[hvishwanathan]

Guys I am sharing my ownership experience with my prized posession. A bike which is older than me in age

Somewhere last year in the month of June a college friend of mine and me were travelling by local train from Churchgate towards Borivali. We were casually chatting and I dont know how but we happened to start discussing about Harleys being available in India and how the bike reflects ones personality. Since we didnt have much funds to set aside and buy one of those beauties, we decided we will save enough money and buy a harley for sure - This being our dream bike. Since both of us arent much of a sports bike lover, we need some bike which we could use for some long trips by road.

But what is the stop gap arrangement ? Do we buy some other cruiser bike ? if yes then which one ? Do we buy a new one or a used bike ? All these questions came up

We were still in the train and reached dadar station. I thought why not casually browse through our team bhp classified section. While going thru, I found a 2006 thunderbird listed and the guy was at Kalina. I didnt want a thunderbird and my mind was set to buy a standard 350 or 500. My friend is over 6feet in height and has a good built and TB was the bike he wanted. So without wasting any time we got down at vileparle and went straight to see the bike.

First look at the bike and one test ride was enough to make up our mind that we would buy this if we get is at a fair price. The guy wanted to part with this bike because it was his younger brothers bike and it wasnt being used much. We gave him an offer which he said he will discuss it with his brother and come back to us. The next day I get a call in the afternoon from this guy saying he is ok with the price and we can collect the bike when ever we want once the transaction is done. That very day in the evening we paid him the entire amount and took the bikes delivery. Over the week end he got the bike serviced, changed all the fluids and some minor break settings were done and it was as good as new.

Over the weekend I was thinking and finding out from various websites and second hand dealers on used standard bullets. Hours passed into days, days passed into weeks and weeks into months but not one good bike did I find. I was getting dejected and it was very obvious from my face

Once fine evening when I was speaking to a friend of mine, I happened to ask him if he knew anyone who would want to sell their bullet. He said there is a bike which happens to be his dad's friends bike which has been standing below his building for over 5 years. It has been there ever since the owner left for Singapore and gave away his ride to his dad. My friends dad used to start the bike occasionally but then due to other commitments, he never got time to maintain this bike. I asked him if i could come over that weekend and have a look at the bike. Spoke to my mechanic and took him along to see this bike

Sunday morning at around 10:00 am we went to his place and we see the bike standing in the open fully rusted and in a very bad shape. I asked my mechanic to check and looked at him if I should really go in for this one. Without any hesitation he said I should pick this up and he is confident that once restored it would perform like a new bike. Saw the papers and got to know this was a standard 350, military disposal bike purchased in 1996 by the previous owner.

Since the bike was not in a running condition, we had to hire a mini tempo. Took a written declaration from uncle and other bike documents and we left.

Once we reached the mechanics shop and unloaded the bike, there were some customers at the garage who had a look at the bike and asked me why had I picked up such an old and corroded bike. They were not sure if the bike could be restored back to its original beauty. This was the question in my mind too. We started dismantling the bike part by part and by evening the whole frame and all the parts including the engine was taken apart. My mechanic said it would take him 3-4 days to work on the engine. We sat and made a list of what parts need to be replaced and which parts would be restored. Over the next week end I got all the parts needed from Bombay central market. The frame, fenders, tool boxes etc which were to be painted were given to the painter. It took us exactly 2 days to assemble the bike back once we had all the parts ready with us. My wife was frustrated because I spent more time at the workshop than I spent at home. But She supported me all thru and even helped me select the bike color.

I am attaching some pictures of the bike before and after restoring it. Hope you guys love it.

[bulletboy76]

The bike in new avatar looks stunning! The restoration job is done pretty neatly; liked the new paint too. How much did the restoration cost you?

[kaka46]

Excellent restoration job. The bike looks fantastic. Enjoy riding and do post and ownership experience . Very difficult to believe that this is not a brand new bike. If you don;t mind can you share the details of how much the entire restoration cost you ?

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by bulletboy76

The bike in new avatar looks stunning! The restoration job is done pretty neatly; liked the new paint too. How much did the restoration cost you?

The restoration along with parts and complete paint job costed me close to 65 thousand

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by hvishwanathan

The restoration along with parts and complete paint job costed me close to 65 thousand

Dear hvishwanathan, I must say that the restoration job looks awesome and I liked your approach of getting it back to the original styling. I've always been a big fan of the wide mudguards of the yesteryears rather than the slim ones that are available now.

Could you PM me the details of your mechanic. My dad has a 86 model Bullet 350 which has been lying unused for a while now and will be due for a makeover once my brother decides to start using it.

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Dear hvishwanathan, I must say that the restoration job looks awesome and I liked your approach of getting it back to the original styling. I've always been a big fan of the wide mudguards of the yesteryears rather than the slim ones that are available now.

Could you PM me the details of your mechanic. My dad has a 86 model Bullet 350 which has been lying unused for a while now and will be due for a makeover once my brother decides to start using it.

Dear Friend,

The mechanic is in Mumbai. He has his workshop at Borivali. I will PM you his details. Thanks again for liking the work done

[aadithsince1980]

Originally Posted by hvishwanathan

The restoration along with parts and complete paint job costed me close to 65 thousand

Beautiful restoration of the legend Hats off. 65kSeems a tad to expensive IMO. Great outcome though!

[dZired]

The Bullet standard looks awesome after restoration. Hats off to you mate for having the courage to buy such an old bike and restoring it to its full glory. The bike would surely attract many eyes on the road. As said by amol, your mechanic has shown great craftsmanship in the process which is clearly evident from the result.
All the Best with the beast.
Take Care and Drive Safe.

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by dZired

The Bullet standard looks awesome after restoration. Hats off to you mate for having the courage to buy such an old bike and restoring it to its full glory. The bike would surely attract many eyes on the road. As said by amol, your mechanic has shown great craftsmanship in the process which is clearly evident from the result.
All the Best with the beast.
Take Care and Drive Safe.

Infact just to share with you, I could get hold of the email address of the previous owner. I sent him a mail with the pictures of the bike before and after restoration and also sent him a thank you note. Guess what I got a reply from him and the next day he called me from Singapore and told me that he could not believe his eyes and had tears in his eyes after seeing the restored pics. He never did imagine that someone would maintain it so well . He told me that before leaving for singapore he had the bike with him for a couple of years and had maintained it so well that everyone in the colony he stayed in dombivali knew him only because he had a well maintained shiny bullet

[deutscheafrikar]

hvishwanathan,
Congrats on bike, and the good job. Looks great. Where did you get these front and rear seat from? And do you remember what the price of each?
Cheers

Originally Posted by hvishwanathan

Guys I am sharing my ownership experience with my prized posession. A bike which is older than me in age I am attaching some pictures of the bike before and after restoring it. Hope you guys love it.

[(Alok)]

The bike looks good. Paint & chrome work has been done nice.

Do you have pictures during work done? If possible please post the list of parts replaced, worked out.

On what ignition system bike is running, CDI or CB?

As the front fork is not of Std 350, how the balance is?
Do you have any issue in which mechanic says “bhai sahib abhi to chalao, service me theek kar denge.”

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by deutscheafrikar

hvishwanathan,
Congrats on bike, and the good job. Looks great. Where did you get these front and rear seat from? And do you remember what the price of each?
Cheers

@deutscheafrikar: I got the seat bottom metal fabricated locally and the foam and seat covers done from borivali itself. in case you need the contact I will let you know. I think I paid around 2800/- in total

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by (Alok)

The bike looks good. Paint & chrome work has been done nice.

Do you have pictures during work done? If possible please post the list of parts replaced, worked out.

On what ignition system bike is running, CDI or CB?

As the front fork is not of Std 350, how the balance is?
Do you have any issue in which mechanic says "bhai sahib abhi to chalao, service me theek kar denge."

Dear Alok,

Have replaced a lot of parts and can't write down what all has been replaced. It is running on a point system not cdi. The front forks are very much of std 350. And no problems till date I recollect that my mechanic had pushed me saying service main ho jayega

[davids4x4mm550]

Good stuff man having seen this bike in person i know how good it looks and sound.

What cost did you pick the bike up for? I was offerd a bike in this condtion for 40k

[hvishwanathan]

Originally Posted by davids4x4mm550

Good stuff man having seen this bike in person i know how good it looks and sound.

What cost did you pick the bike up for? I was offerd a bike in this condtion for 40k

Hey David thanks man. Will let you know the cost when we meet in person. I am sure you would be shocked