By PETER THOEMING
5 June 2006

In Flann O’Brien’s wondrous book ‘The Dalkey Archive’, a police sergeant fears that he is in danger of turning into a bicycle. He rides his official pushie every day, and theorises that he’s exchanging molecules with it all the time as he bounces up and down on the saddle. As the bike becomes more and more of a policeman, he becomes more and more bicycle…

O’Brien is joking, naturally (I think) but there is more than a grain of truth in the effect he’s writing about. I notice it myself – when I change bikes, my on-road personality changes too, just a little. On a sports bike I’m in a hurry, competitive and relatively aggressive. On a cruiser I’m laid back and relaxed, while on a scooter I tend to be peppy and impulsive. I don’t put this down to physics and the exchange of molecules, just a psychological effect, but it’s real just the same.

And Royal Enfield’s latest incarnation of the single cylinder 500cc Bullet has a very powerful effect on the rider as well. That’s not surprising from a bike of such strong thumping character, but the effect is quite complex.

Although the engine’s level of mechanical noise is far less than it used to be (a result of finer tolerances and better bearings, I presume) there’s still quite a bit of mechanical thrashing going on beneath you as you ride the Electra. The name, by the way, has nothing to do with incestuous longings, as in the Electra Complex so beloved by psychiatrists. It just refers to the electric start, a novelty for Enfield. The starter, by the way, is by Denso – and on products from the Subcontinent, Japanese electrics are worth having.

Anyway, the noise combined with the mild reaction to any rider input – whether that be throttle, steering or braking - initially creates a feeling of being a passenger rather than the rider of the Bullet. Everything happens at one remove, and you’re carried along as if by trusty sedan chair wallahs. Carried along in style, I might add – the swoop of the Bullet is acknowledged with a smile by everyone you pass, as is the mellifluous burble of its exhaust.

You end up feeling like a maharajah out for a spin on his favourite elephant.

The final effect of all this is very agreeable. I think that commuting on a Bullet would be almost as good a way of starting your day as going to work by ferry. And a day’s ride in the country aboard an Electra is as relaxing as a week in a resort.

So, for those of you who haven’t been around since the middle of last century, just what are these magic Bullets?

They are motorcycles which were originally produced by the Royal Enfield factory in Britain (motto ‘Built like a Gun’) and sold to the Indian army, among other customers. When it looked as though production was coming to an end in 1955, an Indian firm bought the tooling and the rights to build the bikes – and has essentially been doing that ever since. Originally they were 350s, but there are also 500s available today – like the Electra.

For fifty years the Bullet stayed the same, but recently there have been upgrades including electronic ignition, improved shock absorbers, a five speed gearbox, a longer service interval (now 6000 km) and quality Avon tyres. This is by no means a modern motorcycle (for example the instrument nacelle is unchanged, and a work of art), but it is now quite capable of coping with modern road and traffic conditions.

Mechanically, Royal Enfields are still very simple and therefore easy to work on; if you miss that aspect of motorcycling (which I know many people do) you will be very happy indeed with one of these bikes. And even if you never want to put a spanner to a bike again you should be fine. I borrowed the Electra I rode from Motocyclo in St Peters, in Sydney, and owner John Vittorio is just the kind of sympathetic, helpful mechanic we’d all love to have on tap.

Anyway, the powerful attraction of the Bullet does not come from mechanical specifications or power figures. Neither does it come from its direct historical associations. It’s a combination of that mechanical simplicity; the sturdy, classic appearance; the leisurely but reassuringly solid performance; the relaxed, in-control riding position; and the way it brings back an age in which we were in control of our lives, not vice versa.

And let’s face it, if like O’Brien’s policeman you’re going to turn into your conveyance it might as well be one with a bit of style. Oh my goodness yes.

AT A GLANCE
Model: Royal Enfield Electra
Price: $7995 (plus on-road charges)
Warranty: Twelve months, unlimited distance
Power: 17 kW at 5000 rpm
Torque: 40 Nm at 3000 rpm
Engine: Air cooled OHV single, 4 stroke, 29 mm carburettor and transistorised ignition
Bore x stroke: 84 x 90 mm
Displacement: 499 cc
Compression ratio: 8.5:1
Transmission: 5 speed, multi plate wet clutch, final drive by chain
Suspension: Front, telescopic fork. Rear, twin shocks
Dimensions: Seat height 820 mm, dry weight 168 kg, fuel capacity 14.5 litres, wheelbase 13704 mm
Tyres: Front, 3.25" by 19". Rear, 3.50" by 19"
Frame: Steel tubing
Brakes: Front, disc. Rear, drum.
Top speed: 126 km/h
Fuel consumption: Claimed 3.2 litres per 100 km, unleaded
Theoretical range: 453 km
Colour/s: Riviera Red, Dark Blue, Black and British Racing Green.

BIKE NEWS SNIPPETS

BIG RED’S PRICE BURNOUT
Honda has announced that dealers will ‘put the blowtorch’ to the prices of big bore Hondas bought before the end of July 2006.

Special ride away prices apply to Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird, VTR1000F Firestorm, CB900 Hornet and VTX1800 motorcycles. Each "Big Burnout" bike deal is good on the latest release model including the 2006 CB900 Hornet now available in a new candy red colour scheme.

For dealer locations call 1800 241 173 or see www.hondamotorcycles.com.au for more information, including all model specifications.