Royal Enfield Bullet 350 [2012-2023]

I own a bullet 350es bs6 model. My buying experience was good. I use the bike for commuting and long rides. Pros: 1) vintage looks 2) good riding posture 3) good suspension 4) torquey engine 5) reasonable mileage . Cons: 1) parts quality, 2) engine heat 3) uneven weight distribution, 4) slim tube tyres

About the Reviewer

I always wanted this bike to get that policeman feel and I bought it finally. It is a beautiful beast and the sitting posture is just amazing. After the free services all I need to bare is Rs. 2000 after every 2500 km. So far so good. If you buying an bullet then don't expect it to perform like a Kawasaki.
Pros
Hand painted looks are great
Comfortable sitting posture
Old bullet feel and smooth riding experience
Cons
Outdated meter and electricals
Narrow rear tyre
Low power battery

About the Reviewer

It's an amazing bike to ride. Comfortable for long journeys and daily trips. It's quite expensive too. Has got gorgeous design and shiny looks. I was in a terrible state of dilemma while choosing a bike. The classic 350. 4-speed albion-designed gearbox. I made up my mind for a bullet as it’s so different from the current breeds of motorbikes available in the country & enquired from a score of RE showrooms in Gurgaon, Delhi & even my hometown Punjab but the 3-4 months waiting period on the classic everywhere put me off & made me drop my decision to buy a classic. But since it was to be a bullet this time so I chose to buy an another bullet- a Bullet 350 twin spark (aka standard 350) for three reasons-one for the retro look, second for fact that it shared the crank with 500cc mill which were a way heavier than other 350’s cranks (my sincere thanks to iron head & adrian for this revelation). Third reason was rather an illusion as i thought that the standard 350 had inverted forks which adrian explained that it was just a cover. I finally dropped in at the RE showroom at Delhi- Kaytee autos on June 2012 which was the nearest RE showroom to Gurgaon where bullet 350 std was readily available. From here my ride on the bullet began..2. Customizing my ride: i got my bike a genuine RE muffler the short bottle one which has a deeper & louder thump than the stock muffler & is a freer flowing one as compared to the stock muffler that came along the bike. Changed the handle bars to the ones that came on the ci engine std. Bullet of yesteryears (though came back to the original one afterwards).I did away with the ugly saree guard, so i had to fit a fender for keeping the rear mudguard in place (similar to the one on the right hand side).Replacing the skinny ribbed tyres that came stock was on cards (& still is..)3. The first impression: on the first ride itself, a biking connoisseur would notice the difference between the bullet 350 uce & the other 350cc uce bullets (tbts, Electra & c3) in terms of the power delivery due to the heavier crank. It feels smoother & gives more thump. Though peak power & torque of all the 350cc uce bullets is similar as well as the engine speed at which it is achieved; difference lies in the way this power is delivered i.e. the drivability. I pulled the bike on the highway & there was a metre wide grin on my face & the level of refinement far above the earlier ci engine units! Following are my experiences with the bike over the various aspects:4. Engine & gearbox: refinement is decent. Play in the gearbox is on the higher side, you won’t get that slick & precise shifting action plus you can always find a false neutral between any set of gears, which, though comes after a bit of practice. Upshift is smooth but downshift is a bit notchy specially while making multiple downshifts at crawling low speed situations. But at any point of time it can’t be termed as unacceptable. Inspire of the high 28 nm torque, the tall gearing won’t allow you to engage the top gears at low speeds as used to be the case with the ci engines. Min speed for top gear (5th gear) is 40-45kmph+. In this regard, the ci engine bullets scored higher due to the peak torque being higher & that too kicking in at lower rpms. Short gear ratios further accentuated this effect. I felt that the magnitude of jerks experienced in case you lug the engines at low speeds is higher in a std. 350 uce as compared to other 350 uce’s which can be attributed to the heavier crank. The barcode present on the engine verifies this claim (pic attached). Performance is phenomenal & the freer flowing exhaust further boosts performance, though care must be taken that the fuel mixture in case of a free flowing exhaust is rich enough else you would end up with burnt out spark plugs. It can surely outclass a 180cc pulsar on straight line drags. Uce bullets aren’t lazy anymore. Top speed achieved was a speedo indicated 120kmph on flat road, neutral wind & 25 psi fr & 35 psi rr tyre pressures with me riding in a fully crouched position. Disappointingly, things get worse above 80 km/h & it feels best at speeds between 80-90kmph above which the rider can feel nerve jarring vibrations from the foot pegs. 100-105 km/h is easily achieved above which it takes quite an effort. The decompression switch is history & no more exists but you need to ensure that the ammeter is in neutral position before you crank the engine, else be prepared for powerful recoil. Absence of a self starter is surely felt at-least in metro cities where you have to come across numerous traffic signals & stalling the engine & again kick starting the bike is a pain. Retrofitting a self starter is a bolt on fit but it costs a bomb to get it done.5. Ride, handling & braking: the ride is on the stiffer side from the traditional hydraulic shocks unlike the gas charged shocks on the others bullets. In case you go in for the softer settings on the rear shocks, they tend to bottom out in case of riding with a pillion over potholes & bumps. Given the humongous 1370mm wheelbase, it’s stable at high speeds but makes it too lethargic on turns & corners so don’t look for any quick direction changes. Big drums up front cover up for the absence of discs (provided you are able to get the twin lead adjustment done properly) & are potent enough for any sudden stops. Rear drums also provide adequate braking power & bite on both the drums is progressive. The skinny ribbed tyres are the biggest disappointment on this bullet, 3.25/19 for both front & rear is too thin for a bike of this bulk. On braking in wet conditions, front tyres skid on wet roads as if you’re on ice. The rear tyres too, are incapable. To my surprise, while i was overtaking a car during rains, the torque transmitted to the rear wheels made the bike drift a bit from the rear end. I’ve ordered Dunlop monster, the only reputed brand in which 19” tyres with MRF zapper like treads are available (110/90-19 for front & 120/80-19 for the rear). They look superb & i hope they give a far better grip than the stock ones. A must upgrade for std. 350/ Electra. The horns & the headlamp seem like they belong to some of the entry level 100cc commuter bike. I upgraded my horns to dual horns along with a relay. Head lamp upgrade is on cards since first I'll have to research whether the reflector can sustain a higher wattage bulb. Another big design flaw comes in picture if you take a right turn spiritedly & simultaneously apply the rear brake, you’ll be taken aback by the screech due to the rear brake lever rubbing against the ground! it’s terribly frightening & at the same time dangerous too. The foot pegs too are a bit forward set which are not as per my liking. The soft saddle yields after a while & leaves your bottom numb after long continuous long rides (~100kms at a stretch).Mine had a peculiar problem of pulling to the right on application of the front brake which is still as it is (described in detail in last section).6. Build quality and fit & finish: the speedo needle wavers a lot at speeds above 80kmph giving a deflection of about 10 km/h or so. Paint quality is good but requires frequent wax in order to keep the bike shining. Teflon coat works wonders for the paint giving a super shine & deep gloss for a long period of time. Rusting is the issue which re still is unable to solve. After about a month, rust developed inside the left side toolbox. Also, there was rust inside the rear tail light.

About the Reviewer