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  • #1

    To Bullet or not

    Folks

    WHAT I NEED: A Plain Jane bike. Smooth tank (I love seating my son on the tank and smelling his hair & talking to him as I ride).
    STRAIGHT SEATS: As opposed to sloping seats that are uncomfortable.
    SEATING COMFORT for pillion that newly styled bikes do not primarily provide
    COMFORTABLE SUSPENSION
    POWER: The Twister that I own is OK, but more power is welcome.
    PASSLIGHT & TACHOMETER
    LOOK "MANLY": Ok, I know it is cheaper and easier to just grow a moustache, but I can't help but feel that Twister riders look like they are riding toys.

    I own a Honda Twister and dropped in at a RE dealership today. I am considering a Bullet for the above reasons, but mainly for the following 2 reasons:
    Level seats (sloping seats are tough on the pillion riders).
    Seating comfort

    I took an Electra on a test ride and was not very much impressed with the torque. Between 25 and 30, I could not ride in the 4th gear, which the Twister can do. The gears engaged vaguely; far from the reassuring clicks the Japanese bikes give. In fact other than being impressed that I could ride a Bullet at all, nothing touched me.

    (Why does a Brand new Electra come with an Ammeter, when the UCE engine does not need decompression?!!! Is it because RE doesn't want to change the die for the headlamp assembly?)

    Apart from the cliched slogans "A Bullet has loads of character" , "A Bullet grows on you", "if you like riding you'll love a bullet", "Jap bikes are for pansies", "ride a bullet and you won't go back" and the oft-repeated "thump" I am curious what the bullet ownership experience is like in practice? I have already paid a deposit of 1000 for a Silver Electra. The dealer tells me I can get a refund should I change my mind. The STD looks best, but costs a lot to have disks and gas shocks fitted.

    I definitely don't want to go out 25 KMs away to consult with a mechanic, see precious oil get leaked, or put up with niggling and frequent bike issues - nuts falling off, seals needing constant attention, battery draining inexplicably. The dealer tells me all these have been taken care of with the introduction of the new UCE engine, but owners who post on forums cannot gloat enough about the merits of the CI engine. I have a life to live and will have little time left for a perennially sick baby.

    I hardly ever think much about my Honda Twister during my waking hours: I wash it every Sunday, send it to service every 3 months, check the tyre pressure. That is what I expect to continue doing as long as I own a bike.


    To summarise: Is my expectation beyond what a Bullet can provide? I welcome answers / comments from one and all, but will particularly feel thankful to those who will point out the practicalities.

    P.S: Will the Unicorn be my answer except for the tank thing?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Query approved.
    (Been There Done That) x 3.25

    Comment

    • #3
      Dont ride the electra at 25-30 in 4th.. Its not supposed to do that.. its a 5 speed gearbox, and with much higher power and torque than a twister, and the gearbox is designed to match that, and give you a cruising speed of 80-90kmph ( tall gearing ).

      The Twister is a city run-about, the gearing will be suitably lower to allow slow speeds in higher gear.

      With that out of the way, Both bikes are leagues apart, in performance, mileage, maintenance.

      Yes though they have sorted out a number of issues with the new UCE engine ( No tappet adjustment, no clutch oil, gear oil to be filled separately ), A bullet will and should ( for its vintage image ) require more attention than a twister.

      But they have pretty much brought it to the service to service visits and a few minor niggles here and there. Funny part is that niggles on one bike, can be as different as chalk and cheese on another one. Thats the whole character thought. And people like to believe that.

      One more thing i may daresay add, is that with bullet, you do get respect.. lol.. wherever you go.. its like an entire generation of ours recognizes the Bullet only as a true bike.

      PS - Look at the CBZ extreme if you want a straight tank kinda position or the yamaha SZ-X ( Though the extreme is outdated, but a very capable bike ).


      My offerings to the gods of speed -

      - KTM Duke 200
      - Yamaha RXZ 5 speed


      Comment

      • #4
        Though I don't own a Bullet, most of my characteristics & ambition match to what you've penned down here. Going by that, I'd say, RE is just right for your needs. Yes, with the UCE engine, there're less headaches (maintenance).

        Electra is a good choice for straight seats, however, try the C3.5 or C5. With C5, you can do a long hauls (solo intented) without the compromise on power.
        Skill is what keeps you on a Motorcycle
        Awareness + Skill is what keeps you out of harm's way
        ATGATT + Awareness + Skill means you might Live To Ride another day

        Comment

        • #5
          I have been riding a Thunderbird TBTS for a year and a half now. Prior to this I only owned and rode the Japs.

          A lot of people ask about whether they should buy an Enfield or not, about mileage, maintenance and what not.

          Well, the easiest way to figure out if you should buy it is to ride it.
          I went for a test ride on each model 350, Machismo, LB500, TBTS, Classic and then the machine chose me I guess.

          I am learning about my machine and there are things I wish RE would fix but would I ride a non RE till they do so? I seriously doubt that.

          Comment

          • #6
            If you want to smell hair of your son sitting on the tank, you may also consider buying a used RX100. That would be your best bet, for it has almost straight tank and also the seats would be straight.

            I cannot comment on the UCE Bullets that you have booked but I can tell you my experience with CI engine, although, again you cannot buy this from the showroom anymore.

            1. My Bullet Standard does not leak oil. The mechanic uses some gasket sealant at the time of oil change and it does its job well.

            2. Before moving to a Bullet, I rode Jap bikes for almost a decade. Let me tell you, people recognize Bullet and they respect it. Go to a village, a petrol pump or stand at a traffic signal, you will find people talk about it and appreciate it. Respect is there for sure.

            3. Sound of a CI engine is music. That is a personal preference and it may be noise for some. I believe without the sound of CI engine's exhaust, half the fun would be lost.

            And, why on earth would you want to ride your motorcycle at 25kmph on 4th gear? That is absolutely not the way to judge torque. You can change the sprockets and may also do be able to do 10 kmph in 5th gear. Consult mechanic as to which size sprocket to use.

            Last but not the least, I would suggest you buy a Unicorn itself and not bother about Bullets. Regarding its tank, you can always change Unicorn's tank; buy a RX100 tank or CD100 tank from a local mechanic or kabadiwala and fit on Unicorn. That would meet most or all of your needs. A Bullet will need a lot of your time and patience.
            Last edited by FranklySpeaking; 01-21-2011, 01:39 AM.

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