Thanks for clarifying this makes me a very happy biker .

Hi Niks devil666,

I am in a dilema to chose between new Electra 5s, Machismo350,TBTS and 500 LB.
My main requirement is a decent mileage 35kmpl and should not give problems in the long trips(read in many posts where in they state CI engines are more prone to give problems in the long trips), Lesser maintenance.

Can you please comment about the mileage of Machismo 500 LB. Happy to know that your bike is giving 35kmpl. is it the same case with all the 500 LB if riden sensibily???

How about the maintenance of 500 LB? is there a huge difference in cost between maintenance of Machismo 350 and 500 lb?

I am not keen on TBTS though i dont have any problems with it. Loved Electra but thinking about its reliability during the long trips (i dont know to repair if some thing goes wrong). Machismo 350, no complains about it. Now heart says 500 LB but thinking on the above mentioned questions.

Guys please help!!!!!!

I have ridden it out on 3-4 rides and everytime I have got a mileage of 33-40 kmpl. And I do hit speeds of 80+ regulalry and keep it revved enuf near the torq peak (around 3000-4000) rpm. The mileage in city drops down to 30ish.

I can't really say about reliability issues except the fact that the 500 doesn't leak oil. Maintennance cost should be the same in all RE's but again , I have done only 1500 km and not even a month with the bike.This question can be answered by bulleteers who have owned RE's for a long time.

Moreover , if you can get the test ride of the electra/500/TBTS , I am sure you will pick 500 because of its power and torque. Moreover , this is the bike you'd love to ride on the highways.

Thanks for the reply niks

I was bit concerned when I heard that 500 LB will not give anything better than 25kmpl and maintenance is VERY higher than the other RE bikes.I wanted to make sure when i am investing more than 1 lakh ,there should not be any regrets later.

500 LB owners plzzzzz comment abt Reliability,Maintenance and mileage of 500LB

Spoke to one of the Roadshakers guy here this morning , his xp says avl should be a little higher on the maintenance cost due to cost of parts but that comes with more reliable machine.

Thank you Niks for the details

Go for the LB500 man.

Cheers,

Jay

2nd service done

I just completed the second service on the Mach Five. It has done 3400 kms now.

The running in was done in a complete different way.
1.The bike was ripped hard in the first 100 kms .
2.From 100-500 kms highway speeds were kept constant at 70 with occasional bursts to 90kmph, city cruising at 50-60.
3.500-1000 , 80 constant and bursts till 100kmph. City cruising 60-70kmph.
4.1000-2000 , variation between cruising speeds 80/90. No change in city speeds
5.2000 onwards - Cruising at 100+ , most of the time at 90-95 kmph.

This running in method hasn't been recommended by anyone so far , I will get to know in the long run if it had really worked just like it works for any other bike.

Issues faced so far -

1.at around 600/700 kms tappet cover gasket leaked
2.At around 2300 kms , the oil came out the over flow valve and poured on the air filter. Highway mileage dropped from 35 to 30 because of half soaked filter.

Changes after 3300 kms/second service -

1.PAV is blocked
2.Cat con welded
3.Std 350 Short bottle silencer fixed.
4.Shims on rockers replaced
5.Oil over flow pipe blocked.

(Thanks to Jay for these suggestions posted on tbhp.)

EDIT: The bike is doing great , be it the city or the highways.

Hey NIK sorry i did not congratulate you for your bike bro.. congrats and welcome to a different CLAN.

and ways the runnin method is a good once. cause in bullets (for sure about CI) if you stick to 50 fo runninn then do expect a broken engine soon.

and regarding the blocking of the oil overflow pipe would you be able to post a pic. cause think it would not be recomended. but i am not sure how is it routed in the AVL 500

Thanks DD. I'll see if I can post the pic soon.

The Splits

Here are a few pics of the split seats installed on the 500.

What is the soultion for this problem?

Aren't you feeling lack of pick up?