Today, in the midst of all the midget bikes choking city roads, there is an increasing population of Bullets majestically making their way to the rhythmic exhaust sound of thud, thud, thud, thud, much to the appreciative and longing looks of others. Perhaps it is the only motorbike that has featured in several Indian movies, ridden by heroes, villains and others. The bike has also spawned new business ventures like Helmet Stories, an adventure tourism company in Mumbai.
One interesting factor that emerges while talking with Bullet owners is that they are very loyal to the brand. And, the brand loyalty transcends generations.
Today, Eicher Motors sells around 50,000 units of the various Bullet models per month, which not long ago was more than the annual production capacity. The company is also in the process of expanding its production capacity to 900,000 units by 2018 by setting up a new plant..
Those who are tracking the company would certainly term the Royal Enfield story as a great turnaround story that happened at the right moment after it lost its way with the advent of fuel-efficient 100cc bikes in the 1980s..
Like the brand, the problems faced by Bullet buyers till two decades back were legendary -- oil leaks, maintenance costs, et al. However, the company started to address the quality issues first and began rolling out defect-free bikes by taking a re-look at its manufacturing process, quality control systems and the entire production chain, identifying and resolving in the process 122 problems.
As Bullets were not bought for power or fuel efficiency but for their looks, the focus was on styling and branding. New models like Thunderbird were launched to attract the youth.
Around this time, the software boom happened and people started to look at lifestyle bikes away from the fuel-efficient 100cc bikes. And now, the reverberating thud, thud, thud -- the Bullet's unique exhaust note -- is being heard in ever-increasing numbers.
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