Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Hi All.. I am a new all too happy owner a Marine blue TB 500 (pics attached). Did some 1600 kms in 2 months. And overall it has been an extremely satisfying experience considering it is also my first bike. But off late I am experiencing some issues and they worry me to the bone:-
1. Bike's engine is giving a strange whirring noise when you take it beyond 2500 rpm in any gear. As far as I remember I didn't hear it coming even two days back when I took it for the first time beyond 80kmph for a few seconds only. It is not a sound which a new rider would notice because s/he may shrugg it off as bike revving harder but it has certainly worried me. Any help on this? Is it because I took the running in period lightly? (Though I seldom go beyond 80kmph)
2. Secondly I saw some brownish rust specks on its chain. In this monsoon season I hope to keep my bird rust protected. I have ordered 3M cleaner and lubricant. Is it the right choice? And is using cleaner absolutely essential?
3. Finally I just need to know that do I need to change engine oil before my second service? I read at some place that it may be changed for every 1000kms.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

One more thing. Is engine braking suggested for this model? As I live in Himachal my daily commute involves too many crests and troughs😛. And I try to use disc brakes minimally on downhill side. I just wonder that does it have any adverse effects on engine?

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Today, Blue Bird started chirping in the very first cranking after being in hibernation for almost a month.

During my recent Golden Quadrilateral ride, I found it very difficult to carry all the tools, spares and accessories along with the personal luggage in the saddle bag. So, I visited NH4 Motorheads, Koramangala and bought a pair of Royal Enfield crash-guard bags, costing ₹ 1,299. These bags appear to be very useful for long rides.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Engine breaking is fine. In fact it's recommended wherever possible

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

[MENTION=76391]Daavy99[/MENTION] any pointers on chain lub? Also a few days back I noticed that just above my chain guard there is a rubber strip, attached to it in a shabby way, on which chain just scrapes through.. Is it a normal feature on all thunderbirds? And is it normal if bike's chain touches it? What may be its purpose?

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Sorry that may not be a chain guard but a spindle or something on which this rubber strip is attached

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

I personally haven't used any chain lube.
The rubber strip would be there to prevent loose chain to rub with metal.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Has anyone changed stock handle bar to RD handle bar or straight handle bar? What's the noticeable difference? How is the comfort on long rides?

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

I need some help with a friend's tbts500
The fuel pump relay is creating a buzzing sound..
When the ecu is removed the buzzing stops but the bike doesn't start.. and when the ECU's is put in another bike the new bike starts. Further if that same ecu is put back in the original bike the earlier bike also starts up but after a few days the same problem crops up...any suggestion
PS the wiring has been checked and seems to be OK..please help me and my mechanic are at our wits end..if any further details are required I will be happy to provide them and
I am from Sikkim so no authorised RE service center here.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Isn't it FI moto noise? When to my turn on the ignition the noise must come for a few second and should stop.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

What u have said is the noise of the fuel pump priming...the noise I have mentioned is coming from the fuel pump relay situated under the rider seats

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

My 3 years ownership report.
Initially i had complained at every service that there is gear slipping when the clutch is fully pressed but every time they would tighten up the clutch which i now understand was more than that was required. the problem never went away fully and the pick up was getting effected.the problem went away for few days and come back again.it was not happening all the time so it was not easy to reproduce.
finally issue resolved with a clutch pad change along with clutch Sprocket after 3 years.damage - 2.7k approx She rides like a dream now.but the 3 years it was hell.fun was taken out from biking for me.i didnt enjoy riding her at all.
now i realize all this should have been done during warranty 3 years back.but i guess its partially my fault too that i did not pursue it strongly and RE ASS sucks.
the wiring got all damaged due to battery acid and was replaced few months back.damage - 7 k approx incl. labor charges.
Both discs ovrhauled- damage 1k approx.
but now again blown fuses is croppin up its ugly head.
i ve used her for only city runs 24k kms in the last 3 years.due to the problems i faced brought so much frustration that i had many times contemplated to sell the bike.
but for now shes running good and finally im having some fun.i had owned a unicorn before so may be i wasnt ready for all this.
Further more what i ve realized is that the RE SS mechanics also tried and some times succeeded to con me. but more on that later.you just have to get your hands dirty and get involved with how the bike works.

in short its great bike, dream to ride on open roads backed by a sub standard company, below standard QC and pathetic ASS.
my fault was that i didnt take up the issues strongly with RE service centers.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

+100 for this. Well said. Same goes for every RE bike.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500

Dear Ravi,
I got back from my trip a few weeks back but was not able to get on here until now, Baloo handled beautifully on the mountains and better then most of the other bikes, its good that it has a EFI and it helped because that meant no adjustments needed to made to removing the air filter or pick up of the bike at higher altitudes. My suggestion though would be to get your self CEAT tyres (while the stock OE MRF ones did just fine, the CEAT would give you better grip during river crossings).

Overall just make sure your bikes serviced well before you take it and avoid GATI in transporting your BIRD (too many damages from them), I lucky got away with just some scratches because of the packing and additionally putting my riding gear in a bag on it which gave additional buffering but the others in the group had their tanks almost crushed.

Also another thing to consider is weight while traveling, so try and pack your riding gear with the bike when you send it (except the helmet which you carry as hand luggage).

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Hi Zikzak,

I got my RD butterfly handles installed almost a year back, its alot more comfortable for longer rides and is easy to maneuver once you get the hang of it, I suggest you do a couple of hundred kms within the city before you take it out on longer rides.

The noticeable difference is in the posture you sit in and the bike looks taller with the handles, only thing is choose your mirrors correctly because its harder to get the right view with these handle bars.

Eighth Service

Today, Blue Bird got its eighth servicing done at Sri Velavan Motors, Greams Road, Chennai, costing ₹ 2,109 inclusive of taxes. Gave the bike at 9 am, waited and got it back at 12 noon. Paid by credit card without any extra charges. One cracked rubber pipe going into the crank case, front brake pad set and engine oil with filter were replaced.


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Thanks a lot for the nice feed-back, @Inn0cEnT. Good to learn that EFI performed excellently on the mountains.

Yes, I did that just today.

Earlier, I was toying with the idea of transporting my bird through Agarwal Packers and got a quotation for ₹ 8,500 for Chennai-Chandigarh. But, now, I have decided to ride my bird all the way from Bangalore!