Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

General Discussion => Campfire Talk => Topic started by: rajactech on February 01, 2010, 07:07:46 am

Title: How long did you wait??
Post by: rajactech on February 01, 2010, 07:07:46 am
I had a desire to buy bullet at the age of 15 itself......but my desire got fulfilled at the age of 22 only  ;)...Friends how long it took for you?
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: kodai on February 01, 2010, 08:14:14 am
32 years      I was in India (kerala,& TN)1977-1981 Finally had enough $ so I bought 09 g5          now thinking about older iron barrel
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: rajactech on February 01, 2010, 09:40:38 am
32 years      I was in India (kerala,& TN)1977-1981 Finally had enough $ so I bought 09 g5          now thinking about older iron barrel
32 years!!!great :o
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: Chasfield on February 01, 2010, 01:20:31 pm
Big singles where kind of below my radar when I was first into bikes around 1979. I liked twins and the rest of the world was getting into four pot UJMs.

I was vaguely aware of Bullets about 10 years ago but only considered ownership in 2008 when my wife found me a tidy one to buy in two minutes flat after I had spent about 100 hours on the web scratching my head about what bike I should get.

Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: ace.cafe on February 01, 2010, 02:25:28 pm
For most of my motorcycling life, I had Italian bikes. 2 Ducati twins, 1 Laverda triple, and 1 Benelli six cylinder.
I'm trying to forget that I also had a BMW twin. :-\

I knew about the singles, but I was all caught-up in bigger motors.

I didn't start thinking about the Bullet until after 2000.
I actually began studying the Bullet and doing engineering theory and some experiments on engine parts on it for 3 years before I even owned a complete Bullet.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: PaulF on February 01, 2010, 02:39:40 pm
About 10 minutes. Always wanted a British thumper but with prices on old AJS / Matchless, (my personal favorite is an 18M), climbing, 6-volt systems, parts hassles etc, I never got around to it. As soon as I read about the REs, I grabbed one.

Ace, I had an opposing exerience. I wanted a Benelli Sei - until I owned a Guzzi. Now I want a BMW boxer. The Italians be damned. >:(
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: ace.cafe on February 01, 2010, 03:06:51 pm
About 10 minutes. Always wanted a British thumper but with prices on old AJS / Matchless, (my personal favorite is an 18M), climbing, 6-volt systems, parts hassles etc, I never got around to it. As soon as I read about the REs, I grabbed one.

Ace, I had an opposing exerience. I wanted a Benelli Sei - until I owned a Guzzi. Now I want a BMW boxer. The Italians be damned. >:(

Well, other people have had good luck with their Beemers, so maybe mine was just a freak bad one. But I hated it.

The Benelli Sei was basically just a Honda 500-4, with an extra pair of cylinders on it.
It was almost an exact copy of the Honda engine design, in a six-cylinder package.
Very smooth and very reliable.
In fact, all my Italian bikes were very reliable. The gauges never worked right, but at least they rode reliably, and didn't fail me.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: chinoy on February 01, 2010, 05:04:58 pm
About 30 years.
And I still had to buy the bike on my credit card.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: 1Blackwolf1 on February 01, 2010, 06:12:22 pm
  About 10 years after I saw a 1999 Military at the shop I eventually bought my '07 Iron lung from.  Probably should have bought the '99 would have been kick only for starting, and closer to being a true classic by now.

  Will.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: PaulF on February 01, 2010, 06:12:51 pm
The gauges never worked right, but at least they rode reliably, and didn't fail me.

Yup. I remember the running joke.  Veglia was also known as Vague-lia.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: Bug_Catcher on February 01, 2010, 09:23:05 pm
Wanted a bike since I was I a wee one but none of them spoke to me until I stumbled upon the vintage British circle about 4 years ago.  Had my eye originally on a BSA, but decided to start with an Enfield thinking it would be a much better first bike.  (and I was right!)  That BSA would probably still be in pieces in my garage if I had gotten it.

Once I finally decided on a Bullet, took me about 6 months to hoard all the money I could make and drop it on the silver honey I picked out lovingly from the many choices I had.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: jdrouin on February 01, 2010, 10:06:51 pm
I always liked motorcycles in a vague way since I was a kid. A friend of mine had a small Kawasaki dirtbike when we were in elementary school but his dad wouldn't let me ride it. My highschool English teacher/running coach had a Harley Sturgis edition Dyna Glide, or something like that which was really, really loud, had mag wheels, and was way too big for his wiry Irish frame.

I didn't care for that bike one way or the other until I got injured on a run and he gave me a ride home on it. The feeling of freedom stuck with me ever since.

Then in grad school years later I was taking an art history course on Cubism and we studied machine aesthetics, Futurism, etc., and that got me tuned in even closer to the beauty of machinery. Leaving that class one day I heard this weird whistle-putt coming from behind me and this guy rode by on a gorgeous early 70s BMW R60, black with pinstripes. Ever since then I'd been pining for an R60 and got interested in all kinds of motorcycles.

Ca. 2005-6 I started researching vintage bikes and trolling the local craigslist for ads. The Enfield started to appeal to me for its mechanical simplicity and beauty, and when I found out they were still  being made I just had to have one. Figured it was easier to learn how to work on a single, anyway.

Took me about two years to finally scrape together the money for a bike, and I picked up my black `07 iron barrel in September 2008. Best decision I ever made.

My only regret is that my coach died before I could show it to him.

Jeff
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: The Garbone on February 01, 2010, 10:41:55 pm
After a long stretch of funerals for friends and family I came to realize I was not going to live forever and I needed a hobby besides work, work and work.  I decided to start looking for a motorcycle.   

A friend showed me this site and that was it.. I had one within 2 weeks.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: GreenForce82 on February 02, 2010, 01:39:27 am
Bout a 2 and a half years...

My pops got an 06 in 06 and I rode it and wanted one instantly. He then showed me they made a military model and that's all it took. A lot of looking and fixing my credit later I am the proud owner of a 07 military lovingly broken in by the PO... Thanks again Dan S. of Minnesota!
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: Lahti35 on February 02, 2010, 03:24:47 am
3-4 years....

Was filling up at the local gas station on a beautiful summer day when i heard this thump thump thunping coming down the road. The station was right at the light so i got a great show as he slowed, stopped and pulled away from the red light on his green classic. I was hooked right there!

However my spare time was split between restoring a GAZ69 Soviet Jeep, Condor A350 Swiss army ducati, and a neglected 1930 bungalow. Got the bug bad last year and sold the Condor to make some space for the Enfield in the stable. Bought mine neglected from a dude who shouldn't have ever owned it. Fixed all his problems and then some last summer.... she runs alot better now.
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: rajactech on February 02, 2010, 12:47:15 pm
About 30 years.
And I still had to buy the bike on my credit card.

;)
Title: Re: How long did you wait??
Post by: blueberry on February 02, 2010, 01:34:06 pm
About 1 year. I still have the sales catalog. I did not get to see one in person for about 10 mos. or so, but when I did I pulled out my credit card to hold the motorcycle for me. The next day I rode it home. The dealer had just put them on sale. I got my 08 Electra in black for $6,000.00 U.S. out the door. With the motorcycle the dealer also gave me an  extra complete tool kit, brake, gas, and  clutch cables, tire irons, tire tube, acc. catalog, and a few special tools just for the RE.