[umar786]

Man, i knew people love their bullets but guys here absolutely LOVE their bullets.

this is not exactly "Why Enfield" response but rather the story of how a 19 year old college boy who was ignorant of motorbikes came to love RE.

the story is a rather odd one. i never liked motorbikes. it was cars that had fascinated me.

i thought my father would buy me a safari or a modded honda city. it turned out that he would not buy a car. but he said i could buy any bike i wanted.

i really didn't know much about bikes. so, i asked my friends and the unanimous verdict was Pulsar DTSFi. bullet was not even near my radar.

so, i went to the bajaj showroom and they said that they don't deal in dtsfi. you will have to go to the Probiking showroom in Delhi.

since we were already out bike searching, my cousin mentioned that there was a bike called thunderbird you might want to check that out as well. so, we went to the re showroom and right in the centre flanked by bullet 350 on the right and the electra on the left stood the two-toned beauty, Thunderbird.

it was love at first sight but i had not yet seen the DTSFi. so, i couldn't make a decision.

after two days, we went to the probiking showroom in delhi. the dtsfi looked like a pulsar 200 with a karizma style head. nothing fantastic. i asked for a test ride.

i was led to a glass room, inside there was a pulsar 200 and dtsfi. both were on rolling roads tied to the ground. it just didn't make any sense. the salesman said go ahead. i got on to the bike, shifted the gears, revved the engine, stepped on the brake without moving inch. i felt like an complete idiot. but RE still was not definite.

i held long meetings with my friends and relatives about which one i should go for. i realized that anyone above 25 said tb and every young prat was for the dtsfi, including my best friend.

i don't know how but one day it became very clear. the re thunderbird was for me. i went to the showroom made the downpayment for electric start and disc brake version.

then the agonizing wait began and even after 8 days i could get the fuly loaded version. i ended up with a disc brake version no electric start.

and trust me, i don't complain. i love this bike. As simple as that.

[anupmathur]

You'll soon learn the art of kick-starting an RE!
Most of all you will begin to fall in love with it even more if you are a tourer and a lover of the himalayas. Don't forget, you've bought a Classic!

[shivshanker]

Having straddled a plastic bike for over a decade... the Enfield make me feel real good.

The Bullet …nee the Enfield gives one a weird kind of a feeling, For a car enthusiast...the feeling is something like a person driving a M800 is suddenly overwhelmed by driving a Safari.

If you are a "fill it….Shut it" person "forget it", the Enfield I mean. This machine requires tons of patience.

Though I was sold a 26th July submerged bike by the dealer, over a period of time I have fallen in love with the lady. I call her "Jinxie".

The first few hundred Kms, I had full of problems with water seeping out of all corners, plugs shorting etc.

[Sankar]

shivshanker, please use the preview function to view your post & finalise the formatting before you click on submit.

Cheers.

[ajithvpl]

I fell in love with the Bullet and the sound of the Bullet, while I was a kid, sitting on my Uncle's Bullet. Ever since I always wished to own the ride.
I am a proud owner of a 1998 Bullet. I like it for its super comfortable ride, the awesome sound of the bullet.
It is one vehicle I will not sell. I am sure its going to stay with me.

[praveencr85]

Enfield is the main transport for my grand father , my dad , my bro & for me also ..
when i was a child i used to get a ride to school. Dad used give a slight push to the kicker the engine would come to life i always used to wonder how my dad was able to do when i used stand on the kicker Damn the kicker woudnt even come down (i used to jump on it to bring it down ).
I have seen ppl saying (the time when TVS-suzuki launched some bikes for mileage) y on earth u want to to keep this oil bleeder when there were more stylish bikes with gud mileage etc etc. My father used to jst laugh at it ..
Right from my mom to the house owner every one had complaints coz of the bullet , mom was fed up of cleaning the oiled clothes & the house owner pissed of seeing oil in the compound every day morning ..
Even i used to think my dad was an idiot to have this bullet ..Buttttttt everything changed on one fine day during a trip to our native place its near Thali district, tamilnadu.
It was trip of a life time for me (remind u i jst had little experience riding a bullet as my bro used to learn) my father offered me to drive the bullet (i took exactly 10 mins to get it started ) finally we were on the move as i increased the speed the thumping was in sync with my heart beat @ tat moment i felt i was flying ,forgot i was riding a bike (coz it had become a part of my soul) a state of mind got developed & watever i used to think (the way it should behave)the bullet did tat for me ..There i started speaking with the bullet till now i havent stopped it doing tat ...ther is no turning back from there i have been riding a bullet till date ....
Now i am a proud owner of $"RICHIE"$ (thunder bird 2003 red rivera).......4yrs of sheer pleasure , little bit of frustration & he makes me angry @ times tats all.....

[wanderernomad]

My Dad had a bullet when I was born so the day I broached the topic of buying a bike I merely said " I am buying a bullet" and bought it in the summer of 2000. Machismo AVL 350 CC. & years down the line and numerous long journeys over some of the toughest terrains and it still rides like a dream.
You got to own one and ride it through some of the most treacherous terrains to know why you still love your bullet despite the fact that you drip like a waterfall at times when it wont start at all at a traffic light, in the market or better still when you have to push it through 15 kms to find a trye shop to repair your flat tyre.
it may sound weird but an old bullet ad jingle that said " yeh bullet meri jaan , manzilon ka nishan, iski raftar ki baat hai aur hi, lambi rahon pe yeh kya gazab ki chale, faasle teh kare, dooriyan kam kare" and add to it the bill board slogan " Cause men dont play with toys" sums it up.

[ac 427]

now amost a year and half of owning my bike.
she gives me pain every time before starting,
she gives me pain every time i take her to the garage (that is quite often)
she gives me pain coz she drinks so much.

but she gives me boundless pleasure and pride once she is on and purring.
the sound of the thump, the nice feel, the feeling of safety and security, the respect. . . nothing comes close. . .nothing.

in love.
cheers

[mwzd]

I've had a Bullet 350cc for the last 12 years or so.

I ride it all around town (Amchi Mumbai) and it's quite cool. Have had a car since 1988, but the Bullet is where it's at for me. I've been riding a bullet since 1987. First my cousin's bike, which was a mean old b*tch, badly maintained by the navy mechs, kicked the sh*t out of any half hearted attempt to start and a huge backfire when it did. Then my own, since 1995, went straight from the showroom to the fabricator, been with me ever since. It's got a lazy boy handle and a fabricated back seat.

And I have a mechanic who is willing to come to my house, get the tires inflated and the battery charged, every time I bring it out of hiatus, about twice a year, once after four months of monsoons and once after a vacation of 2-3 weeks. I had a major accident on it in the rains - removed the front mudguard and took off on a show off steep turn - so don't ride it in the monsoon.

Which brings us to what the OP is talking about. I think a lot of people have said 'just because', I concur. Even with all the problems it has, it's just a great feeling to have the wind blowing through your hair on a Bullet. My bike doesn't thump though, it's got a well educated growl of a tigress in her prime, don't ask me how I did it, all I can say is that these old machines the engine can be educated to ride the way you want.

And for all the pulsar / karizma / sub250cc / rd350 (shudder - death trap) fans, let's see when you're middle aged or a 100+ kgs, like some of us are and then we'll talk about which bike is better. I, for one, can't seem to get around my stomach to even hold the handles on any of these and their weight spec covers me and about 5 kgs more...

I quite like the fact that its used extensively by milkmen, farmers, policemen, et al. It just means that you can get help anywhere in the country, night or day. And it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain, like some of the 850cc+ bikes in Mumbai, which you can only take to pune and back, by the freeway, go off it and you better have the towing companies number handy.

And it's not just me, have a small kid, who's squeals of joy are to be heard to be believed at the talk of a 'bike ride'.

[renamo]

nice... so the bullet is for people over 100Kg... good one... in effect it does the job of a heavy duty tractor (again commonly used in India) which is = farm equipment

How many would like to be over 100Kg? pls vote

There is a reason bullets are called "enfield oilfields"

There is nothing like some bullet bashing.. I know lots of bullet riders, and all of them take it sportingly.. so be nice and dont start beating me up..

[wanderernomad]

@renamo..Dont worry mate, bash as much as you want the reason we take it sportingly is cause we know half of what you say is true but the other half is pure downright greeny slimy jealousy of not owning one.

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

@renamo..Dont worry mate, bash as much as you want the reason we take it sportingly is cause we know half of what you say is true but the other half is pure downright greeny slimy jealousy of not owning one.

ya when you can convice them . . . confuse them

@renamo peple always will try to pull the bullet down because it is and will always be on top.
its just like that typicla mentality. . .you would like to race with the person you want to beat.
The only thing is nothing can beat a bullet. and hence all this grab talk .

Also 'let the dogs bark, the elephant will never be bothered'.

hope you take this sportingly

cheers.

[renamo]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

@renamo..Dont worry mate, bash as much as you want the reason we take it sportingly is cause we know half of what you say is true but the other half is pure downright greeny slimy jealousy of not owning one.

Nomad, I like this attitude of many bullet riders.. because many of them accepts the bike as it is with all the problems, and are quite OK with different types of comments..

[mwzd]

renamo, no offence taken, just be careful when you ride, all bullet owners in Bangalore are going to get your pic

But seriously, it's true most Bullet owners couldn't care less about what people say about the bike and associated comments.

This is simply because the pleasure of riding one just is so worth it.

[ajithvpl]

Originally Posted by renamo

Nomad, I like this attitude of many bullet riders.. because many of them accepts the bike as it is with all the problems, and are quite OK with different types of comments..

renamo you will never understand the passion of driving a Bullet unless you drive one. It a vehicle which is owned just for the sheer passion of riding a bullet.
Only men who own it will understand that.