Two Classic Bullets Launched: Article by Dilip Bam

Two Twin-spark Bullets were launched in Pune on Thu 11 Nov.09: The 500 cc Electronic Fuel injection ==EFi Classic, and 350 cc Carburetor Classic. What’s classic about these bikes? On first sight: The seat! Where everything rests! Your Ass rests! It reminds me of the split seat Bullets of the fifties, on which my uncle used to take me for a joy-rides. Dandy it was!

. Of course, very few new Bullet buyers are going to keep it single seat. 99.9% people will fit a pillion seat, udder-wise where will the GF sit? And of course, split pillion seat or dual seat (dual seat foto from twin spark), both are eminently fit-able. The other visual treat is the up-swept exhaust silencer and the vertical egg shaped panel just under the single seat. The shape of the kick-starter is also totally changed from what it was earlier. Let us look at the Technicals of the 350 first:

Engine-wise, the cylinder dimensions remain the same: 70 mm bore X 90 mm stroke==346 cc, but the power has inkreezed from the 18 bhp @ 5625 rpm of the earlier 350 to 19.8 bhp @ 5250 rpm on this new Classic 350. Earlier, the old Bullet operated at a compression ratio of 6.5, which was the same for the Electra introduced in 2003, though in the AVL of Austria developed Machismo engine (same engine as T-Bird) it increased to 8.5 and remains the same (8.5) in these two new Classics. One curious thing is that in a July 1989 Owners Manual the compression ratio is given as 7.2, which appears to be an oversight or a mistake or misprint, or even correct at that time, but is nevertheless confusing. Torque in the earlier 350 was mentioned variously as 2.75 Kg-M @ 3500 rpm in a 350 manual of Dec.99, and 27.6 Nm @ 2875 rpm (for std.350 and Electra 350) and same 27.6 Nm @ 3500 rpm in a manual of March 2002. In this new CLASSiC model it is mentioned as 28 Nm @ 4000 rpm. Kerb weight is 182 kg.

COMMENT on 350: While the max torque figures seem pretty much the same, the rpm at which it is produced differs considerably, from @ 2875 rpm to @ 3500 rpm earlier and now @ 4000 rpm in this new Classic 350. Engine oil capacity which was earlier mentioned as 1.75 liters (Machismo Dec.99) and 2.25 liters (Electra 4s. Nov.2003) is now mentioned as 2.75 liters, which sounds reasonable since the entire crankcase is changed to a totally different shape and size. Engine oil grade which was earlier SAE 20W50 (from the 4s Electra manual of Nov.2003) is now mentioned as 15W50. While earlier the 350 came variously with Spaco PHBM28 or Mikarb VM24 carburetor, the carburetor on this Classic 350 is not mentioned.

And while on the crankcase, it is worth mentioning that the crankcase covers – ON BOTH SiDES – is totally changed, and is fitted on with many more bolts than earlier. One hopes that with this change, Enfield would have overcome the famous
“BULLET CRANK-CASE LEAK” syndrome.

While the chassis apparently remains same with a 1370 mm wheelbase, the old 19-inch diameter tires which were 3.25-inch thick front and 3.5o-inch rear have changed. This new Classic 350 sports the same old 3.25 X 19 tire front but the rear has changed to size 100/90 X 18. Fuel tank remains same as does the half chain cover.

Electrically, this bike should be a delight. Firstly the 12v-5Ah battery of Electra 4s is now upgraded to 12v-14Ah, and ignition is transistor-controlled-digital. Best is that headlight power is now 12 volt 60/55 watts, which is the brightest headlight among all bikes in the hole cunt ree, which should make this bike the safest at night! The 280 mm front disc brake and 153 mm rear drum brake should add to the safety aspect. Of course, rear-foot-brake-pedal at RiGHT and gear-shifter at left are now standard on all Bullets which are 5-speed, except on the 4-speed Std.350.

Technicals of the 500: The cylinder dimensions remain the same: 84 mm bore X 90 mm stroke==499 cc, implying identikal crankcase, crankshaft and bearings as

the 350. Power in this new Classic 500 is now 27.2 bhp @ 5250 rpm and max torque is 41.3 Nm @ 4000 rpm at a compression ratio of 8.5. In the earlier 500, power was 22 bhp @ 5400 rpm (Nov.1991) and 22 bhp @ 5500 rpm (Oct.2001) at a compression ratio of 6.5. Carburetor was Mikarb VM28 and Torque was 35.9 Nm @ 3000 rpm. Ignition was thru contact breaker (CB point). Now fuel induction is thru Electronic Fuel Injection (EFi) from Keihin of Japan and ignition is Transistor Controlled Electronic. All other dimensions are same as the Classic 350 except the starter motor is 0.9 kw on the 500 (it is 0.7 kw on the 350) and tires are 90/90 X 18 front and 110/90 X 18 rear. Kerb weight is 187 kg.

With the launch of these two Classics, Enfield is going for an image makeover. From trying to compete with the smaller engine Japanese brands on mileage (which it never could), it has now realized that people perceive Bullet as not just a motorcycle, they perceive it as a Legend. There are two kinds of buyers. ONE is the type who goes to the market to buy a means of transportation and looks for things like low buying price, mileage, quick pickup, faster top speed,

attractive looks and so on. This type of buyer is looking PRiMARiLY for a commuter machine with as many frills and add-ons as possible in his budget.

The OTHER type of buyer is one who goes to buy BULLET. He is one who is BEYOND COMMUTiNG. Earlier he used to buy ONLY BULLET with all its leakages and other faults. These two new Classics now promise this buyer not only PLEASURE BEYOND COMMUTiNG, but also QUALiTY and EXCLUSiViTY – without LEAKAGES!

What I saw and heard at the press conference for their launch on 11.Nov.2009 were mere PROMiSES. Only a thorough, long-term ROAD TEST of both these Classics will prove (or disprove) whether these promises are proved by performance.