Is that a tic-tic kind of noise? then no need to panic

Crash Guard was purchased locally for Rs. 700/-. It does come in the way of foot pegs.
I had gone to inquire for garage cover in RE showroom Bandra, but they are saying that they have ordered specifically for TB500 but its not yet come. So they have advised me to check after 2 days.

Demon_speeding,
My TB is still facing rear noise problem even after 1st service. They said that they will have to open the full rear assembly and check as
there is no fault in the chain touching anywhere. My cousin left the TB today at RE service centre amd they are already working on it. Also the mechanic says if the fault is still not rectified then they will have to check for any bends in the swing arm. Have you faced such a problem on your Bird?

Congrats to all,…
I got my Matte black bird on jan7th,
Completed 1500kms,..
Went on a long drive(300kms) during Run in, took 15min break for every 1hr of drive,.. Maintained a 50-60 speed throughout the drive, It was hectic to maintain 50 to 60 that’s way went a long drive to complete it in a single day,.. But It was just awesome.
After 4 days, did first service. Again went a Long drive clocked top speed 125kms(I couldn’t controlled that time),.. I didn’t face any back pain in both the rides,
Problems:
1. Silencer pipe screws are always becomes loose. Replaced thrice, thought of removing that cover. (is this ok??)
2. Getting some kind of sound (gitch gitch) while applying clutch and slowdown the accelerator.
Any idea, about this.
3. Silencer pipe is changing color to orange mixed yellow(exactly Middle part in the bottom)
Observations:
1. Handling is superb in city and highway even at high speed (125kms).
2. Breaking is superb,.. the way it stops is exhalent.
3. Sometimes oil is coming out from the crank case.
4. Avg 18-20(for the initial 500 for 38,.. I dont know why it drops down). Its good for this beauty..
5. Headlight is very good. Very much helpful for Night Driving in the highways, I liked it a lot
Regards,
Santosh

Hi..I'm the proud owner of a TBTS 350 (Twilight Black). Been almost 2 months since taking delivery of the bike, and the ownership experience has been extremely satisfactory till now. I didn't see a separate ownership experience thread for the Thunderbird 350, hence am adding my post in this thread itself.. Here is a pic of my TBTS 350 after fitting the Air Fly crash guard + Chrome rear view mirrors. The existing Air Fly crash guard fits as it is. It does not interfere with the foot pedals. However, the Diamond crash guard does touch the foot pedals.



Re-posting an older post of mine from a separate thread:

Post-servicing update of my new Thunderbird 350

Well, I got my first servicing done 2 days back. Due to a variety of reasons, I was able to give my TB for the 1st servicing only after around 800 kms of running (instead of 500). Anyway, post-servicing, initially I didn't feel any difference in the performance as compared to pre-servicing. If any, the TB seemed slightly sluggish after the servicing. Also, the gear shifting had become much more harder than before. I decided to wait, watch & observe the performance for a couple of days (and not rush to the ASC immediately). The sluggishness in the pickup & overall ride seems to have gone now (at the most, I would say it shows up very rarely). However, the gear shifts were irritating me quite a lot. Kept getting a lot of false neutrals when shifting from 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th. So I finally went to the ASC today. The mechanic rode the Bull and said it was a case of the clutch being a bit hard. He loosened it and things are back to normal.. Gear shifting's fine now.

Experience wise, owning and riding the Bull has been like living a DREAM. Literally. Just sitting on the saddle, grasping those handlebars and looking at the massive 20 litre fuel tank in front of you gives you a feeling of immortality. And then, actually riding the beast takes the feeling several notches higher. What should I say.. Riding the Thunderbird gives so many varied emotions: Immortality, immediate stress buster, solitude, instant blanking of my mind from the outer world.. It really has to be experienced to be 'experienced'.

1250 kms done till date. Thousands more to go

sorry for intruding the thread
I never loved RE bikes till I booked and got thunderbird 350 last sept and rode it to Leh and spiti. I also faced few issues with TBTS. I sold that bike before coming back to australia. and has already booked TBTS 500 for this year ride.
Regarding your oil leak issue its common with all TB's slight damp in front of the casing . method to resolve this is to change gasket and apply sealent which originally is not there and mechanics dont apply unless you insist. mine was solved using this sealent name is anabond 60 not sure.
regarding knocking sound its the adjustment of cam gears on the right side casing .not every mechanic in ASC is capable of that mine was doneand spent 5 hours for that after that it sounded like a honda engine for next 2000 km's in leh trip. but there was no knocking or any other sound.
Regarding brake paddle issue mine didnt have disk brake at rear but i think its the return spring thats culprit and there is a spring in disk brake pads as well check for that as well.

spak plug may have been overtightened its not the bikes fault .

just check if the sound you mentioned comes from left side of casing when clutch is pressed then i will let you know something more which delayed my leh trip by one day last year.But its not serious

and for vibration at 30 tighten all foundation bolts of engine chassis nd footpegs handle bar it should be solved . else you cant do any thing its a long stroke pushrod engine you have to bear it.

I want to give you a limited response as I own a RE TBTS 350. There is a thread for Royal Enfield Thunderbird. I dont think there is one dedicated to the RE 500CC. I may be wrong. The RE Thunderbird thread is very much active.

There are few new guys here who complain of vibration. I just want to let them know that the bike will smoothen out by 2nd and 3rd service. The bike will serve as a great vibrator till it cross the 1 to 1.5K mark. Regarding the back ache, again the pain will die after you use the bike regularly. Its more like your body getting used to it. I had this pain in my unicorn for the first 1000Kms till it died out, then the same pain in my Thunderbird. Now my body muscles have adjusted I guess. That is the only possible explaination I have because both the Honda Unicorn and RE Thunderbird has excellent seating position compared to many other bikes in the market.

Regarding MAG wheel, Im going to tell you my personal opinion after researching on this topic extensively. If you have a spoke rim please do not change it. Spoke rims give better stability in terms of evenly absorbing shock. That is the main reason most cruisers even harley still have spoke on them. Rest is upto you

It's been nearly 2 months since I've owned my new Thunderbird 350. Done almost 2000 kms so far. Here are some of the issues I have faced till now:

1) On a few occasions, in the morning, even with the choke ON, the bike doesn't start within a single kick stroke. It takes around 5-6 kicks to start. However, if it still doesn't start even after 9-10 kicks, then I go ahead with the electric start. The number of such instances has been few (not every day).
2) Had an issue of a screeching sound in the rear disc brake since last week. Finally, went to the ASC today and got it fixed. They opened up the assembly and cleaned the disc pads. Problem solved now.
3) The fuel gauge display is not consistent. For instance, if the gauge is showing 2 bars right now, then after riding around 10-15 mins, if I turn off the ignition, wait a few mins and then turn it back on, the display sometimes shows 3 bars (at times 1 bar). During the stopover time period, I have ensured that I park my bike on the center stand (and not side stand). Still, there is an inconsistency in the fuel gauge display reading. Has anybody else experienced such a problem? Do let me know if and how you got it fixed. Thanks!

These minor niggles apart, the Thunderbird 350 is truly a dream machine. Planning to get some saddle bags now for an upcoming bike trip. Can anyone suggest any options for saddle bags? Online/offline both will do. I'm based in Pune btw..

^th standard and barely strong enough to hold the bike.


The first motorbike which I rode on was a 1974 Rajdoot 175 Deluxe Model with a chrome plated tank and chrome plated mud guards. My father who was a Fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force owned the bike and I have very fond memories of joyrides on the runways and in Air Force campuses. We still have the bike to this day although it does need to be restored having not been used in the past 15 odd years.


I did ride a lot of motorcycles : the bullets 350’s with the inverse shift , the rd 350’s the Yamaha rx 100, Suzuki ax100 , Kawasaki bajaj kb 100 which were all the rage of the town while I was growing up.


I have owned and driven the Yamaha Rx 100 (this was the fastest bike in town those days with 11BHP of power) for a good 8 years and a Yamaha enticer after some amount of gap thereafter for 3-4 years ( These are different stories which I will write about in a separate thread)


Coming back, it had been 4 odd years since I sold my Enticer and the bike bug had been gnawing on me for some time.


I decided that 2013 was going to be the year when I was gonna get back into the saddle in order to return to the spirit of motorcycling where the journey is the experience & story . I then started to shortlist a bike based on my broad requirements which were :

• Simple and inexpensive to maintain.
• Have a good dealer network all over India in case I decide to do some touring
• Easy Riding posture for some long rides if required with a good comfortable suspension.
• Ability to cruise at high speeds for an extended duration of time.
• Fuel Economy was not a major criteria since this was going to be a weekend fun bike and possible go on tour twice a year. We live in hope don’t we :-)
• Ability to lug a lot of equipment / weight as and when required without the handling characteristics becoming very different.
• Should easily be able to go to the mecca of biker tours in india without a hitch – yes I am talking about Leh & Ladakh .

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 and the Ducati Monster were vetoed right at the word go by my better half as being too expensive. I started looking at the cheaper bikes available and narrowed my choice down to 4.

1. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350
2. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500
3. The Bajaj Avenger 220
4. The CBR 250 R with ABS

1^st Test Ride
I test drove all the bikes and the Avenger and Thunderbird 350 were eliminated on the first go.


2^nd Test Ride

The CBR250R did feel more relaxed at high speeds in the 6^th gear and the ABS was definitely and added advantage. Also the CBR250R reviews and the sales man told me that the riding position would grow on me and it would not feel awkward for long drives after I had driven a couple of hundred kilometers but hell I wasn’t going to risk it. The riding posture and the thump of the Thunderbird Twin Spark (TBTS ) 500 sealed the deal for me.


I paid the Rs. 5000/- booking amount a few days back and was told that the wait would be 3 odd months. I decided to pull a few strings of which the results are awaited. Will update you on the outcome shortly.

GEAR
Having the right gear capable of taking on the harsh climate of Leh Ladakh and be comfortable for my weekend rides in and around Delhi is what I need to pick up. I will enlist the help of all the motorcycle enthusiasts in this forum to guide me as my knowledge is pretty stale.


This is the list of Gear that I feel that I require initially (we will add to it as we go along) :

• Good Riding Helmet with Bluetooth speakers
• Riders Suit with armour / Riding Jacket & Riding pants with armour (Mesh/ Leather)
• Tank Bag with a large map Pocket to accommodate my Samsung P6200 Tablet which acts as my phone cum navigation gps
• 12 V Charging Outlets for my gadgets (phone, tablet, camera, airpump,maybe a 12v kettle,heated vest, heated gloves, etc.)
• Luggage Racks ( For the long tours)
• Saddle Bags vs Powder Coated Lockable Steel Boxes in the Luggage Rack (Lockable ?)
• Long Tail Bag for Keeping my other stuff
• Dual Mounting Saddlebags and Tail Bag Dual Mounting Saddlebags and Tail Bag - YouTube
• Pannier Box for the tail to keep lock my knick knacks
• Helmet lock or should I buy a large pannier to keep my helmet in since the helmet will have the Bluetooth module embedded.
• Puncture Repair Kits/ Sealants for the tubed tyres. Is Slime or Local Sealant available and where so ? Any reviews on the same ?
• Leg Guard

Last but not least, am looking for a rider/group of riders in Noida/ Delhi to ride with on weekends and on riding holidays.



To be continued …..

Approved and Merged

Thanks !!!

Parasharj,
Even i am facing the same fuel guage problem on my 500. I still havn't informed the service centre about it.
Even when i owned a FZ it used to have the same fuel indication problem.

Madlikeagun,
The reason for future installation of mag wheels is to prevent unnecessary punctures. I heard that the rear tyre of TBTS is a bit difficult to open with local mechanics or puncture wallas.

I got your point. I thought so too first that the rear wheel is difficult to open until I witnessed the removal of my bull's rear tyre to replace it before the Leh Trip. Many mechanics shy away because it looks like there is too much technique involved. But when I saw the way my bull's rear tyre was removed I felt like a fool. All he did was mark the rear chain adjuster with a screw driver, remove a castle nute and knock out wheel spindle. Tilt the bull to the right and pull out the wheel. He made it look that easy.

Please let us know when you fix a mag wheel, would love to hear a review.

Is there a video available that you know of which shows how to do this the right way. In case there is not one available, would request anyone who knows how to do it correctly to take a video and post it here for all to see.

Addendum / Thought
Maybe on the next trip to the service center, the RE Service Crew can demonstrate the same and a video can be posted.


Thanks