How do you sell something which is more than 50 years old, does not have a fuel efficiency of 100 KMPL and does not go beyond 110 kmph? Ask this to Mr. Siddharth Lal and he will show you the new Bullet Electra 2004.
You might compare it to the older version of Bullets (Read Std. 350 and Campus/Electra) and in the cursory glance you would not find much difference. Then why the Electra 2004? And why would anyone want to buy same old stuff when it doesnt even come in NEW clothes?? Well, for one it has the SAME old world charm and character that earlier Bullets exuded, with Technological advances (in the Indian context) such as Gas filled shox and Transistor Coiled Ignition that makes it much more accesibe to people who think a Bullet requires legs of Roberto Carlos to start in one kick and knowledge of neighborhood mechanic in case the bike breaks down.
But the best feature of this bike is not the new one. Its the same old engine which is not changed which is a feature in itself. For rideability sake, some of the engine components have been changed for less weight but overall structure and design is largely unaltered. Trust on Enfield guys to preserve character and charisma that is one BIG reason Bullets are selling again.
Now lets get on to the nitty-gritties of the Bike.
Looks and Quality: The bike oozes quality which has never been seen before in Royal Enfield bikes. The switchgear and quality of paint is outstanding. I wonder why this switchgear does not feature on Thunderbird which in itself is beautiful bike but lacks Bullet character. The bike comes in four colours and all of them look just great. Bet you woudnt be able to choose when you go to showroom. Especially the metal embossed ’’Royal Enfield’’ logo on tank stands out and proclaims the rich heritage.
The front mudguard is changed to more contemporary and chrome is first class. The ’’tiger eye’’ casquette is not tempered with and front shocks too remain the same.
The speedo-dial background is changed to white and looks great especially in the nights when you are living your dream on the road with the speedo light providing warmth.
From looking from the back, the rear shox enhance the visual effect by their gas cylinders connected that dont look ungainly. The bike should come with 3.50x19 rear tyre standard which looks better visualy with the rear end of the bike while increasing ’’beefyness’’. A pity they are shorn with 3.25x19 out of showroom. While this change is not very expensive and improving the bike handling in good measure, this should be the first change when taking the bike out of showroom.
Apart from these, the Bike remains largely unchanged visually.
Performance and fuel efficiency: The bike produces only 18 horses from its huge 350 cc engine. As I said before, this is a engine which hasnt been changed, provides with engine longevity not seen in plastic-Jap bikes. Tried and tested performance gets you to around 80 kmph of unstressed cruise and 110 kmph of topspeed. Again, these figures are lot dependent upon how well it is run-in.
The glass-wool filled end can sounds better than older Electra’s which was ungainly and trudged out of the lenght of bike. This end-can maintains a correct length while complying with regulatory authorities in noise factor. The glass-wool can be adjusted for accoustics according to users taste but frankly I didnt find much difference. The sound does change but not emphatically. Its better to go for older and freer flowing exhaust if you want a loud thump.
The handling of Bullets have always been good and gas shox improve the ride quality for the pillion. My personal experience says that it also improved the cornoring and handling of the bike when compared to older bikes with old type shox.
The bike gives an average of 35-40 kmpl according to the way you ride her. In relaxed more, she will difinitely give better figures. The one thing that I am disappointed about was that TCI did not do much about performance and fuel efficiency figures. Ideally, improving the electricals of bike should result with stronger spark and thus improving on performance and fuel consumptions by better combustion. But this is something I can live with because it has improved bike starting to a large extent. Gone are the days of calibrating the needle of ammeter or checking if piston was on TDC or not. Although they have been gone since the advent of CDI, but I have my reservations about Royal Enfield CDI kit. But alongwith this, also gone is the tunability of points. Make your choice.
Overall: Royal Enfield has once again proved that there is something more about bikes than engines and nuts and bolts. The soul of the bike, how it connects to its rider, also tells a lot about the bike. These days, while an average Indian customer will still go for a highly fuel efficient moped, there is a growing legion of people who value a bike in terms of satisfaction, performance and pride of owning one. Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 2004 is a heady concoction of all these factors already present on a Bullet and adds some more to it in a reasonable price range. Bet you will see more of these machines on your nearby highway.
P.S.: See the RE Bullet 500 with AVL engine being sold in England. Just launched and looks great. wonder when does it comes to out shores.