Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Electra gets a rear disc brake: ABS next!

Royal Enfield has just rolled out the Bullet 350 Electra with a rear disc brake. The motorcycle maker will soon offer dual channel ABS on this motorcycle. Here is a walk around video from SubhoVlogs that shows the rear disc brake on the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Electra ES. The motorcycle is priced at Rs. 1.32 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

Two other Royal Enfield motorcycles – the Bullet 350 and the Bullet 500 – have also received rear disc brakes. Like the Electra 350, these motorcycles are also yet to receive dual channel ABS. Considering governmental regulations, all three motorcycles will be equipped with dual channel ABS before April 2019.

While the rear disc brake equipped Royal Enfield Bullet 350 is priced at Rs. 1.28 lakhs, the Bullet 500 is priced at Rs. 1.73 lakhs. Notably, the Bullet 350 is the least priced Royal Enfield you can buy in India, and one of the best sellers from the brand. Apart from styling, the only major difference between the Bullet 350 and Electra ES is the presence of an electric start on the latter. ES here stands for electric start.

The Bullet 350 and Electric 350 use a single cylinder unit construction engine that displaces 346cc. This motor pushes out 19.8 Bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque. A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard and so is a carburetor. The engine will receive fuel injection come 2020, when stricter Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms kick in.

The Bullet 500, on the other hand, is a lot more powerful. It is powered by a 499cc unit construction engine that it borrows from the Classic 500 range. This motor makes 27.2 Bhp-41.3 Nm, and is fuel injected. The Bullet 500 gets styling similar to the 350cc model. It will also get dual channel ABS soon, which is expected to result in a price increase of at least Rs. 10,000.

This is a small price to pay as dual channel ABS greatly enhances safety. In both dry and wet conditions, ABS prevents the motorcycle from skidding even under hard braking. Also, ABS ensures that the wheels don’t lock up under braking, allowing the rider to steer the motorcycle around obstacles. These two factors are critical, and help prevent accidents.

Royal Enfields are the last surviving old-school motorcycles in the Indian market’s affordable category. Except for the new 650 twins and the Himalayan, all other Royal Enfields continue to use overhead valve engines that are lazy revving units famed for their thump. The overhead valves of these bikes are operated with hydraulic tappets, a concession towards modernity, and reliability.

The long stroke engines have a charm of their own, with high torque delivery right off idle. This makes Royal Enfield motorcycles equipped with unit construction engines happy even on city streets, at low speeds. Most modern bikes need to be revved to extract the best performance out of them. In case of Royal Enfields, relaxed riding does it.