[jango]

The ride comfort !! period.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by kph

With just one ride no one can feel the bike, will take time. That's my experience...

My mistake - I should clarify that this was not the first time I rode a Bullet. However, it was the first time I rode one immediately after riding an RD - two of us went on a ride and switched bikes midway.

We thought that would be a better way for each person to experience the other bike rather than experience them in isolation. To further clarify, he didnt like the RD either. So we were quits.

[chullan_no1]

well i use a jap bike in singapore n a bull in india... i agree to the fact that jap bikes are faster more user friendly comes with a lot of gadgets what matters to me is the purpose of the bike tht it is build for... i hope everybody knows tht india is a pretty big country with not only juz the city but a lot of villages and other rural areas... Most of the indians lives in those rural areas... i doubt how many of those jap bikes would withstand tht bumpy and uneven rural roads...

if u want to compare a bull with other bikes take it to the highways for a long trip together with anyother indian bike n u would really feel the difference... next u take the same bikes to a mountain trip... i could assure tht the current best (other) bikes have to be stopped on the way a few times if not would be heading directly to a garage(bull is built to take what ever things possible on the road)....

regarding the fuel efficiency... i think its juz a childish or lack of knowlegde issue to be disscussed... when ur engine displacement goes higher or ur power goes higher ur fuel efficency will drop... atleast u have to think no pain no gain...

one other mostly discussed topic on bulls are there brakes n gear on the wrong side... well i used to mix my bull n other bikes in our friendly trips n so far in my whole life i never missed my location of brake n gear... i think everybody should remember tht when u learn to ride or drive the very first thing ur instructor will tell is to "ALWAYS REMEMBER THE POSITION OF UR BRAKE"... so cant blame the bike for tht...

i know the engine is a bit noisy, it leaks, the cables snaps... but let me ask you one thing aint other bikes oso have the same problems... dun juz compare the new bikes take a one year old jap bike.. do they give the same sound as what it used to have when u bought it??? does your engine is still leak proof??? cable wise i cant say coz it depends on whether, way of usage n most important are they really original??? i once had a problem with my hero honda's handle... i can move if you apply some force onto it... i went the hero honda dealer n asked him to take a look.. they found tht a black color washer which the handle was fixed was worn out and asked me to change.... they claimed tht it was duplicate n asked me to use only originals... after 3 months the same thing happened again... n i bought tht same washer again n went to a local mechanic...my local mechanic found tht both the so called original which i bought earlier n the current ones are duplicate.... i have to go to another dealer to get the actual original one... so in our country we cant really say tht the dealers will sell the original n in the end the blame goes to bike...


well the attitude is one thing which everybody always complains... this to for me is a bit childish... Is attitude a problem only found in bull riders...i dont think so... all the riders have it i one way or other... but y people always complains abt bull riders the reason is tht everybody even a jap biker looks at a BULLETEER.... so since they are the center of attention y cant they show some attitude...i wonder y i never see people complaining abt those filmstars... dun they juz turn their faces away from their fans sometimes when u was standing n waiting for them for hours???? if u could accept tht y cant u accept a bulleteer???

i think everybody likes those custom bikes... those bikes carries a signature of the rider(or the fabricator)... those bikes are different... coz their owners want it to be different... same is the case with a bull rider... we(or me) want it to be different from others...

kph THANKS for starting this long running fight again...

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[zzzehar]

You feel like a KING on It...

I too am thinking of buying a bull...been riding and testing them for some time now. I took my friends bull to Kasauli and to my surprise - every head would turn at the thump and would smile at the huge royal enfield visor we had in the front. well ! that made the trip worth the fuel we spent on It.

BTW, spares are the cheapest + all metal body makes It even sturdy.

Talking abt fast japanese bikes? I ripped off karizma (assumed to be India's fastest bike) and the max It would do is 130 kmph...and then any speeding truck would shake the bike with just a gust of wind. Tried the same thing with RE Thunderbird (350 cc, AVL Engine) - would easily touch 125 kmph and so well stuck onto the road that even the quake wouldn't shake It.

And, obviously not to miss the riding confort...ZMA gave me sore butts just after 70 km of ride...I once did 400 on a bull without aching a ligament.

[GTO]

You can tell Enfield is only adding fuel to the culture. Check out their fantastic websites:

1. Indian : http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/default.asp

2. USA : http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/

[himanshugoswami]

I used to ride a bullet during my college days. I had the 500 CC version- this was when you could have the 500 in any colour as long as it was grey. The first thing I did was to get the bike repainted in the Machismo color scheme of black and chrome( chrome was Big those days- I am talking 1991!). The bike had its share of quirks (troubles!) but nothing that was fixable in under 50 bucks.
There are 2 things about the bull that are etched in my mind- the BEAT and the TORQUE- being a 500, this beast had 3.5 KGM of torque. My friends and I used to ride regularly from Delhi to Mussoorie /Shimla- at least 4 times a year. There were 2 bullets (the other was a 350) in our group, one RD 350 and 4 yamaha RX100s. On the highway, teh Bullets were in a league of their own and I have never encountered any problem with the Bull on any of these trips apart from occasional punctures. and the moment we hit the hill climbs, the gap was increased even further. My 500 would do the entire climb in 3rd or 4th gear- I kid you not.

For those who are familiar with the Mussoorie climb, there is one particular sharp bent about 10KM before Mussoorie that needs 1st gear in most cars and bikes. I have always taken that bend in 3rd gear on my Bullet.

the torque of this bike is really intoxicating and I just wish the newer 500s came with a 5 speeder to futher exploit the touring potential of this amazing bike.

Some people call it stuck in a time warp- but I think that no one can comment on the pleasure of a bullet unless you have owned one for at least a year and have taken it out for at least one long (read 300km +) ride.

BTW- my bike averaged 25-28 KPL in the city and 32-35 KPL on h/w and had a top whack (Speedo indicated) of 135 KPH.

Alas, I had to sell of this beauty after my cousing had a nasty crash on the bike which resulted in the frame getting twisted beyond repair- he lost control of the bike on a hilly bend and got thrown off the bike- the bike fell down about 50 feet :(

[Boom Shiva]

I don't think you can compare Bullets with Harleys, even though Enfield is trying really hard to wannabe them. Heck they're even naming giving their bikes the same names - does Electra ring a bell?

Harleys became popular because of the whole rebel image. Bullets became popular because farmers, havaldars and milkmen like them. It's only recently that they've become "cool" because their new models are trying hard to look like Harleys at 1/10th the price.

Also Harleys have the big engine blocks to carry off the whole cruiser look and feel. 350 cc is half a cruiser.

Didn't mean to tick anyone off, but I really like Harleys.

[yogesh sarkar]

Originally Posted by chullan_no1

well i use a jap bike in singapore n a bull in india... i agree to the fact that jap bikes are faster more user friendly comes with a lot of gadgets what matters to me is the purpose of the bike tht it is build for... i hope everybody knows tht india is a pretty big country with not only juz the city but a lot of villages and other rural areas... Most of the indians lives in those rural areas... i doubt how many of those jap bikes would withstand tht bumpy and uneven rural roads...

if u want to compare a bull with other bikes take it to the highways for a long trip together with anyother indian bike n u would really feel the difference... next u take the same bikes to a mountain trip... i could assure tht the current best (other) bikes have to be stopped on the way a few times if not would be heading directly to a garage(bull is built to take what ever things possible on the road)....

let me answer it this way

Pulsar 180 classic 50k kms done, 4 and a half year old, 35 kg luggage 100+kg rider weight, 400kms of this terrain, not to mention 18days 3865kms of hard riding in ladakh solo with zilch problem:

[Samurai]

I have never been much of a biker, but I can still talk about Bullet. That is because 90% of all my biking experience was on Bullet. My uncle has this 1978 Bullet which I first got to ride at 17, my first time on any motorcycle. I had ridden only our 1970 Lambretta until then.

This was 1986 at a remote village in Mandya (Karnataka) district where my uncle was PWD engineer. His jeep driver was put in charge of teaching me the Bullet. First test was to see whether I can lift the bike from horizontal position, which I could. Then look at the voltmeter (?) to make sure it is not at negative. The driver wore the helmet as pillion rider and then asked me to take off, without helmet. Within minutes I was on a minor highway going thug, thug, thug in a relaxed way, until I noticed the speedo showing 80Kmph. I had never ridden that fast before, and on a Bullet it didn't show. Before I could recover from that shock, a Contessa came from the front at lightening speed, and we passed each other probably at a relative speed of 200kmph. Wow! what a rush it was, but the Bullet kept going thug, thug, thug... no affect from the huge cross wind caused by the Contessa. After that I drove that bike many many times, later my cousin took it over, last year it even made it to Leh and Khardungla pass.

One interesting tit-bit, that Contessa belonged to S.M.Krishna (recent CM) and the jeep driver (with helmet) is a cousin of current CM Kumaraswamy.

[abhibh]

Its harley of india. I personally dont like Bullet but its sure is long term bike. It has good top end speed. Pickup is slower than karizma but its beats almost any indian bike on top speed.

Originally Posted by GTO

A very distant parallel. But it is similar to the Harley Davidson craze in the USA, isnt it? There are surely bikes which make more power, handle better, are more comfortable and efficient than the Harley.

But to some....they do not match up to the aura and feel of a Harley.

[sinhsha]

Hi all,
I don't like bullet because it cannot be riden very fast in bends, brakes are poor, don't know when it will not start etc etc..
But after thinking 30 times that's it's I don't have to add a post this thread just forced my soul to write something.
My father had one jawa, one bullet and one RD 350. He is a doctor and used to ride that bullet for 25 years between the hospital and the house 50 km one way without failing one day no matter what rain, thunderstrom, scorthing heat...on that road everybody knew that man and the machines even the robers.
My father get catered around in a skoda octy, or a safari dicor now a days, his active days are gone..matured to sedate old age but he swears nothing in this world gives him that something unexplainable that this bullet had given And he never sold any of his bikes and has asked me that when he will die I should burn that bullet with him. Now you can guess what a bullet can do to you.
Now my part I learned my biking in bullet, I started to ride it solo without my parents' knowledge from the age of 11. I could touch the ground from the seat..had to find a step ..push the bike with help of the neighbour boy get it started on double stand ride and go and same way to stop and buys I had fun with it. In my versatile life I have ridden many many bikes including a hayabusa and now own a harley (used one though) but yes bullet is a bullet. Oh boy I am feeling tears coming out. Nice thread.

[zucchero]

he never sold any of his bikes and has asked me that when he will die i should burn that bullet with him-sinhsha
man, the same goes here.i got a 1976 model which obviously my father bought.many 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers have come and gone.... but this beast remains the same even after 30 years.yes sometimes the bike refuses to start,but when it does the sound is absolute estacy.
and what rd 350 are we talking about?do you find them on the road?if the bike was so good then why do they dont make it.read an article in auto india that the enfield is 1 year older than the harleys!!!.that makes to 102-103 years old.man can you believe it 103 years old and still going on so strong.
its simple for the bullets either you love it or hate it but you cant AVOID it.the first bike i ever rode is an enfield and the last one will also be an enfield.i know i am going to crave for the same thing(when i die burn this beast with me) bcoz the way this darling is going i am sure this will serve me for another 30 years to come!!!!!!.
a friend of mine owns both the rd 350 and the bullet.as far as i remember i have hardly seen him riding his rd 350 bcoz it hardly runs!!!!.thers no mechanic,fuel efficiency 0.he got so frustrated that he went ahead and bought a bullet.daily commutes from faridabad to delhi on his bullet.
bulleteers dont take it as a bike or A NON-LIVING 'OBJECT'.it is sumthing absolute living,and a baby for me(my 1976)
before settling down in faridabad we used to live in orissa(rourkela).whenever any friend of mine calls me up the one QUESTION they allways ask is "so hows your BULLET?" no matter who they are a bulleteer or a non-bulleter
i think now its time to take out me hankerchief and wipe my TEARS!!.see what this 30 year old JUNK METAL THING has done .man please dont start this thread again.do you like to see some of your brothers(team bhpian)cry out of estacy.
if i offended anyone by my views then i am really SORRRRY.this is just my manifestation for this living baby of mines.thats it

[the_trooper]

Originally Posted by zucchero

he never sold any of his bikes and has asked me that when he will die i should burn that bullet with him-sinhsha
man, the same goes here.i got a 1976 model which obviously my father bought.many 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers have come and gone.... but this beast remains the same even after 30 years.yes sometimes the bike refuses to start,but when it does the sound is absolute estacy.
and what rd 350 are we talking about?do you find them on the road?if the bike was so good then why do they dont make it.read an article in auto india that the enfield is 1 year older than the harleys!!!.that makes to 102-103 years old.man can you believe it 103 years old and still going on so strong.
its simple for the bullets either you love it or hate it but you cant AVOID it.the first bike i ever rode is an enfield and the last one will also be an enfield.i know i am going to crave for the same thing(when i die burn this beast with me) bcoz the way this darling is going i am sure this will serve me for another 30 years to come!!!!!!.
a friend of mine owns both the rd 350 and the bullet.as far as i remember i have hardly seen him riding his rd 350 bcoz it hardly runs!!!!.thers no mechanic,fuel efficiency 0.he got so frustrated that he went ahead and bought a bullet.daily commutes from faridabad to delhi on his bullet.
bulleteers dont take it as a bike or A NON-LIVING 'OBJECT'.it is sumthing absolute living,and a baby for me(my 1976)
before settling down in faridabad we used to live in orissa(rourkela).whenever any friend of mine calls me up the one QUESTION they allways ask is "so hows your BULLET?" no matter who they are a bulleteer or a non-bulleter
i think now its time to take out me hankerchief and wipe my TEARS!!.see what this 30 year old JUNK METAL THING has done .man please dont start this thread again.do you like to see some of your brothers(team bhpian)cry out of estacy.
if i offended anyone by my views then i am really SORRRRY.this is just my manifestation for this living baby of mines.thats it

I had decided to steer clear of this thread coz these topics are always mega sensitive and leave a lot of egos bruised. but now i have to respond.

U've expressed ur love for one bike, but clearly, there is absolutely no need to bash another machine.

I personally think the bullet is a piece of **** (even though i ride one, and save me the crap about a Thunderbird not being a Bullet).
Hurts dosent it. Well, that is not my intention. It is just to tell you that owning or havng the bullet experince dosent give anyone the right to act like god's gifts.

As to ur question of why u dont see too many RD350s around. It's coz enthusiasts like me are preserving them and savouring them from time to time, keeping them away from the eyes of ignorant fools who live under a cloud of thier own.

Trust me, if there was a more modern 300cc+ bike , with over head cams, in the market today, the bullet would have never had so many people taking to it.

It's an old classic and has a charm of its own. Inspite of its many advantages, the bullet has many a shortcoming too. Dont insult it or any other bike by comparing chalk and cheese. the bullet is in a class of its own.

It lets u ride tall and proud. Sure the sound makes u feel good and the vibrations keep thelady happy, but that is no reason to compare it with an RD or a Pulsar. There arent too many bullets out there which are trouble free either (in spite of spares being available in the open market), so take a reality check.

Now, if i went ahead and said "what bullet? if the bullet was such a good bike, why is not selling in numbers? why is eicher selling off the motorcycle division?" .

Please think before you post something. If u let ur emotions do the typing, then they will have to take the brunt of it. If u cannot respect a machine for what it is/was meant to be, u are never a true automobile afficianado.

[zucchero]

bro you got me all wrong!!!!.if i hurted you in anyways then i am sorry,but please dont get me wrong.
i suppose you havent read the last lines.just go through it again my bro.
as for the respect ,if the machine is worth then it will get it.no need to preserve it from TIME TO TIME

[zucchero]

if there was a modern 300cc+bike,with overhead cams the bullet would have never had so many takers-the trooper

bro which one would be better on the OPEN ROADS a 350cc pushroad or a 350cc ovc?