RE was able to make a stellar comeback from a near-death experience because it found the right positioning in an increasingly crowded market. RE was a casualty of liberalisation, made worse by years of neglect. In the 70s and 80s, the Bullet was in a class of its own, with a 350-cc engine. Motorcycles then, as now, were seen as a utility vehicle for urban transport but one that lagged scooters because of a significant price differential. But across the few motorcycle segments, the Bullet had just a handful of other brands to compete with, such as Yezdi’s Jawa and Rajdoot, both of which sold more than the Bullet, according to legacy data