Forum

[Reds1]

Hi,
I would like to see how my 500 B5 2016 Bullet will cope carrying me and a passenger . I weigh about 16st 6 pounds passenger about 11st.
Any advice or knowledge of weight or any other members carry a passenger ?
It will just be a 30 mile ride out A roads and B roads.
Regards Paul

[Trev]

Hi Paul, I had a 2008 500 Bullet (the fuel injected jobbie) and am now on a 2017 euro 4 version and it's used primarily for two up countryside pottering and the odd longer day trips. I weight 17st in my biking kit, Mrs Smith a gym bunny 9st with kit on and the Ennie copes perfectly. Our stints are usually 50 - 70 miles but no problem with 150+ miles in a day, the motor and running gear is perfectly capable of hauling decent loads for decent miles just not for long at higher (65+ mph) speeds, at last on standard gearing.
Enjoy the pottering, you've got almost the perfect bike for it

[Reds1]

Trev,
Thank you very much for your reply yes was out on the Bullet this morning and it managed effortlessly . Sat at about 30 miles and hour no problem with a combined weight of 28stone.

Another surprise I had to do a 25 mile stint on the A1M first time ever on a motorway with a bullet. He coped perfectly in the slow lane at about 60 mph . Really impressed with this model.

Thanks for the reply

[Trev]

Pleased to be of help Paul.

One question I would ask, did you mean sat at 30mph for your pillion trip out? If so then I would strongly recommend you use 4th or perhaps even 3rd at those sorts of speeds two up. The motor will chug down to 30 in top and still pull okayish but it will be lugging quite a lot at thirty in top which isn't good for it longer term.

For genteel riding I tend to change up from 3rd at 30 and 4th at 40 but for a bit more of a wriggle on it's 3rd to 4th at 40 and then 4th to fifth and 50. I'm on standard gearing and it will rev up to 60 and beyond in 4th but no real gain to be had in doing so and a heck of lot of vibes, racket and general unpleasantness is the result with no greater acceleration, if anything less.

I try to avoid motorways on any bike let alone one of my Enfields but have just yesterday returned from a John ) Groats to Lands End loop (2261 miles all in) on the Himalayan and that handled it pretty well, albeit a bit more slowly than I would have been on one of my bigger bikes.

[Reds1]

Trev,
No I use the gears so the engine is not over working or lagging, wow End to End that’s great I bet it was lovely how long it take you ?
Have you a bullet or just the Himalayan?

[Trev]

8 days on the Himalayan, ran fine, only issue has been chain stretch but perhaps past its best now on over 6k miles. Averaged 79mpg, worse of 65, best of 93.

I had a 2008 500 UCE (first of the fuel injected Enfields) for just over 6 years, 15k miles but sold that and bought a 2017 euro 4 last year with only 1400 miles on the clock. That's now on 3100 and is our two up pillion potterer and occasional day trip bike but I also have a ew other bikes as well to choose from. Don't think I would take the 500 on a 2000+ mile trip, not that I've had any major issues with any of mine (clutch cable broke, sprag clutch on starter, swing arm bushes, that's about it) but it's just not as capable of sustaining 65/70 as the Himmy is even though it's actually a bit quicker in short blasts.