[aviator1101]

Test Ride of The New Royal Enfield Bullet 350 : Part 1

Finally got to take a test ride of the new Bullet 350. Thanks to the dealer, I was one of the first few to get a test ride of this newly launched machine, that too at home.

The test ride bike available was coincidentally the colour which I admire the most : the Standard Maroon.



Before the test ride, I did a small walkaround of the bike. Sharing few pics for benefit of others interested.

Its the same Classic 350 reborn, albeit with new colour schemes and few subtle changes typical of the Standard Bullet


The tank badge and pinstripes remind of the Original Standard Bullet


The took box monogram looks pretty neat


The bike now flaunts the J Series Engine with the faux battery box (left side)


The faux rectangular air filter box (right side)


The boxy design of the rear fender/mudguard and matching mudguard stays. Notice the cleverly made design of the mudguard stays on the right side which can double up as saddle stays.


On the left, the saree guard does the dual duty.


The headlight set up is an all Halogen affair


The headlamp nascelle design remains the same with the tiger lamps on either side.


No LED for the front indicators


No LED at the rear also


The heel shifter will not be liked by old school Bulleteers, though it will keep your shoes tidy and clean. The spring loaded wide and flat rider footpegs are a nice practical touch.


Open the right side tool box with the key and you have access to the battery, the tool kit and the fuse box


The left side tool box contains the air filter. The plastic cover has a slot for keeping essential documents.


Remove the plastic cover and the intake of the air filter is visible.


The familiar cockpit. Tripper navigation is an optional accessory and the tiny MID has sufficient information for a Bullet. Scroll through the menu using the toggle switch and you see various information.


Time (was not set on the demo bike)


Odometer reading. This bike had clocked only about 80.9 kms


Trip 1


Trip 2


Trip F, ie distance travelled with fuel in reserve (low level light on)


Switchgear is same as the Classic reborn. Left side rotary switch has high beam, low beam and pass switch integrated and push cancel type indicator switch below it. Horn switch is further below and menu toggle button in the front. I was somehow not comfortable with the position of the pass switch and the horn switch, and had to shift the entire grip to operate either. Non adjustable clutch lever is surpirsingly light for by Bullet standards.


Right side rotary switch integrates the engine kill switch and starter switch and the hazard light button below it.


Both the side stand and the centre stand are standard fitments. the rubber stud integrated on the centre stand is a nice touch.


The horn though a single piece is loud enough for busy traffic conditions.


No cover for the brake fluid reservoir.

Continued......

[aviator1101]

Test Ride of The New Royal Enfield Bullet 350 : Part 2

Sharing few more pics of the Bullet 350


The new Bullet is now E20 fuel compatible.


The fuel filler cap is spring loaded.


The tank inner coating seems durable as compared to older REs. Notice the drain hole for water and spillage.


The rear shockers are 5-step adjustable (though a tool is required)


The sight glass is on the right behind the brake lever. It is showing empty because the bike is tilted to the left whilst on side stand.


Single spark plug set-up on the J series engine unlike the UCE.


The O2 sensor, notice how the cacles and wiring is cluttered below the tank. Typical of RE.


The fit and finish standards of the engine are quite high, though don't look for Triumph-like quality.


This should give you a rough idea of real-world ground clearance


The seat is a big plus point of this bike. Its a one piece seat, wide and plush with thick cushioning which should keep you comfortable on long rides
The rear grab handle is just about ok, though you get a rear back rest as an accessory.


The brake pedal and spring loaded rider footpegs (either side) are nicely finished with rubber and don't look out of place.


The spring loaded pillion footrest is wide, flat and comfortable to use.


Helmet lock cum grab handle to move the bike around in parkings, or mounting and dismounting from centre stand is a practical part.
Also notice, how the new seat is redesigned to cover all the ugly gaps found in older bullets and looks neatly integrated into the bike.


Im 5 feet 9 inches and could comfortably flat foot either side.


Notice how the riding posture is upright. The handlebars seemed taller than the Classic and closer to the rider. Overall, very relaxed and welcoming, clicked for me.


Made the showroom representative sit behind me just to give an idea about the sitting posture of the pillion. Seems comfortable for both and should not be an issue on long rides as well.

Now for the ride experience

Took a ride of almost 30 kms with a mix of good roads, kutcha roads and very bad roads with potholes and speed breakers.

Pros

• Totally relaxed riding position, very much like a Bullet. RE has recreated the magic, at least worked for me (riding bullets for last 28 years)
• Good brakes, especially the front brake had good bite.
• The suspension set-up was fantastic when plying on good, kutcha and moderately bad roads. it soaked up all the bumps and potholes with ease with very little filtering to the rider's back.
• The torquey nature of the engine. It had ample torque at the low and mid range.
• The superbly comfortable seat. If I rate the Interceptor 650 seat as 4 out of 10, I'll rate this as 8.
• Negligible vibrations at speeds upto 70-75 kmph.
• Adequate ground clearance, didn't scrape even the wildest of speedbreakers.

Cons

• Vibrations creeping in at around 80 kmph through footpegs.
• The switchgear, especially the rotary switches, are not ergonomically designed. One has to shift grip to press the horn button and operate the pass switch.
• No LED lights, which are available on much cheaper bikes
• The MID is too tiny to be able to read on the move.
• Wiring and cabling is cluttered at places and could have been fastened together better even at a FNG.
• No alloys on offer as of now.
• The bike seems to run out of breath at aroung 90. Maybe a completely new bike, so benefit of doubt given.

None of the cons are deal-breakers though.

Remains to see how it eats into the sales of the Classic Reborn.

[Sam800]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

Test Ride of The New Royal Enfield Bullet 350 : Part 2

[*]No halogen lights, which are available on much cheaper bikes

Sir did you mean no LED lights? Because every light in this bike is halogen

[2wheelsvaga]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

Test Ride of The New Royal Enfield Bullet 350 : Part 2

Now for the ride experience

Took a ride of almost 30 kms with a mix of good roads, kutcha roads and very bad roads with potholes and speed breakers.

Pros

• Totally relaxed riding position, very much like a Bullet. RE has recreated the magic, at least worked for me (riding bullets for last 28 years)
• Good brakes, especially the front brake had good bite.
• The suspension set-up was fantastic when plying on good, kutcha and moderately bad roads. it soaked up all the bumps and potholes with ease with very little filtering to the rider's back.
• The torquey nature of the engine. It had ample torque at the low and mid range.
• The superbly comfortable seat. If I rate the Interceptor 650 seat as 4 out of 10, I'll rate this as 8.
• Negligible vibrations at speeds upto 70-75 kmph.
• Adequate ground clearance, didn't scrape even the wildest of speedbreakers.

Cons

• Vibrations creeping in at around 80 kmph through footpegs.
• The switchgear, especially the rotary switches, are not ergonomically designed. One has to shift grip to press the horn button and operate the pass switch.
• No halogen lights, which are available on much cheaper bikes
• The MID is too tiny to be able to read on the move.
• Wiring and cabling is cluttered at places and could have been fastened together better even at a FNG.
• No alloys on offer as of now.
• The bike seems to run out of breath at aroung 90. Maybe a completely new bike, so benefit of doubt given.

Thanks for this short review and the pictures. The maroon colour certainly looks interesting, and I am keen to see it in person.

Did you get a chance to look through the user manual? I am noticing something unusual. Even though the prices are announced, the RE website still doesn't provide the specifications of the bike or the user manual.

Strangely, there is a FAQ section, where you can see the kerb weight (why only this, one wonders) and its specified as 185 kg! This is a full 10 kg lighter than the Classic 350. All reviewers are repeatedly saying that everything is the same between the Classic and Bullet, and yet there is this major difference.

I also had a question about how to remove the saree guard. From what I can make out from pictures the saree guard will have to be cut out, as it seems to be part of the iron supports that hold up the rear mudguard. Any ideas?

Did you also get a chance to enquire about alloy wheels? I am not sure why they won't give this as option for factory fitted new bikes.

I assume getting aftermarket wheels will be a bit expensive.

Thanks!

[Majumdarda]

Thank you for sharing a detailed analysis of this motorcycle, though I wonder what type of RE premiering was that? The show started late and after a few reels it just directly leapt to the prices. As I was wondering if Sid rode this Bullet for its inauguration, I realized that those footage are with the "influencers!".

Anyways, I heard someone saying that there is a USB charger too! I am not sure, but is that available only on the top variant?

The seats look plushy and I wonder if I can fix them on my Standard. The rear section seems to have adequate width for a more comfortable ride.

[Baristyro]

Originally Posted by 2wheelsvaga

Strangely, there is a FAQ section, where you can see the kerb weight (why only this, one wonders) and its specified as 185 kg! This is a full 10 kg lighter than the Classic 350. All reviewers are repeatedly saying that everything is the same between the Classic and Bullet, and yet there is this major difference.

Wonderful spot! I couldn't help but crosscheck this and it is indeed true. Wonder if this is a typo by RE or the weight difference is actually real?! Attaching screenshots below for reference.

[2wheelsvaga]

Originally Posted by Baristyro

Wonderful spot! I couldn't help but crosscheck this and it is indeed true. Wonder if this is a typo by RE or the weight difference is actually real?! Attaching screenshots below for reference.

Thanks! I am almost set on getting the Bullet 350, so I was digging in more and saw this. This still doesn't explain the mystery of the missing specs page on the website. Of course, it's still too early to expect them to put up the user manual.

But if the weight is correct, then it's a pretty big deal for for me, and I will go ahead and make the booking once I TD it.

It could well be true, but I couldn't say for sure as I have not been able to figure out what accounts for the significant weight increases of the Classic 350 over previous years' bullet models. With the Bullet 350 there is the shorter "cutoff" rear mudguard which must have saved some weight. But I am not sure what else it can be. Are spoke wheels much lighter than alloys? Perhaps that could be one factor too.

[helios9406]

Thanks for sharing the test drive experience.

The photographs have made it look more like a review, and an adequately detailed one at that.

The classic now looks more like a bullet 500 rebadged.

The old colouring/ sticker work on tank is gone.

Twin spark plugs are gone.

Oval faux air filter is gone.

And the classic split seat is gone.

Now this looks very much like a standard bullet, redesigned to be modern.

The seats look extremely comfortable and from my Electra ownership, i can tell with eyes closed that it's going to be good to ride them long.

The switch gears look quite cute and I'm almost tempted to change the ones in my current bull.

The experience is only when we ride one. That too a long ride.

[Apex1815]

Thank you for your detailed and informative review on the Test Drive.

I am 5' 6" and currently ride Bajaj Avenger 220 Street since the year 2015 for my Office commute in Bangalore. Now seeing the launch of new Bullet 350 , I am also one of the aspirant of this motorcycle. But I am doubtful whether this Motorcycle is OK for a person of my height.

You have owned Bullets since very long. Please guide me if this motorcycle is the one I can go for. My Daily usage is 16 kms in city traffic.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by Apex1815

Thank you for your detailed and informative review on the Test Drive.

I am 5' 6" and currently ride Bajaj Avenger 220 Street since the year 2015 for my Office commute in Bangalore. Now seeing the launch of new Bullet 350 , I am also one of the aspirant of this motorcycle. But I am doubtful whether this Motorcycle is OK for a person of my height.

You have owned Bullets since very long. Please guide me if this motorcycle is the one I can go for. My Daily usage is 16 kms in city traffic.

5'6" is decent for the Bullet. And if you still are worried, Royal Enfield has a low ride dual seat available as well, which should suit your needs well. Personally for city commute, I prefer neutral or slightly rear-set footrests. Forward foot controls, as on the Avenger, are a pain IMO in daily city traffic.

https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/g...seat-kxa00053/

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by 2wheelsvaga

I also had a question about how to remove the saree guard. From what I can make out from pictures the saree guard will have to be cut out, as it seems to be part of the iron supports that hold up the rear mudguard. Any ideas?

Top end of saree guard is behind suspension bolt and bottom end is behind rear footpeg. I don't think it's welded onto rear mudguard.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by Apex1815

I am 5' 6" and currently ride Bajaj Avenger 220 Street.
Please guide me if this motorcycle is the one I can go for. My Daily usage is 16 kms in city traffic.

I'm 5'9" and if you see the pics on my post, I'm not only able to flat foot both sides, but also slightly bend the knee. So at 5'6", you should be decently comfortable. And with the low ride seat option as Gordon brought out, the seat height will be just about 785mm.

But then there are other factors like inseam length, leg length which varies from person to person. Best option is to take a test ride and check how comfortable you are with the bike.

[HillMan]

Originally Posted by Baristyro

Wonderful spot! I couldn't help but crosscheck this and it is indeed true. Wonder if this is a typo by RE or the weight difference is actually real?! Attaching screenshots below for reference.

That's interesting. 10kgs is a very big difference, provide both bikes share the same platform and design language. Hope they did not cut cost on the thickness of metal. I've already booked it.

[HillMan]

Hey,
I'm planning to include the least minimum accessories.
Is it worth to buy the extended warranty and the Maestro 5yrs cover? What do you guys recommend?
This is the total cost for the New Bullet standard black in Bangalore.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Hey,
I'm planning to include the least minimum accessories.
Is it worth to buy the extended warranty and the Maestro 5yrs cover? What do you guys recommend?

The seat covers don't look nice on such a gorgeous seat as the fitting never comes as good as the original. Go for a silver sump guard rather than a black one, which is prone to scratches which you won't see on the natural coloured silver one. Extended warranty and 5 years coverage is better to be avoided too.

Cheers...