The Royal Enfield India never built a 600cc motorcycle. But Mr. O A Anthony does discovers AutoCar (Nov. ’08). Operating out of a tiny garage in Santacruz, Mumbai, and the owner of the best Bullet shop in Mumbai, Anthony is an authority on Enfields and how to make them go faster.
The aftermarket converted Bullet looks nice, the proportions are good, neatly welded and more importantly, straight. The wheels
are properly aligned, the brakes feelsome and the suspension supple. It feels like a complete product, something that could have come out of a factory, rather than a workshop, marvels AutoCar (Nov. ’08).
Swing a leg over the bike – the seat feels good, the riding position is comfy and the cut-outs in the tank seem perfect for a mid-sized person and the low handlebars and the riding position remind one of an old English café racer.
The engine is creamy-smooth (for a single) and this makes it fantastic on the highway. To get to the pint-like 594cc (a pint in an English pub is 568ml, which is the same as 568cc) capacity, Anthony has used an old Lightning 535 engine. The bore remains the same, but the stroke is 10mm longer thanks to a modified and balanced crankshift taken from the Thunderbird. The piston is from a regular 435, but the forged conrod is custom-built. The cam profiles and air filter are standard and for the most part the exhaust is standard.
Power and torque are up and the Mikuni VM28 carburettor with a 130 main jet sends an almost-delicious mixture of air and fuel through the bigger intake ports when one opens the throttle and one can feel this extra power being made thanks to the higher compression head as the big piston squeezes the fuel/air mixture for every last ounce of power.
The wheelbase too has been lengthened by 127mm and the front rake angle has been increased for better stability. The longer rear swingarm is the one from the Bajaj Avenger.
It’s the relaxed nature of this bike that really appeals, says AutoCar (Nov. ’08). The engine is unstressed and the throttle feels like it’s connected to a big powder keg of torque. It’s only when you get to corners that the bike gets a tad stiff. Otherwise this rebuild is a good one. Anthony will happily build you a replica if you want and including the cost of the donor bike, this bullet costs Rs.1.5 lakh.
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