@Ritab - Shrek just posted his test-ride impressions. I am heading there again today for a longer test-ride to see how it handles and pulls on open roads.

Bottomline is that it feels underpowered, undersprung, underdamped and it could have used better attention to detail. It is a cosmetic masterpiece that has some serious flaws.

I disagree here
I rode it for around 40Kms on NH1
And I never found CL500 to be underpowered when compared to all Production indian bikes.
And I have ridden 500LB too and No way CL is underpowered compared to CL.

Exactly what me and gsferrari are saying...we haven't taken the 500 out on an open road to push it as far as you have. But initial impressions, off the block pulling power does seem less than the LB 500 (which we have), the CI 500 (which we have ridden extensively). Off the block, the LB was much quicker than the 500 EFI, and this could be a bike specific behaviour, perhaps demo bike was not performing as well as it could, whatever the reason, it felt slower.

500LB ran out of breath at speeds around 120 on speedo,maxing out around 130however I was able to push CL till almost 140 on speedo.

Glad to hear that the Classic has better top end, but with the suspension setup as soft as it was, and the spring seat, would you say the ride was firmer than the LB? The LB at speed was bouncy when not loaded, I can only imagine how the Classic would behave at those speeds. Did you notice any difference in handling because of the new 18 inch rims and shoes?

And Engine is the only thing i liked ,rest bike didnot impress me,I would have preffered 500EFi engine in Machismo's clothes

Well, I guess the styling that the Classic exhibits does not do much for you, I can respect that. The Machismo was a pretty good looking Bull, but in my mind, the Classic is the best looking bull for a long time now. And with that stonking engine and the EFI, it is going to be awesome to live with.

Cheers,

Regarding the stability part,some guys say its more stable,i felt opposite,bike was affected by strong cross winds on highway.

I think its a myth that bullets are less affected by cross winds, 500 bull's go faster and are as aerodynamically challenged as all other bulls, cross winds need to be managed, and there's nothing unusual about it.

ride quality was nothing to talk about,and the single seat was not comfortable for me.

I thought as much, the suspension setup is probably only useful at city cruising speeds. Highway speeds will demand a much firmer setup, without which the ride quality will be bouncy and scary.

The bike i rode had upswept exhaust and thump was good at low speeds and a racket at high speeds.

@Ritab - Shrek just posted his test-ride impressions. I am heading there again today for a longer test-ride to see how it handles and pulls on open roads.

Bottomline is that it feels underpowered, undersprung, underdamped and it could have used better attention to detail. It is a cosmetic masterpiece that has some serious flaws.

Yesterday, me and gsferrari landed at the Bandra RE showroom to ride the 500 EFI. The green bike was available with the conventional exhaust (very depressingly muffled) and single spring seat. After a few words of banter with Nilesh, the sales guy, we took the bike for a spin. I can say with conviction that the bike is not as quick as I expected it, with power delivery only noticeable at the far end of 2nd gear rev range entering into 3rd. The front disc inspires confidence, but all of that is lost by the soft forks that dive into the ground when braking hard. Considering that the TD bike was not registered yet, I could not take a longer spin around Bandra reclamation to check out the top speed, handling at speed etc. However, the short ride in city streets helped me understand that the 500 EFI is every bit as nimble in the city as its predecessors, allowing me to throw it around obstacles and brake hard without really scaring me. The bike could have thrown me off during one such panic braking session, but I was going too slow for that to happen. I am sure the front forks have been tampered with, because in the history of Bullets, never have the front forks seemed as spongy as this one's. At slower speeds inside the city, the spongy suspension might be a back-saver, but it will never translate to ride quality on the open highways at speed.

Likes:
1. Spring seat. Surprising because I have a low cut seat on my std 350 which I adore. I found the spring seat a little higher than I would have liked, but I could easily get used to it. It does work to give the ride a retro bouncy feel, and I'd pay good money for that.
2. Front disc. Enough said.
3. Exhaust note on the after market pipe fitted 500 EFI.
4. Awesome chrome overdose
5. The green and black bikes scream out with all the retro goodness that we love.

Dislikes:
1. Front forks. Too spongy by far.
2. Off the block pulling power is not even as good as the LB 500, which was pretty quick.


Cheers,

Hey, Prabhu bravo, in his review, writes "When you throw your leg on the bike, the first thing you note is the reduced saddle height." while you seem to indicate the opposite "I found the spring seat a little higher than I would have liked, but I could easily get used to it."..
Seems like everyone has a different experience with this! :-)

I think I clarified later on that my Std 350 sports a custom seat, which I got made to my spec. It is deeper, lower and wider than regular seats and has more coir than foam for better support. Coming from this deeper seat, the spring single seat on the Classic is much higher, and I think higher than even the seats on older bullets. Prabhu Bravo might have something else in mind, like a more forward seat positioning in the Classic, its much closer to the tank than other bullets, and that will take some getting used to. I like this seat, looks and function. I've been in love with single spring seats ever since I've been riding old lamby's. Fun times!

So, does anyone think it is overpriced. Or does it seem to be a good value for money?

A 500 cc single priced at close to 1.5 OTR Mumbai is never going to be good value for money unless it can compete with other similarly endowed bikes. The problem is, here in India, there are no such bikes that can deliver a 500cc single cylinder engine with EFI, retro styling and the solid thump. Its a niche that RE owns in India, and they may as well charge good money for it. I would pay good money for one of the classics (probably very soon), but only because I am a huge RE fanboy.

Also, any feedback on the reduced wheel size? Does that 1" they shaved off, make any difference?

@gs and Akshay!
I never felt the bike as underpowered, that too the 2nd gear thingy. I felt the best part was the pull in 2nd and 3rd gear. And about the spongy front, there were discussions that its 'too hard'. Sure that U guys too the 500 and not the 350 ? (just kidding)

Nobody can dispute your argument. For 1.44 lakhs OTR, I would expect a lot more from any manufacturer. But RE is in my opinion, a spoilt brat. We keep buying their bikes, even though the QC, build quality, innovation are all but absent. Still love the bike, still going to book one.

I am very interested in understanding the advantages that the 18" rims and grippy shoes promise. What should we expect, and what are we really getting?

Hey Shrek. Love the signature.
So you graduated to a car, this year, but you are still nurturing Bullet dreams? How do you manage to ride so many babies?
And, are you sure the Street Bob is coming to india? I thought it was only the Sportster.

So long as we have fewer bikes than days in the week, I think scheduling won't be a problem

I am gonna shamelessly borrow the signature style. Thanks Bro.

Go for it.

And could not agree more about spoiling RE. Those guys prices are skyrocketing. And, all they've done in name of innovation is the TBD. The rest are almost tweaks on the same Fframe and Body and Engine.
The classic seems like another innovation. But will have to look at it closely.

Grippy Shoes? Have they changed brake shoes? They still have standard drums in the rear and Disc in the front, don't they?

Apologies, by shoes, I meant the actual rubber. I'm using MRF Zapper-Q's on my RX-135, and am loving them. So seeing Zapper's on the 18 inch Classic rims gave me some hope on their grip and ride.

So when do you think you'll take the plunge with the Classic 500?
And are you sure you won't run away from the altar and elope with the Classic 350 instead?
That was another thing I wanted to ask: Do you think the price diff is justified? 30 grand for a bigger engine, but does it really pack that much extra power/top speed/torque?
Of course, you sacrifice Fuel Efficiency as well. Is it really worth it?

Opinions please, Guys...

Thing is - I still find the Karizma to be very quick. The C500 is not as quick (acceleration through the gears) as the Zma. I don't imagine it's top speed is any higher as well. The reason for the higher reading on the speedo could be the fact that they have dropped the rim dia from 19" to 18" resulting in speedo error (I don't think they would have compensated for this...why bother? as long as it doesn't indicate a lower speed it is perfectly fine!).

The front is very soft in typical enfield style. Definitely needs stiffer springs if you are 90+ kilos. Rear is fine. Non adjustable suspension is also a bummer...that too at the price this bike commands.


Is it overpriced? Yes

At 1.5L I would expect the following by default:

1. Off-road pipes
2. Adjustable front and rear (at least compression and pre-load. Rear has preload)
3. better attention to detail with the wiring