Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => Other Bikes => Topic started by: adespin on January 22, 2019, 03:02:26 PM
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What do you guys & gals think of this new retro bike now available in the uk at £5500, i like it ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ei3qT-jptY
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I think they have been working on that for a while, not vastly powerful but if they make as relable as the bullet it should be OK
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Ive been looking at these for a while but still not in my local shop yet to get a proper look. It looks nice tho i think they got the look just right and if i remember Classic Bike mag did a piece a while back , i will try and get a test ride when they arrive. ;D
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Every Bullet owner I have ever spoken to it would seem they are anything but reliable. There are a lot of very low mileage ones come up for sale. But no doubt it feels great compared to a Bullet.
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Every Bullet owner I have ever spoken to it would seem they are anything but reliable. There are a lot of very low mileage ones come up for sale. But no doubt it feels great compared to a Bullet.
The articles I have read say they have been designed at Enfield UK R&D facility so hopefully it should be better than the 40s/50's Bullit design - I like them
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Every Bullet owner I have ever spoken to it would seem they are anything but reliable. There are a lot of very low mileage ones come up for sale. But no doubt it feels great compared to a Bullet.
The articles I have read say they have been designed at Enfield UK R&D facility so hopefully it should be better than the 40s/50's Bullit design - I like them
If you like them that's the bit that matters. Personally I would sink the £5500 into something old and British if I was going down that route. Rather than a lookee likee. It has roughly the same output as a mid 60s triumph and weighs a lot more , begs the question R&D.
Each to their own and long may it continue that way.
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That seat looks as comfortable as itchy hemorrhoids on a long flight.
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I think they look great, especially the engine, not too keen on the big pipes.... but overall i think they would be a good substitute for a classic
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Here's a review on british roads, and a less lunatic rider!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fru7-wk8hYo
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Nice bit of filtering..... :o
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Nice looking bike and the road test seems to be positive, I nearly bought the old bike of the same name in my youth.
Cheers
Dennis
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I’m thinking of buying a Classic Honda and the Royal Enfield looks interesting but one of the reasons I’m thinking of buying a Classic Honda is I’m hoping it will hold its value. Would a new Royal Enfield do the same?
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I very much doubt in 40years time it will be worth 4 times it's original purchase price , a very nice bike but nothing to tinker with at the weekend unlike a classic Honda . ;D
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Absolutely agree. These bikes are ideal for anybody who wants to ride a classic looking bike but doesn't have the time, money, skills, facilities, experience or desire to buy/restore and maintain one..
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Could buy a few Sohc bikes for that, or a really nice one. Looks nice, for a modern bike. Still looks very modern with those clocks and switches. Wonder what the mpg and longevity of it are like? Being new it will loose value, not appreciate like a classic. Still overall I quite like it.
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I like the fact that it's designed and developed in the UK. AND it's got a Harris designed frame.
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Now...to me 47Hp is not enough.
Last bike I had with that power was a Yam MT03, which I thought would be an excellent town bike...but turned out to be the most hateful thing I have owned for years. It had gears that were poorly spaced and a first gear so low, you couldn't use it for anything other than pulling away. That and Italian electrics on a Japanese bike and a battery hidden under the petrol tank. Yup...the regulator and rectifier packed up, it boiled 2 batteries, teh rear light wiring was a joke and I had to re-wire it. The seat mount split....and....well...you get the idea. That and the idiots who put the rear light connectors under the mudguard, and made it so the rear bulb could only be changed from the front...and not by taking the lense off. It blew rear bulbs every few months.
It taught me that a test ride is essential, and not just a quick ride. An objective, real life journey.
47Hp can be enough in town if the bike has balance, well matched gear ratios/torque, and good 30-60mph performance. This thing is no road burner, but could be a pleasant cheap commuter if it is built well. I also learnt that detail touches are REALLY important when you have to live with a bike.
My Hornet..for example. The battery is easy to get to. The oil filter and drain plug are easy to get to. The underseat layout is excellent and the recesses have a drain hole. All the plugs and electrical bits are laid out clearly and sit in designated places. It's just ....right.
I would want to see under the skin of this Enfieldand see whether they designed it in detail, or styled it and then tried to shove all the bits in where there was a gap. The Bullet looked like that.
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The 60's Triumph Bonneville made do with 46 bhp and was considered the ultimate roadburner of the era untill the multicylinders came along in 68/69
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Not far off the cb500/4 or bmw r80, horsepower wise. Both more than capable of exceeding the talent of more than a few riders with their moderate power output. I agree that the main thing on any bike is the details of what it is like to live with every day. I developed a pet hate over not having a centre stand within a month or 2 of owning a ca125 rebel. Spot on machine in every other respect but I like to be able to lift the rear wheel off the floor to adjust the chain, or change a tyre easily. A well designed bike will sit with either wheel removed quite happily on its centre stand. It's a fairly basic thing in my books, just makes life easy, especially if you consider how often a rear tyre needs changing. I wound up hanging the rebel off a chain hoist in my workshop every week to do the chain tension. It's one reason I love the cb500/4 so much, almost everything is easy to do on it, only bit that annoys me to work on is the carbs and throttle cables, and they are not that bad. Some bikes are just right. Honda are good at that. I have an ntv650. It's a bike I cannot fault. Everythings just nicely laid out, good quality. Be interesting to see how this Enfield holds up. I personally feel that oil cooler would cause me and it to fall out. Winter commuting. Maybe now I am at a stage where a bike is fun rather than my sole transport that matters less. I would expect it to be torquey.
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Centrestand lover here too. First thing I did on my Hornet 900 was fit a centrestand. It's an option part, so the mounts were there. That and a front mudguard extender to keep the crud off the radiator. The detail is the key.
They got that very wrong on the early Indian Bullets....but they have had time to get more used to the European market...so who knows.
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The 60's Triumph Bonneville made do with 46 bhp and was considered the ultimate roadburner of the era untill the multicylinders came along in 68/69
Don't forget though the bonnie was only 165kg not over 200kg that's a big difference between them and that's over 50 years ago. What have they made it of ? Pig iron.!
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Those huuuge exhausts probably account for a fair bit :o
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The 60's Triumph Bonneville made do with 46 bhp and was considered the ultimate roadburner of the era untill the multicylinders came along in 68/69
Don't forget though the bonnie was only 165kg not over 200kg that's a big difference between them and that's over 50 years ago. What have they made it of ? Pig iron.!
What we all forget is the emissions and noise laws that apply to modern bikes that effects weight via crankcase thickness, cooling jackets, exhaust size and construction, etc. Also, the modern rider wants smooth engines and that means balance mechanisms, etc and that adds weight. British twins rattled things to pieces!
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The 60's Triumph Bonneville made do with 46 bhp and was considered the ultimate roadburner of the era untill the multicylinders came along in 68/69
Don't forget though the bonnie was only 165kg not over 200kg that's a big difference between them and that's over 50 years ago. What have they made it of ? Pig iron.!
What we all forget is the emissions and noise laws that apply to modern bikes that effects weight via crankcase thickness, cooling jackets, exhaust size and construction, etc. Also, the modern rider wants smooth engines and that means balance mechanisms, etc and that adds weight. British twins rattled things to pieces!
I don't forget that at all and you are talking nearly 40kg a massive amount .Its heavy because it's built cheap.
Lightness comes at a price. As for rattling things to pieces are Enfield's known for their smoothness. Or is it just this is super smooth for a Enfield . I guess only time will tell on that one.
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I rather suspect that part of the extra weight is modern tyres. Rubber is heavy and everyone goes wider than the 60s and 70s bikes. Add the emissions stuff adding s few kg here and there. Its either build with modern alloys etc, or just accept, its appeal is as classic buyer who's after the look but wants new, probably wont spend top dollar. I reacon it looks on paper a reasonable compromise.
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The Missenden Flyer has just made a British review on the bike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-rpySNs6m4
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That was a good real world review. A shame he couldn't find an open stretch of road to give it the beans. I like the colour and the overall view of the machine. It looks well finished.
Personally I would fit a louder exhaust though, it sounds mutted like all modern bikes.
It certainly appears better VFM then a Taiwan built but British badged Triumph even if the Trumpet is 20bhp more (and 250cc bigger). £5500 would get a nice classic Honda though! 🙄
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Sorry that i keep harping on about this bike but i do like it, it might be a different story if i rode one, anyhow here is another new brit review, he's a bit of a motomouth but entertaining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug9LPowFUeI.
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My bosses husband (Simon Warburton, ex Triumph) has had a lot to do with that bike, design wise, he’s spent most of the last 2 years commuting between the UK facility & India, I had a look at one at Smalley Cross last week, it’s actually very nice, much better proportioned than the Bonneville, apart from the silencers which are too big, but smaller louder ones will soon be an option, it was mechanically very quiet on tickover, it is great for someone wanting modern ease of use with retro looks, I’ll test ride it soon but probably won’t buy as it’s just not powerful enough for me, nice though, at 5.5k it’s good value until you factor in bikes such as the Suzuki SV650, admittedly that’s a different kind of beast so I guess you have to say it’s good value for a Brit look retro .
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I have looked at them at shows and they look to be well built and good value.I owned a nearly New 500 Bullet few years ago and it was crudely built but what I expected as it was so cheap,I did the usual mods available from Hitchcocks and it made it a more pleasant bike I’m sure Hitchcocks and the like will sell aftermarket exhausts etc. for it once they’re established.A cheap alternative for an expensive Triumph and the majority of owners will be 55 + year olds looking for something modern to ride along side their old clunkers,I know two such people that have ordered one.
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A friend picks one up this week-end, traded in his Bullit, so will get some first hand feedback next week during our weekly ride out.
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I had a look at one the other day in my local shop & they are indeed a nice looking bike , however you can see where they have scrimped to save costs the mudguards look and feel plasticky , indicators look cheap and the switches and switchgear are the same as you find on cheapo Chinese bikes. im not knocking it as it does look good but the savings do notice in my opinion. ;D