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| Read the full story of Paul Jeffries' battle with his Bullet in RideApart. (Photo by Paul Jeffries) |
"I bought my old bike back 30 years later, and I wish I never had," Paul Jeffries wrote in RideApart last December. The bike was an early Royal Enfield Bullet, and his column was interesting.
I'm of two minds.
Was his regret at his recovery of a motorcycle that was once his fondest dream an object lesson for the rest of us?
Nostalgia puts a high gloss on our happy memories of the past. Can we ever really relive those moments?
On the other hand, well... who wouldn't like to try to recapture those sunny days we remember?
Here's his story, briefly:
"A little over 30 years ago, I owned a beautiful Royal Enfield Bullet. It was my pride and joy, and a real labor of love bike...
"It was also a symbol of my youth and, in a story I’m sure many can relate to, it survived the first child but had to go when the second rolled around...
"That was until one day in 2023 though, when I was looking through eBay and there it was – my bike...
So he bought it back. And that is when the regrets started:
"With each issue that was fixed, another one would pop up...
"The damn thing was cursed – it was like it was holding a grudge against me for getting rid of it all those years ago... "
"Learn from my mistake, and leave those cherished memories of a bike gone by where they belong – in the past."
A truly sad story, and most readers who left comments sided with his feelings. I preferred the one comment that did not:
"You can get that happiness back if you hang in there. It can't stay angry at you forever, and as soon as it's reliable you'll forget the bad times," one man wrote. Is that right?
I essentially "bought" my 1999 Bullet back again by paying a lot for an engine rebuild after 40,000 miles. The mechanic took so long to finish that I bought a Honda I admired to tide me over.
I liked the Honda well enough, but its convenience (electric start for goodness sake!) and reliability couldn't compete with the Bullet's character once they were both back in my garage.
I liked riding the Honda. I WANTED to ride the Bullet. I still have the Bullet. The Honda is gone.
This is going to cost me, I am sure, in time stranded by the side of the road, and eventual repair bills. I am resigned to that.
The pre-unit Bullet is brand-new 1935 "Depression-era" tech. In that time the rider was expected to have "mechanical sympathy" and basic mechanical & electrical acumen. The roads and fuel were poor. Your tech support was largely the guy looking back from the mirror.
ReplyDeleteThe India Bullet has better electrics but was built to a cost, in India. Materials are softer, so the gorillas out there are in for a shock. Short hand wrenches will generally be just fine. The 6.5:1 CR allows for easy starting and digests some very low octane fuel without complaint. At 22ish HP they aren't fast, but just like in the 1930's and rural India "You ain't walking". The electrical system MUST BE UNDERSTOOD and dealt with. It isn't Japanese by a long shot. Most happy riders have rewired their machines with better wire, better connectors and simplified the scheme. So to me, the Bullet is a great Time Machine back to the heyday. But you have to give it the degree of upkeep & care normal for that time. There is a 50 year long parts supply and YouTube is awash in How-To videos. Almost ALL of the professional repair help is dead or long retired, so YOU are IT. Get Hitchcock's on speed dial until you have the bike sorted. With a forged piston and "no lugging, no buzzing" the engine holds up reasonable well. The Snidal manual will help keep that agricultural 4-speed shifting in a stately manner. If you don't like to get intimate with the hardware, the Bullet is not right for you.
Thank you for an articulate description of how the Bullet owner both suffers and benefits from his experience.
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