Royal Enfield motorbike - why would anyone buy one?

Excellent choice, but some of your other steeds are less wonderful.

 

Ah, yes, the BMWs. They were crap.

 

The UKRM consultancy fee might be rather high seeing as we're writing
the fucking article for you.

If I were you I'd hand the job of researching it into the hands of a
work experience student who will be more than capable.

 

What a load of bollocks. Absolute shite of the type that can only be
spouted by someone who's so mind numbingly boring that the only way
they can stand out in a crowd is to buy a rubbish motorcycle.

Get a fucking life. They're not expensive and they can be fun if you
try hard enough.

 

There are more *interesting* ways to stand out in a crowd these days!
Buy a one-way ticket to Beirut. You'll never land but you'll beat the
rush hour traffic (big time)!

Lots of hotel rooms to choose from, all free! You may have trouble
finding the actual hotel, but heh that happens everywhere. Bring a tent
just in case.

Another suggestion, Ship, buy the darn thing yourself, and give up on
this auction idea.

You could mount it on a stick and give the grandkids rides when they
come over. Attach a meter for euros. Within a few months, you'll have
enough money to buy a nice bike.

 

Excellent. Finally wev'e got some well-balanced input Bull65.
Yep sounds to me like you know what you're talking about.
Have you ever actually owned/ridden one, then? (Unlike most of the
biggots
on this thread - and I dont say that out of malice, btw, it's just
clearly true
that most of the opinions expressed on this thread have been massively
are one-sided!)

More importantly, have you ever tried the bike in question the
Bullet Electra-X, with supposedly much better breaks, much more
reliable
500cc engine (designed for 44bhp, but tuned for 25bph to meet noise &
emission standards) ? Did it break down on you?

I just discovered this review of the Electra
http://www.realclassic.co.uk/enfield04101400.html
A bit long but quite enlightening.

And sheds quite a lot of light on the reliability issue. Yes,
apparently back in 1996 they *were* horrendously unreliable. But with
the new engine and much better front brakes maybe much of that has
changed. One thing is clear - and that is that they are still designed
to be very easy to maintain and tune - no doubt extremely important in
a market like India.

Btw, they only make about 25,000 bikes per year and have done so
steadily for the last 55 year...


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

Higher quality crank failures?

 

now who's spouting bollocks. I've got 4 vehicles and no money, and that's
without adding a wife into the equation...

 

Heh. This from a member of the group that is more willing to judge a
person by what they own than any other vicious little girl's tea party
I've ever stumbled across on the net!

 

Hang on, 90 MPG according to this article...!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2005/07/09/mfbull09.xml

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

Wotcha.

I still own one - and an Enfield - and a Nuovo Falcone

Can you see a theme here ? A theme based on ugliness ?

 

I'm not a member of any group so go **** yourself you useless, fucked
up oxygen thief.

 

I've never ridden a 'modern' Enfield but thirty-mumble years ago I owned
an original 1956 UK-built 500 Bullet.

In its day it was a fine bike, and that's the important bit to remember,
in its day. ISTR that my Enfield was slightly more oil-tight than many
other bits of Brit iron owned by mates of mine, and in my own experience
it was totally reliable. Any problems I had with it were all down to my
own youthful ignorance and ham-fistedness.

By modern standards (i.e. virtually anything built since the mid-60s) it
was appallingly bad. Dreadful brakes, useless lighting and interesting
handling (probably down to knackered old cheapo tyres on mine). But as I
said, in its day it wasn't too bad a bike, when measured against most of
its contemporaries (AJS, BSA, Matchless and Norton singles). It was
certainly streets ahead of the BSA C11s that were made at the same sort
of time.

Today it's an anachronism and I suspect its target market is nostalgic
old gits like me who couldn't afford a new one in the 60s, and don't
want a crotch-rocket to scare themselves shitless when returning to
biking as a result of a mid-life crisis. As long as you treat it like
that, then there's nothing wrong with it - take it out on fine Sundays
for a potter down the lanes and keep it in a garage and get it properly
maintained (unlike the way we treated our bikes way-back-when) then if
that's what you wanted out of a bike, that's fine.

Bloke across the road from me bought one (a 350) new last year. He only
uses it on fine days and doesn't do a lot of miles. He's an experienced
bike mechanic (keeping his sons' motocross bikes in fettle for a good 15
years now) and knows exactly what he's bought. It's what HE wanted.

I'm not sure about tarting up a 50+ year old design with modern bits
like electric start and disk brakes, but it does make it a bit more
usable on today's roads.

I was tempted by an Enfield when I returned to biking a few years back,
having owned an original, but I bought an old Virago instead. No chain
is a big attraction, as is the 'sitting on the bog reading a newspaper'
riding position. And its build quality is somewhat better than Enfields
of a few years back, but the one over the road from me seems quite well
screwed together and hasn't started falling apart (yet).

The Enfield won't suit most people but to its target market it's the
dog's danglies. I wish you well with your auction, just don't expect
many bidders...

 

I had a Dnepr outfit. I now have a GL1200. All my themes are based on
bleeding-edge eccentricity.

 

Now, don't go getting your panties in a twist, dearie!

 

What, coz he thinks along the same lines as you? Thats typical Ship tht is.

I don't know of any sane bike rider who'd buy an Enfield these days. I've
ridden more than a few and even had a session on one last year. Total shite
they were and total shite they still are.

And just as many breaks as ever. The brakes are still crap though.

much more

That would hardly be difficult to achieve.

(designed for 44bhp, but tuned for 25bph to meet noise &

That's frightening power that is.

Did it break down on you?

Why the "maybe" in there Ship? If it's a proper review it shuld say "yah" or
"nay", not fucking "maybe"

One thing is clear - and that is that they are still designed

No doubt, but even in India, they're not a sought after machine.

At least we're not going to get inundated with the fucking things then.



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Not to mention this:-

You still have to put up with a build quality that is well short of true
modern motorcycles but, then again, parts are very cheap and it's now more
likely to keep going.



Sort of fills you with confidence as you head off to an important meeting or
a cross continent jaunt, doesn't it?


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Aha. What's the Guzzi like, then?

I quite fancy one of those.

 

I've wanted one for ages. Some day...

 

Wotcha.

Strangely enough, I've just got back in after using the Guzzi.
To be blunt - the Enfield is a sports bike compared to the Guzzi. The
massive flywheel makes each gearchange a challenge. You wait for the revs
to drop before moving the lever ( Right hand change - same shift pattern as
the Enfield, one up, the rest down ). Agricultural is the best term for the
thing, but having said that, it's a most relaxing machine to ride. No use
at all if you are in a rush though.
Take a nose at :--
http://www.devce.demon.co.uk/falcone.htm
and if that doesn't put you off owning one, then nowt will.
I bought mine as a "brand new 30 year old machine" for two grand - and I
reckon it was money well spent.