General Category > General Discussion
Royal Enfield Bullet Rescue
Dave Swanson:
I have always been enamored, rightly or wrongly, with the 500cc RE Bullet. This 2016 500cc Bullet popped up on FB Marketplace just a couple of miles from my house. It is a 2016 with only 1300 miles that was being sold by the original owner.
It was a sad looking bike when I went and looked at it. The owner was a nice guy. BUT is a menace to any mechanical object. There were more bodges on this bike than I could believe in it short riding life. 8 years under his "care" was hard on it. I really felt that this poor bike needed rescuing.
Some of the low lights.
Half a gallon of oil overfilled.
Spark plug wire to plug cap all but pulled out.
Spark plug cap barely touching the plug
Bolt missing (head steady), and others loose or missing nuts. These Bullets need constant checking for loose bolts.
Wiring fixes with wire nuts and bare copper wraps!
Just about everything that could be out of adjustment was.
Broken R/R bracket repair was so ridiculous I should have documented it.
And it was FILTHY.
The price was right - cheap- and I could tell with a lot of TLC it could be brought back to a high level.
After many hours spent over the past 10 days, and a couple orders from Hitchcock's here is how it looks as of today. It runs great and is a very relaxing ride. You don't want to be in a hurry on a Bullet, that's not the point.
There's a saying in India, a place where the Bullet is absolutely revered "with a 500cc Bullet under your ass, the world is in your fist!". :grin:
Chuck in Indiana:
Nice. It's good to see it found a proper keeper. :smiley:
Several years ago, I was talking to a guy with a cafe Bullet at Newsomes on Angeles Crest. "It's the most labor intensive bike I've ever had, and the most fun.."
guzzisteve:
That saying is because you are always shaking your fist at it! Enjoy it!
pehayes:
My son had one. Not very fastidious about checking for loose bolts. MANY. Vibrations led to cracked frame in various places. Welded up several times with overlap tubing, etc.. RE eventually offered to give him a new frame if he paid to have everything transferred over. He wisely sold it and now rides Guzzi.
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA
bigbikerrick:
Nice looking bike. The cracked frame thing sounds a little concerning. I was interested in a Himalayan when the first came out,they are a cool design, but seeing photos of some bikes with the frame cracked behind the steering head scared me off. I sure like the cadence of the big thumper.
Rick
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