If yours wasn't a 012 JV, my first thought would be that you might have got it from a guy that used to frequent the forum often named soupy1957. But he bought his new in in 017 or 018 I believe. I think he's still around but just don't see much of him these days. I like the fact RE's haven't changed much. Wouldn't mind having one myself. Especially one around your vintage. Might be one of the only ones still going when or if we get one of those magnetic storms that take out all the computer controlled bikes.
Mr. Soupy and Mr. Bilgemaster's posts here regarding the RE machines are what attracted me here in the first place. I was sad to see that Mr. Soupy's bike was up for sale along with his nice looking side car rig, for health reasons, and his last post seems to have predated my joining by just a few weeks. I don't know his situation, but I can understand how, if one could no longer ride, they might not want to be reading other folks talking about riding.
The RE's up until 2003 or so use the old technology, even to having breaker point ignition, but after this semiconductors started to creep in, first with TCI ignition, and by 2009 the export bikes will be found equipped with what is, in many ways, a quite modern system including a Keihin ECU and EFI with 02 sensor feedback.
My 2012 C5 fools a lot of people into thinking it's some old WWII restoration, but if you look closely, in a lot of ways it's nearly as advanced as bikes from US and Asian makers. The latest singles even have ABS. What you won't see are digital displays, and LED lights, or plastic body components. I think it's a quite ridable relic. I use the kick starter every time, and even in freezing temperatures, it's a one kick starter. It seems perfectly suited for my use, which is city riding, and gives me a solid 60+ mpg in city commuting while not giving up much in low end torque and audio experience. It's not well suited for highway riding, runs out of guts at about 75mph, and feels like you might expect any 430lb bike to feel when passing (or being passed by) a semitruck.
If this sounds attractive, NOW is a good time to buy one of the Unit Construction Engine singles. RE has stopped making the 500s for India and they are only being made for export. The 350s are only being made for India and are not exported. There is a 411cc "Adventure bike" called the Himalayan that is being made for both markets, and this has attracted some fans worldwide. And RE started making 650 twins in 2018, which are retro, but not nearly as much so as the Singles.
If you want a bike that is really invulnerable to a nuclear blasts mag pulse, you can find 500s from the Cast Iron cylinder era ( pre 2004) which are essentially like riding a 1950s machine. They have tons of mechanical charm, right down to the side accessed tappets, pushrods, external oil lines, and separate transmission. Not a lot of these machines were being imported back in the day, but it seems that most that are for sale 2nd hand are offered very reasonably, and with very low mileage.
