Yogesh Ashok Powar

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    • The Beast

    On Bullet - Royal Enfield's 350 CC

    Tags: Bullet

    The Beast

    There is always room for improvement for everybody.

    I have been riding bikes since my school days. But I was introduced to a real bike three year ago by a friend who possessed one and I asked for a ride. By the time I returned from that 10 minutes ride, I was in love with it.

    Although the bike was very much different from other bikes that I rode, had to kick 10 times before it got started, had gears and brakes on the wrong side and it was as heavy as riding it with a Yokozuna at the back, I made a decision to own one. Years after it, I was a proud owner of “Royal Enfield’s Bullet 350 STD”.

    More complex a thing is, the more time it needs to learn. And, the more time one invests, the more dear the thing becomes. True for all; relations, winning strategies and Bullets. This real bike demands a relationship with its rider. The relationship involves patience. In return one will get pleasure that only a beast rider may get.

    It is twenty thousand KM old now, with experience of flying at 120 KMPH, Stamping the highest and toughest road of Leh-Ladakh and walking steadily with mileage 35-42 KMPL.

    It’s rightly said, Bullet is a bike with a huge heart. And Don’t bleed her heart by riding it like the rest of the plastic bikes. Some of the easy riding tips are as follows.

    1. Do not throttle the engine immediately after the start. Ride a couple of KMs with low throttle and with appropriate gear.
    2. Clutch should be used only while changing the gear.
    3. For going above 60 KM, make sure that your bike is warm enough. Eg., 10 Km with 50, another 5 Km with 60 and then you can go up to 140 :).
    4. For mileage drive within 40-50 Kmph on top gear, make use of momentum instead of always-throttle-style.
    5. For braking use both the breaks.
    6. For turns at high speed, have an inside bend and slightly turn the handle in the opposite direction.
    7. Have Oil changed (engine, gear, clutch) after every 3000 Km.
    8. Higher air pressure in the tyre will result in higher mileage but weaker control. So use appropriate air pressure. I use 32 and 26 PSI in the rear and front tyres. Will vary based on rider’s Weight.
    9. Regularly tighten the loose parts/nuts/bolts and replace damaged parts.
    10. Always wear a helmet and enjoy the thump at 40-50 KMPH.

    As I said, there is always room for improvement for everybody, please correct me if I am wrong.

    Published on 13/11/2009

    Tags: Bullet
    Updated on: 2009-11-13