‘Bullet’ is plaything for Sunil Kumar

Kozhikode: Riding a Bullet motorcycle  is a matter of thrill and prestige for the youth, but not so the mastering of its mechanism.   

Sunil Kumar, popularly known as ‘Bullet Suni’, is an exception  with 35 years of experience in Bullet repair.  His workshop, Bharat Motors, at Vellayil, repairs  only Bullets and he has also trained nearly 20 people in this field. He considers each Bullet  as special as Bullet technology is fast changing  with newer models in the market. With very few  specialised Bullet workshops in the state, Sunil Kumar has got customers even from Lakshadweep, Way-anad and Kasargod.

As the number of spare parts in a Bullet is more than in other  two-wheelers,  the repair of a Bullet takes more time.   “Each Bullet is different from the other.  The study of Bullet mechanism is similar to the study of music. It never comes to an end,” says Sunil Kumar.

He learnt the mechanics of the Royal Enfield vehicle from a  Bullet showroom in the city when he was 15   and got his first lessons from  V.J.J. Chandran, an old Bullet mechanic.  “People love riding this vehicle, which often becomes the centre of attraction,  but refuse to take the pains of learning its mechanics. I  have trained some 20 people and some have started their own workshops,” he says.
 
Sunil Kumar has specialised in old types of bikes, — Standard, Yezdi and  Royal Enfield, which are more in demand and costlier  than the new ones.