Hitchcocks Forum

Hello, this is my first post here, although I have been lurking for a while absorbing all the info I can on modern Enfields. My very first bike was what I now know to be a 350 Bullet, which I rode along farm tracks as a 14 year old in the late 1960's. Many bikes later, mostly Japanese, and I have decided to buy a new Royal Enfield to replace my current Honda CB400 Super Four, which can be a bit hectic to ride as I get older.

I tried a demonstrator GT535 last year and fell in love with it, but I couldn't ride it for more than about 45 mins due to a wrist injury some years back. The riding position was just too painful for me, even though everything else about the bike was spot on for me.

I've now decided on a new Classic 500 or a new Bullet 500. I test rode a Classic today and found it ideal for what I now want from a motorcycle. However, I'm not too keen on its looks (sorry!) and would prefer the Bullet in that respect. The dealer did not have a Bullet demonstrator for me to try but more or less said that the riding experience is exactly the same.

My question is, is he right? Do they both ride the same and is the difference between them really just cosmetic? Any comments on this would be greatly appreciated as I want to be certain that the Bullet really does ride the same as the Classic before handing over my hard earned cash.


Many thanks - Mike

I'm sure you'll get as many answers as there are people on this forum! I too have my share of physical niggles that have all manifested themselves with the passing years, but I also have a 500 classic bullet...

The good thing is, that I sit upright on it, very little pressure on my wrists and room enough for my dicky hip and creaking knee not to bother me.

I'm not offering advice, just sharing my personal experience. But I wouldn't change the bike.. And, by the way, he handles beautifully.

Hi... I own a B5 and have test ridden both the Continental GT and Classic 350. My B5 is very similar sitting position to the Classic 350 i.e. upright with little tension on the arms. The GT by comparison, was as you described, leaning slightly forward with some tension in the arms and wrists. All these bikes were great fun. However, as an older guy, I am very happy with the upright sitting position of my B5. As far as I'm aware the major differences between the Classic and the Bullet 500 are the sprung seat and the size of the rear wheel. I guess both of these could potentially make a difference to the actual sitting position.

PB1 I have recently owned a Classic 500 (I wrote an article on it in Real Classic Dec 2015), a brand new Continental GT535 which went back to the Dealer at 903 miles because it was a total crocka crap and two weeks ago a brand new Bullet B5 which I'm running in - see thread on here 'Tossers' for all the gory details! I would say that the seat is much more comfortable on the B5 (Bullet) than the C5 (Classic 500). Its about 1/2" higher, slightly wider but much more comfortable. To emulate the 'retro' look the Classic seat is sprung on two rock-solid 'springs' at the back which do nothing and the form padding (concrete?!) is hard and thin. I had to have an Airhawk on the Classic 500 which isn't necessary on my Bullet. A pillion comes as standard on the B5 which even if you don't use its useful for carrying a bag whereas you'd have to fit a carrier on the C5. The B5 has two 19" wheels, the latest C5 is 18" rr and 19" front which is a pain if you tour and want to carry a spare tube. Finally, the B5 is £500 cheaper . . . its a no brainer!

I own the Bullet but test drove the Classic first.



Truthfully there is pretty well no difference in the riding experience. The handling and performance arejust the same. The only thing I noticed was a slightly annoying bounce from the sprung saddle on the Classic, which of course you don't get on the Bullet.



If you prefer the look of the Bullet, as I do, then you should not hesitate to buy it.



By the way, many people report that they run like a pig for the first thousand miles (I, too, whined vociferously about it). But hang in there! Between 500 and 2000 miles it improves enormously and I promise you will be delighted with it.



So yes - buy the one you like the look of most, because there are no significant differences other than cosmetic between them.

I had a 2006 bullet and loved it so much decided to get a brand new one, last October. went to the dealers and saw the classic for £200 more and it was a no brainer.

both got similar running gear, but the classis has better tyres. had her 2000 miles now, the gearbox finally bedded in at 1600 miles.. neutral was a pig to find but its ok now.

the 'pillion' seat was the only disappointment.. simply not big enough. I ended up fitting a front seat to the rear, after a bit of custom bracket creatability, and it looks great and now has the mrs' approval.

I've fitted a Hitchcocks free breathing silencer which runs fine with no ECU mods. I love it! the 2002 Bonneville has seen very little use since we bought it!

As you have a CB400 you do not want the CGT-535. I had a 400F and it went like the CGT looks it should go but doesn't. The 400F handled like a cat on rails, the CGT handling ain't all that bad neither, but it's no caff racer.

Classic or Bullet, Bullet or Classic?



All three bikes have basically the same engine. The latest iteration has produced a very strong motor. I suggest tales of woe from some nearly-new motors such as excessive oil usage are often failure to run them in, perhaps demo bikes that got thrashed. The engine needs running in. The engine needs running in. I said that twice on purpose. RE must be the only firm that doesn't bed engines in on the bench. Running in means not stressing the engine by keeping it down to 30-45mph for the first ~300 miles, which is boring. What Thack said is true, the motor loosens up, a lot, after running in. Not only less vibration but a lot more torque. Nevermind the bhp, for its size the engine has a lot of torque over a very wide power band.



Classic or Bullet? Upright riding position is very comfortable but not nice at high speed due to wind buffeting. Realistic top speed of the bike is only about 80mph. They will however happily cruise at 45-65mph forever, which suits most of our roads.

It's not a fast bike, I often hear that but it will out-accelerate the average family car. But it suits a more relaxed, smell the flowers, style of riding.

Handling is good, more forgiving than precise. It can cope with rough bendy lanes with ease, maybe not as well as an enduro but better than a bigger bike.

The brakes are good, we get a sensible disc on the front. The rear is a drum which for some bizarre reason the factory paints the bush (p/n 14088) into position on the cover plate assy, these things are supposed to slide very slightly to align the shoes. Once that is sorted the brake works very well. It's not hydraulic so we have to provide more pressure but it feathers nicely with more feel than a disc.



The Bullet and Classic are that similar that you can swap parts between them. The Classic has a couple of extra lugs on its frame to fit the solo seat. The Bullet has a dual seat that is a good inch or more higher than that on the Classic, both rear wheel and seat are taller. You can get the Bullet dual seat onto a Classic. The Classic has a very good pillion seat option. My wife picked my bike and so it had to have the pillion seat even thought she's only been on the bike a couple of times. I've got short legs and was able to remove the seat springs to lower the seat, which imo improves the bike's handling a lot; it has perfectly good rear shocks and sprung seats belong on rigid frames

Due to the taller rear wheel, the Bullet gets a 17T gearbox cog, slightly lower gearing than the 18T Classic. The cogs can be swapped. The Classic gets Avon SM26 Roadrider tyres, the Bullet sits on olde skool Avon SM Skid Masters



Classic or Bullet? Styling? I liked the Bullet but my wife immediately picked the Classic, they all do that. The Classic styling is something they got right first go. Other bikers tend to drool over the Classic.

pd-numbers - I traced the "can't find neutral" to the clutch adjustment. It must free off completely when you pull the clutch in and still be fully engaged when released. It gets worse when the engine has heated up, adjust when hot. It can be the difference of one-flat turn on the adjuster nuts. Imo the leverage is not quite right, it needs to pull less cable for the same clutch movement; I have a cunning plan. It may also be cable routing, it doesn't like the tight turn in the casquette, check steering side to side. My cable now goes straight through the casquette and out the other side, down the 'wrong' side of the frame tube, big gentle curves.

I've not ridden the Bullet but I would throw this into the mix: (1) The Bullet is typically £500 cheaper, enough to buy a few wothwhile goodies. (2) Based on a lot of posts on another site there are some issues that affect C5s but not the Bullet. The first issue is the battery terminal negative cable, which can break or momentarily break continuity causing various running issues. The most prevalent theory is that the routing of the wiring is more strained on the C5. It is a fairly common failing. The second issue is frame breakage. Whilst this is comparatively rare, it is not an isolated issue and again it only seems to affect the C5. It is imperative to ensure that the engine bolts are all torqued to spec and that the engine is properly aligned in the frame. This needs to be checked. Being hand built is all very well for a piece of artisan craft but less satisfactory for something produced by some bored worker in a factory. I believe this is one reason why some vibrate more than others, irrespective of how they are run in, though I would endorse the necessity of doing this properly. BTW I have a C5, so I'm not biased against it. Maybe they outsell the B5 Bullet, hence the more common issues; I don't know.

Rattlebattle et al, The battery terminal happened on my C5, root cause is the metal strip used as the connector is too thin for the job and snapped clean across on the bend. There two or three wires attached, the big -ve earth strap is left in place but the -ve feed to the ecu gets lost with attendant problems. This is very, very easily fixed, no biggie at all.



Vibration, engine alignment and torquing down nuts and bolts - this should all be sorted at first service and a new bike should not roll out of the dealership without the resident mechanic giving it a jolly good pre-flight inspection and doing much the same stuff with the spanners as he'll do again at first service after the motor has loosened everything. Yes, I know some dealerships don't do this, mine did, and why I skipped the more local dealership because they didn't seem to have a clue. It's nothing anyone remotely competent with a set of spanners and a quart of Loctite can't do.



Depending where you go, offers and discounts, the Classic and Bullet can be much the same price.

Get a good price quote, go back to your preferred dealership and see what they want to do. Maybe throw in that pillion seat option on the C5, panniers maybe (options soon add up). Make sure you get a full set of tools with the extras (cables* and paint), and especially the rear shock adjuster C-spanner. Check the mileage on your bike that it has not been used as a demo.

* But the indian cables are rubbish and the single (cof) tyre lever might open a can of paint.