Page 121 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)
P. 121
Guido
Guy Allen
BITE THE BULLET
Elephant-dodging in India
o you ever get the bruised the likes of Yamaha
feeling that some with its SR500.
motorcycles are I walked away from that
Ddestined to haunt first encounter having had
your life? I’m kind of getting a good time on the Bullet,
that with Royal Enfield so long as you were in the
Bullets at the moment. Well, mood to just amble along.
when I say moment, I mean Over the years, I’ve
for more than three decades. probably had half dozen
The story behind them is Bullet demos, across the
pretty famous. Production generations. In general,
started in India decades the finish and quality has
ago and eventually the improved, while they’ve
sub-continent took over become more robust and
completely, while the just a little quicker. What’s
original firm kinda fell over, changed as much is the local
like much of the British market, where there’s now
industry at the time. Then definitely room for a gentle
the Indians started selling retro of this nature. Pick
them to the British. the right model, you’ll even
While the company has be complimented by well-
gone on to bigger and better meaning bystanders on the
things, the Bullet has been quality of your restoration!
a mainstay for the firm with A longish run, some
annual sales numbering in 1200km, proved that
the hundreds of thousands There’s no doubt Bullets have distance needn’t be an issue,
in the domestic market. so long as you didn’t thrash
There’s no doubt the things enormous cultural traction the spokes off the things.
have enormous cultural And that was always a
traction. Mention Bullets to although that seems to be design that wasn’t really at temptation.
any Indian and their eyes less of an issue these days. the cutting edge back then. Now, all these years later,
light up as they start to My first encounter with The demands of our market muggins is finally getting
rattle off family stories about them was back around 1986- and (back in the 1980s) the to ride a Bullet in India.
how they depended on the 87, with a test bike supplied emerging economy of India It’s part of a 10-day wheeze
thumpers, while ownership by then Melbourne dealer were wildly divergent. with Spannerman who,
was often a source of pride Phil Pilgrim of Union Jack For us, the news was all I’m delighted to say, is not
and joy for the family. Motorcycles. If I remember about the horsepower race navigating. That important
In Australia, they’ve right, the distributor was and increasingly wild task is being left to young
played a very different role over in Adelaide. It ran a performance claims, where Daniel, an ex-pat Brit who
of quirky throwback, with right-side gearshift and the market was tipping into runs Kerala Bike Tours who
a definite classic flavour, seemed pretty slow – the leisure category. we’ve hired to herd our
that offers relatively cheap particularly compared to Back home, the Bullet was motley crew around.
motorcycling. The local some of the rocketships something to get everyone It won’t be my first
market has been all over the coming out at the time. to school and work and substantial trip on a Bullet,
place for these things, with This was where looking at maybe haul the odd heavy but definitely the first
distributors coming and a bike in context is critical. load. Here, it was for what where we might end up
going as they’ve struggled In plain nuts and bolts, it was a pretty minuscule retro dodging the odd elephant.
to find a solid foothold was a mildly updated 1950s market that had already Wish us luck...
MOTORCYCLE TRADER 119
