[royalan9321]

Contrary to popular make believe, the Bullet is not classified as a cruiser at least for me.

Keep in mind I accept both the Meteor 350 and its newer 650 counterpart as cruisers.
But, I think the Bullet and the Classic are both standard bikes, or modern classics.

I just want to know what everybody feels about this topic.

Cheers,
Alan

[masterChief007]

Originally Posted by royalan9321

the Bullet is not classified as a cruiser at least for me.
Alan

Hi Alan, I was not aware if anybody called the bullet a cruiser, I have a bullet standard 350 (cast iron), a.k.a bullet. The name itself has standard in it. Btw cruiser or not it is a highway capable bike which can also do offroad if you push it (needs a bit work though). Personally I don't like the cruiser design, neither do I like the fully committed posture of sports bikes (reason is I like to saddle the rough patches/speed bumps). So standard/street/adv tourer bikes are more to my taste.

[marcussantiago]

Originally Posted by royalan9321

Contrary to popular make believe, the Bullet is not classified as a cruiser at least for me.

Keep in mind I accept both the Meteor 350 and its newer 650 counterpart as cruisers.
But, I think the Bullet and the Classic are both standard bikes, or modern classics.

I just want to know what everybody feels about this topic.

Cheers,
Alan

Correct, the Bullet is a classic standard bike.

[mygodbole]

Can we have T-BHP afficionados explain to us poor earthlings what is the difference between a cruiser and a street bike?

I always thought a street bike is where the ride sits upright or leans forward. Later, I learnt that cruiser bikes are where the rider leans back.

Please correct me if I err.

Rode a Triumph America (a baby cruiser) some years back.

Lean back and sit up straight/lean forward. Confused.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by mygodbole

Can we have T-BHP afficionados explain to us poor earthlings what is the difference between a cruiser and a street bike

If you promise me not to ask the differences between Enduro, Dualsport, Trail & Cross {because, even I don't know }, then the below should give you a fair idea




And if you would like to see based on riding position, please a picture posted in this post. Tks

Originally Posted by royalan9321

Contrary to popular make believe, the Bullet is not classified as a cruiser at least for me

You're not alone sir; it's just a standard & to an extent classic motorcycle for me as well

[rajeevsulu]

The Bullet is just a classic. It was never a cruiser.

[Jeroen]

Having owned only one motorbike in my entire life, I have no idea what the difference is between all these types of motorbikes. Or more importantly, how they affect riding them.

I did own a classic fully restored 1973 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 for four years and I drove about 15000 km all over India. I am quite tall at 1,93m. But I always felt very comfortable on it even during long rides. Not sure if my drives qualify as cruising, but it sure felt that way.

I am sure a certain type of bike, or even car, is likely to have an effect on ride and handling characteristics. But in the end it is just about your personal enjoyment. Not about the technical label.

I have a 4x4. Never take it off-road. Love it to bits!

Jeroen

[royalan9321]

Originally Posted by masterChief007

Hi Alan, I was not aware if anybody called the bullet a cruiser.

Many do .

I've seen lots of reviewers say its a "cruiser bike" and also on many websites too.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by royalan9321

I've seen lots of reviewers say its a "cruiser bike" and also on many websites too.

So, next time you know what to do when a website says RE Bullet 350 is a cruiser

[navin_v8]

Ah! The Bullet and so many different perspectives attached to it. In essence the Bullet design is from the 1950's or even before that. It is a Standard Street motorcycle in its stock form. Also remember back in the 50's the roads weren't as smooth and did not have a wide network as it is today. Due to its hardy build, durable suspension and simple mechanicals it was/is able to tread off the roads as well. Was it built/designed for off roads? I don't know. Those days the options were fairly limited so a Standard motorcycle was expected to race, commute, off-road, cruise, commercially transport milk, etc.

In the modern world there are purpose built/defined motorcycles (then again one can argue that people define the purpose). We have cruisers/power cruisers, ADV's, Tourers/Sport Tourers, Enduro, Dirtbike, dual sport, streetfighter, sports bike, sports naked... and the list goes on. Gone are the days when one used to shoehorn/modify their motorcycles to make it look like a cruiser, tourer, ADV, etc.

IMO a cruiser is a laid back motorcycle with a big capacity unstressed (lazy) torquey engine (not necessarily more BHP) having plush suspension with forward set/mid set foot pegs coupled with comfortable handlebars, fairly low slung big seat and a dash of chrome.

There's plenty of reference material on the internet about these different class of motorcycles and it is a good read.

[nettooran]

I own an old CI engine Bullet and this has been my only bike for last 15+ years. I have done a lot of riding on it including leh ladakh. All of them was in my 20's. I had no discomfort . I used it extensively in the city also.

It was hardly used in my 30's and now in my early 40's I have started riding again and that i when I realized it is not an easy machine. The brakes are very poor, the suspension is hard (you need to be overweight or have a pillion rider to get the suspention to work smoothly), the handling is terrible. None of these things was noticed by me in my 20's . I had considered it a great long distance cruiser then.

The conclusion is that it was a great highway bike 10 years ago when there were not much alternatives, but now comparing with the options available in the market, it can never be called a cruiser.

NB: With all those bad things, I wouldnt trade my bike for any new gen. Old CI owners can understand the sentiment. . It has never put me down in all these years of ownership. After more than a lakh km, the engine has never been opened and I still ride on the first clutch.

[Sudarshan42]

Labelling anything a certain something is all about perspective. Some people would call a Porsche Carrera a supercar, others who drive actual supercars would call it a sports car at best.

Similarly if someone rides around on a Harley Electra Glide, they would probably view the Bullet as a classic commuter and nothing more. If someone owns a Hero Splendor, then a Bullet can be the ultimate expression of a cruiser.

I feel it comes down to one's own experiences and world view when it comes to labelling things. It also depends on what you use it for.

[Jaison]

It would be a classic commuter bike. My wife doesn't know much about motorcycles or cars, i currently own a 310GS and i have taken her on most motorcycles when i had the opportunity. The one motorcycle that she remembers the name and wants me to own is a standard bullet which she likes very much, i was surprised when she told me that she likes a bullet. It's s very comfortable with the 19" wheel and such. It doesn't look like a cruiser.

[raptor_diwan]

In my view, the primary function of a cruiser bike is not its design or appearance. Instead, its key purpose for a cruiser is to provide the rider with a comfortable seating position for extended periods and to be sturdy enough to handle highway riding. A cruiser bike's ideal combination is ample power and a comfortable seating position, which makes it suitable for extended rides on the highway.

Bajaj has branded their Dominar as a power cruiser, which is suitable for extended rides on the highway without any discomfort. However, this is not the case with bikes like the R15 or scooters, where riding for several hours may compromise your comfort.

But if a bike can cover the features mentioned above, people can use it for long rides and refer to it as a cruiser, even if it is a Bullet.

[bblost]

Most of us have just one bike. It works as a cruiser, adventure bike, sports bike and just about anything we want it to be.

I used to take my old 2003 Thunderbird on long rides.
Now I take my Himalayan.

The Himalayan has the saddle bags always fixed on it. It carries my stuff when I am travelling and groceries when I am shopping.

This kind of nomenclature is something that is very amusing to me.

There are only 2 kinds of bikes.
A parked bike and running bike.

The more you run it, the more rich your life becomes. So don't worry about these names. In our sweet country there are hardly any roads that can be called pure highways for cruising.