Editor’s Note: We’re fortunate to have an active riding correspondent in India. A year ago (March, 2006) he sent this report on the Royal Enfield Bullet. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to post his material. In one short year Royal Enfield discontinued that particular model, but there are other similar models available and more reports forthcoming. At the end he brought us up to date.--Bandit

Riding a Royal Enfield Bullet is not as easy as riding the Indo-Jap fare available here or elsewhere. You can't simply fill it with petrol and drive that Iron engine. A Bullet needs your time, once in a while, to work on it. After Eicher Group acquired RE they introduced a better performance AVL engine. This aluminium engine has better pick up and higher top speed than the traditional cast irons. So first decide on Iron engine Vs AVL engine.

Pros of AVL engine:
Faster
Slightly less maintenance
Less engine oil consumption
Better mileage
gear on left and leg brake on right hand side
AVL will run harder
Less heating of the engine

Cons of AVL engine:
Developed by a company whose expertise lies in diesel engines
Looks poor
Mechanical clatter of the engine
Traditionally NOT A BULLET
Lacks the classic thump which should make you stand out from the traffic
Std silencer will get you a better beat but still not the Classic thump

Pros of Iron engine:
A real Bullet
Classic thump
Gear on right and leg brake on left, “to make a man out of you”
Electra available with digital TCI ignition and iron engine
Electra 5speed has iron engine and lhs gear & rhs brake with the better digital TCI ignition
Cheaper spares
Iron engine can be repaired any where across India
Best Indian Touring bike (500cc and 350cc)
500cc Bullet only available with Iron engine
Best off roading bike

Cons of Iron engine:
Classic Bullet not easy to start if battery not charged
Lacks the pickup as good as an AVL
More fuel & oil consumed, poorer mileage
Inconvenient for city traffic

AVL has a geared oil pump which circulates about 40% more oil than the plunger pump of the cast iron engine. Also AVL pump is less prone to malfunction. But the plunger pump works well, and if a proper grade oil is put in the cast iron engine then you will never face a problem. The AVL engine has oil seals on the valve guide hence is very less prone to smoke as against no oil seals on the cast iron engine.

The compression ratio of AVL engine is more, hence it produces more power, although RE claims 18 bhp for both. Most hardcore Bulleteers claim that there is hardly any difference as regards heat and you will not face any problems on either of them. Among the AVLs Machismo has more metal parts than the Thunderbird and also has the classic Bullet looks.

Among Iron engines Electra is a clear choice for someone who has never owned a Bullet. Electra 4 speed has the iron engine, right hand side gear and left hand side leg break with better ignition than the classic (Standard) iron engines. Also Electra 5 speed has the lhs gear and rhs leg break with the cast iron engine and digital TCI ignition.

An important fact is that of about 2600 average units sales of Royal Enfield bikes about 65% are cast iron engines. So there, that really shows you what a Bullet enthusiasts goes for.

In Summary:

1. Bullet Standard 350cc & 500cc - Cast Iron engine - more torque (that means you can go very low on revs), which cause that genuine thumping beat. Ignition system very old, runs on battery - really very bad idea maintenance wise.

2. Bullet Electra 350cc - Cast Iron engine - same beat/ thump. Has modern ignition system, no battery involved and hence maintenance free.

3. Machismo - Aluminium AVL Engine - produces torque higher up in revs. That means you need to run the bike on higher RPM. That robs the thumping sound. Since the engine can run at higher RPMs it means you can rev harder and obtain higher speeds and higher acceleration.

4. Thunderbird - essentially Machismo with a cruiser look

Conclusion:

Thump and retro bullet feel- Get an Electra (4s or 5s)
Better performance – get an AVL.
Best of both worlds – 500 Std

Check out their website to buy a Bullet in USA, UK or elsewhere.

April 24, 2007 Notes: The Prices have gone up. Also Standard 500 Cast Iron Bullet is now out of Production and no longer listed at company website.

Royal Enfield already exports nothing but AVL aluminium lean burn engines to UK/US markets and are planning to discontinue Machismo 350 AVL to launch a Machismo 500 AVL.

To contact Royal Enfield check their site: http:// www.royalenfield.com

Copyright Ujjwal Dey 2006