Royal Enfield is on a roll. They are launching so many new models which have a huge amount of potential in the Indian market. They have a very ambitious plan this year. They are going to launch the highest number of new models in the year 2022. But, they missed one thing. They forgot to regain the old charm of their most successful model, the model that put Royal Enfield on the map, the model, that has become the very image of Royal Enfield and that is as important to Royal Enfield, as the GTR is to Nissan. The model; shows what Royal Enfield stands for. Yes, I am talking about none other, than the Royal Enfield Bullet 350.
Dug dug dug dug……….You guys have heard this already. You know the old-school looks of the Royal Enfield Bullet. You know that it makes you look cool and earns respect wherever it goes. You know that it has a crazy fan following. But, the current generation does that as well. So, what makes the old Bullet so special?
For starters, unlike modern bullets with UCE engines and electronic fuel injection, the old Bullet has a cast-iron engine and a carburetor. That and a heavier crank give it a unique “thump” or “dug-dug” sound and feel that the new Bullets just cannot give. The modern fix for similar sound and feel is replacing the pesky fuel injection with a carburetor setup and giving it a straight-pipe or “Patiala” (or “dholki” or whatever) exhaust. Even though it comes close, it does not give the same sound and feel as the old Bullet. The second thing, the old Bullet, unlike all bikes today has the gears and brakes on the opposite side! Yes, you heard me right. The gear lever is on the right side, and the hand and foot brakes are on the left side! To make things even more interesting, you have to press a separate lever for bringing the bike to neutral, and you have to perform a ritual to start the bike. This is so different from Bullets today, with self-start and fuel injection, and everything is the way it should be in any modern bike. You have to press something on the left, to release pressure, till the ammeter comes to the center. You also have to change gears in the opposite direction, it's, 1-up and the rest down, instead of 1-down 4-up.
The point that I want to make is that Royal Enfield is trying to make the Bullet modern, and trying to make it fit in. But, riding the Bullet is meant to be a unique experience, and that is the reason the Bullet today is not the Bullet that it used to be. Old Bullets are rare and phased out, but they are still available in the used market. So potential Bullet buyers, what will you listen to? Mind or heart?
