World Technology

Evolution The Bullet has evolved from a four-valve engine with exposed valve-gear to the latest all-alloy Unit Construction Engine with electronic fuel-injection. 19311939 Royal Enfield Bullet Manufacturer Royal Enfield, UK Production 19311939 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet Engine 346 cc & 499 cc single cylinder OHV Introduced in 1931 as a four-stroke single cylinder motorcycle, this model was the first to feature the Bullet name. It differed in a number of ways from its successors (which are now familiar): it had an inclined engine with exposed valve gear featuring four valves per cylinder with 350 cc and 500 cc options. In 1933, a 250 cc option was also added to the range.. Its frame was also considerably different, having centre-spring girder front forks, being among a new range of models from Royal Enfield that featured them, along with a saddle-type fuel tank. However, common to motorcycles of this period, it had a rigid rear-end, necessitating a ‘sprung’ seat for the rider, which resulted in the iconic look of the motorcycle that is much replicated today, even though the sprung seat is unnecessary in modern models. After competition success the 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet was bought by the British Army for dispatch riders and 3,000 were also supplied to the RAF during the Second World War. 19391949 Royal Enfield Bullet Manufacturer Royal Enfield, UK Production 19391948 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Engine 346 cc single cylinder OHV This model refreshed Royal Enfield’s model line-up for 1939. It differed in cosmetic details, as well as in having two rocker boxes, which resulted in higher volumetric efficiency for the engine. The basic design with front gaiter forks was retained. 19491956 Royal Enfield Bullet Manufacturer Royal Enfield, UK Production 19481956 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet 350/500 Engine 346 cc & 499 cc single cylinder OHV A number of changes were implemented in order to bring the bike up-to-date. This model featured a vertical engine with alloy head and higher compression. The frame was also changed to a fully sprung design using a swing-arm with non-adjustable hydraulic shockers at the rear, while the front used a brand-new telescopic fork of Royal Enfield’s own design. This enabled the introduction of a bench seat made of simple foam and with no large springs. Power transmission was via the same four-speed Albion gearbox as the previous model, with a unique ‘neutral-finder’ lever the rider could press from any gear other than first to shift to neutral. The crankshaft continued to have a fully-floating big-end bearing. The headlight assembly was enclosed with the speedometer and ammeter into a nacelle, which also served as the attachment of the front suspension as well as the handlebars. An otherwise similar model, but with engine displacement of 499 cc, made its debut in 1953. The prototype had done well in a performance trial and went on to win the trophy at the 1948 International Six Days Trial and two Bullet riders won gold medals.. In 1952 Johhny Brittain won the Scottish Six Days Trial on a Royal Enfield Bullet and in 1953 he also won the International Six Days Trial without losing a single point. In 1949, the Indian Army ordered Royal Enfield Bullets for border patrol use and the company decided to open a factory in Madras, India. In 1955, the 350 cc Bullets were sent from the Redditch factory in kit form for assembly in India, but Enfield India Ltd. soon developed the factory and produced complete motorcycles independently under licence. The 1955 model remained almost unchanged for years and Madras produced over 20,000 Bullets annually. 19561964 Royal Enfield Bullet Manufacturer Royal Enfield, UK Production 19561964 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet 350/500 Engine 346 cc & 499 cc single cylinder OHV In 1955, Royal Enfield carried out some retooling and redesign at their Redditch plant, in the UK, to modernise the Bullet, and in 1959 some changes were made to the gear ratios. These changes, however, were not incorporated by the Indian arm due to its commitment to supply the Indian Army. Thus the British and Indian lines diverged, never to meet again. Between 1956 and 1960, the British Bullet was released in several models, including a 350 cc Trials “works replica” version, a 350 cc “Clipper” model and in 1958 the Airflow version. This model had full weather protection from a large fibreglass fairing and included panniers for touring. The design was developed in partnership with British Plastics and featured as a series in The Motor Cycle magazine. The engines were the same and the only differences were in exhaust, seating, instrumentation, handlebars and fuel tank. Numerous technical improvements were also made, including moving to alternator charging (1956) and coil ignition (1960). The 350 cc model continued in production, but the 500 cc model was discontinued in 1961. In 1962, the UK company was sold and the Bullet discontinued and in 1967, the Redditch factory closed. Finally, in 1970, Royal Enfield closed down completely. 19551995 Enfield Bullet Manufacturer Enfield Ltd., India Production 19551995 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet 350/Electra/Machismo Engine 346 cc single cylinder OHV The Enfield India Ltd. factory did well and continued production of the 1955 Bullet design almost unchanged, re-introducing it to the British market in 1984 under the name ‘Enfield’. This was a period of stagnation for the Bullet, as the Indian owners did not make even basic improvements to the motorcycle, and the quality of parts dropped at an alarming rate. Due to the protectionist Indian economy, however, there was felt no need for betterment, and the brand survived into the 1990s essentially as a domestic Indian commuter bike, if a rather majestic one. On a positive note, during this period the bike’s position was cemented in the Indian psyche as the definitive King of Bikes (it is often called Raja Gaadi, which literally translates as ‘King Bike’, or ‘The King’s Bike’ in Hindi). It so hopelessly out-powered anything present in the mileage-conscious Indian bike-scene, that owning and riding a Bullet was seen as a statement of power and prestige, a feeling that continues to this day in India, even though modern (but still under-powered) bikes are available. The only bikes that were equivalent in mindshare were the Yamaha RD350 and the Yezdi. Both bikes enjoy a cult following in India, but have been out of production for decades. However, this could not prevent the erosion of the bike’s market once the economy was sufficiently opened up to allow the Japanese motorbikes. Chronic low quality and mismanagement, coupled with the bike’s relatively low mileage (although the Bullet engine is fuel-efficient, its main competition was with bikes whose engines at 100 cc were less than a third in size) caused a descending spiral of sales until the company, near bankruptcy, was bought out by Eicher Motors, a tractor and commercial vehicle manufacturer. 19951997 Royal Enfield Bullet 350/Electra/Machismo Manufacturer Royal Enfield Motors, India Production 19951997 Successor Royal Enfield Bullet 350/Electra 4s/Electra 5s/Machismo 500 Engine 346 cc single cylinder cast-iron or lean-burn, OHV Under the newly appointed CEO of Enfield India, Mr. Siddhartha Lal, himself a passionate biker, Eicher undertook major investment in the ailing firm. This was started the purchase of trademark and intellectual property rights of the defunct British Royal Enfield firm, thus changing the name of the company to Royal Enfield Motors. A slew of management and production changes were made, with the production process being streamlined and excess capacity redistributed. Without the large-scale Army/Law Enforcement orders to bail the company out, there was only the individual sales route in which the company had to perform if it were to survive at all. The company also faced the difficult task of catering to a very diverse market. The Bullet had buyers and fans from all walks of society, whether they be prosperous farmers or wealthy landlords from the villages, or young middle-class people who wanted a serious road presence and were tired of the anonymity of Japanese-clone bikes, or upper class individuals into classic British bikes. To preserve the Bullet’s nature and reputation as a classic British bike, as the Raja Gaadi, and to attract youngsters away from the newly appeared (though still under-powered) ‘performance’ bike segment, the Bullet marque was split up into two. The Bullet Standard 350 featured all the increased manufacturing quality and reliability but was maintained in the traditional Bullet look, even available in only one colourlack. A new model with refreshingly garish colours and lots of chrome, a facelift, TCI ignition (instead of the traditional CB-points system), a CV carburettor and gas-filled shock-absorbers at the rear, but with the same engine and gearbox as the Standard was launched. This model was christened the Bullet Electra 350. The Electra 350 went on to become the best-selling Royal Enfield model, accounting for around half the company’s sales. Alongside these developments, Austrian engine firm AVL was contracted to produce an all-alloy engine suitable as a drop-in replacement for the cast-iron block original engine (with design dating from 1955). The first bike with this engine was launched as the Bullet Machismo 350. This engine proved to be a failure in the Indian market, as it was perceived as lacking the characteristic ‘thump’ of a Bullet. It would be ultimately successful in the Thunderbird, a chopper style cruiser from Royal Enfield that represented a completely different domestic product line. Also seen was the introduction of a disc-brake on the front wheel as a factory option as well as an after-market kit. 19972007 Royal Enfield Bullet 350/Electra 4s/Electra 5s/Machismo 500

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