Royal Enfield CLASSIC reviews

Having had about 20 different motorcycles over the years, I finally found a bike that encompasses all of the features that make a motorcycle a true joy to ride. The Enfield is light, maneuverable, simple, economical and simply a blast to ride. The sound of that 500cc single is constant music to the ears. I've enjoyed all the bikes I've owned, but the Royal Enfield is pure joy and has become my favorite! Show less

I bought this bike from a dealer in Missouri. It is perfect for an around town and commuter bike, much more so than my bigger bike. I've never been on something that corners so effortlessly. If you haven't checked out this dealer you must! Randy is just the best and it really matters to him that you get the bike you want. Show less

I bought the RE G5 Classic in March and have put 5,000 miles on it. I have ridden it from sea level to 8000' and from 110 degree temps to 35 degree temps. The EFI does an amazing job of keeping up with all the climate changes. It starts well with either the electric starter, or the kick starter. I like to use the latter most of the time. It has had its top speed run to a remarkable 84 mph. and has a grand 19 bhp. at the rear wheel. It is enough to easily handle city traffic. It has been averaging about 72 mpg. over its lifetime. It's very comfortable, I have many over 200 mile days on it from the mountain twisties to the freeways of SoCal. It handles quite nicely, but don't expect it to stay up with modern bikes with good riders in the twisties. There just isn't enough rubber on the ground! But it will easily stay mid pack of any group. It cruises easily at 65 on the freeway although it is accompanied with a bit of vibration, but doesn't put any bits of my body to sleep as my old Yamaha SR500 or some other old English bikes I've owned, singles or twins. The only problems I've had with it are a loose connection in the side stand safety that caused some occasional misfiring, and the OEM Avon tires that are not compatible with my riding style. Replacement Dunlop K-70s made me a very happy camper. I work on the bike more than I have worked on any bike since I had a Nortless (Norton-Matchless) cafe racer, because it is easy and fun to work on. Most modern bikes are a real problem to work on so I don't. So, since I work on it a lot, I have to do something to it, so it's slowly morphing into a cafe racer. I'm currently waiting for some rear sets for it and I may change the seat. Otherwise it is mostly finished. Maybe I can get back to work on my GB500! Show less

Granted, I'm a new rider and this is obviously my first motorcycle, but I love my 2011 G5 Classic. Before buying I read tons of reviews, all of which were positive, especially the Jay Leno one, and since the price was significantly less than a Moto Guzzi V7, Triumph Bonneville and HD Sportster, I knew this would be the one. So now that I've put 300 miles on it in a bit less than a month, breaking the engine in according to the owners manual, mainly commuting to work and just riding around town, I totally love it. It starts up everytime with the EFI, no false neutrals, handles wonderfully. Just make sure your tire pressure is 20 in the front and 30 in the rear. The dealer had mine set way too high, which caused a pretty noticeable wobble at medium speeds and in turns. This was totally fixed once the tire pressure was set to owners manual specs. Another great thing about this bike is the Royal Enfield USA website has a very active community forum full of riders and wrenchers to share your experience with, always willing to offer advice and help out if you need it. If you buy the bike new, it also comes with a 2-year warranty for peace of mine, but I don't anticipate having any problems. These new EFI UCE bikes are really known to be trouble-free machines. Show less

I picked her up and drove her home in the rain last Saturday. Only out for a 30 km. ride one evening this week. Anyway, I've owned a lot of bikes over the last 35 or so years of riding. This one really reminds me of my 1972 BMW R60. Not tons of power, but tons of fun to ride. I had it up to 100 kms./hr., just breaking it in so I'm going easy on it. I did try a 2010 Bullet out and had it up to 130 kms./hr. So I know that they can get up there. It feels a little loosy goosy on curves if you push it hard, but then so does my 2006 Harley Street Glide. But that's not why I bought it. I was looking for an older bike from the '60s to play around with, love the old school bikes. I even tried an '09 Triumph Bonneville T100' but didn't care much for it. They were trying too hard to make it nostalgic, I guess, but cheaply built and very cheap parts. So any how, I heard about the Enfields, read reviews, watched videos on UTube, eyeing one up at the local dealer for over a year now, took the plunge and brought her home a few days ago. It even has a nice deep sound through the exhaust. It has lots of low end torque, pulls really hard, which impressed me, tons of parts available to customize it, etc. But I'll put some more miles on it and give a better review. Show less

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

I bought my Enfield in the fall of '08 and I love it. It puts a smile on my face every ride (and even seeing it in the garage). Take care in the break in process and you can feel the motor build power at 800 miles and 1,200 miles. With the mods, I can easily cruise at 65 and easily run up to 70 (much faster requires a cafe' head down position). I can easily stay neck to neck with my buddies HD from 0-60 mph. (after that, he quickly pulls away). It's by no means a fast bike, but that's not what this bike is about. In stock gearing this bike has a lot of torque, so a taller gearing is not a problem. It feels good on a mountain road and people cross the street to check it out and ask questions (passing up my friend's HD Springer anniversary addition - he's a good sport). I have had to update to a heavy duty starter relay. Also, much like an older bike, this bike does not start well in the cold - it does have a kick start though. This bike does require some attention, but had been very reliable - if you are even slightly mechanical and enjoy working on old cars or bikes (I came from a classic car background) a little tinkering and a fun classic ride - you can't beat it. p.s. An Enfield is made to be customized - take a look at all the aftermarket parts - you can make anything ... to make it yours. Show less

Recently purchased a 2009 G5 Classic Bullet. I've been looking for a more dependable motorcycle for years. I put 6000 miles on a 1974 CZ 175 commuting to work the last few years. The mileage was good, but dependability was not great. I really wanted to stay with a more unusual marque, and with the traditional riding position which I find very comfortable. I had my eyes on a T100 Bonneville for quite a while, but reviews said it only got about 45 mpg. I had also been looking at the older Bullets, but a top cruising speed not much higher than my CZ, and questionable reliability put a stop to that. Enter the EFI UCE Royal Enfields. Every review I read indicated great build quality, "Japanese" reliability, and 85mpg fuel economy. The uncommon marque, vintage appearance, and traditional riding position got me hooked. The first 1000 miles were trouble free, but as it was all still under the manufacturer's recommended run-in, I did not push it very hard. After the 1000 mile oil change (easy job done in my garage)I took it for some freeway work. It is only a 500cc single, so I was not expecting too much. It held 65mph up some significant hills, and ran at 70mph along the flats without a problem, although there was a lot of buzz at that speed. Seat is a little stiff, but I don't find it uncomfortable. The uncomfortable part was that it was raining hard and I had no rain gear. Overall I am very pleased. However it has only been returning about 70 mpg, not the 85 I was hoping for. That may change now that it is run in. This is not the motorcycle for everyone. It's got a lot of torque for a 500, but it isn't big on horsepower. My lack of complaints may be derived from so much time on a 175 2-stroke, but I like it. Show less

I purchased a new 2007 Bullet Classic (black) in Sept. 2008 and could not be happier with it. This is my first bike. It's a blast to ride, easy (and cheap!) to maintain, and a real conversation starter. It gets about 55 mpg in the city and 70 mpg on the parkways. The styling and finish quality make this bike an instant head turner. Every time I ride, several people will ask questions or compliment the restoration. In fact, I'm getting tired of explaining that it's a new 1955 machine. And the sound -- the music that emanates from that shorty English exhaust -- is just beautiful! This bike is a solid and dependable runner that has no problems handling the rough streets of NYC and the moonlike surface of the BQE. It was not difficult to adhere to the break-in procedure (a must!) because the traffic here is slow. The drum brakes are strong and well up to the demands of urban and highway riding. The suspension is rather stiff. that's good for handling but not always great for comfort. Harsh surfaces can give a harsh ride. So I'm thinking about the aftermarket Hagon shocks. Otherwise, the ergonomics and neutral riding position are roomy enough for a tall guy like me, though the stock seat has a step in the base pan that hits my tailbone sometimes. I'm getting a sprung solo saddle. At first the bike seemed not to have much power at higher speeds. However, now that it is mostly broken in, it has loosened up a lot and has proven to have plenty of grunt. The English-made freeflow exhaust definitely helps there (I had my dealer install it and re-jet the carb accordingly before I picked it up). A 130-mile trip on the Merritt Parkway was no problem as this bike ran consistently with the cars between 55-65 mph, up long hills and such (and got 70 mpg doing so). This bike requires only a little more maintenance than a modern bike. You have to check the valves once in a while, though mine have not yet needed adjustment. As with any bike, you also have to check oil and fluid levels (I top them off about every 200 miles), as well as the primary and drive chain tension (I adjusted each of them once, mostly for the practice). The most involved thing I've done so far was the drive chain adjustment, which you do by moving the rear wheel with the help of two snail cams. Getting the right tension while maintaining alignment was a little complicated, but I did it, and it shouldn't need another adjustment for several thousand miles. My dealer had to re-torque the head bolts during the break-in service, which I know how to do now if it's needed again. The importer's forum and the Pete Snidal repair manual are invaluable resources. This is the bike for you if you're looking for a gorgeous, vintage motorcycle for relaxed riding, commuting and tinkering. While it's a rugged and dependable bike, it's not designed for the freeway (i.e. sustained speeds of 70+ mph) and should not be ridden that way. Please note: you need a DIY attitude if you are serious about owning one of these bikes. It's easy and rewarding to do, but you have to be actively involved in your bike's upkeep or you will eventually regret it. You can't just use it; you have to form a relationship with it. Riding this bike is more about the journey than the destination.
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