Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

I had my first free service today.

Background:
Use of bike: Daily commute to office (Thane to Seepz, Andheri)
Kms completed: 710kms
Service center: Soniya Motors, Thane

Pre-service experience:
I have been following running in instructions as per manual. The shock abs are a bit hard. Idle RPM was around 1200.
Riding bike in 5th gear at 60kmph is very hard!

Things done during service:
Usual things as per manual.
Rear shock abs were made softer. Ride feels more comfortable now.
RPM was not fixed even when after telling the service guy.

After service experience:
I had to adjust RPM screw to make idle RPM around 1000. Service guy had told me not to make it lower than 1000.
Bike is a lot smoother now. Great shift is a lot smoother.
Could not cross 60kmph barrier yet. Will try to do it soon!

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

"The Wait" is over ...
Got my "Dark Knight" on 31/10/2014 from Classic Motors Madurai.

Waiting for me. ?!?!?


Pooja @ showroom(service Area)

After " Pooja "


First Start done by My Junior (Big Fan of Desert Storm)







After Completing around 130Kms in and around Madurai on the first two days. Today took him for a long ride (Madurai - Trivandrum)

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

Congrats Bro on your New Bike and share your experience with it

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

The battery of my TB350 was giving trouble and during my 4th free service, the SVC told me the battery has gone bad and will have to be replaced. Also mentioned they do not have any spare battery to give till they can get it replaced under warranty by Exide and that will take almost 10-15 days. The bike used to work with kick start but would not start by electric start. After a long followup they suggested to go to an Exide dealer for faster replacement. I went to an Exide dealer and got to know the warranty card was not given to me or they had misplaced the same during the servicing. Went to the RE dealership, told this issue and they gave me another warranty card for the battery.
Went to Exide dealership and gave them the battery along with the warranty card and a copy of the RC, it took around 7 days for them to get the replacement battery and the bike was in hibernation till that time as they also did not have any spare battery to give. Got the replacement battery yesterday evening and the dealership fitted the same and the bike is working fine now. The Exide dealership charged Rs. 150/- for charging of the battery as the battery that comes from the company is in dry state.


Battery that comes with the bike is Exide Freedom which a model given only to OEMs, the replacement battery is Exide Bikerz 12A14 (same specs) and costs Rs. 3114/-


New battery has a warranty of 18 months but when given as a replacement, only the original warranty is applicable so it is under warranty only for another 3 months for me.

The Mysterious Case of the Stuttering Bull.

I'm writing this with a mixture of emotions, after months of using Sherlock Holmes method of deduction. I'm not sure yet to Celebrate or not. But this is definitely a positive step forward.
There was a brief period of 6 months in 2012 when I did not use my Bull bird. That was when I received the Bull in appalling condition from Ambala Cantonment Railway Station. The bull had undergone a 3 week journey to Hyderabad, God knows where all! The decision to ship my bike via our National Rail network gone horribly wrong.

The Case opened:

Stories I never shared before. The front Mudguard broken, literally torn off from the bottom, flat tyres, Cut fuel pipe and a completely rusted chain. The Chrome had turned black. The worst nightmare I hoped to avoid just came true. It was back in late August 2012, just after my LEH ride, I pushed the bull somehow to the nearest fuel station at Nampally, Hyderabad. Filled up air. Thank goodness there wasn't a puncture. Filled fuel. The battery was still alive, just on the edge, almost dead. Gave at-least a 100 kicks before the bull roared to life. Choking all the way, I somehow managed to ride 25 Kilometers home at a speed of 30 to 40 KM.

Just left the bull in the garage to assess the situation later. It took me 2 months to get over the nightmare, after which I took the bull to Royal Enfield Service station in Uppal determined to fix this mess. Gave a long list to the service rep. Replaced the Chain-sprocket set, the front mud guard, Replace Front Fork oil and seal, Replace the Engine oil and oil filter, empty the fuel tank and clean the carburetor, check if the inside of the tank was rusted or not, Clutch cables replace and do something about the now black chrome. I asked him to identify all rusted parts, and give it for Electroplating.

3 weeks later, the Bull was out, looking much better than ever. Electroplating process takes time, hence I waited patiently. Everything that I asked for was done, except for the faded/black chrome which they did not have a solution. One rep suggested I go for Teflon coating, I let him know politely, that the so called Teflon coating used at your service station is not worth mentioning. First of all its not even automobile grade wax.

Yet there was one nagging issue, my bull coughs. It jerks or stutters. I could not find a solution. It was mid June 2013 already, the jerks did not bother me much as it happened random. The bull went for at-least 4 services after that. Not a single time did Royal Enfield service centers find the reason of the jerks. Each person had a theory of their own. Some of the bizarre suggestions were that I replace the clutch cable. Boy! Phew! I almost came to the point that I could slap some of these chaps.

I also asked different mechanics, some had ulterior motives who wanted to rip my engine apart and some old RE mechanics knew Jack about the UCE engines. So I started Research of my own. I searched for solutions online, read countless sites and found out that there is no one/unique solution to this particular problem.

My original plan of Ladakh 2014 was pushed out by one year. I even thought of selling off this Bull. It had only done 23000KMs by then. What a waste I thought.

Diagnosis: I spoke to the owner of the Royal Enfield showroom at Uppal, who is a biking enthusiast himself. He took interest in the issue. He agreed that this particular issue needs to be looked at step-by-step. It could be a simple issue like a chocked Carburetor, to a complex wiring issue.

We listed out to check the following:

1. Carbureter (Jets cleaned, Flange and Inlet/Outlet hose replaced)
2. Timing gear (No issues found according to RE)
3. Spark Plugs (Kit replaced)
4. Alternator (Pending for next time)
5. Clutch Plates (No issues found according to RE)
6. (TPS) Throttle Position Switch (Pending for next time)
7. Accelerator cable (No issues found according to RE)
8. Oil pump (No issues found according to RE)

New Flange and Hose on both sides of the Carb.


The TPS was untouched.


Spark Plug Kit replaced

After the above said preliminary steps, one thing improved. The carb no longer sucks water. One of the long pending issue with the carb was it collected water after a water wash.

The Stuttering did not stop. The case continued as the Bull jerked/stuttered at will especially while the outside temperature was cold. I found it very hard to get the bull to 40km/h and 60Km/h was like a donkey cart hauling load.

After further research I found that when I press rear brake with all electrical in ON position (like the headlight), the RPM meter goes to Zero. This happens only when the engine is idle. Once i release the rear brake, the RPM meter comes back to idle position (between 1000-1200).

So I rode straight to the service center and explained the situation to the Mechanic (Ramu) at the Royal Enfield Uppal workshop. He realized then what was missed. The was leakage of current from somewhere in the circuit and it looked like it was happening somewhere down the wire that connects to the foot brake. He disconnected the wire that enables the foot brake light and told me the entire wiring needs to be inspected. The tail light still works when the front brakes are applied.

I now know, how my previous battery died which I replaced just a month ago. I also now know how the new battery was not charging properly. I have ordered for a Multimeter and will now check every bit of the bike myself. Alternator current, operating voltage etc.


Disconnected the Tail lamp switch operated by foot pedal.

I have an appointment fixed tomorrow to inspect/replace wiring. Meanwhile something happened. With the foot brake (tail lamp) wire disconnected my bull has retained its old glory. The performance which I got whilst the bull was brand new, still fresh in my mind. Its back, fantastic pickup, 60KM/h like a breeze. The Bull functions exactly how its supposed to so far. I could not believe what just happened. Such a complex issue, after lots of research and completely incompetent service folks, I now understand what the Royal Enfiled business industry is all about.

I love my bull, it remains close to my heart, once the wiring is replace, I will take the bull to Ranigunj (Sudakhar/Ibrahim), well known bullet mechanics for their certification. I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, my old friend Honda Mechanic at Habsiguda did a wonderful job in removing all the black (whatever) on the chrome throughout the bike. Result is below.


Before


After


After the chromes were restored.

Sorry for the very long post, and thanks for reading.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

Thank you for taking time to write about such problem. I am sure it will help people trying to troubleshoot such things. And glad about the happy ending.

Cheers

www.facebook.com/shadydubs for some riding music.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have any buying experience with indiaspares.in ?

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

I have the same issue and pointed it out during my first servicing. The mech said its normal with thunderbird and gave some unconvincing reasons. However, I did check this with 6 other TBs which were at the ASC for servicing. Found resistance in all of them. Mech said as the bike gets older, the wheels 'MAKE' space for themselves and get free. THe explaination somehow made me smile

Re: The Mysterious Case of the Stuttering Bull.

Re: The Mysterious Case of the Stuttering Bull.

Part II.

Received my Thunderbird from the workshop today. The Mechanic had kept the bike over the weekend and done just above 30Kms. According to him the issues have the rectified. Well, I rode the bull around and it rode just fine. No Stuttering! I will take it on a highway cruise tomorrow and give you guys a full diagnosis result. It is very important I complete this for my next year's off-road at Ladakh.

The electric start which was not working had nothing to do with the starter motor or relay. Replacing the RHS (Right Hand Side) switch module fixed it. The electric start works just like it was in the past.

Wiring Harness replaced - 1148/-
Switch module RHS - 403/-
UCAL BS29 Carburetor - 3371/-
Labour - 500/-
Total damages to the pocket = 5422/-


Switch module RHS fixed the electric start problem and the flickering of headlamp during wet conditions.


The UCAL BS29. Hope it lasts for a few years.


I traced the wiring from the battery all the way to different areas of the bull. The wiring is brand new fully replaced.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

I had been for a long ride this weekend. After I covered about 70kms I found out that petrol is coming out of overflow drain pipe.

It's a 1month old TBTS 350. I had changed the fuel tap with the lock one on previous night. Then filled the tank.

Now I have left the bike in ASC. They said they have to check the pin in engine. Hammering the float pin did not help. Will update on this later once done

www.facebook.com/shadydubs for some riding music.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

This is a known issue to me. I had catalogued the exact issue back in 2011. The link is below for your review.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

I had read that before. Again, as I said couple of days back, your description of problems helps a lot.

Hope fuel spill is no biggie. I was getting average of around 31kmpl in city. I guess this has been happening since long. I have habit of turning off fuel know everytime I stop. When I was riding yesterday one guy with another bullet 350 had met with real bad accident. I stopped to help him and forgot to turn off the fuel tap. That is when I saw fuel is leaking in my bike.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

How do you guys secure your helmets??

Carry them while off the bike? Or helmet securers?

Sent via Tapatalk

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

Best is to carry the helmet with you. You might feel awkward at first, then with time it becomes your second nature.

Helmet locks available in the market are not fool proof and can be easily broken.

Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 Owners Experiences

thats why i asked you guys for a second opinion..

i guess i'll just carry it in its pouch.. i aint taking risk with a 5k helmet.