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Royal Enfield Bullet

Longest continuously produced motorcycle since 1932.

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Royal Enfield Bullet

via Wikipedia: Royal Enfield Bullet · see source

Since 1932, this motorcycle has been in uninterrupted production, a duration longer than any other motorcycle has achieved.[1]

How it changed

A 250 cc option was added in 1933, and the frame used centre-spring girder front forks and a saddle-type fuel tank.[2] From 1955, 350 cc Bullets were shipped from Redditch as kits for assembly in India, and Enfield India soon began full independent production under licence.[2] The 500 cc model was discontinued in 1961, and the UK company sold in 1962, with the Redditch factory closing in 1967.[3] Enfield India continued producing the Bullet after the UK factory's bankruptcy, and in 1999 changed its branding to 'Royal Enfield' after winning a trademark lawsuit.[4]

Enfield Bullet 350, Kathgodam, India
Enfield Bullet 350, Kathgodam, India. Image: Yann ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The first model to carry the Bullet name, a four-stroke single-cylinder, was launched in 1932; it had an inclined engine with exposed valve gear, four valves per cylinder, and was offered in both 350 cc and 500 cc displacements.[2]

What the maker and period sources say

A 2011 Motorcycle Classics review reported that the 2010 Bullet Classic C5 had a claimed power of 27.5 hp at 5,250 rpm and a top speed of 80 mph.[5] The same review stated that the C5's new engine was a clean-sheet redesign retaining visual parity with older Bullets, and that the bike started on the button every time with no kickstarter fitted.[5] An India Today article from 2020 confirmed that Royal Enfield would discontinue retail sales of the Bullet 500 in India from March 31, 2020, due to Bharat Stage VI emission norms.[6][7]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Royal Enfield Bullet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bullet Classic Range"; "Our Guy in India", 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Royal Enfield Bullet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Brown, "The History of British Bikes", Paragon, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Royal Enfield Bullet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Royal Enfield Bullet a brief history" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. "David Holder", A Broke Biker. facts only, no text reused. abrokebiker.wordpress.com
  5. Richard Backus, "Riding the 2010 Royal Enfield Bullet Classic C5", Motorcycle Classics, May–June 2011. facts only, no text reused. motorcycleclassics.com
  6. "Royal Enfield Bullet 500, Classic 500, Thunderbird 500 to be discontinued in India from March 31", India Today. facts only, no text reused. indiatoday.in
  7. "Royal Enfield may stop selling 500cc bikes from next year; here's why", business today, 20 November 2019. facts only, no text reused. businesstoday.in

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Royal Enfield Bullet (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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