Royal Enfield Bullet 500 vs Classic 500
 

Hello Horizons Unlimited!

I'm pretty much brand new to adventure motorcycling (and motorcycling in general) so I'm hoping the fine people of the internet can help me out!

I'm planning my first couple of road trips to Europe from the UK but first I need a bike and I have my heart set on a Royal Enfield for various reasons.

After going to dealers and looking at both the Classic 500 and the Bullet 500 it appears there's very little between them. I was wondering if there was anyone who had any experience of the 2 bikes and could offer an opinion on which is more comfortable on a long journey? I'm going to arrange a test ride as soon as I can but that won't really reflect long hours in the saddle!

Thank you so much in advance for all your help.

Albert

Hi Albert and welcome,
There is very little difference between these two models and it comes down to one being more comfortable or even better looking to you than the other.The Royal Enfield is not the usualy choice for a touring bike but there are plenty of people here who have used them for everything including riding around the world. You will want to avoid motorways on one and familiarise yourself with routine maintainance such as checking the fluid levels and chain tension, apart from that they should be up to the task.

I spent a month touring on a classic 2up with the wife a few years back and it was a very capable machine on some quite exciting non-roads in Nepal. However the one thing I will say is it's not good for long hot days in the saddle. You really do need to take regular breaks at quite short intervals on anything less than perfect hard top roads. We both felt quite "bruised" in the hanky-panky regions after a few days. This can of course be sorted with additional work on seating. Ours was a hire bike so was standard, it was reliable, very economical and a thing of beauty and great character - I loved it. My wife hated it
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Thank you very much guys. I must admit I'm leaning towards the Bullet just because its a tad cheaper and comes with a pillion seat as standard.

I am excited for the release of the Himalayan but there was a pretty damning report of it in this month's Adventure Bike TV.

Doesn't the Classic come with a sprung seat? That would be reason to get the classic