Royal Enfield Bullet 350 STD - The Legend


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This is one of the threads I wanted to pen down for last 2 months. So finally here I am [:)]


When I moved back to Bangalore, the first thing I got hit with was my daily commute to office. It was horrible to travel in bus (yes I am talking about the Volvo buses) as the traffic block at times were way beyond the imagination. So in couple of weeks time, I joined a car pool team where I car pooled without having car! Still Early / Late Hrs and weekends were a problem. So finally I decided to go for a 2 wheeler. As some of you guys are already know, I am diehard fan for bullet. I was a little hesitant to go for a brand new one considering the following reasons:
  • The new silencer produced a very ‘soothing thump’ instead of its classic beat
  • I don’t like bullet classic split seat and its wheel dia is less (but its much more refined for sure)
  • I was not that happy to hear that I had to wait for 6 months plus or minus
  • The standard version which I was looking at, was around 1 lakh plus on road.
  • Over all weight of the new bullet is less compared to the old models.
But still, I made up my mind for a brand new Bullet 350 Standard for a very simple reason. Following were my primary reasons:

  • Bullet is not designed as sports bike and hence its driving and passenger position is really good for daily usage as well as long drives. No other Indian made bikes can match its drive and ride comfort
  • Gear leaver and foot rest positions are so well positioned that it will not give you knee pain.
  • There is no other bike that can be rode in low speed @ low gears without knocking
  • Less gearshift due required, even in Bangalore traffic (you should ride bullet in the royal way for this, not meant for hurrying kids)
  • The seat space is good enough to accommodate 3 people comfortably (me, wife and our son)
  • Considering my size (just less than 6 feet), this is the perfect one for me.
I paid a visit to Teknik Motors in Indira Nagar, Bangalore to know more about the pricing and other details. No comments on the quality of showroom and other facilities. I got a call from my wife on the same week and she asked me to come home that weekend (they were at my native place that time) due to some family reasons. On that Sat, I came to know that one of her uncle wants to sell his bullet as doctor advice him to avoid 2 wheelers. I was familiar with his bike as he took it brand new in 2006 and has done less than 11K. Furthermore, for last 6 months it was taking complete rest in his garage. I immediately called him and confirmed that he should not waste his time to find someone to sell it off. I made the deal without doing even a single test drive [:)]. That says how confident I was about the condition of his bike, right? Just to add, he is a Retd. Army Officer.


So what are the main things I liked in my used bullet?
  • It was a right gear shift model! Voila, I love it!
  • Its heavy because of the older version of engine
  • Was maintained in top condition
  • Was fitted with Roots vibrosonic hones
What I didn’t like:
  • There was dent in the front mud guard
  • Crash guard had running rest here and there (of course because the bike was taking rest in garage)
  • It was fitted with the side bag which was almost nearing the end of its life time!
After taking my bullet, the first and foremost thing I did was to remove the side bag.

continued...​
 
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Congrats Shynish i also drove one of my friend's classic Bullet 350cc once and i fell in love with that bike instantly! My dad is also a die-hard fan of Bullet! But where are the pictures bro?
 
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Many congrats once again Shynish[thumbsup]. The RE has a massive road presence. Waiting for the pics now.
 
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Hey Shynish,
Welcome to Royal Enfield Club. Congrats on your purchase I guess yours is the Cast Iron one. Eagerly waiting for Pic
 
Thread Starter #5
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Hey Shynish,
Welcome to Royal Enfield Club. Congrats on your purchase I guess yours is the Cast Iron one. Eagerly waiting for Pic
Yes mine is a cast iron engine with right side gear shift.

Many congrats once again Shynish[thumbsup]. The RE has a massive road presence. Waiting for the pics now.
Congrats Shynish i also drove one of my friend's classic Bullet 350cc once and i fell in love with that bike instantly! My dad is also a die-hard fan of Bullet! But where are the pictures bro?
Thanks guys. I will post the pics soon. Got little bit tied up in between.

I was little bit skeptical about the practicality of using Bullet in a city like Bangalore. But my personal experience is proved it otherwise. It is really easy to handle bullet in traffic due to the high torque delivered. This helps me to avoid frequent gear shifts. In Bangalore traffic my bike gave me 28 KM last week. Well that figure is not impressive in this 'fuel expensive' world. On the other hand, Honda Activa and other similar bikes will give around 35 only. Am I correct here ?
 
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Yeah Activa and the likes can give a maximum of only 40kmpl that too if driven normally with no harsh acceleration.
 
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General perception from my personal experience.

100 cc two strokes delivers 50kmpl
100cc four stroke delivers near about 60kmpl
150c four stroke delivers near about 40 kmpl

Now comparing with 350cc four stroke
This pot delivers 30 kmpl is well permissible man
You should be more happy to ride 350 cc thump engine with pride of 30kmpl.
Still if you would like to compare it should be apple to apple.
Activa with bullet doesn’t allow me to compare.
 

350Z

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Congratulations! It is an amazing feeling to own the ride for which you dream. I could see in your face book album that you been enjoying the Enfield at its fullest. Eagerly looking forward to a few clear photographs. Keep thumpin' [thumbswink]

Drive Safe,
350Z
 

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