On the new Bullet's thump

Just read this article 'Biting the Bullet' in BT dated 27th Nov 2011. Sharing the most interesting bit:

But the new engine, unlike the old, had hydraulic tappets, a new engine arrangement, new metal and fewer moving parts. Obviously it did not produce the vibrations and the beat of the old, but international experts were consulted and sound mapping carried out for over 1,000 hours to ensure it produced maximum rhythmic vibrations possible and a beat, which was 70 per cent of the amplitude of the original.

It further says:

After much testing, the silencer was extended to capture, to the extent possible, the throb of the old engine.

Now that's how we sustain a brand. Great job! Innovation in mechanics to please the senses in the same old ways. Lovely.

What a Royal surprise!

I've been contemplating buying a bike off late.

A few days back I visited the Royal Enfield showroom at Ambawadi, Ahmedabad. Wasn't as interested in the test-ride as I was in knowing the price of Bullet Electra. So after a brief 5 minutes at the showroom, I was on my way.

Yesterday, in the afternoon, I got a call from Rakesh - I suppose he handles (or may be owns, I am not sure) that showroom. He asked me what I was thinking. Hearing my answer, he simply said, "I giving you a 500 for a day. Ride it for a day and then think. I am sending my guy with the bike at around 6."

And I had a Classic 500 for a day. I went for a ride to Gandhinagar in the evening. 55kms. Dad rode it too to the factory in the morning. 40kms. All combined we did a little more than 100kms before I returned the bike to the showroom.

I must say a lot has improved. Clutching. Gear-shifting. Starting, etc. And the one important (perhaps the most important thing) has stayed the same. The THUMP. And  the throbbing feeling you get riding a Bullet is just the same. I had a Machismo 350 (AVL engine) earlier and I sense 'this thump' is closer to the original than the one I remember of my Machismo.

As disappointed as I was with my experience at Royal Enfield showroom at Bandra Mumbai, this one thrilled me. And the gesture of offering me the bike for a day was oh so 'royal'. Policies are the same for every showroom; how the prospect feels depends on the man present at the moment of truth.

I might just buy a Classic 500 now!

Bullet Classic in Military Green

I am often so surprised by such instances. This one's available in the international market but not in India. Why? And btw, how much effort does it take to make the same available here?

Going by observations of the ways in which people modify their Bullets, military green is one of the most preferred colors. Wonder if the marketing guys at RE have their eyes open?

This one's ravishing. Supreme impact. Bring it on!

To Siddhartha From Siddharth

Dear Sir,

You are doing your best to thrill the patrons of your legendary motorcycles. Appreciate that. But you know what, your 'doing your best' is still traumatic for many of the fans. Are you even aware of that? Are you listening? We can only hope so.

You know how many (if not all) RE owners feel about RE motorcycles. They feel like a doting mother who knows very well that her child is an incorrigibly gone case but still loves him and feels hopelessly proud (even if there's no reason to) coz there's no other option.

Should you want to dig deeper and know a little more, urge to go to this link.

Not-so-royal experience @ Royal Enfield

Just came back from the Royal Enfield Bandra showroom. Went there to collect my refund cheque against cancellation of my booking made way back on 23rd Dec '09 for a Classic 350.

The showroom manager's smiling. His assistant's also smiling. Proudly (might say arrogantly too) announcing that the booking for 350 has been stalled for the moment and that the waiting period for a new booking is 8 months!!!

Downright pathetic. The guys have gone mad.

First, it's no happy moment that a customer is canceling his purchase no matter the high demand.

Second, it's no laughing matter that the waiting period is 8 months; it just tells us that you (the brand) don't care much about the customers.

Third, Classic 350 and the new engine converted quite a few non-Bulleteers into going for a Bullet. But that's just half the job done. If your service still sucks (like it did earlier), the same guys might turn their backs to you pretty soon.

Fourth, the company can't hold money like this and ask the person who made the booking to come and collect the money from the showroom. The least they could do is respect the customer, respect his time and the faith he put in you, apologize for inconvenience and try to make up in some form.

Sure there's only one Royal Enfield. And scarcity often leads to a favorable impression of the brand but guess they are stretching the loyalists much too far and far too often.

I can go on and on about my disappointment but the folks at Royal Enfield might not listen. Royal Arrogance or Royal Lapses sounds better.

Bullet Classic

No, no, no! No dream or photoshop job! That's the Classic Bullet unveiled at the Intermot 2008 in Germany. Here's another pic. My fascination with red is getting fuelled all the more... Have a look:





There's been no announcement about its launch in India but I sense that it's gonna be launched here as well and perhaps very very soon.

How many bikes would you like to own?

Why did I sell my Bullet? (will help the aspiring buyers)

I've been asked this questions many times now. Whoever knew that I rode a Bullet earlier asks the same question: Why did you sell it?! And then when they come to know that I've bought an Avenger to top it all, they give a rather amused look :). Understandably so. If I were in their shoes, perhaps I would also be amused.

But here's the story. Bullet Machismo with the AVL engine has its gear-lever on the left-hand side (as all other bikes do in India). This makes it easy for new Bullet buyers (who are migrating from other bikes to a Bullet) to familiarize themselves with riding a Bullet. However, therein lies the problem. The older Bullets had the gear-levers on the right; while one lever would help you change gears, the other would help you hit the neutral. This 'other lever' is not present in Bullets with AVL engines and that makes it extremely tough to hit neutral in certain conditions. And then, it's mighty tough to manage the bike. Let me explain with an example.

I'm riding in a traffic-prone area. Obviously I use (pull) the clutch very often. Also obvious that since I ride in the first/second gear more often, the engine gets hot. As I've mentioned, hitting neutral is tough. Now in Bullets, if the clutch stays pulled with a hot engine, the clutch rod starts losing control and then the bike just doesn't stay put. It moves even if you don't want it to :).

I'm smiling but if you have it drive day in and day out for kilometers together in traffic-prone area, you'll sweat a hell lot instead of enjoying the ride (no wonder, Bullet's meant for open roads and highways - as rightly advertised 'Trip'). That's why I sold it. This single problem! And this problem is only present in Bullets with AVL engine. Removing the 'other gear-lever' and moving the gear shift to left, while apparently seems a good user-friendly move by Royal Enfield, it could cause significant headache for the city-rider.

Aspiring buyers, take care. If you want to buy a Bullet with AVL engine, consider on an average where and how long will your ride be, and importantly how often on any given day?

Blue Collar Sunday

To tell you the truth, I decided a couple of months back that I would sell my Bullet Machismo 350. Prospects, all of them, thought I was charging a little higher for this two and a half year cub. Nonetheless, I didn't budge; it's in superb condition, apart from a little rusting.

Before Diwali, I almost sold it to a prospect for the desired price. But novice as he was, he wanted to buy a Bullet without any bike-riding experience. Now that was audacious to say the least. Well, I said 'almost'. But that guy changed his mind and that set me free.

When I went to Ahmedabad for Diwali, I got a saddle-seat made and today, I opened the tool-kit, undid the earlier seat and fixed this one up. A little task but what a pleasure! Mechanical as this bike is, using my hands to actually undo the bolts and nuts and fix them again was quite a different experience.

Now, this is how the bike Bullet looks. Beautiful and mighty! Not selling it any more. Here's one more snap.

Bullet in my dream

I've managed to somehow maintain my sleep hours even through some of the most trying times at workplace. And when I've woken up in the morning I've also managed to remember many of dreams. But just didn't get a chance to note them down.

Here's a bit of what I remember from today's dream. I was a with a newly born baby. It was wrapped tightly in a white cloth; a typical way of protecting little babies, mostly seen in families/communities in Rajasthan and North India (don't know about the customes in other parts of the country). I could feel its little hands. I carried it while I was walking around the place. Some people, friends and relatives, known to me were also around; I can't recall who exactly. I also remember riding my Bullet...

Bullet

Riding or not, Bullet's always a treat!

I've completed 10000 kms on my Bullet Machismo. Hasn't been a smooth ride always. I've had to get the clutch wire changed twice. Commuting to office and back involves moving in a lot of traffic. This necessitates frequent usage of clutch; however, once this Austrian AVL engine get's hot, the clutch stops working and the bike keeps moving even when the clutch is pulled.

On open roads, no other bike can beat a Bullet but on occasions, handling this bike has been a pain. As we say, no pain no gain!

Bullet in my dream

Yet again, I recall that it was a long dream but don't recall the complete sequence of events which unfolded therein.

For the first time I dreamt of my Bullet. I was in some hilly region along with Arti and many other members of my family. It was a fort enclosed territory if I can remember correctly much like what I've seen in Chittorgarh, Jaipur and other places in Rajasthan.

We had to go from one place to another. Arti and I were on the bike while others were in a car. We lost our way a little before we were back on the right path...

Tribute

A Royal Enfield fan or a true-blue bike aficianado would appreciate this picture. :)

Tribute to the vintage Bullet.