Jul 02, 2014 04:41 PM
91982 Views
(Updated Jan 07, 2016 03:22 PM)
Friends, I am talking about the Carburetor Royal Enfield Standard 500 CC Bullet bike. I am riding it since February 2014. I have completed nearly 19000 kms in this bike. With that experience I am writing about it:
The look: Standard is always standard. The standard look of Royal Enfield is present in this bike. Full marks for this.
Weight: With a weight of more than 193 kgs(after fitting extra fittings like crash guard to the front, back etc.,), it is very heavy, but I never felt the weight to my legs or body. Gravity is maintained at the center of the bike and hence very good stability.
Braking: Because of the front disc brake, braking is very good for the front tyre. Even if the rear tyre is provided with drum brake, there is no problem at all in braking system of this byke.
Lights and Electrical system: With a powerful 55W/60W DC(and hence constant illumination like in a car!)(Kindly note that for some time, Royal Enfield company manufactured AC illuminated Headlight, which was the worst idea!), I am very much satisfied with the Headlight power/illumination of the bike. About other lights like, braking light, indicators, etc., are all nice. Regarding the electrical system, with a powerful 14Ah batter, two mind-blowing horns are provided. Very nice.
Mileage: Believe me! I am getting a mileage of around 41 kmpl. I admit that I never go above 60 kmph and never go for unnecessary accele_45ration. My place is of terrain in nature. Hence people in places having level roads can expect more than 41 kmpl with matured riding. So this means if you go above 60 kmph or riding in city traffic with most of the time in 2nd, 3rd or a maximum of 4th gear, your mileage drops like anything! So the mileage of 41 kmpl is the "maximum" that you can expect from Bullet 500.
Cost: I feel that the cost of RE bikes are little bit high! But there are no alternatives to for RE bikes! So I don't have an alternative choice in this regard! So no comments!
Seating comfort: The best ever I ever saw. The best part of Standard 500 is the seating position. Wonderful.
Regarding the exhaust/silencer pipe: The first thing RE buyers do is: Change the exhaust/silencer pipe! They(including me) are not at all happy with the present sound(or soundless!) of RE bikes. And the funny part is: They always feel that the'other' RE person's sound is better/good/best than his/her bike! But trust me, after spending around 10,000 rupees on changing different types of exhaust/silencer pipe, I finally came to a conclusion that the factory fitted silencer pipe is the best for Bullet bikes!(From sound point and performance point of view). I went for Gold Star Glass wool, then to Short bottle and then for other types. True, they all make lots of sound. And that is a problem for me! When I go for 150 - 200 kms riding, I felt that the loud sound is irritating! Even after switching OFF the ignition, you feel the sound in the ears for few minutes! So finally I am with the same original silencer pipe for my RE 500 bike! This gives you the silky smooth riding with lots of peace of mind. Moreover it is not legal to use silencer pipes that produce lots of sound. If you still feel that you require more sound, you can think of the up-sweep silencer pipe. That gives very decent thumbing.
Which is better? The old Iron Cast Engines(ICE) or the new aluminium Unit Constructionguru30 Engines(UCE)?: Almost all unofficial RE mechanics'(or one who owns a ICE based Bullet) say this: Iron Cast Engine Bullet bikes are like golden bikes. The new UCE powered RE bikes are light weight, no pleasure in riding, not good, useless etc., But when I personally compared the old ICE and the new UCE powered RE bikes, the new UCE RE bikes are far far far better than the old ICE RE bikes in all aspects. The breakdown(mechanical failure) in UCE is much less(surely not minimum!) compared to ICEs. The mileage of UCE is much much higher than ICEs. The BHP of UCE is much higher than ICEs of the same CCs. Oil leaking is zero in the UCE engines wherein ICE RE bikes are famous for marking its terrBrianbalakumaranry(Some die hard fans of the old ICE bikes say that RE bikes don't leak oil, instead the so called BULL is marking its terrBrianbalakumaranry!), etc., So kindly don't invest your valuable money on the old ICE powered RE bikes, instead go for the new UCE powered RE bikes!
Finally, just few words. Yes! Royal Enfield bikes have improved a lot! Quality has improved. Oil leaking(and many such problems which were present in the old iron casting type engines) are not there in the present aluminium casting engines. So I sincerely advise anyone who reads this to go for Royal Enfield Standard(Forest Green or Jet Black color are the only two colors available right now) 500C Bullet bikes without any hesitation.
Thanking you
Yours truly
Kiran K U
(kirangsch@gmail.com)
