2009 Royal Enfield reviews

don't get me wrong, I still love my Bullet. Over the last couple of months I have encountered some severe winds while covering doing some freeway miles. I know that the Bullet is not meant to be a freeway bike, and I would prefer not to have to take it on the freeway (it is only a 500 single after all.) But gas prices and time constraints dictate that sometimes you have to get somewhere in a hurry. 40-50 mph. gusts can be downright scary. A strong head-wind has limited me to an indicated top speed of around 55. As with any other motorcycle that I am aware of, a side wind will cause the Bullet to lean into the wind. A strong side-wind will cause a rather deep lean, which really causes the butt-cheeks to pucker when a truck passes and blocks the wind for a short distance. In strong winds, I have learned to expect to occupy every bit of the width of my lane in an effort to stay as close to the middle as possible. Lowering the rider's profile (feet on the rear pegs and chin on the speedometer) does help a little with both side and head winds, and is more comfortable in a strong head wind in my opinion, but still not ideal. Ideally I would not be riding on the freeway, or in high winds. Even so, it's better than driving, right? 5 star rating is still based on the fact that it is everything I could hope for from a 500 single with that much style. Show less

Although I am still in the second 100 miles, I am awfully happy with this bike. I just ordered a used windscreen off of "EBay" and saddle bags. I still haven't made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway yet, but took a (30 miles) little trip with a friend on the back. The bike had no problem maintaining 60 with "two up" and occasionally did 65 mph., when I wasn't paying attention. It's neat to get pulled over to talk with British bike enthusiasts. So far so good. Show less