[sam_machine]

Such stories makes me forget Chetan Bhagat. Really kudos to you for finding the bike back, really unmatched perseverance. All well that ends such well & enjoy the happiness.Many congratulations

[theMAG]

Probably one of the best reads currently - on and off the forum!

This serves to showcase a very important aspect of vehicle ownership by aficionados - passion. A multi-generational family heirloom is what this particular Bullet is - I'm happy for you and even happier for your dad, for being reunited with a fond, lost family member.

[4WheelPilot]

Oh Man! What a lovely and refreshing thread. Your sheer dedication and efforts to pursue and trace the bullet is incredible. Someone from Enfield marketing team
should read this thread for sure... If you have all the video bytes, this can be a documentary of sorts..

[AravBS]

Wow...what a beautiful thread @arun1100!
Truly admire your love and dedication for the vehicle, a remarkable journey indeed in finding this. I can image how happy your dad is seeing the vehicle after 25 yrs.

I am from Hassan and felt so connected with this beautiful thread as i can imagine the then RTO, Police station, Syndicate bank of Hassan. Your story has tempted me to buy a bullet which i was never fond of.

Wishing you and your dad happy miles on your bullet!

[sandeepmohan]

Good on you. I can't imagine the joy you, your father and your family would have experienced on seeing this motorcycle back in the garage.

I wish I had the perseverance as you to do something like this. I lost an original Jawa 250 to a mechanic. Lost money in the process too. Its my fault. I did not chase up restoration of the motorcycle and took it too easy, which the garage took advantage of. The mechanic isn't absconding. He is very much present at the same place. I did visit him last in 2019 and got the same excuse, that the motorcycle is stuck at a tinker shop who has a huge backlog. I've been hearing that line for over 10 years after which I decided the exercise of going back there again was pointless. The bike is gone, possibly sold off. Now that I've left the country, there is less of an interest in pursuing the chase. Its difficult. I'll probably try my luck again by visiting the mechanic on our next visit to India.

The garage is a reputable place and I've been a customer to the garage for over 15 years, maintaining all my Yezdi's there, including my Yezdi 350 Twin (sold last month). In fact, the mechanic had made some electrical and design improvements on my 350 Twin which the factory could not be bothered about. Very few mechanics think out of the box. The only other garage I know who works like this was Muneer's, who works on my Enfield 500 and FM tharians too. When you have mechanics like this, you never expect your motorcycle to disappear.

Mehboob is an old place but I could never muster to the courage to hand my bike to them. It looked like a secondary Production line for Enfield's as the placed was always filed with motorbikes and a bunch of kids carrying out odd jobs.

I don't recall but I suspect the original kick starter did not have the end that flipped in, for this year of Enfield. It always stayed out. I know an old friends Enfield from Orissa from a similar year had this arrangement.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I don't recall but I suspect the original kick starter did not have the end that flipped in, for this year of Enfield. It always stayed out. I know an old friends Enfield from Orissa from a similar year had this arrangement.

Bullets had a solid kickstart till sometime in the late 90s.

That used to be the infamous back-kick shin crusher.

Cheers, Doc

[clementw]

Such a lovely thread. Well done on this amazing labour of love and a great gift for your dad. He has such an enviable garage.

[HP-BHP]

What a thread and what a story. Can feel all the emotions that you would have gone through.

You are one lucky guy!!! Believe me, there are very few people who get the chance to fulfil something like this for their parents.

God bless.

[voyageur]

Wonderful thread with a great end! Glad that you could reunite the bullet with the chetak, the Padmini in your garage and your father of course. This is also a great example of teamwork and a reminder that the world still got many wonderful people. Had any of them mentioned in your acknowledgments decided not to help you, it probably would have been difficult.

Felt really happy reading this thread - I hope you and your dad can ride it often.

Cheers!

[vikispeaks]

Heartfelt wishes on the reunion. This is a nicely pieced together story one that I can relate with. Gave away our first ever moped 4 years back and am in the search for it ever since. Your post gives hope and the much-needed push in the back to pursue it with rigour.

Wishing you many more hearty memories with the ride. Cheers

[navinkamath4657]

In an Era where Kids meet their parents annually, do something for them only on being requested to, you Mr Arun went miles and miles to give back what your dad loved a lot. I dont know if the bike is lucky or not but indeed your dad is lucky to have a son like you who took pains to see his dad happy like never before. A small lesson for all the kids like me to go an extra step to take care of our parents happiness too.
Kudos
Drive safe

[yogeshnaik]

Dear arun1100, First of all thanks for sharing this heart touching story with us. It is really well narrated and conglomeration of all the information at one place. Your Dad's Bullet made a place in the pages of History !

Being a Royal Enfield Bullet fan, I liked your every part of the story and still relishing it and sharing among my Biker friends.

One of the best stories of reunion of the Man & the Machine. Most important is your Dad's smile on his face is priceless.

[Fastdriver]

All metal, no plastic! And this is the older version with contact breaker (point) ignition system, right side gearbox and (even older type) front brake drum.
Yes, Bullets rarely die. Period.

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by arun1100

It's not often we get lucky to get back something which has been long lost! Here's the story of my Dad's 1971 Royal Enfield Bullet which he bought a year or two after he passed out of his college and started working as a Banker in rural parts of Karnataka.

Dear arun1100, your story made it to Times of India page 2. Way to go man.

[navin_v8]

Arun mate the lost and found story of our dad's Bullet is truly amazing and heart touching. That 1971 Bullet is a B1 model based on the legendary G2. It does have a heavy crank and the beating thump of that engine is second to none.

I like the way how you kept the motorcycle in its stock form with minimal modifications. You have been lucky to find the motorcycle in a maintained condition. When I found my 1969 B1 Bullet it was buried half in ground. As long as you ride it twice-thrice a week (30-50 kms) with regular maintenance, it will serve you well for years to come. You can slowly bring it to its original form by adding non-folding kick lever, cycle hubs (although not recommended due to braking effectiveness and safety), cover for rear shock springs, etc. if you are really keen on bringing it to original factory specs.

That smile on your dad's face is priceless and he must be really proud of you to have brought his memories back to life. Congrats again mate!

My 1969 Bullet 350 says Hi to your 1971 B1!
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post3679270 (Why Enfield Bullet?)

Threads like these wake me up from my slumber to restore my long pending 1961 G2 project.