so its engine life vs sedate riding for life?

@ niks :

Depends, on how would you rate a long life. if you plan to keep your bike for <5 years, then sedate or fast dosent make a difference. because ideally parts failure should start to crop up only after 3-4 years / 40K kms. not including the general wear and tear items like chain-sprocket, brales, tires etc.
However, continious hard riding will accelerate the wear and tear of mechanical parts and you might face a failure earlier. but i would not say that the engine life will shorten, only thing your service intervals are going to be shorter. for example if you ride at the redline all the time, your oil change intervals are going to be shorter, you may need to change the piston rings more frequently to keep the clearances right. but people generally miss this fact and stick to the company prescribed schedule and may soon end with a low performance, high fuel consumption if not a badly damaged engine. Little do we realise that hard riding has nothing to do with it. we need not change our riding style to suit the bike, instead change the service / maintainance pattern to suit your riding style. A tourer will have a very different maintainance patter than a stunter. Its all about knowing what's best for your machine.

When it comes to the bullet, it has a low revving engine (~ 5,500 rpm max), low compresion ration (6.5). that itself lowers the wear and tear of the mechanical parts since they are comparitively under less stress all the time. Hence you will see bullets surving through generations. but this long life comes at the expense of power. its specific output (power vs size of engine) is very low compared to any other bike available in the market.
yes, you can definitely rip the bullet (if you can manage the gearbox) but definitely not like the 220. hence the basic design itself prohibits actions which might lead to abnormal wear and tear considering proper maintainance.

That's sweet... Very well written... It's not always bout the top speed, the maintainability, the fuel economy... When you love something from the core of your heart for what it is, all these parameters become secondary..

Enjoyed reading your introduction and your love.. Happy riding and keep thumping.. !

Yes, agreed. Even i had come across a lot of standards in punjab during my Ladakh trip this year. Most of them were with silver alloy wheels and loud pipes. it was a treat seeing these rip across the open highway.

Thank you Ketan. it was indeed a decision taken from the heart and not the mind.

Ritwik, how did you manage to descend from the sloped roads/no-road conditions with the barely-there rear drums? The bike, being heavy, gains momentum really quick and even riding in the first can't help you much.

I need a good Bulllet mechanic in Pune.Pl help.

Can somebody pls help me???

Hi, try these nos for mechanics in Pune: Alex: 9422024560, and ramesh: 9823174181.
Pistonheads, very nice writeup (specially the first one - you described the emotions just so well). And of course, what you said about the running-in - quite the correct method.

Bullet Carb re-build

Hi all,
is there a kit to re build the bullet carb....... i have a 350, 1978 model, needs a carb re-build or re placement.

Thread approved and merged

BTW,how much did thoes steel mudguards cost you?

Re: Beat of a different drum - Bullet 350 standard

Hi fellow riders,

1. I got my bullet on May/18.
2. complete 100km and 1st service at workshop on May 27.
(change engine oil (HP liquid gun) + filter)
3. reach 500+ km on 1st/June for 2nd service
(change engine oil (Motul 3000 4T plus 15W50) + filter)

4. MPL is around 28.5km/L, I pumped up 21liter and it run around 600kms,
actual MPL should be slightly higher because there's still the reserve tank 1.5L
I did not consider into the calculation. guessing the MPL could be around 30km/l.

5. Could reach top speed only to 100km (speedometer), it's a long stretch road and I
manage to stay at 100km for 10+ secnd but it could not go higher.
(My Tracks (adroid APP) indicate the actual top speed is only 95km.)

6. Main problem will be the 1st start when Bullet is left for a night or sometime :

A. First kick can usually bring the bullet to start without effort.
B. But, if I do not open the throttle to maintain the idling, it usually stop by itself quickly.
C. Then, the following kick start to be frustrated .... (same effortless kicking, but judging from
the sound, the sound of firing is missing n I know it wont start.)

D. Try the choke, it did not help much.
E. Anyway, after 10+, 20+ kick, finally we have the right sound back, and it do get start.
F. again I have to open the throttle to keep the idling alive or it will die maybe 30 seconds later.
G. Finally when the car can remain idle for 2-3 minutes, try to adjust the idling screw but really
not sure waht is the optimal setting for my dear ride.

Guru and fellow bulletiers any guidance or suggestion would be really appreciated, thank you in advance !!

Royal Enfield Standard 350 UCE

I have booked a Standard 350 UCE in Delhi, The waiting period is 6 weeks and I hope that making the decision of buying a 350 TS UCE is the right one, Whenever I see Classic 350 or Electra on roads, I wonder if I made the right decision but then I remember that when i went to the showroom, Standard 350 was the one which I liked visually.. Also the points below helped me in deciding the model..

• Didn't want a 500 cc as I would use my bike twice a week for city driving
• STD has a heavy crank similar to 500 CC which means low vibrations while riding it..
• Did not want the ES as why would someone who wants to ride a beast look at the convenience of not kicking the bike, I have also heard that ES requires additional maintenance over a period of time..
• I had a STD 1996 CI Model which I sold unfortunately when I shifted to Delhi and it had no disc brakes hence I assume that not having disc brakes would not be a detterent..
• I don't think that having Gas shock absorbers like the ones in C350 would help much when you are driving a heavy machine on Indian roads, the ordinary shock absorbers in STD 350 would work just fine..
• I just feel that the roads are getting flooded with a lot of Classics.. I feel STD is 'Classic' in its own way
• Last but not the least, there was quite a price and waiting time variance in STD Vs Classic

So, What are your thoughts and suggestions on my decision and who do you think is the best RE dealer in Delhi who keeps his commitment on delivery time.. Cheers!!

Re: Royal Enfield Standard 350 UCE

You made the right decision mate. Standard model is best anytime. I always fancy the standard. In fact I am looking to purchase a standard model in the seconds market.
Cheers!

Self Start kit for STD350 Bullet ??

hi friends.....

can i fit a self start kit to my std 350 ??

if yes then where in mumbai can i have the options of getting it done ??

thanx,
saurabh