Bits about the Bullet.

I do promise I will get a better pic than this one. Note the carrier on the rear.

I've had a Royal Enfield Bullet since April.  It hasn't been a smooth ride, and although I enjoy it and I'm not quite at the point where I wish I hadn't brought it, at times it has been close. This has not been an easy purchase. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I thought I would give anyone who cares the benefits of my hindsight.

Bullets have faces. Or at least eyes and a big nose.

Importers/Makers/Dealers

You should understand whats's written on the RE website is lacking in precision. Just because it says something on the RE website, don't take this as something you can rely on. For example is the first, second and third service free? Website said three free services. Dealers one and two said one free (first) service. Other dealers said no free service. I ended up paying £100.
This is what two of the manuals on the RE website say:

Now try getting that to happen, although to be fair this page is missing from the manual that you get. According to the dealer I brought it from they are very strict about warranty, and the terms and conditions in the manual/warranty I am pretty sure are not enforceable under english law - they are full of get out clauses.

After many years of dealing with HD dealerships, dealing with RE dealers was an eyeopener. HD dealers are usually anxious to please and have shine showrooms, whereas RE  dealers tend to be harder to deal with and have minimal showrooms. 

Actually the dealerships fall into three categories: 'gentlemen' dealers, older, middle class who will lump it with concours classic British bikes if they could. Pride themselves on service - other than they are not open much at the weekend - or as I found, shut up shop before christmas and don't open until well into the new year. 

Then there's the guys who also sell Chinese brands you've hardly heard of, have little in the way of servicing or spare parts facilities. 

Finally there's the odd one in the middle. A traditional motorbike shop if you like. That's the type I went for.
All the dealer websites I went to had one price on the site and another in the shop. Most were not up to date. Only two out those I tried to make contact with replied. 

Build quality. 

OK. Just. Most bits fit, some only just, I spent 20 mins wishing I'd never opened the side panel... The finish is only OK, the instruments are ever so slightly not straight. Export versions are supposed to be better than the domestic market.

Oxygen sensor stuck on (Tricky to see here) not silver paint falling off.

Some bits are so bad they are almost comical -like the silver paint on the oxygen sensor. There's little in the way of slick trim. Infact there's almost not any trim, it's all very functional. I like that. Almost no plastic either

Highly sophisticated electrics. That's the fork lock, a token nod to security. Helpfully, the ignition switch has a large nut around it, making it very easy to get out. No need to jam a screw driver in. Think I might investigate getting an ignition that you can remove the key from when it's running. Liked that on all my glides.

Mine is on it's third exhaust heat shield in 300 miles. The first and second fell off within 100 miles. The third, so far, has held on. Apparently it's a known issue, probably down to the two crap pop rivets they use to hold it on.

It also leaked petrol. Intermittent fault. Fault never fully traced to my satisfaction, dealer says it's a split pipe on the fuel pump. We'll see. Would have thought it would have leaked all the time if that was the case. 

There's a single supplier of parts other than RE themselves. Hitchcock's motorcycles. They appear to have a comprehensive catalogue of British, Indian and other sourced parts. Every dealer that I've seen uses them as a wholesale supplier. Their catalogue states that some Indian parts need 'persuasion' to fit and equally many parts will 'need painting again'. I suppose they are cheaper than HD bits.
Having said that, the luggage carrier I got from them didn't fit - even through it was British made and quality. Either the instructions were wrong or RE had modified the rear; I eventually had to ignore them and figure it out for myself.
Turns out the loading is only 7.5 kilos, so hardly worth it anyway.

Top quality horn.

Things I would like to do is fit alloy wheels, proper luggage, pillion seat. Alloy wheels because presumably I could then use tubeless tyre - which I figure are safer. Hitchcock's do alloys, but not for this bike.

Riding

It's frugal. At the moment I'm getting about 60mpg, I struggle to put a tenner's worth in the tank. Now it's run in a bit - I'm still being careful at 600 miles, it is running a bit smoother and it's accelerating better. 40-45 seems to be the sweet spot, above 55 and it's vibrating and by 60 it's painful. People who know me will know that I can do long rides, but I would't want to to do too many 200 mile journeys on this. The sprung seat is comfortable.
I can't stand having indicators that don't self cancel. Been spoilt for 35 years and keep forgetting to switch them off. Foot pegs don't shake that I've noticed, nor the handle bars. Mirrors are completely useless.
If all this sounds negative, it's great for blatting around town, which is what I got it for.

Good bits

It's ahead turner. People stare at you. The satin green paint is nice, and the wheels are painted so there's not much indian chrome to fall off.
It's not a Harley. Riding HD is almost an embarrassment now. Jibes of "Mid life crisis" and "Born again Biker" (OK, but *not* that way). And HD are so common now. When I first got the FLT in 1981 or 2, I had the only one I knew. Now days, have a ride on the motorway and I will guarantee most big bikes you meet are HD.
It makes a proper motorbike noise.
You can flick it through the rush hour traffic.
The brakes are better than the Electra-Glide.
Maintenance and parts should be cheap.
It's cheap to buy; there not any other 500cc bikes other than one or two Chinese ones anywhere near the price.
It's fun.