Royal Enfield Bullet 500 (EFI)
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Riding a Royal Enfield Bullet 500
On paper these should be terrible, however they really are a joy to ride.
The original Enfields were British but when the company closed in the UK its Indian arm carried on churning out the bikes. They have done so with fairly minimal modernisation, these latest have a basic EFI system, disk brake upfront and an electric start (though the kicker is still there).
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I love my Enfield Classic 500 EFI. Changed the stock exhaust for a Goldstar from Hitchcocks. You're right in your review, she's an old school 'British' thumper and I wouldn't swap her for anything! I've lost count of the number of times when I've parked up and people come and take a look at her, taken photos and asked 'Is it a restoration job?'
Nice review mate! Very fair and well summed up. I love my Enfield Classic. Old school motorcycling......and you're guaranteed to have great comments from people admiring it's classic charm.
I have done 12,000ks on my green classic 500 no vibration did have but not now, l pull a sidecar with it full military green quite the picture people think it original l always ride this one love for popping about cheers thanks for review
There's no doubt that what it says on paper doesn't give nearly the full story. I love mine too, even though it's broken at the moment... haha!
I've had a Continental GT for the past 2 years and have thoroughly enjoyed every mile I've done on it. Now however, I'm thinking more and more about a Bullet. Watching this and other similar videos is making the arrival of one more likely.
Good review l just enjoyed riding something old school and the royal Enfield with side car fits the bill, l tend to ride the Enfield more than the Honda shadow there something about it that people love could be the thump thump thump of that engine cheers
I agree it's about the ride. On a sports bike one comes away with the memory of black tarmac and white lines. On the RE the memory is more of fields and trees.
Interestingly perhaps, the Classic has progressive sprung forks, it will still thump if you hit a big hole but will ride it out. These bikes are built to cope with any terrain, dirt roads and no roads. Nevermind B-roads, try C-roads and D-roads.
update - I've learnt something about the front forks, notably that the indian fork oil is probably rubbish (as was the brake fluid). But the 'new' forks don't lend themselves to changing the oil easily. Dealership says they're familiar with the problem and can cure the solid thump hitting a pothole by using good oil and possibly changing the grade.
Update - Since I had the fork oil replaced, the forks work as intended and are rather good at absorbing bumps without diving about all over the place. Imo the bike suits soft suspension, not sporty rear shocks.
Love the Enfields B-)
old school chris
ABS now on this bike.
You have a fantastic voice for this video. Im thinking of getting a Royal Enfield for my first bike. Im planning to do my direct access and CBT next summer. Im not into speed. Im a sit up-right cruiser kind of rider. Obviously you can tell im inexperienced because I want this type of bike as a first bike. Am I being unrealistic? To be fair I have been advised to ride less then 250cc for 2 years before I consider riding a proper bike. you can never be too care because no matter how safely you think you can ride, you cannot control other idiotic road users around you.
I did the old fashioned stages 125-250-400-600-1000. There used to be a point to it, we could pass on a 125 (rock up at test centre alone on a 125 holding a CBT cert) and ride out a 33BHP restriction for 2 years. With current licencing unless you need a dirt cheap commuting tool I wouldn't bother with the 125, they are slow, under-powered and usually have poor brakes and suspension. Also comparatively 125's are expensive to insure and purchase.
If you are after a more classic style or cruiser I wouldn't let engine size worry you at all. A Harley Sportster makes less BHP than an early '90's sports 400 despite having more than double the engine capacity. The Enfield's 500 lump is putting out less power than a late 80's Ninja 250.
Personally I'd always recommend something like an old Bandit 600 or a late '90's Hornet as a first bike. They can be bought cheap as chips (so won't care when you have that first drop), they have a decent enough turn of speed that you will learn to handle power and they are very neutral in styling/ergonomics so can be a good first step to figure out exactly what you like. The Enfield isn't a terrible choice of first bike, speedwise consider it a 125 on steroids and it handles OK. If doing alot of miles though you'd probably want to invest in a decent toolkit and accept it will require more spannering than a modern Jap bike.
Best of luck on your DAS, you may want to try sooner than later though the test centers tend to fill up in the summer.
I learnt and passed back when we had the 250cc L-plate, which entitles me to ride anything, but I do own a Classic-Bullet EFI-500. I seriously would not recommend any beginner leaping straight on to a large bike from a moped. I saw my neighbour's lads do that, and one ended up as a paraplegic. Stay on a 250cc or less to learn the ropes. It's not so much the power as the weight. The Bullet is not a small bike, at 412-lb it is about the same weight as a Triumph Street Twin and heavier than some sports bikes.
It is not a cruiser. It started life in 1948 as an ISDT competition bike, and won the ISDT six times. We would call that an enduro these days but then it was a heavy trials bike, it became a british roadster, sit up and beg position, a get-you-to-work bike; you sit on it not in it like on a cruiser. But that does mean it is as tough as an old boot and handles rather well.
The bike in the video is an Electra-X, the later models have dual action forks and gas shocks, however the set up is soft to soak up bumps, not sporty. I'd describe it as relaxed and forgiving. The maximum lean angle is 45° but it is possible for an experienced rider to simply drive it through twisties quicker than a newbie scraping a sports bike; the short wheelbase and narrow tyres aids that. It is best suited to back roads and a relaxed riding style.
The power and torque may not seem much but it is very similar to a Velocette Venom or BSA DB34. The power band is enormous and almost flat; you change up as soon as possible, there is no advantage in revving it, that is counter-productive. It's no crotch rocket but it can break every speed limit.
The brakes are adequate but the oem brake fluid is liquid sponge rubbish. The rear drum can be fixed to work perfectly (which I describe on one of my videos); later models have a rear disc and ABS. The headlamp is excellent, other makes could learn how to make a simple headlamp for seeing the road from this.
Put exhaust long bottle or minipunjab you will see bombing sound