Royal Enfield gives a new lease of life to the Bullet Electra with a modern powerplant
Words: Ravi Chandnani
Photography: Sawan Hembram
They say evolution is inevitable and Royal Enfield is no exception to this fact. The company has been able to churn out machines that are reminiscent of the past and at the same time are also fitted with contemporary technology. As a testimony to the above quote, the Thunderbird twin spark was followed by the Classic series with a new unit construction engine and fuel injection. However, this evolution was somewhat incomplete as the Electra was the only bike in Royal Enfield’s product line-up with the same old cast iron engine. It was an ageing bike which had a bit of Botox in 2005 when it received an electric starter, a five-speed transmission as well as a disc brake. It was high time for the manufacturer to recognize the winds of change and revive the Electra in the same way that it reanimated the Thunderbird. Realizing this, Royal Enfield has placed a new heart in that old world styled frame of the Electra – better late than never.
The new unit construction engine is able to lend the bike a smoother ride
The Electra has been impressing on the sales charts for a long time now and with the introduction of the new unit construction engine, it ends up becoming better in a lot of ways. Well almost. We received the bike for a short ride experience and needless to say, I quickly headed for the highway. The first thing that drew my attention after starting the bike was the quieter exhaust note which is achieved using a longer muffler providing better sound insulation – blame the government regulations for this. It sounded much more subdued compared to the older model. The handling of the new Electra has changed fairly given the fact that it has a higher centre of gravity compared to the older model. This is due to the design differences in the engines. To an extent, the new Electra feels a bit heavy even though the weight of the new bike is almost the same as the previous version. The ever present vibrations still exist, however, their density has gone down considerably. The new Electra is now wider by 60mm, taller by 40mm and longer by 20mm with the same wheelbase as the older version
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The unit construction engine is the same motor that also powers the Classic 350 and it was no surprise that the performance of this powerplant was almost similar to the Classic. The new engine might be smoother, however, it is not as torquey as the Electra 5S, churning out just 28Nm of torque at 4000rpm – a drop of four Nm. The reason for this is the lighter crank. Nonetheless, the power output has been upped by 9.1 percent at 20PS.The styling and aesthetic value of the bike is still very much the same if you overlook the motor. It retains its retro charm just like other models in the Royal Enfield family. Overall the initial impression of the new Electra is pretty impressive, however, the excitement level might have gone for some die-hard ‘thump’ fans. But it goes without saying that even at an on-road (Pune) price of Rs 1.08 lakh, the Electra still remains the best option for the new and the old Enfield fan.
