Thank you. 1 day in my dreams. These guys cry when you give them more work to do. And their priority is for free service. The supervisor told me that upfront. If its a paid service, it will take a day or 2 for normal service. As I gave them some weightlifing to do he requested 5 days. I told him take your days and give me back peace of mind.

I am considering to buy a Thunderbird. However, I am confused/ unsure whether I should be going for the 500 or stay content with the 350.

I currently own a 2006 Honda Shine. My requirements dont entail any long rides or any plans to go to Ladakh on my bike. At the most there could be a couple of rides a year to the Western Ghats or down to the coast. I am quite sedate as a rider with max speed of about 80.

what does the 500 offer over and above the 350? I understand the extra torque part, but is there any other dealbreaker why I should not finalise the 350? In other words, if I buy the 500, what extras do I get over the 350?

Appreciate your assistance. If this query has been answered elsewhere on this forum please let me know. I could not find these details.

Hi - 45k is an enormous amount of distance to crunch in about 2 years. Where did you get the panniers and luggage carrier from? Is it custom made for Laddakh / Leh trips?

- BlrGuy

The dealer in Pune has quoted a waiting period of 10 to 12 months for either Thunderbird. Is this a correct/ reasonable estimate?
I thought the new launch was supposed to eliminate or at least reduce the waiting period.

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..

My TB is on its 2'nd service today.Facing almost the same issues.Hope today it gets fixed ..

My inputs given in bold

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).

I am not facing this issue...Always do some free stroke(With clutch depressed) before trying to kick start,this will help to pump the oil from the sump.

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.

Yes.My TB's rear disk break pads are touching on the disk (with out applying the break pedal) and the disk surface becomes too hot this resulting poor breaking.

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!

Yes,The fuel gauge behaves crazy, some times it will show 3 bars when the tank is half filled and never gets the exact information from it but while riding on highway(after a full tank refill) the information is accurate(you should try it) .So decided to not depend on it in city ride, always open the fuel cap and check the level..

I recently Purchased Cramster saddle bag online ..Giving the link here for your reference.

http://www.xbhp.com/...ight-focus.html
Check that on your bikes too.
I found my bike's(TB350) headlight focus wasn't so good after riding bajaj pulsar 220F(which has same 55w projection headlight).Mine needs to be adjusted as it is focusing more on the ground(focus is very near)..High beam on my bike is like low beam on p220.

Anyone know how to adjust the headlight focus of new TB350??

I am also facing this issue. I asked the supervisor at the ASC, he said since the TBTS has just been launched they are yet to receive full comprehensive 'training' from RE about the bike and bike adjustments, issues etc. Therefore, I am yet to get the beam adjusted.

Does this type of saddle bag graze too much against the sari guard/side paint? As in, is there a danger to the paint finish with prolonged use of this type of bag? That is one thing I am concerned about. Otherwise, I have almost made up my mind to go in for this type of saddle bag. Found one for 1700 in a shop in my city..

Another question. After having mounted this saddle bag, can a pillion rider sit comfortably? Or does the pillion face serious difficulty in leg positioning due to the saddle bags?

This is custom made for any long rides. Though I bought it from a friend, you can get it done from any local shop itself. I keep it as a permanant addition to my bird as do not use it for daily/city ride. Its used only during weekends and for long rides. If you wish to get more information on the carrier, you can PM me or can check my profiles on Social Networking sites.

Dear Friend. The Saddle bag you are talking about is absolutely fantastic. I have the same Saddle bag and it poses no threat to the saree guard or shock absorber. YES, the chrome on the back rest has slightly faded away in my 18 days riding to Leh and back. But that is part and parcel of touring. You can just buy a chrome spray paint and patch it up. Even my Cramster Tank pad created many scratches on the Tank. There is nothing you can do about it other than laminate your tank which I dont recommend.

When I purchased it was 1500, buy inflation has it every industry I guess. To answer your next question, the pillion rider will have absolute no problem. My Ladakh tour is a testimant. Feel free to read my blog. My wife traveled along with me pillion approx 5000 kms. She had no complaints what so ever. PM me if you have specific questions on comfort of female pillion riders for long rides. Hope this answers your questions.

---------------
The fully Loaded bull wont pose any problem to your pillion. Remember its a Cruiser. Notice the Custom made cushion my wife used. It was a winter coat folded longwise to suite her comfort. However the garbage bag we covered the coat in was a bad idea. So we removed it in time. You may try your combination.


Notice the Cramster Back support. It was a blessing and I thank god I purchased one for my wife who rode pillion during the LEH trip. 1 day she did not use it and had a bad back ache. I used Volini cream overnight to kill the pain.


The fully loaded bull from rear. Notice the saddle back pose no threat to the sides. Just that the area where you have saree guard the saddle bag will have some extra support.


This angle I wanted to show you just to explain how wife converted the huge seating area into one big touring sofa.


Thanks for watching. So use cramster with confidence.

Thank you SO VERY MUCH buddy! Really appreciate your tips.. Very helpful photos btw :-)

Hi All,

I have booked by TBTS500 two weeks ago at Green Motors, Gachibowli. Waiting continues now... I have been thinking of touring whole india on a cruiser. Finally narrowed down for Thunderbird after looking for Avenger, Apache, Pulsar. Amongst all test drives, TBTS gave me lot of confidence that YES i can cruise on this one. None of other gave such confidence. While going through lot of blogs in this site, I understand quite a bit of problems in TBTS. Thats a concern for me. I checked with my friend who has very good knowledge on these bikes told that primarily due to lack of maintenance, care and mostly importantly SUDDEN ACCELERATION. RE is not meant to clock maximum speed within seconds. As someone was explaining (not sure of his name), it takes couple of KMs to get the engine to the momentum and it flies from there.

Will keep posted on TBTS500 delivery. Hope it comes sooner than expected as second plant in Chennai started delivering vehicles.

Thanks,
Raghu

Please share your TB350 waiting experience / period

Guys,
I booked the new TB350 in August 2012 and still waiting for delivery. My dealer always tells me the same thing.. you are on priority sir, and we should deliver it next month..this is what has been happening for the last 3 months..every time delivery has been committed to the following month, but nothing happens It is almost 7 months and I cannot lay my hands on the bull Is this the same case with everybody or am I being taken for a ride by my dealer?

Your dealer might indeed be taking you for a ride. Keep nagging him and if you are flexible regarding colour then u might get it early. Same happenned to me because i was insistent on the colour of my choic and would not budge!

@madelikeagun i can't help but notice your rear number plate, no cop can catch you seeing your number! i too must think of such modifications!