So you've just bought a new Bullet, eh? Happy with the five speed shifter on the ‘wrong’ side? Electric start working fine every time? No parts fallen off yet? Well you’re not a real Bullet owner then. Unless…
1. Your jeans have oil stains.
The old cast iron engine wasn’t the airtight package you get with the current unit construction powerplant. The old engine was famous for its temperamental nature and leaking engine oil, most of which usually ended up on the rider’s jeans. Most owners would leave an oil pan under the bike overnight to prevent a dirty floor.
2. Only you can start your bullet.
No electric start, and a starting procedure that no other biker knows. You decompress the engine first and then kick start it. If you don’t, you’ll probably end up with a broken ankle. Someone tried to steal your bike and ended up in the hospital.
3. You treat your bike better than your girlfriend/wife.
You have spent more money on the bike in the past month than on the gift for your girlfriend’s birthday last year. At least one of them is happy.
4. You don’t ride fast. You cruise.
Because the brakes are terrible. Those drum brakes weren’t designed for high speeds. So it’s best not to get too ahead of yourself and let those 100cc economisers have their traffic light grand prix.
5. You have fallen off your bike at least once.
It can be while taking it off the main stand or just negotiating a U-turn, or just because the brakes failed. What did we tell you about speeding? Thankfully, the bike repair bill was less than your medical bill.
6. The bike has given up on you in the middle of the road.
It can range from anything from the clutch wire snapping just as you were going to shift to fourth, or the throttle sticking on the stop. Luckily for you, a fellow Bulleteer helped you out when he spotted you looking like a fish out of water.