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[black fingernail]

Hello everybody, I am new to this forum, indeed, new to Royal Enfields all together. I have been riding bikes since the early seventies, I am also a mechanic/engineer/fabricator.
I do not yet own one yet, but I am actively looking, the problem I have is;-
what models are to be avoided?
what model is the 'holy grail'?
what weaknesses am I looking for?
what modifications are needed?
I have been looking at a 500 sixty five, an electra, and a 500 efi.
I like the idea of a drum front brake, but wouldn't mind a disc if there is a lot of difference in performance.
I prefer a carb to a efi set up, but again if the difference is worth it I'll go with it.
I like the look of the iron cylinder engine, again if the progress in engine design is a practical improvement and not purely financial, I'll have a look at the unit engine.
As you will have gathered, I need some advice before I take the plunge. (I hope I haven't started WW3)

[Adrian]

Now this is where e little research on the forum will probably save a lot of going over - to us, at least - old ground.

Briefly, of all those models you quote I would suggest the Sixty-5 is probably the one you want if you prefer drum brakes as as well as carburetors. Good supply of go-faster goodies as well as go-longer-without-going-bang goodies.

I have had two Electra-X bikes, still got one, I am definitely a fan of these but the early ones could suffer from big-end failure (poor crankpin hardening), later ones are usually a lot better. The sprag clutch in the starter is another weak point. The design was actually intended to eliminate some of the weaknesses of the older models but quality control sometimes undid that. Fixes are available and will not be a problem to an engineer.

The EFI bullets seem to have a happy enough following, though the swap to unit construction was basically the end of the old Bullet design which, for many, was their charm.

A.

[Barry N]

As Adrian says – I would go for the Sixty5.
It was the last incarnation of the original Redditch-designed Bullet, with the benefit of a superb five-speed gearbox and still retaining a carburettor, points ignition and drum brakes (that can be made to work reasonably well). They were only made for about three years and are generally considerd to be the best of the old-style Indian Bullets. A good one should hold its value better than any of the others you mentioned. Yes, the electric starter is prone to failure, but it is easily removed if desired, or simply not used at all, as it also has a kickstart.

[stinkwheel]

Although purists might say the pre-unit 350 is a nicer bike to ride/live with and not very much slower than the 500... Especially now you can make one into a 400.

A nicely sorted out 350 bullet with a 5-speed gearbox, hot cams and a longstroke crank?

Just remember the pre-unit models are effectively a 1950's motorcycle. Made in India out of melted down rupees mixed with elephant dung and an added pinch of pure optimism. So yeah, you're an engineer, buy one before you can't.

Oh, and brakes. The discs are an order of magnitude better than the drums. that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a drum. you don't buy a bullet for cutting-edge performance. If you tune on to regularly exceed 70mph, you should probably start thinking about a disc.

[Adrian]

On the capacity-hiked 350 front, the Tollgate Classics 441cc conversion is also still an option, the cylinder is re-linered for a 79mm piston, though this also needs a bit of work on the crankcases, as the larger cylinder liner needs to have the crankcase mouth bored out for it to fit.

A.