Purchasing a Royal Enfield from the Army

[godwind2884]

Hello all,

I am looking at purchasing a second hand bullet and looking to purchase it from the Indian army. I have been searching the internet for a while trying to get the right procedure for purchasing the above. Some sites say that there are auctions, some say that one has to know someone in the army. COULD SOME KIND SOULD PLESE HELP ME OUT.

Also once I purchase the bike, is it easy to get it registered? i have read that its close to impossible to get an 80's model registered in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu but not so for the rest of India. I would need to have it registered in Mumbai. I am aware that registering the bike in Mumbai will not be a piece of cake either but am willing to go through the painful process.
I am eagerly awaiting your inputs and your help is much appreciated. Thanking all in advance.

ps- @mods-dint know if this was the right section to post the above, if not please move the thread to the appropriate section.

 

[ramamoorthyh]

Hi godwind2884

Following is strictly my opinion, but formed out of working in Govt service for 19 years and I have seen and ridden many many bullets. I was thinking of giving this post a miss but couln't help it. Nobody took the bait in two days. I am irritated with the idea that army/Govt auctioned bullet is the best option.

As a person working in a law enforcement agency, I know the way some of our staff treat the bullets and other department vehicles. The speedometer cable in most vehicles are deliberately removed so as to pilfer petrol by showing low mileage..They are never actually serviced and oil change etc are carried out only on paper.

The procedure for auctioning the motor vehicles in Govt Departments are somewhat like this:
The vehicle should have run the stipulated kms. In case of bike most bikes in my office have to run more than 2 lakh kms on the odometer or have completed 10 years after procurement to make it eligible for condemnation. The vehicle is then condemned as unserviceable and the jurisdictional RTO is called for inspection and he values the vehicle as per the valuation adopted by most insurance companies.. for example, for a 15-20 year old Standard, the typical price could be Rs. 4K

The vehicle are auctioned without anybody knowing the same. Even in my office, we never had no previous info on the bikes auctioned. We usually come to know about it only after the same is auctioned. These bikes are procured by touts/mechanics at throw away prices and refurbished and offered for sale at very high price to the first available bakra. Most of the fancy parts like crank and other fancy items are removed and substituted with local parts.

I wont recommend my worst enemy to take one of the bikes of my dept through auction.

Nowadays these auction practices actually over with mandatory e-auction in most Govt departments and most departments have purchased fuel efficient 100cc bikes and rented four wheelers; which are cheaper option. However the conditions of remaining bullets in Govt. stable are pitiable.

Go for a recent/less-than-five-year-old Bullet..Do not buy bullet for the sake of riding low speed in high gear.. It is all nonsense...

Regarding registration of the bike, it all depends on what condition the bike is auctioned. If it is sold as scrap, you will find it difficult to register it. Most of the Military bullets are nowadays sold as scrap only.

If the bike is sold as a bike on as is where is condition, then it can be registered. the auction officer issues necessary forms to RTO to register the bike in the successful bidder's name after payment.

Btw, the myth of OLD is GOLD is propagated by some shrewd mechanics and others who had fallen into the trap. They can't admit they were wrong.

I do not mean that Standard CI is an inferior bike. But it is very complicated to maintain. I brought a new Standard CI in 2009 and was fully aware that it is being taken off the shelf. It was in my dreams for sometime and I don't want to miss the bus. I had my share of motorcycling and have consciously decided to cut down speed as well. I have ridden 18000 kms for last two years and even took it to Ladakh last month. I like it and would like to hold on to it till I could ride and would like to give it to my son. He already likes it, but who knows, time will tell whether the next generation will have the time and patience to run a vintage motorcycle.

regards & ride safe

 

[godwind2884]

@ ramamoorthyh
thanks for the vaulable info. . . well 2 reasons i'd prefer to purchase a bullet frm the army.
1) i would ideally prefaer a 1968 modle. . or any other older modle witha heavier crank. if not available i'd go for a more recent cast iron.
2) i intend to do quite a few mods on it and intend to have it as the military colour. . .these mods are gonna cost me quite a bit and hence purchasing a CI bullet for 60-80k and then spending 20-30k to do mods on it does not make sence to me. i'd rather purchase it for 5 to 20 k and then spend 50 k on doing it up. btw i intend to modify it to a word war error army bike.

 

[Ian Besterwitch]

Hello Mr Ramamoorthy,

Iam getting a bullet for 10K is it worth am going to kerela next week please share your mobile no with me mine is 7259976234 am in bangalore

Rgds
Ian

 

[Calcuttan]

Certain Army cantonments auction their materials periodically to the outside world. Panagarh in eastern India is one. There are many others all over India. They advertise it among their registered auction buyers and the general public is not informed about it. Different lots are put on auction and it is not possible for an individual wanting to buy one Bullet or one truck to bid there. They typically bundle an assortment of various items in one lot. So in one lot you might have three Bullets, one MM 550, a Shaktiman etc etc.
Once all the lots are sold and bought there are specialist traders who segregate the items among themselves. For example one trader will buy out all the Bullets from the others, one guy will buy out the MM 550, another one will go for the Shaktimans. It works somewhat like this.
The typical auctioning cantonments are full of such traders. In Panagarh or Dabwali there are literally hundreds of workshops that deal in these old scrapped vehicles.
The individual buyer like you and me should try to buy from these traders/workshops and not directly from the Army. The traders generally help you to get the bike registered in your name in the local RTO. For example the Panagarh guy will get the Bullet or MM 550 registered in your name in Durgapur with a civilian registration number. Don't ask me how. But they know how to do it, even if you don't have a home there.
Once that process is completed you are free to take the vehicle to your state and get the address changed etc.
Given that the Army sells the vehicles only after all the juices have been squeezed out, it is useless buying those Bullets. You have to redo virtually the entire stuff. The better ones get purchased internally and never hit the market at all. So think twice before you do such a thing as buying an Army Bullet. Realistically speaking going to Qikr or some of the other online classifieds is a better deal. Unless you are an old seasoned hand at handling old Bullets and know your own mechanic, don't try the Army auction route. You will feel disgusted after a while. And the charm of riding a thumper will be gone for good.

 

[Subhadeep88]

Certain Army cantonments auction their materials periodically to the outside world. Panagarh in eastern India is one. There are many others all over India. They advertise it among their registered auction buyers and the general public is not informed about it. Different lots are put on auction and it is not possible for an individual wanting to buy one Bullet or one truck to bid there. They typically bundle an assortment of various items in one lot. So in one lot you might have three Bullets, one MM 550, a Shaktiman etc etc.
Once all the lots are sold and bought there are specialist traders who segregate the items among themselves. For example one trader will buy out all the Bullets from the others, one guy will buy out the MM 550, another one will go for the Shaktimans. It works somewhat like this.
The typical auctioning cantonments are full of such traders. In Panagarh or Dabwali there are literally hundreds of workshops that deal in these old scrapped vehicles.
The individual buyer like you and me should try to buy from these traders/workshops and not directly from the Army. The traders generally help you to get the bike registered in your name in the local RTO. For example the Panagarh guy will get the Bullet or MM 550 registered in your name in Durgapur with a civilian registration number. Don't ask me how. But they know how to do it, even if you don't have a home there.
Once that process is completed you are free to take the vehicle to your state and get the address changed etc.
Given that the Army sells the vehicles only after all the juices have been squeezed out, it is useless buying those Bullets. You have to redo virtually the entire stuff. The better ones get purchased internally and never hit the market at all. So think twice before you do such a thing as buying an Army Bullet. Realistically speaking going to Qikr or some of the other online classifieds is a better deal. Unless you are an old seasoned hand at handling old Bullets and know your own mechanic, don't try the Army auction route. You will feel disgusted after a while. And the charm of riding a thumper will be gone for good.

+1 to u....gr8 suggestion...initially I was thinking to buy from these traders in Panagarh but after going through various forums & also while passing by Panagarh Bazar in my recent trip to Bolpur I gave up the idea after seeing some of the bulls parked in front of a shop...I previously thought that I would be able to save some money & spend that on the mods...now I am searching for a civilian std 350 though people who are selling them are charging huge amounts....By the way cheapest price for a std 350 now in Kolkata..????Need advice

 

[Calcuttan]

By the way cheapest price for a std 350 now in Kolkata..????Need advice

See I bought my Bullet many years ago from my elder brother's friend who had grown old and wanted to sell off the bike to keep his teenager son from riding it !!! Buying and reconditioning a Bullet had still not become popular then. So I got a good deal. Right now there is a tremendous demand for old Bullets. I have seen the rates on classifieds like Qkr etc. They seem unrealistic. But there is nothing available cheaper. I saw one Bullet being sold for Rs 25k in QKR. The owner stays in Dakshineswar. I am not sure if it is still available.

While buying an old Bullet remember one thing, a more than 15 year old Bullet (or any vehicle) will need a certificate of fitness (CF). Once the CF is issued they are given a new blue book in the form of a smart card. So insist on the smart card when you buy an old Bullet that is more than 15 years old. Transferring the bike in your name without a smart card will not be possible. Under which RTO do you stay?

 

[Subhadeep88]

See I bought my Bullet many years ago from my elder brother's friend who had grown old and wanted to sell off the bike to keep his teenager son from riding it !!! Buying and reconditioning a Bullet had still not become popular then. So I got a good deal. Right now there is a tremendous demand for old Bullets. I have seen the rates on classifieds like Qkr etc. They seem unrealistic. But there is nothing available cheaper. I saw one Bullet being sold for Rs 25k in QKR. The owner stays in Dakshineswar. I am not sure if it is still available.

While buying an old Bullet remember one thing, a more than 15 year old Bullet (or any vehicle) will need a certificate of fitness (CF). Once the CF is issued they are given a new blue book in the form of a smart card. So insist on the smart card when you buy an old Bullet that is more than 15 years old. Transferring the bike in your name without a smart card will not be possible. Under which RTO do you stay?

Lucky u!!!!Mine is beltala pvd.....can u elaborate more on this cf issue plz

 

[70standard]

@godwind2884 I doubt you will find a 1968 bullet at an army disposable auction. If a heavy Crank is what you are after As far as i know up until 78' The bullet came with a heavy crank and fly wheel. From 78' To 2002 the crank wt was reduced for fuel efficiency and pollution norms.But I hear from 2002 till they stopped production of the CI Bull, RE gave heavier cranks due to public demand or something on those lines.

 

[Calcuttan]

Once a vehicle crosses 15 years of age a certificate of fitness is issued by the RTO after due inspection of the vehicle. They will check whether it starts, whether the indicators, brakes work etc etc. At the time of issuing the CF they change the old blue book, which literally used to be a blue coloured book till a few years ago, and issue a smart card which is the new registration document of the vehicle. From this point onwards the CF inspection will happen once every 5 years. CF means the vehicle is fit to move on the road.
I have gone through this process once. If you have the right agent it's a breeze.
So if your seller is selling you a bike that is pre 1997, insist on the smart card. A smart card will automatically mean the bike has CF.