Strange how different people see the same bikes, Brian. After a road test on a WS era 350 demonstrator I went out & bought one.

It wasn't so much the performance that sold it to me because there wasn't much - particularly as the demonstrator only had a couple of hundred miles on and was really tight. It was the handling - so light & precise compared to modern bikes & just a very different experience. It was the first "British" bike I had ridden, everything before had been Japanese, German, or Italian & nothing with the standard British-style "direct" top gear. I don't think I had experinced somthing with so little transmission backlash it top gear before, such a direct connection between twistgrip & rear wheel.

The bike I bought was an earlier Bavanar import, so "quality" was far below WS standards & it did need a bit of fettling. But it was fun & with a few miles on the clock to free it up and using the revs it could (mostly) hold it's own with A and B road traffic. Road tests of the time mentioned the 350 Bullet's capability to plonk at low revs but also run at higher revs, which mine was happy to do. I only sold it to make room in the garage for something completely different - a Ducati ST2.

It might not have been fast, but it remains the only bike I have ridden around the Nordschleife - probably the slowest lap of the day, but it actually raised a cheer from spectators that I could hear on the bike around one section !

I missed the Bullet enough to get another 4 speed RE later on - a Deluxe 500 that was really not very pleasant in comparison. Very harsh & vibey, it wasn't around long as it just wasn't as nice a bike as the 350.

I came across a picture of the 350 recently that had the reg number visible & was pleased to see that it has a continuous MoT history from when I sold it & that it continues to be used and, presumably, enjoyed.

Nigel B