A long lazy thump
Bike: 1996 570cc Bullet
Owner: Carl Cope
As a little boy I some time ago I heard British singles popping along the road near where I lived out in the sticks.
That sound never left me, or should I say feeling. Let me explain; When a single cylinder motorcycle is making progress with an unrestricted silencing system, its passing is felt more than heard as it forces a good lungful of spent fuel and air with each power stroke. With a little luck it will pop on the over run too.
My reaction even now some years later is like that little lad getting excited as the bike gets closer and then the sad pleasure of its passing and the fading thump slowly dies away into the distance.
I got my first British single in 2003 after fourteen years away from biking. I bought a blue Bullet 65 from new. I started living the dream and the dream was one long nostalgic soundtrack as we skipped along the highway. The soundtrack lasted twenty four thousand miles over four years.
Time passes along with a few bikes and I acquire my greatest pleasure, a Bullet 570 called Gordon.
Gordon started life as a 500cc Indian built Enfield and was introduced to the Hitchcock's long stroke crank with a 500cc barrel and high compression piston. The finished product is an engine with an estimated 35 to 40 horses and five hundred and seventy cubic centimetres of suck squeeze bang blow.
Owning an Enfield can be as easy or as difficult as one makes it and I started the difficult route by removing a faulty electronic ignition. I then progressed through timing issues due to the higher torque throwing the timing governors out quicker than Gordon needed which made him ping with pre-ignition.
I repaired some weeping oil from a few locations and now enjoy an oil tight motorcycle that pops along happily at thirty five miles per hour or at sixty five. In less than three years we have travelled 11 thousand miles together.
The engine is flexible and the four speed gear box is almost neutral free. The thing to bear in mind is that it is 1950's motorcycle and it will not ride like a modern bike.
As an example the drum brakes retard progress although with some fettling can be quite sharp, especially the twin leading shoe front brake. Gear change is slow and steady but may need a little force if out of adjustment. My saddle is a single seat arrangement with springs and cornering is initiated by lowering the cheek of ones derriere on the side one wishes to turn.
Many Enfield owners enjoy tinkering or modifying their motorcycles and with a vast array of spares and modifications available there are endless hours of fettling to be enjoyed or one can leave it like it was built and service it when it needs doing, which is roughly once every three thousand miles and it is easy to service.
For comfort I can recommend better bikes but to successfully travel for long period of time or distance on an Enfield the solution is to take a break. The only problem is that people tend to be drawn by the bike with a tale about a family member or friend who owned a similar bike or they owned one themselves.
As an example of the durability of the Enfield Gordon and I toured Wales. On day one we travelled to North Wales via Oswestry then following the coast we travelled South on the second day and I stayed overnight at Haverford West. On day three we popped our way along the A40 and home. Gordon and I covered 540 miles in three days, which was a tad adventurous along some very narrow and windy roads but we both travelled safely and made friends along the way. Which is often the way with an Enfield.
If you are attracted to the idea of travelling at a slightly slower pace on a motorcycle with a chest thumping soundtrack. A bike that encourages friendly strangers to talk with you and would enjoy the strong camaraderie of a very large and loyal club with excellent sources for spares I recommend the Bullet in any of its guises. I can personally recommend the 500 or 570 on which I have travelled 35 thousand miles in the last six years.
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