Death of the Cast Iron

Death of the Cast Iron
By Ujjwal Dey

It will be a sad year in 2008. In 2007 Royal Enfield stopped production and sale of 500cc Cast Iron fully loaded Bullets. Previously they had stopped Machismo 350 Cast Iron and turned the brand name into Machismo AVL 350 and then added Machismo AVL 500 (in 2007). Outside India due to various regulations AVL, lean burn and UCE and twinspark are the norm for export Enfields with the stupid left side gear shift. But India, the home and temple that idolises Enfields and particularly Bullets (cast iron is a Bullet, everything else are weird things imitating Bullets) too will see the demise of Bullets.

Bullet Electra, a top selling design and brand of Royal Enfield, is almost dead. No new stock of this cast iron Bullets (neither 4s nor the 5s) is being shipped or sold in metros such as Bombay. Just as they stopped and destroyed Machismo cast iron, they plan to make all future Electras in AVL only. These new Electras will be AVL twinspark similar or same as the Thunderbird 350cc AVL twinspark.

Grab whatever stock remains of 4s Bullet Electra cast iron before they too become ancient history. I don’t know why idiots who don’t understand Bullets buy them and complain to Enfield company about the various problems known to every cast iron owner. Them and the pathetic management of Royal Enfield are now eradicating all cast irons. Std 350 Bullet has survived everything for a long time now, but probably its future is also bleak.

I love my Bullet Electra 4s and I don’t want to be some legend who is an exclusive owner of a classic bike, I want everyone to be able to buy and enjoy it.

Where is the love and passion that kept the Enfield flag flying? I think it will be easy for foreign brands to sell cruisers in India as soon as the Government regulations are relaxed. Bullet is no longer a Bullet and I wouldn’t expect its legacy to last very long. I would suggest tourers to wait for Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, etc to ride into Indian market rather than submit defeat to the scoundrels killing our Bullets.

Free Online Movie on Lycos

Social Networking website is reaching new heights now with Lycos getting you closer to your friends through an Online Cinema Hall. The concept is fascinating – friends miles away watching the same movie at the same time, with you getting the remote control and enforcing who all are allowed into your cinema hall. Presenting the Lycos Cinema Community.

http://cinema.lycos.com/

This website has good bandwidth and loads fast enough. There is a wide choice of Movies and even TV shows. These are not major blockbuster movies but ridiculously entertaining nonetheless. There are many free movies listed here. The paid ones have a ticket as low as USD 1.99 and discounts on 5 and 10 seats (5 seats – USD 3.99). So the more indeed the merrier. But there are many free movies to keep you busy.

AND ALL THIS IS LEGAL – no piracy.

The “Social Scene” menu allows you to join “Public Parties” You can update your profile and make new friends who enjoy your choice of movies. Live Chat is also enabled. Even Documentaries are listed on the menu.

The Movie Genres as of now are:
1. Action & Adventure
2. Animation
3. Comedy
4. Documentary
5. Drama
6. Foreign
7. Horror
8. Independent
9. Family
10. Music
11. Mystery
12. Sci-Fi & Fantasy
13. Thriller
14. Western

Then there is the “National Lampoon” Studio and a list of “Award Winning Movies” which include some available for viewing for free.

The TV Menu includes all of the above genres plus “Mixed Martial Arts” and has the “National Lampoon” Studio along with “Classic TV”. This classic TV will bring to you: the laugh riots - Groucho Marx & Lucy and also Alfred Hitchcock and Andy Griffith.

Lycos has a delightful tagline for their website:
“Bringing People Together...One Flick at a Time.”

So after the long lasting and preferred services such as Tripod.com and Angelfire.com, now Lycos has taken a big leap from webhosting to social networking. I wish them all the best and congratulations to their team.

This will not be the end of Torrents and Rapidshare though. But if you want a legal torrent, go for movies which are in Public Domain. This refers to old classic movies which are no longer bound by Copyright Acts due to their “age”. You get to watch classics such as “Nosferatu” and “Flash Gordon”.

http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com/

So keep watching and stay tuned.

Bullet Classic – Royal Enfield

So the new gig after the success of Machismo 500 and twinspark Thunderbird is here. Well no, it’s not actually here but more on such disappointments later.

The UCE or the death of AVL era is much welcomed by everyone who wants to see Enfield brand live to fullest again. I still wish they would continue work on the original cast iron engine though. Not just tradition – that’s what a Bullet is. Unfortunately people now buy Thunderbird and Machismo and call it a “Bullet” and why not? The company is calling these aluminium uglies a Bullet. Well it’s not technically a Bullet and does not feel like a Bullet when you ride it. But they sure are an improvement and are good motorcycles in their own right.

So now instead of the racket of rattling AVLs we have a better UCE engine. And then, hopefully, a twinspark in 500cc category. People said no one would buy a motorcycle priced above one lakh rupees. And there is supposed to be a car coming out from TATA group cheaper than that. But Machismo 500 has sold out in all its dealerships (never mind the left hand side gear shift). So Indians have the money, the attitude and the fondness for Enfield.

Then we hear of Bullet Classic, http://www.bulletclassic.com/
It is a beauty ain’t she? And every specification and feature makes you drool. Almost enough to make you forget all the tradition you so much value in the honourable title of “Bullet”. It does not declare it is aluminium but it is. It is powerful and beautiful and it makes you remember all the good times of Enfield’s glorious past.

But then the “Contact Us” section of this Enfield website mentions Indian office address and goes on to declare:
“The Bullet Classic has been developed to European requirements and available for Sale in Europe Only”.

Yeah “Made in India” but not for Indians. Well Eicher is not an Indian company and it owns the Enfield brand. But with all the benefits of our booming economy, the love for the cult brand and the stronghold of Enfield India factory that still survives all obstacles – why don’t Indians deserve this bike?

So just as the UCE came in to India a few years too late but still lived a grand life – Enfield India continues its “export quality” funda to sell good products to the good customers abroad and not to us Indians. Well export is profitable and will ensure Enfield India’s survival. But why do they need to show such open bias against Indian consumers? This exclusivity will again breed the same disgust and dislike as was with UCE and other bikes sold abroad at the cost of Indian customer’s satisfaction.

Special Features:

• New 18 inch wheels for better ride and handling
• Headlight casing with “Tiger Eye Lamps” for that Bullet look; traditional headlamp with powerful halogen bulb
• Speedometer and Fuel warning indicator for the EFI system integrated into die-cast headlight casing; with classic English fonts
• 500cc single cylinder 4 stroke, spark ignition, air cooled, OHV engine produces 41.3 Nm torque; features the unmistakable Bullet “thump”
• Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) system to comply with Euro III norms
• Finely crafted tank with post-war era graphics and thigh pads for a vintage look
• Toolbox with classic design
• Aesthetically designed short silencer for the 1950’s look; optional accessory for offroad use
• Single saddle seat with springs
• Classic mudguards with stays for that authentic look; deep and wide design for splash free ride
• Air filter with classic styling; vintage tail lamp assembly with classic design

It has a maximum power of 27.2 BHP (20.3 KW @ 5250 rpm), 499cc engine, electric start, 5 speed gears, 12V 14 AH battery, front disc brake, rear drum brake, and a tubular steel frame.

It all looks very good and we can only wish they would have the sense to test the Indian market along with their privileged European customers.

I will also have to update my old article on Buying a Royal Enfield
http://www.bikernet.com/roadtests/PageViewer.asp?PageID=1502

Enjoy dreaming !!!

Soulmate

Where is the love? The love that is found in old romance novels and mushy modern movies. A love that inspires youth, incites passion, ignites hearts, condemns misfortune, splendid glorious all conquering love. A love found once in a thousand sunrises, once in a hundred friendships, once in a lifetime. Love that enables, a love that makes everything possible, a love to endure all of the world’s wrongs – that right kind of loving. Who finds this love, if anyone? Where are all these lovers hiding? Where are their wings and why can’t we all fly the same flight? When does it come and who will find it for us? Am I blind or just heartless? Or maybe foolish to dream of a love meant for me in the darkness of this crowded city? Love will find a way they say but how long do I wait? The love of innocent beauty, in a candid smile, a touch of humanity, a love that’s true and blessed.

Solitude of loneliness, a nightmare recurring till death. Everyday I wake up positive that I am ready to receive the signs. But they don’t light any bonfires, they don’t beat any drums, they don’t sing me a song and they sure don’t call me by my name. Alone I wander – through the crowd, through the work, through “hellos” and “howareyas”, and through the silent sheets of bed. When the clock strikes 3, I wake up and see I am alone. I sleep again the sound sleep by ignorant heart’s mead. There will be another dawn but the final dusk is coming soon. My soul is a millennium old and yearns for a companion. They don’t see me and I can’t trace them from their depths. A million souls haunting alone in thought, they never will meet as they scream in their agony; too far away the ears of Cupid lays and we don’t know his prayer.

Recite the words of poets and musicians jazz a beat. The posters ask you to go along and the grey clouds gently weep. Chasing never helped as we are obese with guilt. The pain of past relations burdens the empty seeds. You can’t grow a tree when you are playing with weeds. Tomorrow is yet a lonely day but today I wait for thee. Love may be hard to get but it has to lay its head someday. The cushion of my desire may very well be kept as the home ahead. But when you escape my eyes, come again to grace my life because you complete my vision.

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow”