here are quite a few off-the-shelf retro bikes, combining old world charm with the modern amenities that make motorcycling a pleasure. But what if you want a 50s bike just as it was, 50 years ago? With all the original parts? Well, there actually is such a bike—the Royal Enfield Bullet 350. It’s the only bike in the world that is still produced just the way it was half a century ago. The modern Enfield bikes contain updated technology, from EFI to gas shock absorbers, but the Indian-made Bullet 350 sticks with the original 350cc air cooled thumper, and still uses a contact breaker ignition system. (I don’t know if any other production bike in the world still runs on CB points.) The 350 also has a sturdy cast-iron engine (again, probably unique amongst production bikes) and the gearbox is a separate unit. The icing on the cake is that it has the gears on the right, and the brakes on the left—just like old British iron.
. Definitely a feature no other current production bike has. The 350 retains other classic features such as drum brakes at both ends and a kick start, and an extra lever above the kickstarter: an automatic neutral finder. Above 100kph, the bike vibrates—so much so, that it reaches parts of the body that you didn’t think existed. But the sweet spot is at 80kph, when you discover what the essence of the 350 really is. Unless you ride it, it’s hard to explain the beauty of this thing: you sit ‘on’ the bike, and in India, when the legendary ‘thump’ is heard by others, they make way for you as if in the presence of royalty. I guess Kenny Rogers had the Bullet 350 in mind when he wrote They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To. Visit the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 official website and be sure to check the new, absolutely gorgeous Royal Enfield Classic 500EFI. Unluckily for most, the Bullet 350 is available only in India, and the only way to get one is to go to India and buy it there.
Royal Enfield has been one brand that entices every bike lover. Even if one doesn’t own a bike from this renowned brand yet the love and respect for Royal Enfield is the same. Their Bullet model has been capturing hearts of every bike user for the past several decades. If your grandfather loved one, you too have the same love for it. Didn’t you?Our fascination with the Royal Enfield Bullet: While we are known as nuts for Moto Guzzi, and their big Italian twins, we have have an undeniable soft spot for thumpers. Clean, lean, and easy to master, the Bullet represents an excellent entry level bike that stands out in a crowd.
New Royal Enfield Bullets are still made in India, based on the designs and tooling which were developed in Great Britain in the fifties. While these motorcycles have recieved updates over the years, and are U.S. D.O.T. legal, they still have the classic style of a decades old British thumper.E.P.&F. is a fully authorized dealer for Royal Enfield Motorcycles, and we stock a full range of motorcycles and parts, as well as accessories for the Bullet. We will be updating these pages with more pictures and information soon, so be sure to check back!
Royal Enfield unveiled their all new BULLET 500 CLASSIC at Intermot in Cologne on 7th October 2008.Its predecessor, the 4-speed iron-barrelled 500cc Bullet, had been in continuous production for over 50 years and the original Royal Enfield Bullet was created in 1932, so this new model has an impressive heritage that stretches back over 76 years.
Harking back to the ‘G2’ Bullet of the early 1950′s, Royal Enfield’s newest model retains the quintessential British style that is inextricably linked to the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer.At the heart of the new Bullet 500 Classic is an all-new 500cc Unit Construction Engine (UCE), with electronic fuel injection that is homologated for tough Euro III emission standards. Frame and bodywork are new too.
This new model will be on display at the NEC Bike Show Nov 28 – Dec 2, 2008 and is expected to be in UK showrooms early in 2009.
