I wasn’t in the market for a single cylinder motorcycle at the time, but I saw this 2006 Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc advertised, and it caught my eye, also looking at the seller it was a dealer I knew and trusted, Steve Piper Motorcycles in Eastleigh.
I called Steve and got the story, apparently the previous owner had this Bullet sat in his kitchen for about 13 years.
Sometimes you know when things are “just meant to be” so we had a deal and I became the proud owner of an Indian made Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc.,

Having only covered 2000 miles from new, it just needed a carb clean and some fresh fuel and she was ready to be tickled around the Hampshire countryside.
Although this Enfield is a 2006 model, it still retains the charm of the original 1957 Bullet, right-hand gear change drum brakes, kick-start, decompressor leaver, points ignition and so on.
Having only ridden this bike for short journeys to make sure everything is OK, it was clear to see this was going to be a great relationship.
The thump thump thump as you open the throttle up to 50mph, which I think is the sweet spot for this bike, it really is no thrills riding.
The instruments are a speedo and ammeter which will take a little getting used to.

Believe it or not, those pin stripes on the Enfield fuel tank are still hand painted today, all the panels are painted by robot, but the stripes are a nice personal touch – Royal Enfield say it is a gift to their customers.
The Enfield factory in India have gone from strength to strength, back in 2004 they were producing between 80 – 100 bikes per day. In 2024 it was 3000 bikes per day, so they must be doing something right.

If you want to see this Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet in action, why not watch the video below and join me on my first ride out in the Hampshire countryside, visiting Loomies motorcycle café on the way.