Rebirth of an Iconic Indian Army Bullet: Royal Enfield Bullet have always been one of the most popular bikes across the world. From their menacingly rugged macho vintage looks to the amazing low end torque delivery, they have been acquiring the top most place in the hearts of the riders. Royal Enfield (RE) is the oldest motorcycle brand in the world, with the Bullet model enjoying the longest motorcycle production run of all time.
In fact the Iconic “Bullet” is so much loved that today all Royal Enfields are popularly called as Bullet despite the different models in production. ‘Royal Enfield’ and ‘Bullet’, these names are not new for the Indian Armed Forces. Their history with the Indian Army started only in 1949, when the Indian government ordered Royal Enfield Bullets for border patrol use. Since then, Royal Enfields have maintained a relation with the Indian Army and they got another identity in the country as military bikes.
Although in past few years RE has developed an entirely new more efficient Unit Construction engine but the old Cast Iron engine still holds its charm among many enthusiasts, a major reason why restoring Old Royal Enfield is popular now a days. There have been many restorations of RE Army Bullet but this one is worth mentioning. Restored by an enthusiast at home, who is one of many RE lovers across the country!
The motivation behind this project of his was that he had an Old Bullet in his family for quite a long time and is very dear to him. It eventually got bad sometime ago and the restoration was not up to the mark. The restoration of Army Bullet was his idea of learning from the scratch and he ended up bringing it back to its lost charm.
The bike he restored was a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 (Cast Iron) and found it at a dealer who deals in decommissioned Army Vehicles near his place. The bike was rather badly ruined & was left to die a Brutal, Rusty death! He wanted to use maximum of the bike’s original parts for restoration & that is why it took him more than 3 months to bring it back to life. Whichever parts he replaced are either from RE authorized parts distributors or imported. Other than minor changes the bike is restored in stock format as it use to be available till the time production stopped back in 2010.
About the Restorer: The bike is restored by Vijay Chaudhary, a Marine Mechanical Engineer currently working with Maerskline. He is a hobbyist & not a professional restorer. He usually keeps himself busy with some projects during his vacation & this is one of them.
About the Bike: 2007 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 (Cast Iron) which he got from a dealer who deals in all kinds of decommissioned Army vehicles near his place.
For further restoration details you can get in touch with him on Facebook or via email: [email protected]
