Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Review: Born Again

Classic looks combined with Enfield’s modern J-Series engine.
20.2hp @ 6,100rpm / 27Nm @ 4,000rpm.
Keeps true to the look of the original Bullet.

Taking the title as the model with the longest continuous production in motorcycling history, making a new Bullet required plenty of thought. But in a perfect example of old meeting new, the Indian favourite should be pretty popular around the globe and in NZ.

It was the end of 2023 when BRM contributor Alan Cathcart was one of only a handful of journalists invited to Royal Enfield’s home of Chinnai in India to sample the latest version of the iconic Bullet. It’s a seriously important model for the revitalised brand, with over 400,000 units of the old model produced by the factory in the last financial year before Covid. So getting the recipe right with the replacement machine was vitally important.

J-Series Journey

We’ve seen Enfield’s new J-Series, 349cc, chain-driven SOHC, two-valve, single-cylinder motor in three of Enfield’s other models – Classic, Hunter & Meteor – with the little powerplant doing a decent job of supplying enough enjoyment for each genre. For the Bullet, the fuel-injection has been remapped to give it a bit more punch off the bottom while still producing 20.2 bhp at 6,100rpm and 27Nm of torque peaking at 4,000 revs. It’s a sweet little motor that still has plenty of character despite losing the old-school ‘chuff, chuff, chuff’ of the previous air-cooled version, with the J-Series a more modern oil/air cooled powerplant that will happily put up with a bit of revving.

With the Bullet so popular in the domestic market, fuel consumption was a key consideration with the new motor, so an extremely frugal 2.63l/100km is not only likely to appeal to Indian owners but also to Kiwis who are happy not to visit the fuel station more than absolutely necessary. And with a 13-litre fuel tank, trips to the servo for the new Bullet are going to be on the cards only when the small LCD trip has ticked over close to another 500km of riding.

Comparing old versus new and the Royal Enfield designers – who are housed in the R&D centre in the UK – have done an excellent job at keeping to the original and much-loved look of the Bullet. The small metal shade over the headlight is a nice touch, and the overall silhouette makes it obvious exactly what this machine is – a Bullet. But the quality has taken a huge leap forward, with the smart Royal Enfield badge on the black tank offset nicely with the hand-drawn yet perfectly executed pinstripes. The entire machine exudes a sort of quality that was never seen on the old Bullets yet had become commonplace on the new era of Royal Enfields.

The saddle is wide and sumptuous, and while still shaped with a step up to the pillion’s perch in classic Bullet style, the 805mm it positions the rider from the floor offers plenty of confidence for those keen to be able to get both feet down. The swept-back handlebars gleam in chrome, while the new switchblocks continue with the quality look. There’s even a button to cycle through different options on the LCD screen, although it’s only the trips that change.

Classic Cruising

I wasn’t sure whether to mention the price of the new Bullet 350 until the end of the article or bring it into the equation now, but whatever way you look at it, $7,990 + ORC is not a lot of money to spend on a new motorcycle nowadays. Yet, despite the affordable price tag, it doesn’t necessarily feel like the Bullet has been built down to a price. The suspension comprises 41mm Gabriel forks at the front and a set of chrome twin shocks at the rear, which get six levels of preload adjustment. They aren’t anything special, but they get on with the job of ironing out the lumps and bumps, with only serious jolts working their way through the suspension to that padded saddle.

The brakes are the same, with the Bybre twin-piston caliper gripping a 300mm disc at the front doing an adequate job of reducing velocity. As anything that looks metal generally is metal on this bike, it’s not light, especially when there’s a full load of juice in the 13-litre tank which sees the Bullet 350 tipping the scales at a claimed 195-kilos. Thankfully, that weight doesn’t necessarily translate to feel thanks to the low saddle and excellent low-speed control attributed to the wide ‘bars and thumpy, torquey power delivery. Stick your boot on the large rear brake peddle to modulate forward momentum, and feet-up U-turns will soon become your new favourite trick, making it a perfect machine for inner-city commuting. And you’re going to look especially cool turning up to the office on a stylish, classic-looking motorcycle, especially if it’s this blacked-out version than you ever would on a Japanese rocketship.

Out on the open road and the Bullet 350 purrs along at 100km/h, with top gear feeling like an overdrive as the revs drop back into the torquey meet of the power. With 20-ish horsepower to play with on a bike weighing almost 200-kilos, you know the performance isn’t going to be earth-shattering. Yet it is enough to have fun and make riding the Bullet 350 an enjoyable experience out on the open road in a way that the old Bullet could never achieve. The riding position is comfortable, and there’s almost zero vibration from the J-series powerplant, showing how refined Royal Enfield has managed to make it. With the same motor going into four key models, they needed to make sure they got it right, and I’m happy to confirm they succeeded.

Do you need more power? Well, ask any motorcyclist that question, and you’ll pretty much always get the same answer – yes! But once I got my brain into gear about what this motorcycle is all about, I soon learned to be satisfied with the performance on hand. The handling is good enough to enjoy the twists and turns of your favourite backroad, with the plodding beat of the oil/ail-cooled single beneath you adding to the enjoyment of a day out on two wheels. Searching for cafés and places to stop and admire the view becomes far more important than seeing how quickly you can get from point A to point B, which is refreshing. And when you get there, the Bullet 350 has enough style to draw admiring glances from passers-by, something that not many other sub-$10k bikes could ever hope of achieving.

If you’re looking for a machine to ride on the annual Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, then the Bullet 350 would make a perfect – and very affordable – companion. And for the rest of the year, you’ll have a bike that can cut through traffic and get you to work for much less than a bus pass while also putting a smile on your face on a sunny Sunday. And while the Bullet 350 is a workhorse back home in India, for NZ it makes a perfect toy for those who want to take a step back in time without any of the hassles that come with actually owning an old bike.