BULLET TALK ‘You may need the spanners’
Ben Matthews is a director at Watsonian Squire. In 1997, Watsonian Squire became the official importer for Royal Enfield motorcycles and continued in this role until 2013. They are still an official dealership.
“The first ‘modern’ Enfield models were just as they were in the 1960s – right-foot gear change, no electric start, carbs – and in 350 or 500cc capacity. I always say these are bikes for nostalgic enthusiasts because you need to accept that you may need to occasionally get a spanner out to fettle them.
For many owners this is all part of their charm and a big selling point. If you are happy to do this, we made some lovely variants ourselves such as the Woodsman, Trials or Clubman alongside the standard Bullet and I’d recommend the ES version made from 2001 as that has an electric start.
“The five-speed gearbox arrived in 2002 and is basically the same motor with the gearchange moved to the leftfoot and with a conventional pattern. This is a more traditional-feeling bike, but has the same quirks such as points, pushrods etc as the older motor, so again appeals to enthusiasts. In 2004 the ‘lean burn’ motor was introduced but to be honest I’m not a huge fan of it. Aesthetically the engine doesn’t look as pretty but it does have a disc front brake, which is good.
“The Unit Construction Engine (UCE), which arrived in 2008, is fuel-injected and was an all-new motor that, after an initial wobble, has proved to be incredibly good. I’d recommend a UCE bike to anyone, they are a great blend of new and old and are completely reliable.”