Royal Enfield Bullet Trials 500

Royal Enfield’s motorcycles are quite popular amongst the customisation community here in India, and serve as the perfect canvas for a variety of custom jobs. Some do it just to look cool, and a lot of others do it to enhance the motorcycle’s capability off the road. After all, it’s no coincidence that Royal Enfield riders are the ones most commonly found doing the Leh-Ladakh circuit. With the launch of the Trials range, it is evident that Royal Enfield took notice of such a flourishing custom scene in the country, and they made a motorcycle that looks like it can travel to the famed mecca of bikers even more easily than the stock Classic! But then, is it more of a cosmetic job like the Thunderbird X, or does it actually have some enhanced abilities?

Royal Enfield has a rich history in the world of Trials competition. The Trials 500’s design scheme is in fact a throwback to Johnny Brittain’s Bullet 350, with which he won numerous Trials titles in the 1950s.  As you can see, they’ve even carried the same design theme from the vintage bike. There’s chrome on the forks, headlight nacelle, a 3D badge that’s similar to the one on the Interceptor 650, a very retro-looking dull green with not-so-discreet silver and chrome on the bodywork. You can’t deny there’s an air of coolness in Royal Enfield’s motorcycles, at least when it comes to the paint job, and the Trials is no different. That said, looks are always subjective, and some who aren’t aware of the feats of this bike’s forefather might find it funny or odd.

The seat is the same sprung unit as the Classic, but the pillion seat has been replaced with a luggage rack. The side panels get the new “RE Bullet Trials Works Replica” stickers, and the fenders, tail lamp and indicators are straight from Continental GT 535. Hmm, cost effective. Furthermore, the raised rear fender gives the bike a proper off-road-ready look, and exudes an air of function over form.

The instrument cluster is akin to the Classic 500’s. You get the same nostalgic analogue speedo with black and white lettering/background and a little pod that houses a low fuel lamp and ABS light. While it looks minimalistic, it simply lacks the crucial bits that you’d use on a frequent basis like a fuel gauge and tripmeter. However, a lot of riders seem to be okay with minimalism, so that again is subjective. I, for one, am a sucker for info-laden clusters! When it comes to electricals, the motorcycle comes with basic bulb-type lighting system with no LEDs anywhere.

For safety, the Royal Enfield Trials 500 features dual-channel ABS. Unfortunately, it is not switchable and this will annoy you if you’re heading to the trails with the expectation that you can lock the brakes on command to execute tricky maneuvers. A rear-only-off mode might’ve really dialled up the fun quotient.

The Bullet Trials 500 uses the same engine as the Classic’s. So performance-wise, it is pretty much how the 499cc single-cylinder fuel-injected motor is in the Classic. You experience this satisfying surge of torque (peak figure: 41.3Nm) at lower rpms. But on the flip side, this pull fizzles out rather quickly because of the lack of outright power. It does make 27.5PS, but it arrives at a rather too vibey 5,250rpm. Plus the sheer kerb weight of 192kg leeches a lot of energy out of that motor. That said, the torque really did help in its trail-riding prowess but I feel it deserves shortened gearing for even more improved low-end grunt, so that it’s really worthy of being called a trials bike.

Out on the highways, the massive piston in the half-litre motor really makes its presence felt after 85-90kmph. These vibrations don’t really encourage you to push the bike harder post those speeds, but stay below them and you’ll be rewarded with a calming riding experience, with the exhaust thumping away to glory. 

The telescopic forks up front and the twin gas-charged shock absorbers are the same as the ones in the Classic, but in the Trials, the forks gets a brace borrowed from the Continental GT 535. The suspension can soak up bumps effortlessly, and the sprung seat further helps in keeping the rider comfortable on bad roads. However, on very sharp bumps, the ride quality tends to get a little bouncy. Being a trials bike, we expected the springs to have more travel but Royal Enfield hasn’t offered it in this bike. Also, the rear brake pedal could’ve been designed better as it is the first thing that gets damaged when you go over harsher trails.

Brakes include 280mm front and 240mm rear discs, with dual-channel ABS as standard. On the road, they offer good bite and progression but off the road, they feel spongy because the ABS is working overtime to prevent wheel lockup. Coming to a halt from higher speeds on the tarmac could’ve been more confidence-inspiring with a bigger front disc. The 90-section front and the 110-section rear Ceat Progripp tyres work really well on trails. I couldn’t really judge their grip out on the roads, as we didn’t get enough time to test them properly.