New Royal Enfield Classic 500

Added on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | One Comment

The UK motorcycle show this week sees the debut of a new Royal Enfield Bullet 500 model, the retro styled Classic.

This is one of the few, genuinely all-new motorcycles for 2009, as very little is carried over from the existing Bullet 500 range. Gone is the old iron-barrel 500cc engine, with an all-aluminium, Keihin fuel-injected motor replacing it. The new lean burn engine meets all current European emission and noise regulations. Power remains the same however, at a modest 27bhp.

The frame is also brand new, with 18 inch wheels, a single disc brake and has retro features like a sprung saddle and proper mudguards, complete with stays. The styling is based on the old Royal Enfield G2 model of the early 1950s. There’s an optional extra short exhaust silencer available for the new 2009 Bullet 500 Classic.

Although the Enfield 500 Classic looks like a mix of old school Brit bike and 21st century Bobber, it has a halogen headlight and modern electrics, so it’s a practical classic bike, that you can ride every day.

The new machine is to be launched at the NEC show on Friday by Watsonian-Squire, the UK Enfield importers. There’s no word on the price of the new 2009 Bullet 500 Classic yet.

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