The exhaust note is perfect for me – not too loud and has a deep bass unlike the Honda CB350 which is loud but is less bassy.
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Why/How Bullet
The last bike I had was 15 years ago-Pulsar 200. Was a nice bike for its time and let it go as my riding was limited. For a brief period did not have a 2-wheeler until I got home a Aprillia SR 150. It was a nice, fun to ride scooter. I had bought it pre-COVID at Rs 55000, used it for 5 years, added an additional 5-6K KM on ODO (~17000KM) and sold it for 57K! Was quite reliable and had a nice exhaust note.
With Aprilia sold in 2023, I had no plans to go back riding. One fine day Hero put up a display at the tech park where I work. They were encouraging everyone to take a test ride. I liked the Xpulse and took it for a short ride. I loved riding a bike after a long time. The Xpulse did not connect, though the love for riding had revived.
I was casually looking for bikes and 2 bikes that I liked were Honda CB350 and RE Bullet (A long-time dream to own one). Came across a nice low-run Honda CB350, was nice to ride, however could not connect with the bike. Super smooth engine, generous amount of kit, a loud exhaust note, comfortable.
Days passed by and had almost dropped plans of buying a bike, happened to be at a shopping area, which had a RE showroom. Was checking out bikes and ended up test-riding a Classic 350. While the bike wasn’t in a great condition, it was a nice bike to ride. While RE niggles were at the back of my mind, limited usage meant reliability wasn’t bothering me as much. Never liked the spilt seat of Classic and always liked the pin striping and single-seat comfort of Bullet. Paid 5K booking amount and told the dealer that I would decide if Bullet or Classic the next day.
Visited the dealer stockyard the next day morning, Classic was ruled out, loved Battalion black and Maroon (the latter paint scheme looked lovely) Bullet. Went in favor of color and dual channel disc brake, settled the bill for the Maroon Bullet in the morning and took delivery in the evening. Got the backrest, engine guard and sump guard during delivery. While I liked the chrome engine guard, felt it was too loud and grabbed away attention of the engine/silencer and nice paint scheme. Hence went ahead with the black guard.
Initial impression with Bullet
My riding is limited and don’t intend to go on long rides, my bike hasn’t clocked many miles. Most of the ride has been home-office which is about 6-7KMs. The bike has clocked a measly 150 km in 2 weeks. Given my intended usage I don’t see riding increasing drastically.
This is a heavy bike and you can feel the weight. Has good low-end torque and makes for a nice slow ride. Gear shifts are reasonably smooth. Engine is much quieter than earlier REs. Exhaust note is perfect for me, not too loud and has deep bass, unlike the CB350 which is loud but is less bassy. Brakes are decent for a slow ride.
Slot into 3rd/4th and the bike likes to happily cruise at 30-50KMPH with a deep bassy exhaust note. While I found the clutch initially too heavy, it’s quite okay now and the chunky levers are very nice to hold. This is not a corner craver, handles reasonably well for the type of bike. Suspension soaks bad patches very well and seats offer a good level of comfort. It’s not too soft like the one in battalion black and not too firm either. Two people can sit comfortably. The backrest looks nice. For speeds upto 70KMPH, there isn’t much vibration like typical REs and heat from the engine is minimal too.
Bike does not get many features, a small digital display has a fuel meter, ODO/trip meter and a clock. Wish RE provided tubeless spoked rims. Not a fan of alloy wheels on a classic-looking bike.
Delivery experience
Jagadamba Motors is where I took delivery of the bike. Delivery process was quick, smooth and simple. While I am still waiting for permanent registration, the dealer has been following up with me on a regular basis. They were happy to let me visit the stockyard, pick the bike I wanted and delivered with all the promised accessories in a short duration. Keeping my fingers crossed for service at Jagadamba Motors.
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