Bike Files: Royal Enfield Bullet

There are motorcycling icons, and then there’s the Royal Enfield Bullet

What’s so special about the Royal Enfield Bullet?

The Bullet’s longevity and its iconic status (especially in India) make this a truly legendary motorcycle. It’s a model whose lineage can be traced back to 1932, when it first went into production at Royal Enfield’s factory in Redditch, in the West Midlands.

It was a successful and high performing motorcycle, used extensively by the military in World War II, but its legend would be made in India in the 1950s.

Used by the Indian army, 350cc Bullets were originally shipped to Madras as kits and assembled locally. By 1955 a full Indian factory was set up using tooling from Redditch. British Enfields continued to develop throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s (until the company’s demise in 1970) while the Indian factory continued to knock out 1955-spec Enfields for four decades.

Despite being outdated by Western standards, they were the most desirable bikes in India throughout this period. Some were even imported to the UK, as cheap transport for Brit bike aficionados.

So it’s a near 100 year old design!

Not exactly. While Enfield continued to knock out the 1955 Enfield almost unchanged until 1995, the new (and current) owners Eicher Motors started developing the aging design. Fuel injection, ABS, updated engines and even left hand gearshifters all started to appear on the Bullet in order to make it meet emissions standards and appeal to a new generation of riders.

The Bullet we can buy new today is a completely new design, sharing nothing but some styling elements and a name with the 1932 originals – although you could definitely be forgiven for thinking that you’re riding an old Brit bike when you climb on board a new one.

It certainly looks old fashioned!

You’ve got to give credit to Royal Enfield’s designers. They’ve really kept the look really authentic, and the feel too. The look is pure Bullet, and so is the feel, with only touches like the disc brakes, LCD dash inlay and matt black finish on the exhaust giving the game away.

Sit on it and there’s an old fashioned ergonomic too. The narrow handlebars and seating position isn’t as much retro as it is a genuine classic bike you can buy new today. From the saddle it certainly feels different from most modern day tackle. The neat headlamp nacelle with inlaid analogue speedo really look the part, with only that small LCD inset (which has a fuel gauge and on which you can scroll through a clock, odometer and trip meter) giving a sop to modernity.

Big wheels keep on turning

Part of the reason the modern Bullet feels so old fashioned is the adoption of a 19” front (and 18” rear) wheel with tubed tyres. While the bike itself is quite light (at a claimed 195kg with fuel) it looks and feels quaintly heavy on the front end. It delivers a very old fashioned riding experienced, and we mean that in a nice way.

And the engine?

Royal Enfield’s new ‘J-series’ engine powers the Bullet. It’s a very traditional, 349cc, air-cooled single-cylinder unit which also sees action in the roadster styled HNTR and the Meteor 350 cruiser. It only makes 20bhp, less than most of the 1930s Bullets made!

Jeez, not very fast then!

It’s fair to say that it’s not the quickest bike out there but it’s very charming and has (almost) enough for modern day traffic. Top speed’s around 70mph but it gets there fairly briskly. This is a motorbike that’s much more about the feelings than the thrills. The chassis is also far more composed than a vintage motorbike, although hardly at the cutting edge!