[bblost]

@sam_sant2005.

Spitfire is correct. Use proper gears when riding an Enfield. Sorry correction, use the correct gear when using any engine.
If the thump is the only reason you want the RE, please don't waste your time. The thump is a very very small part of owning this bike.

Just a couple of rules I follow on my bike.
Never let her scream, when her throat is cold.
Never run till the tank dries up.
Be good friends with your mechanic.

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

But the British bulls are known for slow speed driving and their engines have held strong! That was just a curiosity.

Actually its the other way round. The British bikes (all makes) were never known for reliability. And more you stress a non reliable setup the more you are ruining it. Is it a wonder today that none survive? Except the Bullet

I have a 1947 Sunbeam and that failed purely due to it being a lemon right out of production.

And to me, that is 'thumping'.

From whatever little I know. A well setup bullet and mainly the valves and the spring quality + a well sorted exhaust. Gives the best thump. The lugging at high gears is basically stressing the engine and it is coughing out loudly in disgust at the rider. Some people think its nirvana. I think they are bonkers.

Ride behind a Bullet which is doing 60-70 kmph and listen to the beat. That is music to my ears. Unfortunately the rider does not hear these notes.

still the newer Electra is miles ahead on comfort as far as I have experienced.

Things get better over time. That's the only way forward. But with respect to Electra and Standard Bullet manufactured in the same year. There would not be a change in the suspension feel or build.

Thanks for response spitfire, it is definitely helping me move towards taking a wiser decision.

Someday I will have a Bullet too. But I am still waiting. Things are getting better at RE hoping they reach the levels I want to see them at and I am around then..

Originally Posted by bblost

Be good friends with your mechanic.

Or become one.

[bantejas]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

As a speed freak driving P220 at 140kmph and Swift D over 160kmph, if Iam going for a 'no speed' Bull, it should be for something special in it. And to me, that is 'thumping'.

Are you sure that you'd want to go for it? When you went for the first time, you sold it in 3 months and now again you are "contemplating"! As a rider (not only bull but other indian bikes as well), I think that you will have to spend a lot of time with the bull (certainly more than the p220 that you have). It is like girl by itself, you need to take care a lot! Please think about it again!

[ashokrajagopal]

@all, sam_sant2005 has a different mode of travel, a diesel car which hopefully gives the same cost as a bullet ( rs/km). Bullet is not going to be his daily ride, given the fact that he can get a good second hand one, why is it a bad idea ?

Anybody who does the following is well off with an old good bullet for many years.

1. He is not gonna take it out when it rains.
2. He is not gonna take it out in heavy traffic.
3. He is gonna religiously do the service, battery charging etc
4. He is not gonna give test rides to anybody, lest something goes wrong.
5. He is definitely going to find out a good mechanic who can take care of stuff correctly.

@sam_sant2005, scout for a good bike and get one if you can. It is an investment.
On the other hand, pls stop dreaming about 4thgear@20kmph. Nothing about technology or class of bikes or old vs new or anything similar -- its a bad idea for engine health.

[sam_sant2005]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

@all, sam_sant2005 has a different mode of travel, a diesel car which hopefully gives the same cost as a bullet ( rs/km). Bullet is not going to be his daily ride, given the fact that he can get a good second hand one, why is it a bad idea ?

Anybody who does the following is well off with an old good bullet for many years.

1. He is not gonna take it out when it rains.
2. He is not gonna take it out in heavy traffic.
3. He is gonna religiously do the service, battery charging etc
4. He is not gonna give test rides to anybody, lest something goes wrong.
5. He is definitely going to find out a good mechanic who can take care of stuff correctly.

@sam_sant2005, scout for a good bike and get one if you can. It is an investment.
On the other hand, pls stop dreaming about 4thgear@20kmph. Nothing about technology or class of bikes or old vs new or anything similar -- its a bad idea for engine health.

you have understood my requirement PERFECTLY!!!

So anyone can lead me to a good Bull in Bangalore? Any 'known' Bulls?

[jingaboysr]

Originally Posted by ashokrajagopal

@all, sam_sant2005 has a different mode of travel, a diesel car which hopefully gives the same cost as a bullet ( rs/km). Bullet is not going to be his daily ride, given the fact that he can get a good second hand one, why is it a bad idea ?

Anybody who does the following is well off with an old good bullet for many years.

1. He is not gonna take it out when it rains.
2. He is not gonna take it out in heavy traffic.
3. He is gonna religiously do the service, battery charging etc
4. He is not gonna give test rides to anybody, lest something goes wrong.
5. He is definitely going to find out a good mechanic who can take care of stuff correctly.

@sam_sant2005, scout for a good bike and get one if you can. It is an investment.
On the other hand, pls stop dreaming about 4thgear@20kmph. Nothing about technology or class of bikes or old vs new or anything similar -- its a bad idea for engine health.

My 2 cents here.
@Sam-sant2005, man you got frustrated by a brand new 2009 CI and sold it off, and now thinking of buying an old bullet for its thump?

Let me tell you this from my experience with bullets, i have had bullets ever since I learned riding and still have my CI500. You can NEVER completely rebuild a bullet and expect it to be maintenance free. never. period.

Regular services will not get you anywhere with bullets, especially the older ones. You would need to devote your time and attention for it. If you are ready with that, go for it. Me for one, is dedicated to it. Otherwise, please don't, you'll repent later.

[yvasprasad]

Hi,

Temperament required to ride a bullet,
1. Patience
2. Love for the bike
3. Get ready to soil your hands
4. Get pally with your mechanic
5. Don't feel annoyed when smaller bikes cut into your lanes...cos the weight of the bullet doesn't allow you to do the same!
6. Pls don't think about FE
7. Bullet staining your garage floor

I think the list goes on, but then- I have been riding my 83' for over 5yrs now and love it the most.
Rgds,
Prasad

[soumobakshi]

Go as your Heart desires. I can empathize with you, as i had been in the similar situation. Purchased a 4S-Electra and had to dispose due to some personal finance issues, trust me my heart ached a lot!! Waited for 1.5 painful year and picked up a 1990 Bullet Std for around 40K. Did some small changes w.r.t Locks, Levers, etc and keep making my hand dirty just for the sheer fun of owning the bull thumper! I have a diesel mile cruncher so my usage is same as you plan to.
Don't consider opinion of any one else, they will never understand what it means to you, as i said at the start, "Go as your Heart Desires". Period.

[mvkunte]

From experience, old Bullets generally work best when used regularly. So a bike which has been stowed away during rains, and during hectic workweeks yadda yadda yadda is most likely going to throw up some niggles or the other on that fine Sunday morning when all is well with the world and you feel like stretching her legs for a bit.

Which is just as annoying as a bike dying on you right when you had to make that critical deadline somewhere. Now not only are you not going out on that Sunday morning ride to Nandi Hills or wherever but you're going to be spending most of the day at the mechanic's and pretty much staring Monday morning in the face as the bike slowly gets back on her feet.

That apart, regular services rarely help. If something does go wrong, it won't be because you missed a 87500km paid service, which again will not come with a nice little coupon with checkboxes on it for "oil change", "tighten this", "replace that", etc.

Also, as spitfire said, the "thump" is a terrible reason to buy a Bullet and the Bullet will never ever let you forget that. The joy of riding a Bullet is when you're out on the highway (not the big GQ motorways) doing a steady 60-70 kmph and you suddenly notice that the bike doesn't really need too much effort from your end to stay planted and going in one direction.

As a philosophical aside, if you didn't like something once, you probably are not going to like it again; none of the problems you had with your old Bullet have anything to do with it being a bad piece, they all are more or less that way. Getting into it again, for the fun of it, would most likely end in sorrow. Unless you've had a life-changing experience in between. And no, I don't think a new Swift D counts as one of those!

[sam_sant2005]

Bullet as a mode of communication, yes it is risky, I agree to a great extent with mvkunte (hey dude that was ur first post in team-bhp!!!!).

In the three months of usage I can recollect some instance when that Bull let me down. As I said before most mornings, executively dressed up, I sweat out a bit to kick start my bull! yeh I do understand that was due to some bad tuning at the service center.
One major setback was when I had some urgent business and she refused to start in midroad. I kicked kicked kicked she won't come to life. And when she finally came to life, the accelerator cable broke!!! A 'new' bike we can't really digest these na. A Hero honda, Bajaj, TVS or any other brand for that matter wouldn't have caused such issues at the onset atleast.

Having said that Bullet's are taken to the himalayas and we have seen no bike more reliable and durable than those. Is it that Bulleteers normally go as a team and there are people with the 'know how' to correct small niggles? even if one fails there are others to help! And mostly that Bulleteers never speak of the problems faced touring in a Bull, but more often only project the fact that a Bull rode upto Ladakh!!!

Still its hard for me to forget the 'ride'. Oh god please help me out of this!

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Oh god please help me out of this!

Pay attention Son!!

I already spoke in post #5

[mvkunte]

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

A 'new' bike we can't really digest these na. A Hero honda, Bajaj, TVS or any other brand for that matter wouldn't have caused such issues at the onset atleast.

Agreed, you don't expect this from a new bike and you can almost be sure that an HH or a Bajaj or a TVS will not do this. However, there's nothing to say that another Bullet won't do this! But you have to be atleast a little familiar with the basics of how the bike is put together to not let it bother you.

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Having said that Bullet's are taken to the himalayas and we have seen no bike more reliable and durable than those. Is it that Bulleteers normally go as a team and there are people with the 'know how' to correct small niggles? even if one fails there are others to help! And mostly that Bulleteers never speak of the problems faced touring in a Bull, but more often only project the fact that a Bull rode upto Ladakh!!!

Well, from what little I know, most people who do take their bikes up to Leh are reasonably hands-on with their bikes and know how to make small repairs. And don't always consider them large enough matters to report or comment upon.

However, after you've had your bike for a while (and ridden it reasonably extensively) and taken it to a good mechanic every now and then and given every part of it a once-over, you basically end up with a bike with most parts either new or certified road-worthy. And then your bike will do almost anything without question. But a good mechanic is the key.

For example, I've taken my Bullet (with a friend accompanying me on his Bullet) after this kind of once-over to Goa and back (but with completely shot piston-rings and oil coming out of the spark-plug hole, brakes which gave up the ghost halfway there, said friend's gears getting hard and clunky very early into the trip, etc.) and the only minor scare on the trip was the fact that at some point the water-level in my (desi) battery had dropped really low. But then, it would be relevant to point out that on the trip we carried everything from spare cables to spare tubes to tire-irons to I-can't-even-remember-what-else!

Originally Posted by sam_sant2005

Still its hard for me to forget the 'ride'. Oh god please help me out of this!

One of the new 350cc UCEs with the old silencer, maybe?

[navin_v8]

Hey Sam,

Your's is a typical situation like an old saying in malayalam "Ikkere Ninnala Akkare Nallada; Akkare Ninnala Ikkere Nallada" means When you stand here the grass looks good on other side and when you stand there the grass looks good on the side in which you were standing before.

But the saying above is true incase of a Bullet. NO bike to be specific a Single Cylinder Push Rod type in India which is available for a Lakh(new) or 2nd hand for 50K can match the bullet. I have been riding the bullet inspite of all the issues associated with it but once i sit and start riding all my worries and anger disappears in the magical Thump. But plz understand the Bullet is not just about Thump and Heavy Crank it is much more than that, why am i saying this coz like you I wanted to convert my Bullet from a light crank to heavy crank as I wanted the deeper and bassy Thump and wanted to ride at 20KMPH on 4th gear. But I realized every Bullet has a character of its own you must enjoy the ride rather than bothering about thump and crank weight. I even wanted to change my current silencer from short bottle to Goldstar type but then i felt what is made for the Bullet has to be used for the Bullet afterall like BSA Goldstar even the RE Bullet has its own personality.

I can understand your dilemma blame it on the Bullet which is so very addictive and it creates a place in your heart for a lifetime.

If you want a bullet then get one, coz now your decision is coming from your heart unlike earlier when u sold it in 3 months when the decision was influenced by your mind. Now from practical point of view understand the working and common issues in a bullet, read through Pete Snidal's manual and identify usual problems. Find a good mechanic and be friends with him. Last but not the least buy any bullet in your case any CI Bullet 350 irrespective of the year get it tested by a trusted bulleteer who is an expert and ride ONCE AGAIN into the World of Bullet.

[rajushank84]

@sam_sant: Old times, huh. I remember you from the Royal Enfield club on Orkut .

Well, I too am in the same boat as you are. I too bought a new Std 350 in June 2009, about the same time as you did. Faced a lot of minor but irritating problems. I mean, it was really really irritating. After the initial feelings about "BULLET" wore off and I realized well it's just another bike (sorry, but it is) I got disillusioned with it and sold it off too. Only difference, I managed to hang on to it for close to a year. Now using a Yamaha FZ. It is fun to ride still, I don't know how long it will be interesting, maybe I'll get bored with it pretty soon. But it is pretty reliable and "just works" without demanding any more attention than regular service and filling petrol.

Not sure. Maybe, I too will come back to Bullets. But definitely not those old CI Bullets with unnecessarily old technology. Heavy crank is just a fixation newbie Bull owners (like me) had at one time.

Why don't you take a test ride of the 500cc Bullet Classic?

(I will be watching this thread, as our minds seem to think alike in many aspects )

[bblost]

@sam_sant2005: for the sake of your sanity.
DON'T BUY A RE.