Was the Machismo 350 actually any better than the other bikes, or was it just all a bunch of marketing?

Royal Enfield marketed the Machismo 350 as a sportier, performance oriented version of the classic Bullet when it introduced it. There were a few tweaks to the bike, geared towards improving its dynamic capabilities, including a different frame geometry, and slightly revised suspension. It was lighter than the standard Bullet and that should have made it more agile and accelerate faster. But the question remains as to whether these changes actually affected any real world performance improvements. The enhanced dynamics of the Machismo have some riders swearing by them, saying they can feel the difference and that it's noticeably quicker and more responsive than a standard Bullet. Some say the differences between the two are minimal at best, and that the sportier image was mostly a marketing ploy to get younger riders in the door. As a result, we’ve been talking about what performance really means in classic motorcycles and whether minor changes can actually matter on the road.