Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Classic (EFI) reviews

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

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

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