Royal Enfield is currently one of the most popular motorcycle brands around the world. While we now have a variety of retro-looking modern motorcycles from the manufacturer, did you know that Royal Enfield also offered a motorcycle with a diesel engine? The diesel engine Bullet was actually called the Diesel Taurus. It was launched in 1993, and the motorcycle was quite popular among buyers from semi-urban or rural areas. Here we have a video where an old diesel Bullet motorcycle has been neatly rest-modded to look like the Classic 350.
The video has been shared by Rebel the Biker Boy on his YouTube channel. In this video, the vlogger speaks to the owner of a workshop from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, who works on Royal Enfield motorcycles. The owner of this diesel Bullet had approached the workshop to get their old diesel Bullet restored. It was actually not an original diesel Bullet. After Royal Enfield discontinued it, a Punjab-based tractor manufacturer, Sooraj Tractors, produced the same motorcycle but with minor cosmetic changes. The motorcycle seen here is just that.
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The owner wanted to restore the motorcycle in such a manner that it does not look old and is still usable. They decided to give the motorcycle a complete makeover by converting it into a Classic 350. The motorcycle was completely stripped. As this was an old motorcycle, many of the panels and parts had rust. Some of them were not working properly either. They had to build this motorcycle from scratch. They replaced many of the old panels with new ones and also made some changes to the basic frame to accommodate the Classic 350 parts.
The mechanic also mentioned that he made some changes to the engine as well. It initially came with a 4-speed gearbox. The workshop converted it into a 5-speed unit, and also the position of the gear lever and the brake pads were swapped as they came on opposite sides in older generation Bullet motorcycles. The headlamps are aftermarket projector units. All the metal and chrome parts on the bike were redone, and the parts like the handlebar, ORVMs, mudguard, fuel tank, and side covers are all from a Classic 350 motorcycle.
Another feature that the workshop has now included in this motorcycle is a self-start. Starting an old Royal Enfield motorcycle is a huge task, as it is infamous for the notorious kickbacks. By providing a self-start option, the mechanic has resolved that issue. He also added a plug inside the side cover where the customer can plug the motorcycle in for a couple of hours to get the batteries fully charged.
The whole motorcycle has been finished in a matte olive green shade, and the steel rims have been replaced with Royal Enfield’s original alloy wheels. The front also comes with disc brakes, which were not a feature offered with this motorcycle. The motorcycle was powered by a 325-cc, single-cylinder, Lombardini indirect injection engine that generates 6.5 Bhp and 15 Nm of peak torque. It had a top speed of 65 kmph and was popular for its fuel efficiency. The motorcycle, when launched, had a claimed fuel economy of 86 Kmpl, which is much more than any commuter segment motorcycle offered in the market.
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