Query approved.

Noone who has done mods on their Electra?? AM getting anxious to hear from the happy thumpers.....

I am also in similar confusion, from February onwards i have to do daily commuting from pune to aamby valley, it is 55 kms highway and 25 kms ghats. earlier i thought i will buy a car, but that is upsetting my budget for future upgrade of my 4 year old Pulsar 150 UG3, and the biker inside me is stopping me from shifting to cars. now that in auto expo thunderbird 500 is launched, and i always wanted to buy a bullet and used to wonder why there is no option of 500 CC available in TBTS.

now since it is available, i want to know for 160 kms daily commuting i.e. 80 kms one way to office and 80 kms back, how comfortable the new thunderbird 500 will be?

@ ipognahtan & princesirohi: I own a Bullet Electra 5S 2006 model. Except the engine and front disc brakes, it's absolutely same as the latest Electra - same chassis, tyres, handle, seat and dimensions. Other than that the new Electra with UCE engine is quicker and slightly faster, the ride quality should remain mostly same as that of my Electra that has CI engine.

First of all, NO, the Electra handlebar doesn't vibrate much unless you go beyond 80kmph. Till then, a well maintained bullet shouldn't give vibrations in handlebar till around 80. Beyond this speed, a CI engine bullet gives terrible vibrations. Now since the new UCE engine is said to be smoother than the old CI engine, I should assume that the handlebar on the new Electra should be free from irritable vibrations atleast till 80. But your experience of test ride with new electra says otherwise.

Covering distance shouldn't be much tiring on a bullet, especially the new ones. I am glad that they atleast come with front disc brakes now as standard. Before the RE website was revised, it mentioned Classic 500's top speed as 130kph. As a 500, I believe it should do 100 comfortably for pretty long durations. But I am not sure, I haven't ridden the new ones enough to be sure of that.

My friend,I strongly suggest you go for a car for that much distance(that too daily )

My friend, frankly speaking, you really need something with better brakes than a bullet considering you will be doing 3-4k km every MONTH!! There are a lot of things that will stop you on your way and stopping fast is of upmost importance. Anyways, an RE350 is in no way an upgrade over a modern 150cc bike. Since you are tall and heavy, why don't you look at something like a Pulsar 220/ZMA-R/ZMR which actually have good torque, brakes and cruisability.

Alternately, for once, I actually agree with 'The SpamBot'.

Superb point; not only the above, but also every other points that antz.bin says are brilliant ones. I strongly second the above post. You need a mile cruncher.

Well, if you insist on a bike, and have a special corner for bullet, can live with FE of around 30kmpl, dont even think about 350- be it electra / classic/ TB etc.

UCE 500 is what u need. A lot of people have pre-conceived notions about bullets, being slow, leaky cauldron, maintenance, braking issues, etc. Holds true for the older generations of bullets, but the newer UCE based bulls are miles apart from their ancestors. Relatively faster, less on maintenance, and better reliability. I have experienced various bikes in cities and on highways from hero hondas, to pulsars, to rds, to bullets. Presently ride a first generation C5 and have covered 22k kms in 1.5 years.

A few point where i think the UCE 500 will score some bonus points for your usage of a mix of city + highway + ghats.
1. UCE 500 may not have the quickest of acceleration, but its not slow either.
2. the way it pulls from 30-100 will everytime bring a smile on your face.
3. You will eagerly look forward to the ghat sections everyday, thanks to the generous torque.
4. very easy to overtake other vehicles.
5. the bikes weight of 180 odd kgs will keep you planted on the highway with great confidence.
6. a real mile cruncher, can do 90-100 kmph all day long without a hint of strain on the engine.
7. Very easy to carry out a few basic mods to suit your riding posture, and u are good to cover 400kms in a day without tiring yourself.
8. brake may not be top notch, but its much much sharper compared to the old bulls. swap the tires with softer compound pirelli / Michelin etc, and gain confidence. can always get a rear disk fitted if desired.

in nutshell, these newer generations of bulls are much more easy to handle and feel light. Much less on maintenance. You make not be able to weave through dense traffic like on a rx100, but its easy enough. Will give you immense pleasure on slightly open roads. Throw in a glasswool goldie, and it will thump well too. The initial lot had some teething issues, and RE is addressed most of those issues in the recent models. the NEW TB UCE 500 has a few nice features, and looks promising. Could be worth the wait.

and NO, i dont work for RE.

Thanks for you reply Buddies.

I have driven about all the bikes from Yamaha, Bajaj, TVS out there and there is this strong feeling inside me that wants me only to go for a Bullet, so I am not in a mood to consider anything else. :-)

Nasikala - Dude your suggestions seems to have disrupted my whole permutation and combinations by suggesting the 500cc.. lol .. I guess I will have to rework everything from square 1.

Does the 500cc give a mileage of 30KMPL? Mileage was one of the foremost resons I had the 500CC taken out from my equations.

I looked at the pics of the new thunderbird 500cc and it was awesome. Any idea what will be the price and when would the timeframe we will be get our hands on the new bull?

-Gopi

Also are there any links where I can get to see pics of modified Electra 350? I tried seraching and just stumbled upon one such pic. Would love to see how it looks when it is modified.

-Gopi

Buddy believe me its always heart over mind. If you have decided on RE nothing else will matter Have a look at my Electra its fitted with Thunderbird Seat will slight more Cushion work on back seat. As far as handle bar is concerned i have two handle bars one of RD and other original Electra bars. Vibrations are not much, definitely not as much as you are talking about. you can go for short handles to reduce the vibration at higher speeds. The seating is quite comfortable you can munch in miles for at least 3-4 hrs without stop.

thanks guys for all your suggestions

man, how do u know i am tall and heavy, i never mentioned it, though i am 6' & 95 kgs.


right know i am thinking CBR 250 or a car ...thunderbird 500 dropped, anyhow it is not available soon.

Man you are the exact guy I was looking for my queries.. Glad you saw my post... Will you be able to show me some more pics of your bike, I would love to see the front view of the bike with the new handle. You seemsed to have read my mind, this is the exact modification that I was thinking of for the Electra.

Do you get the feel of cruiser bike feeling after you replaced the handle just as you get in Thunderbird?

And you bike looks absolutely fabulous, seems you have done some great work on it. Am eagerly awaiting to join the league.

-Gopi

The seating Posture gives you the exact feel of thunderbird for lower part of the body. For upper Part you can either go for thunder bird handle or a custom Handle or a Harley type Long handles which i have seen in many bikes and are easily available for half grand. My major usage is for city rides so i put Electra handles on it for an upright position. I will post few more pics of the bike for your reference once back home. I snapped the clutch wire last night while racing with with one fella with CBR, defeated him by miles. The bike is at home will upload in the evening.

BTW thanks for the bike it for sure catches eyeballs. Awaiting delivery of my classic 500 this week