[BlackStrat]

Rarely have brands been overshadowed by their products. We do have a handful of examples but none of these come close to how “Royal Enfield” was almost never known to the masses in India, but everyone knew “The Bullet”. Ask anyone who owns one these beauties before Eicher Motors turned it around and you will find that everyone, almost everyone owned a “Bullet” and not a “Royal Enfield”. Such is the cult of The Bullet that even today, over 90 years after it commenced production, a Royal Enfield for the uninitiated is still the Bullet. From its iconic straight up stance to the laidback nature of its ride, the Bullet ruled the roost, not in terms of sales numbers, but aspirational value. Back in the day, not everyone could carry off a Bullet. You needed to have a certain physical presence, a certain aura to you to ride that chrome filled thumper. For years, there were bikes and then there were Bullets. Such was the clout that every product, be it the Electra 350, the Machismo, the Thunderbird, was bracketed in one single word, Bullet. Not even Royal Enfield, just the Bullet. Unlike today, where a Royal Enfield is almost everywhere your eyes can glance upon, The Bullet was almost like a mythical creature. If you heard the Thump(as Bullet Loyalists like to call the exhaust note), you would stop in your tracks just to check who was riding the bike. Now, why would someone stop to check a bike you ask, you see, unlike today where the exhausts are a shadow of what they were and the engines have to be designed to take care of pollution norms and decibel levels, the original bikes were made in such a way that you could hear the Thump from a mile away, talk about announcing your arrival !

Recently, Royal Enfield launched the latest version of the iconic Bullet. To put some perspective, the first Bullet was launched in 1932. We are talking about a product which is in its 90s in terms of age but still being produced, and its not just out of nostalgia. Yes, newer, more advanced products have been launched by the brand but the Bullet, in their own words, is their NorthStar. And why wouldn’t it be? it has survived a world war, it has gone to war with the Indian Army, multiple times as a matter of fact. How can you not trust a bike which has gone to war? If that’s not all, it was and still is the preferred mode of transport for bike enthusiasts who wish to conquer Leh and Ladakh in the north and the seven sisters in the north east. 90 years is a long time to stand the test of time, long enough to cement your position in the hearts of your audience. You don’t survive for that long without doing things the right way. You must be wondering what is it the bike does that it has such a cult following, that so many people still want to own “The Bullet”, that so many still see it as the thing to own if you want to make a statement. Simply put, and you will be in for a surprise at the next like, the bike is not perfect. It never had great technology, it never had great styling, the engine oil was prone to leaking, as a matter of fact, it was supposed to be marking its territory when that happened, it was borderline unreliable sometimes but when it was fine and didn’t have any of these minor niggles, it was great at what it did. And what it did was simply munch miles and miles of the highway as if it was nothing. I am talking about the days when you didn’t have great roads to begin with. If you rode a Bullet then the road was at your mercy. You could just swing your foot over and ride it as if there was no tomorrow. Simply put, the simplicity of the product is what won people over. The Japanese made bikes which were almost perfect, so perfect that one could just take it for granted for years and years without bothering about it. The Italians were so flamboyant that only a few of us really fancied them post-independence. The Bullet on the other hand, made in Chennai since the 1950s was simple, imperfect and kept its owner on their toes. You had to pamper the bike like your child. If you ask Bullet owners from back then about their experience with the bike, barring a few, almost all of them would say that it felt more like a family member rather than a machine. The connection with the bike was more metaphysical than cerebral and that’s the essence of its cult status. Unlike other bikes at the time, the Bullet made you feel more involved, its injuries were your injuries, its breakdowns were your own. All these things resulted in the endowment effect of sorts where you are not only owning this piece of machinery but also feel it to be part of your life in a way more intimate than normal automobiles. One could argue that no company designs a product with an aim of it reaching a cult status or following, they just make it in anticipation of profits, period.

But even Heros falter. Cult status is a double-edged sword in many ways. A minor deviation and the bubble bursts. And this almost happened to the Bullet when the company undertook product expansion in the late 2000s. Almost was the key word there, as someone at Eicher realized that in the early stages of their turnaround story the company won’t be able to just turn its back on its star product. They had the baggage of almost 3 generations of riders and their emotional connect with the Bullet. Like a drug addict has to be weaned off drugs in rehab, the cult followers had to be weaned off slowly and gradually. If you look at the progression of the company since the mid 2000s, Eicher Motor made sure that the soul of the Bullet is intact while the outer covering is changed every now and then. One can’t please everyone though and hardcore Bulleteers from back in the day were livid with the change, but it was a conscious call on the company’s part to let go off a few to look into the future, at the end of the day, these guys were in no state physically to ride the newer generation of bikes :P

More than a decade after the launch of the Classics, along with many more variants in between, the company reverted to mean this year to its Northstar, to the Bullet. Many argue if the cult is still relevant and question if it can stand tall amongst the plethora of new technologically advanced products being launched by local manufacturers. Answers to this may not be known for a while now, but if the product launch is anything to go by, one can surely say that the Bullet is still “Made Like A Gun”

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage later this week

[Carpainter]

Very well written post sir and considering this is your first post in this forum, you're off to a flying start.

Back to the bike, I think RE didn't do much here. They just put on a new coat on Classic's chassis with new paint schemes. Ideally there's not much to be done either. I believe someone looking for single channel ABS models of classic can buy the Bullet now and can save around 20k. It almost feels like a derivative of Classic with only tangible changes being non split seat and a bit more upright sitting posture because of the handle bar position. Nonetheless Classic itself is a good product and has all the modernity it should have being a retro roadster and there will be a lot of cross shopping between these two for sure.

[SidharthaN]

The Bullet J series is launched but the product portfolio in RE will leave it almost merged with the classic. The J series anyways do not sound like the UCE, AVL, or CI. You can hardly hear or realise the J series approaching on the road.The pinstripe tanks and the silhouette will be the differential, but this will find it's place in hardcore standard loyalists. The RE story since S Lal is a success story, but I am still sold on the old school beauties which had a soul of their own.

Coming from me who grew up on tanks of Bullets and Yezdis and have owned a CI, AVL, and my current 2016 UCE Thunderbird clocking 1,31,000 kms on the odo and thumping strong.

[ex-innova-guy]

What a lovely write-up of a truly iconic bike and has made me so nostalgic. I wholeheartedly agree to all your sentiments.

My father didn’t have the Original Bullet but here is our Beloved 2001 RE Bullet Electra 350 which is still there with us and being used for grocery runs in our village.


Where it’s majorly being used now.


Badge says Bullet 350 but it is an Electra 350

As you mentioned earlier these were not very common in those days and IIRC we oddly had around 3-4 of these in our society. Growing up the Thump was a symphony to my ears without which I just would not go to sleep without a ride. It had a commanding presence on the road and it’s Thump was like an Ambulance which sent emergency sirens in my ears. As soon as I heard it coming from a distance I knew who was coming and it was better to head home.

We own a 2017 RE Classic 350 too and it just doesn’t give the same smiles per miles which a 2 decade old bike still gives; the Electra just pulls and pulls like crazy. There’s something addictive of shifting gears on the older-gen Electra and hitting the neutral lever just gives makes it even more sweet.


2 Beauties together

Safe to say now I know why my father prefers the Electra over the Classic all day everyday and I myself must admit that I am of the same opinion.




Post Wash Pictures. Sorry for the poor lighting.

[Wageabond]

I guess there is only so much you can do as a manufacturer battling an uphill task against ever tightening emission norms.

A lot of folks will point out towards all the missing parts (such as a kick-starter) which make a Bullet a real motorcycle, and how this generation is not. But if you are RE, there is no point giving a kick starter with an FI engine.

I would really be interested to see RE taking Bullet to the EV route. Sure, purists will writhe and twist in disgust, but, this will be, IMHO, a true tribute to brand 'Bullet' - remember, when the bullets first rolled out 90 years ago, they were at the cutting edge of performance. RE made their mark amongst the British manufacturers with Bullet due to the performance it offered.

Finally, Bosky saw this coming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqG1_25hpaU&t=369s

[BLACKBLADE]

As someone who rides a 1990 model Royal Enfield Standard 350 Bullet, your post is somewhat like a tribute to the legend. Purists like me will swear by the CI engine, point ignition models and won't even consider a modern day bullet as a BULLET. But then the name is synonymous with the legend and the emotions it invokes are the same. So RE continues to cash on it. But those were the days, you identify a man with the machine and the BULLET was one mean machine!

[BlackStrat]

Really appreciate it. Will try to contribute on a weekly basis for the forum.

[chef-de-jeep]

My 2 cents, but what I felt simply brought the bullet to the masses was an electric starter. I am sure the people from every generation feel it, what needed a heavy set of "legs" to start and take off the main stand can now be done by anybody. The riding has also been made easy by shifting the gear lever and the brakes in line with the japs. I still dread riding a classic bullet and keep chanting to my legs to function as they have to for this particular bike.

Had access to a RE500 that had a failed battery, and pushing the bike seemed easier than trying to start it. The legs just failed after exactly 3 kicks, rather fir the 3rd kick itself. I could keep trying to kickstart a Pulser for 20-30 kicks. The backkick from this bike is another story, especially the earlier vintage.

[funkykar]

Recently got my 1965 Bullet G2 restored, pin to pin. Made it look as original as possible with a lot of good-quality replica parts. This one has a super heavy crank of 11.5 kilos. The beats, thump, and the way it can chug at slow speeds in 4th is a treat to the years. It is so addictive!

Have ridden many Bullets, but nothing can be more pleasure than the good old CI Bullets.

(Pics are from day of delivery, including in front of garage and also with the team Imran who did the restoration)

[arun1100]

Originally Posted by BlackStrat

Rarely have brands been overshadowed by their products. We do have a handful of examples but none of these come close to how “Royal Enfield” was almost never known to the masses in India, but everyone knew “The Bullet”.

Bullet is still “Made Like A Gun”

Beautiful drafted thread. I read the thread thrice and can relate everything you said!! I have posted my Dad's Bullet story in this Forum and the thread is very special as fellow Bhpians helped me find my Dad's Enfield Bullet 25 years after it was stolen!

Thread:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5139290 (Stolen & found after 25 years - Dad's 1971 Bullet!)



Enfield Bullet and proud me!


After using the Enfield Bullet for two years, finally took the plunge to get it restored.
At the Mehboob garage, Bangalore.


Split into parts


Daughter posing with few parts!


Some parts of the Bullet to get assembled soon!

[BlackStrat]

Surreal feeling isn't it. People say they are machines to be owned and enjoyed, but one forgets an important part, they too have hearts, their engines. In a world slowly and gradually shifting to EVs, those hard revving beats will be missed.

[anjan_c2007]

The RE Bullet in it's pre EICHER avatar.



I will post many more quotes from old magazines soon.

[Srini76]

The Tiger eyes,
The sheer presence,
The unmistakable thump,
The hiss when you decompress to TDC,
The start of the effortless chug,
The uniqueness,
The aspiration of the eyes of the beholder.

All of the above made it a cut above and all references are to the CI engine, maybe they ran the brand too hard and instead of creating brands that could piggy back (as intended in the classic) the design instead just expanded the brand without a clear differentiator - Its just too common for many a liking these days - at some point I feel like its lost its Charm and thats hard to fathom.

I would still hope that the uniqueness is somehow maintained (Agreed emission norms are hard to meet with the older feel - perhaps impossible) but if wishes were horses I will get my way !

If only they can make one series of collectibles the OLD fashioned way will add a RE to the R3 in the stable.

Srini

[The Great]

Originally Posted by BlackStrat

“The Bullet” “Made Like A Gun”

These were my 3 beauties back in the day.

The fun part is even today when people look at my Interceptor they call it the Bullet so for the millennials, all the Royal Enfield's are Bullet's