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power of the Enfield? power of the Enfield?
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West and South Asia From Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Ladakh and Bangladesh
Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 14 Feb 2006
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power of the Enfield?
I am planning on flying into Delhi in the next two weeks and buying a 500cc. For three months I will ride alone across the north. After that time I plan on meeting my girlfriend in Delhi. So the question I am asking is if the enfield 500cc is strong enough to carry myself and my girlfriend (maybe 260 lbs. both of us, plus luggage) up to the highlands of Ladakh. How powerfull is that little beast?
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  #2  
Old 14 Feb 2006
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Power? Enfield 500? You're having a laugh....
22HP.
Will happily carry you, your girlfriend and all your luggage over the Himalaya and up to Ladakh. Have done the same trip 2-up on a 350 with a mega 18HP. Enjoy.
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  #3  
Old 14 Feb 2006
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Either way in India, You cannot get anything Bigger than an Enfield! and moreover the reception / response that you will get form the locals if you are on an enfield cannot be compared with any other bike.
Enfield is no doubt the right choice!!
Happy riding!
PS: If you come towards Bombay / Poona , drop me a note maybe we can meet up for a Chai or something!:-)


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[This message has been edited by Red Bull (edited 14 February 2006).]
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Old 14 Feb 2006
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The 500cc Bullet is ideal for your needs and Indian riding conditions.

Enjoy the views!

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  #5  
Old 14 Feb 2006
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I thank you good people for your insight and experience. I am looking forward to a great trip.
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  #6  
Old 21 Feb 2006
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That's right, it's got bugger all power, but anything more would be wasted in Indian traffic conditions. Also, the Enfield is really comfortable to ride for long distances. The perfect touring bike for India, although the reliability is suspect.
Sean
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Old 27 Feb 2006
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Yep, power and enfields not two words often used together. Might be worth getting a free flowing filter and bigger carb jet for an extra couple of HP if youre going to altitude? enfields are very tuneable. Although I`d ask someone with experience of riding them at altitude as I`m only speculating. Parts like this for the bullet are very cheap.
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  #8  
Old 27 Feb 2006
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Enfields will get over high altitude ok without tuning. They will lose a bit of power like any bike, but i travelled with a couple of guys on Enfields over Kudung La (5600m) without a problem.
Sean
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  #9  
Old 28 Feb 2006
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Quote:
Originally posted by seanh:
Enfields will get over high altitude ok without tuning. They will lose a bit of power like any bike, but i travelled with a couple of guys on Enfields over Kudung La (5600m) without a problem.
Sean
Dropping the needle down one clip helps though...
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  #10  
Old 13 May 2006
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codyblake >> DID you do your trip??
codyblake >> DID you do your trip??

I will be in Ladakh towards end of June..doing Khardung La - Karhil - Srinagar..

Is anyone ele around in this area??
My CELL no is +91 9881498694
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  #11  
Old 16 May 2006
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I can't see how the bullet is right tool for travelling in India or anywhere else, esp. for non-Indians, unless the financial situation is really tight. You would want something with better perf and reliability. A dual sport bike a la BMW GS bikes, KTMs etc. will be much better. Most bullet supporters in India ultimately revert to bashing "Jap bikes" to glorify bullets when all they have seen/experienced are small, single-cyl, aircooled, carb japanese bikes. It was the same story with the Ambassador cars and what not.

As for the reception one gets on a bullet that "cannot be compared with any other bike", not that this really matters, I doubt there will be a bigger crowd around a bullet in front of something like a BMW GS Adventure.
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  #12  
Old 16 May 2006
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dont worry codyblake, 500 has enough power to take you both to ladakh easily. if my 180cc 4st bike can take me (220+lbs.) and around 30kg luggage to ladakh, a 500 would do the duty easily
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  #13  
Old 16 May 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mantan
I can't see how the bullet is right tool for travelling in India or anywhere else, esp. for non-Indians, unless the financial situation is really tight.
It's not the bike that's important, it's the ride.
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Last edited by brclarke; 17 May 2006 at 00:03.
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  #14  
Old 16 May 2006
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Yogesh thanks for posting a reply here!
@ Yogesh >> Your Website with the trip logs is indeed very interesting,
And having reading Sumit's Blog earlier, now its time to read the other end of the story!
Thanks for posting the link in Signature!

And this video was lovely!!!!!!!! Thanks again!
http://www.yogeshsarkar.com/trips/la...ed_the_sky.wmv


Quote:
Originally Posted by yogesh Sarkar
dont worry codyblake, 500 has enough power to take you both to ladakh easily. if my 180cc 4st bike can take me (220+lbs.) and around 30kg luggage to ladakh, a 500 would do the duty easily

@ Mantan >> True, BMW GS bikes, KTMs etc will be much better. My post there was considering the fact that Codyblake did not bring with him his bike into India. Maybe because I am a bullet rider I support the bullets much more than they are worthy of ! :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by mantan
I can't see how the bullet is right tool for travelling in India or anywhere else, esp. for non-Indians, unless the financial situation is really tight. A dual sport bike a la BMW GS bikes, KTMs etc. will be much better.
and finally as Br Clarke said sometimes its not the bike ,, its the Ride.
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  #15  
Old 16 May 2006
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brclarke
Sometimes it's not the bike that's important, it's the ride.
why sometimes, I think the ride is always more important than the bike, however, having the right tool for the job will not hurt. Some people get so caught up in promoting certain make/model that objectivity is lost.
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