Bike Review | Royal Enfield Bullet 350 | Aussie Launch Test

We were recently invited to the launch of the new Royal Enfield Bullet 350, organised by Urban Moto Imports, the distributors here in Australia and NZ. Representatives of Royal Enfield were also present at the launch, including Rajan Pillai and Gordon May…

After a hearty breakfast I had time to have a look around the Adina Pentridge Gaol accommodation. It was spectacular in itself, with the traditional Bluestone construction retained and the lavish use of the Gaols original structure to bring a modern feel to one of Australia’s most infamous prisons. It was a real treat to be there. A brilliant venue and one in which I’d like to spend more time at in the future…

Rajan Pillai, head of Royal Enfield Marketing.

Gordon May with the 1911 bike at Pentridge.

Back to the Bullet, and I mean that in a couple of ways. The Bullet was rightfully pointed out to us as the longest running model motorcycle in the world. It has been in continuous production since 1932 and has retained the tradition and styling of the first model back then but has also grown to meet modern needs and standards of the decades. Does it look similar to the original 1932 model? Yes, but, that is what the Royal Enfield Motorcycle Company is all about, tradition.

Gordon May is the famous Royal Enfield Historian and was a special guest at the launch. He has been touring the world showing off the 1911 bike, and recently took it around Australian dealerships. We’ll have a feature on that bike soon.

Watch our video of the Bullet 350 and our visit to the Royal Enfield factory in Chennai here…

The design team in RE HQ in India.

Final touches on the Bullet.

Sid Lal, Royal Endfield MD and CEO, is one of those people. He has resurrected the brand and made it global.

Mark Wells, Head of Design.

Gordon May and Australian Importer of Royal Enfield, Joseph Elasmar, with Project Origin.

Gordon May riding the Project Origin bike.

Mal Jarret interviewing Gordon May and Rajan Pillai.

Royal Enfield Bullet 350s.

Of the other brands that went into production in the early 1900s, there is only one that can also say that it has been in continual production since 1903 but, it can’t claim the record of the longest running model as Royal Enfield can. Royal Enfield was an English brand from the very beginning but was later bought and repatriated to India where it has remained until this day.

“Last year, Royal Enfield made 950,000 motorcycles! Now that is simply incredible!”

We have all seen many documentaries on India and Asia and we have all noticed the abundant Royal Enfield’s being ridden and used for every imaginable purpose. Pictures of the bike being repaired on the side of the road, with primitive tools to simply keep them going, even treks to the Himalayas on Royal Enfield’s, as we did recently when we attended the global launch of the new Himalayan, which you can read here. 

Don’t be mistaken in thinking this is a third world country motorcycle, it is definitely not. The factory has state of the art robotics with up to date modern technology used in the production of the different models (Jeff will have a story on the factory up soon). The styling of the motorcycles might not make you think Japanese but, that is absolutely intentional, tradition and history are a very big part of the core attitude of Royal Enfield and they are committed to this philosophy of motorcycle manufacture.

“Tradition and history are a very big part of the core attitude of Royal Enfield”…

Listening to Rajan and Gordon talk at the presentation spoke volumes about the commitment of the company. I did a launch for Royal Enfield about seven years ago in Melbourne. Rajan was there then, and at the time he gave some figures on yearly production back then, and the company was making 600,000 motorcycles per year with a goal of increasing that steadily over coming years. Last year, Royal Enfield made 950,000 motorcycles! Now that is simply incredible!

“We were very lucky to have two daughters of Winifred Wells at the launch to help show the legacy of this model.”

The company’s history is not just limited to England and India. Australia has been using and owning Royal Enfield motorcycles since the very earliest of days with many people enjoying the simple and reliable brand. And Royal Enfield was a force to be reckoned with in motorsport in all disciplines in the early to mid part of the 1900s, winning many races along the way.

22-year-old Winifred Wells rode a Bullet from Perth to Sydney and back in 1950 covering 5500 miles in just 21 days solo…

Many endurance records were set on the Bullet, one of the most famous was that of 22-year-old Winifred Wells who rode a Bullet from Perth to Sydney and back in 1950 covering 5500 miles in just 21 days solo! Two years later she and her father circumnavigated Australia covering 10,000 miles in just 65 days. Amazing history, and we were very lucky to have two daughters of Winifred Wells at the launch to help show the legacy of this model.

So what does the Bullet 350 have to offer the Australian market? Traditional styling that makes for a very relaxed and enjoyable ride, offering great comfort from the very plush seat, comfortable handlebars and controls with footpegs that are placed just right to enhance the relaxed riding of this no rush no fuss classically styled bike. Being built to survive in India, you know it is also unbreakable!

“It had no trouble carrying my 100kg around during the test ride around the Melbourne suburbs.”

The power and torque of the 350cc engine is usable and refined for modern traffic conditions and confident riding, you can feel there is potential to free up this engine but in stock trim it meets all of our ADR compliances, it had no trouble carrying my 100kg around during the test ride around the Melbourne suburbs. This is really the environment this bike is meant to be living in, used for commuting to and from work or café hopping around the CBD. It is capable of short spurts of highway work as well, but top speed is only a shade over 100km/h as Jeff tested in India.

“It is capable of short spurts of highway work as well, but top speed is only a shade over 100km/h as Jeff tested in India.”

The J Series engine is a new design, you can read more about it in the tech breakout below, which still retains the long stroke “thump” of the Bullet but now has counter balancing to the crank and also has fuel injection, plus a five-speed gearbox in its unit construction design. Smooth easy delivery of the power is obvious. The new single-cylinder J Series was launched recently in the Meteor and generates 20.2hp@6100rpm and 27Nm@4000rpm.

The chassis is also improved with a stiffer more stable design, there are also 41mm front forks to enhance this better feel of the bike, the brakes are disc with a 300mm rotor up front and 270mm at the rear. The bike never felt out of place or compromised on the ride, even when we stopped at a favourite group of corners for some photos and we played through those corners the bike felt planted and stable.

“The bike never felt out of place or compromised on the ride, even when we stopped at a favourite group of corners”.

The Bullet has a digital display that covers all the necessary things that you would expect from a modern bike with a lovely analogue speedo built into the headlamp shroud, there is also a USB port for those that can’t be without their phone, and it has electric start, the kickstarter is now gone.

Basic yet stylish clocks, no Tripper Nav even as an option.

300mm fixed rotor, two-piston sliding ByBre front caliper, ABS.

270mm fixed rear rotor, single-piston caliper, ABS. Nice thump from the muffler.

The wheels are spoked with chrome rims and tubes tyres that are suited to this modern retro classic. It all works well together to give that relaxed ride I mentioned earlier, nothing sporty or a challenge to do, it just all fits to give a nice comfortable relaxed ride. Heel and toe shifting add to that relaxed feel.

I mentioned earlier the tradition and philosophy of the company. This is what hits you in spades when you first see the Bullet. It is all metal, no plastic side covers or guards, it exudes classic looks with top class paint, which is still hand pin striped to this day and is faultless.

“It is all metal, no plastic side covers or guards, it exudes classic looks with top class paint which is still hand pin striped to this day and is faultless.”

The finish is good and offers simple practical use. It’s not high tech in the looks but that is the design concept of the Royal Enfield Bullet. Usefulness, tradition and quality to a price is what it is all about. The acceptance of these traits is what buyers will have already or will learn when they look at the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 as a bike for them.

Tech Talk, 2023 Royal Enfield Bullet 350

The Bullet 350 returns in 2023 with an all new design based on the Classic 350. Everything from the frame to the styling is new. The forefront of the new Bullet 350 is the 349cc air-oil cooled single-cylinder engine. The new single-cylinder J Series was launched recently in the Meteor and generates 20.2hp@6100rpm and 27Nm@4000rpm.

A heap of development has gone into making the new engine easy on the wallet and easy on new riders. Thanks to its EFI system, the throttle response has been optimised for a “linear acceleration” as Royal Enfield describes it. The new engine also has a five-speed gearbox, with fifth gear being an overdrive, taking stress off the engine while highway cruising, and a seven-plate clutch for easy gear changes in built-up traffic and a nice and smooth clutch release.

The Bullet 350 shares the all new Classic chassis for 2023. The brakes, suspension and frame have all been upgraded over from the Classic. Royal Enfield said they aimed for the frame itself to be stiffer allowing for a more planted feeling when taking corners at high and low speeds. The front-end sees conventional 41mm telescopic forks with 130mm travel and the rear has received a pair of twin tube emulsion shock absorbers with six-step adjustable preload. Both the front and rear have been adapted to make the bike easier to ride.

Continuing with the rideability theme are the ergonomics. Riders have a choice between multiple accessory seats, with low cut and premium patterns available through their genuine accessories. The seats as a whole have been slightly reshaped to cradle the rider better while also being widened and redone with softer foam for comfort, while the kickstarter has been removed to de-clutter the footpeg area. With brand new handlebars, the riding position has been tweaked to further improve comfort.

Spoked wheels feature at both ends, both options are wrapped in 100/90 – 19in at the front and 120/80 – 18in at the rear. The braking is handled by a 300mm rotor with twin piston ­floating caliper at the front and a 270mm rotor and single piston ­floating caliper at the rear. The new Bullet 350 has a hefty kerb weight of 195kg.

The Bullet 350 is available in Black Gold, Standard Black, Standard Maroon, Military Black, Military Red.