Royal Enfield’s New Bullet 350 Motorcycle Was Involved in a Classic Aussie Record

Royal Enfield’s first ‘motor-bicycle’ was launched in 1901, but 74 years ago it was a Bullet 350 that sat beneath Winifred Wells as she became the first woman to ride solo across Australia.

Somehow, I’d never heard of this story, so when Royal Enfield slid into the DMs, my ears pricked up. They’ve just released the new 2024 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 and as part of the release, they’re making sure we all know about its link to a little-known Aussie record.

I knew a bit about the history of these motorcycles, their popularity in India as a symbol of privilege, their involvement in WWII (the British literally parachuted them onto the battlefield), and even their pedigree as a touring machine.

But I didn’t quite know how deep that heritage extended. The first Royal Enfield was made in 1901 the endlessly unpronounceable Worcestershire County in England and featured the tagline ‘Made like a gun’.

Go figure, with no throttle, clutch, or gears, the first motorcycle would’ve gone off like a rifle. Full speed and full power was the only option. Luckily it featured a nice set of bicycle brakes to keep a handle on things.

Recently ‘Project Origin’ saw Royal Enfield recreate their original motor-bicycle

However by the middle of the 20th century the Royal Enfields, and the 350cc Bullet in particular, was battle proven and up for almost any challenge.

Winifred Wells and the Ride Across Australia (and Back Again)

Sure, nowadays people like Nedd Brockmann run from Perth to Sydney, but back in 1950 it was a very different story. Many of the roads were more like bush tracks, there were fewer spots to stop along the way, and definitely no phone service in case things went wrong.

In fact, when you think about it, it’s quite mad, but Winnie clearly had something to prove and at 22 years old, on Boxing Day 1950, she strapped bags to her Royal Enfield Bullet 350 and shot off from Perth on a journey of at least 8,850km. The goal? To Sydney and back again in 21 days.

Winnie sets off from Perth on a mean looking steed

On day two she crashed and hit her head, but was miraculously good enough to drive (by 1950s standards). The bike was also thankfully undamaged. She then went straight into a 1,200km ride across the Nullarbor in summer, which generally takes two days even today, and wild camped on her third night when she wasn’t going to make the next town.

‘I used my bike, groundsheet, and blanket to rig a shelter in the bush. It was the loneliest hole you ever saw but I wasn’t scared,’ she recalled.

My mouth is actually hanging open even as I write this. Once she got to Sydney she only spent a single day in town before shooting back. She’d taken a three week holiday from her dad’s furniture factory, so 21 days was the goal. Her return journey included a 743km day with temperatures easily in the 40s, and, as Royal Enfield are quick to point out, the motorcycle didn’t skip a beat.

Lucky, because her life was literally riding on that thing.

Two years later, Winnie managed 65 days off by bringing her Dad along on a circumnavigation of Australia, a 16,000km journey. Safe to say, they would’ve been submitting a few articles to We Are Explorers if we’d been around 60 years ago. 

Winnie and her Dad ahead of the lap of Aus

The New Royal Enfield Bullet 350

The 2024 Royal Enfield Bullet has a 349cc air-oil cooled single cylinder engine that’s used across other bikes in the range. It’s simple, responsive, and grunty like a motorcycle engine should be, especially for one with so much pedigree.

There are big 41mm forks on the front for true blue Ausse potholes and 300mm disc brakes for roo dodging. There are also more modern creature comforts like USB charging and an LCD info panel. Take that Winnie! You can check out all the specs on Royal Enfield’s site.

Ready for some serious distance

My favourite features have to be the retro ones though. The classic pinstripes, the bench seat, and the ‘tiger eye’ pilot lights. And you can have it in any colour as long as it’s black, black and gold, or black and maroon.

Who knows, maybe you’ll be off on your own, much safer (please!) transcontinental adventure with Winnie’s spirit at your back.

Photos thanks to Royal Enfield