2017 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is BS4 compliant and has the carburettor replaced by fuel injection tech; gets a new Forest Green colour scheme and AHO
Royal Enfield has updated its official site listing all the important changes the vintage Bullet 500 will have for the 2017 model year. There are some notable cosmetic modifications the Indian retro-bike manufacturer has made available with and there could be an official announcement soon with the prices involved.
The major upgrade is obviously the switch from BS-III to BS-IV compliance as the 2017 Royal Enfield Bullet 500’s engine has been tuned to meet the stringent standards. Oh wait! There is one more that most of the RE enthusiasts craved about and is the ditching of carburettor as an Electronic Fuel Injection has been introduced.
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The 499 cc single-cylinder four-stroke air-cooled Twinspark engine now produces 27.2 bhp of maximum power at 5,250 rpm and 41.3 Nm of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. It is mated to a five-speed constant mesh gearbox. Compared to the outgoing model, the motor makes just over 1 bhp and 0.4 Nm more with the help of fuel injection.
Built on the same single downtube chassis using engine as stressed member, it is hung on 35 mm telescopic front forks with 130 mm travel and twin gas charged shock absorbers with five-step adjustable preload and 80 mm travel at the rear. With no change in dimensions, the 2017 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 measures 2,140 mm in length, 790 mm in width, 1,360 mm in wheelbase and stands 1,090 mm tall.
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It has a kerb weight of 194 kg and the fuel tank can hold a maximum of 13.5 litres. Up front, the braking power comes from 280 mm disc with two-piston caliper and 153 mm drum unit at the rear. RE still does not offer rear disc brakes and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) even as optional extras in the India-spec Bullet 500.
Moving on to the cosmetic updates, the new Bullet 500 features a redesigned signature winged badge in special silver and gold dual-tone livery, a new colour scheme called Forest Green joining the existing Marsh Grey and Black paint jobs. It also receives AHO (Auto Headlamp On) feature mandated to improve riding visibility.
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There is a new pillion grab-rail with a cushion end and the 19-inch wheels are shod on new 90/90–19 front and 120/80–18 rear section MRF Zapper tyres for better stability and grip. Over the existing price that hover around Rs. 1,55,000 (ex-showroom), there is not much premium expected on the 2017 Royal Enfield Bullet 500.