I suggest, buy a old model of Bullet for an amount of Rs.15000/= approx. (depending upon the model and condition), and get it fully remade. It may cost you another Rs.25000/= or so.

Incidentally, I own a Bullet 350 of 1985 model. I had purchased it new. After driving it for approximately 1.25 lac kms. in the last 20 years, I got it fully remade recently (August/September 2005) at a cost of Rs.32000/=.

It has become a lovely combination of the old and the new - better, steadier & heavier than the new. It runs smoothly even at a low speed of 25 kms p.h. in the top gear. It presently gives me a milage of 37 kms p.l. I expect it to rise to 40 kms p.l. once the engine gets aroused after a run of 3000 kms (presently running at 1400 kms).

Regarding convincing your parents, you could tell them that Bullet, in fact, is more safer & steadier vehicle than the others - due to its weight, balance & road-grip. And that, Bullets, therefore, seldom meet with accidents.

In case your parents are against it due to its high cost, you could tell them that by going for a old model and getting it remade (if you so decide, ofcourse), you could save atleast Rs.35000/= as compared to the cost of new models.

Wishing you the very best. My e-mail ID is "adwishek@sancharnet.in".

you can bash on regardless with bullet go for it its chindi (supeeerrrrrrr)

tell ur parents that the BULLET is the heaviest bike available, and also tell them the bike isnt made for performing sudden cuts or silly stunts. Its a MANs bike,

Convince them that ull b always wearing a helmet, its compulsary in delhi anyways,

Just make sure that incase ur buying a 2nd hand bullet u need to b sure that after u get it redone it doesnt give u too many problems afterwards ( bullets are famous for that! ),

best of luck,

hey sudhir.. luk dude gt one.. if its been ur dream.. go ahead. convincing parents will take forever. trust me i been dng tat for the past 2 years.. lol!! if ur workin go buy one.. or take ur parents to the brand store if its there in ur place.. and bullets the most safe bikes mate.. the stability, ur riding position etc.. i cud go on forever there!! and between the electra and machismo.. if u want the old thump wth classic luks go fo the electra.. incse ur more interestd in performance the machismo it is.. and esp the chrome.. umm tats a tasty dish.. but i hear the vibrations in mach is more.. so now its up2 u 2 choose.. mintenance.. ur marryin mate not buyin a bike when u gt a bullet.. so tat shud ansewr ur question..!!

First of all, Is it YOUR money that you will be spending or your parents'?

IF it is yours, then go ahead and get an Electra, I wouldn't touch the Machismo. Just show up with it it at home. Believe me, nobody is going to kill you for doing so.
Your question tells me that you have NEVER ridden a bike.
Let me make some things crystal clear:

1) Bullets are not MEAN MACHINES

2) They look nice, are a joy to ride but owning and maintaining one in good shape is a different story.

3) Be prepared for maintenance problems.
I belong to a creed of Bullet owners who will ride a Bullet no matter what. We don't care whether it breaks down every other day. We do it for the sheer joy of it.

I am not saying that you WILL have problems, it just that the Bullets tend to be tempramental and need more care than you average run-of-the mill bike.

4) Keep in mind THE BULLET WAS DESIGNED IN BACK IN 1939. It is essentially unchanged since then. While it has its classic good looks, it has its (here we go again) own set of problems, which I must say, are in some twisted way, one of the pleasures of owning a Bullet.

5) In Delhi traffic (stop-go-stop-go). Be prepared for broken clutch cables and excessive wear on brakes. So, if you get a Bullet, learn to change the clutch cable and carry a spare one , ALWAYS. In short BE PREPARED TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY.

6) Find GOOD MECHANIC. It will be through word of mouth. There has to be a Bullet owners club in Delhi, enlist their help and guidance.

7) You may find the Bullet a bit heavy at first, but do not let this discourage you. Go get a test ride first. Familiarise yourself with the Bike a bit.

So, there you go, that is my experience and advice..rest..its your money...do what you deem fit

In any case..Ride safe.

Hi !

I recently bought a bull Machismo(3 months). Tell u frankly there is no bike like bullet. I live in Blore (Horrible traffic). so just go for it and there is no bike safer than Bullet. I guess u earn enough to get the bike on your own money, so that u dont depend on ur parents. If you really Enjoy biking then u should not have second thoughts.

I suggest u Wait till jan-06.

How u deal with ur parents is upto u,sorry, its really a private matter. Trust me Bullet is a Bullet. WOW!

"Jab Bullet Chale to Duniya Ruke !" Wah Wah!!
Just get a bullet and u will see this is real :)

Take care!
Bye

buddy listen,all parents are like that, dont care what they say and go fo your dream. reagrding maintainence,u should take care of your bike like your wife,that is what a bullet is, it is one step above than a nbormal human and so uhave to show care and interest.and i would suggest you to go for the new electra2005 rather than the machismo because i feel that electra is much better,i am owning a 2003 thunderbird and i dont like the new thunderbird because the old looks really good when compared to the new one.all the best with your biking.

c my friend, first of all let me tell oyu dat reagrding your parents u r d only 1 who c an get d way out!!coz we dont know their mentality!!u know their thoughts n why dey dislike d king of d roads- the bullet!!do one thing.just go for it.n they wiill love it too.if oyu want any technical assistance we r always der my dear,
keep thumping

dude...i have the same problem with my folks too....well finally i got the finances in place and ill be getting a TB in jan...i know the beast is so beautiful my parents will like it.....i hope that u do the Same Chase Ur Dreams

Happy Ridng

Sudhir, we have come a month & a half since you have posted this. Hope that you are an RE owner now.

If not, a few tips. 1. Convince your parents as to whether you really "need" a car :-)
2. Test ride a RE on a stretch for at least 5-6 Kms where you get to cross 60kmph at least.

If you manage to satsisfy Pt2, I guess you will do the rest (ie buy a RE) at the earliest.

Guess u already have a Pulsar, riding an RE is easier.

All the best.

Hai Sudhir bhai, I too had the same dilemma. My mom was not convinced when I decided to buy a bullet. Now she's happy. Do you know, I didn't had previous experience when I decided to buy one. If I can do it, why can't you? Go ahead, all the best. A. Benjamin

hey bud ,when i was about to start riding the bike for the first time,my father said that you have to ride it not carry it on your head.So bullet was not a bigtask and i was only in my 8th std i beleave that bullet being the heavy one it is more balenced and steady than other bikes in the mkt.Go ahead live your dream,cause you dont get to live again and again.live young ride hard.Respect

Hi,
The bullet fever has just caught hold of me.But since i will be owning it of my Dad's expense,have to get some doubts cleared.
Is maintaning bullet very expensive,dad says it will cost around Rs. 1000-2000 per month.that expensive.
Please help me,As i hope to be a bulleteer by Jan

Well, I also own a bullet electra, electric start, disc brakes...etc. I was like you a year ago. I would suggest you to go like this. This is like a flow chart for you.
1. If you intend to ride in city, looking for mileage, & you are an office goer, & you want to showoff that you have a macho machine with you, then this is not the Machine for you. It is quite slow in movement. Brakes are not that effective, Its not totally under your control at any given instance. Ask other bulleters abt this. Its a locomotive.!! Believe me. But it has got excellent stability. these are the pros and cons. Starting is little easy compared to std 350.

2. If you have ridden this machine before, & would like to go for big trips, like about 1000, 500 kms, and you have deeply fallen into this machine, then yes this bike is for you. Coz., its ur first love, then go for it.

Outweighing the above 2 points, I still would prefer you to think judge yourself, abt all the facts, pros and cons, ride it for some time (test ride!!) then come to conclusion. To me its a mixed feeling. I cant let go this machine any time. Its nice, but its not nice.......its BOTH pal....let me tell you. I have an Rx135 with me.........still I love the gear shifts in Rx135 uptil today....compared to electra.. Think Think Think........is all what I have to say about this.

Imo.

Can you give me the wieght of the new Thunderbird with Electric Start? I am 54 years old, 5ft 6in and 75 Kg. Can I handle the Thunderbird. I only want it for weekend long rides.

Wow .. dat comment on d cuts n curve on road will i guess work as Ram Baan.. lol
I plan to go for the new Electra 5S.. wat is ur suggestion .. i love the thumping sound and feel like being carried away into a totally different world when i hear the thumping sound no matter where im ..driving or walking or being a pillion rider ...
how much wld it cost on road in delhi ? and what cld b d KPL?

thanks a ton again for ur suggestion..

regards,

Sudhir

Thanks a ton for ur suggestions...
Yes i do agree to wat u wrote ... i hv to convince my dad ...mom is kindda ok wl finance is not a prob as Im working as Sr Executive - HR with an MNC.and i hv worked with reliance grp for almost 3 yrs prior to this .. the only difficulty is getting my dad agree for it.. I love the Thumping sound .. and i guess d looks of new Electra is deadly too ..so i wl eye on Electra 5S provided i get the approval frm dad ... i can buy w/o his consent ..but don't know y my conscience does not allow me too .. lol ..
brother i wld also b obliged if u can give an idea of wat kindda average (KPL) can i expect from d mean machine? 30-35? wl its a different issue dat its not a concern.. i cant help myself but gaze at the bullet whenever one passes me ... yes passess me ..even if i am driving mom's car or driving my Pulsar 150 DTSi i cant help myself from giving way to Bullet and hear ..feel the king ride past me ... its reallya thrilling experience when d gust of hot air blows out of its silencer ...with a thumping sound which to me is more than melody ...

thanks again to everyone for shouldering me and taking their precious time out for me ...

With warm regards,

Sudhir

HI Gagandeep!

U said u wont even touch a MAchismo, May I pls know the reasons for this,especially since TB and Machismo have the same Engines. Any specific reason?? just Curious to know

Cheers!
Ajay

Brother u have suggested dat i wait till Jan 06, any specific reasons for it? plz let me know ...
How did u convince ur parents for bullet?

awaiting ur reply ajay,

regards,

Sudhir

I really appreciate such a great response from all of u .. once again proving the legendary Bullet n brotherhood among those who ride it!

Warm regards,

Sudhir

If you are talking maintenance alone, it is no that much.
I would say keeping aside a couple hundred every month, so that IF you need an expensive repair, you can dig into the saved money. Other than that, it depends on how much you ride every day. Bullets are not known for their mileage (Km/L), so depending on your riding distance, you may very well end up spending Rs. 2000 a month on petrol., After all Rs. 2000 buys you only about 40 litres of petrol. That is not even Three Tankfuls ..so do your calculations..

hi yaar i am only able to earn 8,000/-only and then also i am having a old bull it is not like that new bikes dont cost so much maintenance i dont buy clothes for myself but i am able to maintain it properly u can easily handle the maintenance can call me at my cell 09838654865 iam 26 amit (kanpur) i have spend my whole life till now for the royal Enfield

I have never ridden a bike before (!!!) - still learning to!! In fact, I would have never thought of a bike if I had not realized that it is more comfortable than a car in Bangalore. That's when I started noticing bikes.

At first, I looked for mileage and trouble free performance. But now that I have seen a thunderbird (and listened to the "thump"), I am obsessed with it. For now, I am open to most models (and I need your advice here), but I am specifically taken away by the TB!

Still need to convince myself that it makes sense for me to buy it...

1 - Is it possible to start biking exp. with a RE? I do not have the opportunity to test / practice on other ("ordinary") bikes.

2 - Since all RE bikes claim 18bhp, I am unable to identify the order. What are the essential differences between RE bikes?

3 - Before I go to the dealer, I would like to get a rough estimate of the price of all bikes. I am unable to get any info from the internet - would love it if you could help / refer me to some site.

4 - A rough estimate of the maintenence cost per year would be helpful.

Thanks in advance! Happy biking!
Raghav

Salutations to all d members!
Since my childhood I had been dreaming of owning a Bullet! I m 26 but my parents are just against my dream machine, they say its not safe for delhi traffic they suggest that I got for a second hand car instead . I need two types of help:
1. How shall I convince my parents ?
2. Shall I go for the new version of Electra or go for Machismo? or shall wait till Jan 2006?
3. Will riding to office (20 kms away) will b problem? I mean will it b convenient to drive d Mean Machine daily?(i.e maintanence)
I would b highly obliged if u guys cld help me.. Im sure atleast some of u wld hv gone thru dis kinda situation atleast once.

I am a die hard fan of Enfield and believe "Jab Bullet Chale to Duniya Ruke !"

Regards & thanks,

Nairsahab