1837 Royal Enfield JF - Royal Enfield Books
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Gordon's Royal Enfields
1937 Royal Enfield JF 500 Bullet
In 1936 the Redditch firm redesigned the larger Bullet so that it had an upright, rather than inclined 'sloper', engine. To maximise performance, it had a four-valve cylinder head with twin exhaust ports. It was capable of 85 mph, although a bronze cylinder head and high compression piston were available to special order which potentially could take the bike up to the magic ton. In 1938, the cylinder head was revised to a fully enclosed two port design and the model name changed to the J2 500 Bullet.
My JF left the factory in June 1937 and is a matching frame and engine number machine. However, it has the 1938 to 1939 J2 cylinder head, which according to the paperwork has been on it since before 1970.. It came with a spare JF engine so I can retro-fit the four-valve cylinder head should I wish but I actually like the usability of the fully enclosed J2 head. The paint and chrome are in aged condition but I like that and apart from chrome-plating the mudguards, which is how they were when they left the factory, I will leave the finish as is. The bike is a beauty to ride and already I'm dreaming of taking it on an overland journey.