get myself a Classic, should it be a 350 or a 500?

I will use it mostly in Mumbai city traffic for weekends to let the wind blow the cobwebs off my mind. Don't think I'll ever do something quite as reckless as driving to Goa or Ladakh from Mumbai.

Thanks in advance

First of all, yes you should always immediately give in to any mid-life crisis, or anything that you enjoy and can afford. Why wait?

I was in a similar situation like yourself, although older (55) and taller and a little heavier and never ever having owned or even ridden a motorcycle before I came to India a year and a half ago. I got myself a real classic 350 Bullet. A restored one from 1975. In the first year I've done a little over 5.000 kilometers around Delhi and five or six weekend trips some 500 - 800 kilometers round trip to places such as Lansdown and Alwar.

See here for my experience:

http://www.india.jeroendorrestein.co...new_hobby.html

With hindsight I should have gone for a 500cc rather then 350cc. On the older bikes the difference in power is even more pronounced. So I end up doing a lot more gear changes than riders on a 500cc.

Go for it, you won't regret it.

Jeroen

I know this is an old thread, but just discovered it now, after having some time on both the 500/350's recently:

I'm going to say the 500, so long as you can afford the higher maintenance costs (the crankshafts were problematic, at least early on in the UCE cycle), and bit higher fuel consumption. Either get a used CL500 and do a carb (P220) conversion, or the new 500 standard that comes carb'd from the factory. Spent a little time on two of the converted CL's, and they are just SO much fun (I get back on my lightly modified Impulse, which normally feels reasonably quick, and literally think there must be something wrong with it - "why is there no pickup?"). Vibrations on the 500 UCE are no worse than the 350 UCE, FE is not much worse, and the power / responsiveness are just in a completely different league. FI'd CL500's were sometimes only getting 25-27kmpl (not to mention the Keihin fuel pumps, etc, going bad pretty often at Rs8,500 a pop and misbehaving at high altitude) but the two carb-converted ones I know of are getting 33 and 30kmpl respectively, in continuous hill use and without any real tuning (re-jetting, etc) efforts. Resale value is always going to be reasonably high for the 500's, and rapidly decreasing for the plenteous 350's.

Trouble with the 350 (UCE) is that there are lots of other bikes that are a lot quicker and a lot smoother, and give better FE, for considerably less money. So, unless it's just the classic style you're after, what's the point? The old iron RE350's, for all their quirks and relative thirst, at least had a lot less vibrations and a nicer sound.

-Eric

Hello Jeroen,
I hav ebeen reading your post for a while and really admire that intrinsic quality of yours about putting your best foot forward into everything. I think thats the differentiator and advantage you have.
Apart, just walked into RE Experience center at Saket Select City Mall today and was once again bitten by Bullet Bug for apparently second time(Virtually it runs at back of mind), earlier it was treated with ThunderBird 350 some 10 years back. Great place to admire the RE culture and Test Ride - any and all bikes that you wish and I ended up trying a FEW.
Well Debate about 350 or 500 is a classic in itself, but because my commute on 2 wheelers would be limited to leasure "Gehri" once in a while(say 10 kms a week) and may be once in a year - to those long distant places - wondering if going into route 500 would be prudent??


Regards
Spark

At the end of the day its a personal choice. If and when you might end up riding a bit more, you might regret going for the 500cc. I went for the 350 purely because I was a bit intimidated by the idea to have my very first bike ever as a 500cc right away. Usually i like to go for the best I can afford. Mind you, my Bullet is a forty year old restored one. The current 350cc is already a whole lot better in terms of power output and drivability.
Jetoen

Hi There!

Kindly put me in touch with Mr. Venky

Thanks in advance!