(Edit to add--the below pertains to the older bikes, not the newer unit-construction models, which are fuel-injected in the export market....the UCE bikes are a shade faster out of the box than the old ones, but are much less readily-modifiable for speed. Ace engineering is working on a basic performance kit for the UCEs, for what it's worth...)
Crusader said:
I've kind of gathered that they aren't highway worthy and thats not ok with me! I can lay down on the tank on my CM400T and ride at about 75-80 around here just fine. I'm looking at a few CB750s and CB500Ts. I'm assuming the 500T would be even better than my 400T (more displacement...more power).
BTW that video was dreadful...I caught myself almost falling asleep.
Again...stock form is one thing. What can be done with them is another. The "asbo" and Hitchcock's 612 bullets in England and the fireballs in the US (and an upcoming raised-port head with custom rockers, possibly linked in the future with a shorter-stroke crank) show that these bikes can in fact be made far faster. Yes, they're still old-fashioned singles, and if that's not what you want then get something else. 35+ horsepower on one of these, especially if you've pulled off the heavy stuff, goes a long way from the 14-18hp you get stock. Think Gold Star. The Fireball-modded bikes can cruise at 80mph and exceed the Ton when pushed. But the work is not cheap, either. You could spend as much, or less, and buy something that's faster from the start...however, that's hardly the point.
One man's opinion that no single is "racy" belies a well-storied history of performance singles. Yes, they're not racy compared to modern multi-cylinder bikes, but if we were looking for modern raciness we'd be on Pangiales.
The Bullet has been a workhorse for many, but that doesn't mean it's all the bike can or should be. That's also not to say it's not also happy in that role if that's what you want. I've loved Miob's bike since he showed it on the Enfield forum, but there are Enfields that are on another planet performance-wise.
One warning with the Bullet, however, is that stock parts from India can be real shit. Quality control is abysmal, and the 500 stock pistons in particular are considered worse than paperweights by most who deal with these bikes regularly. (Busby in NZ, Snidal in Canada, Ace in the US, et. al. )