This is not correct, i have seen more than 50% of RE bikers try to race suddenly when i overtake them, at-least in Bangalore city and most time they fail since they cannot flick their bikes as easy as others can do in city traffic. Especially if they are 500cc RE

@Shamanth: Then surely they are not RE fan or followers.

Re surely is not for racing or dirt biking. It is for cruising and RE gives peace of mind and King Feeling with it's own style!!

and which bike did you race with this RE people ?? once i had a race with a very youngster with pillion on RE CL 500 that was very awesome race he was very quickly coming near to me and i was on my R15.
I still remember i was at 128kmph and he with a pillion was very easily catching me. That day i understood that RE is RE with a pillion at 128kmph so easily??? It surely gives tuffs and yes we can't zig zac this RE and it's not made for that either.

+10..It's about what you like and not what others think is a better buy.

I don't think that's true... I am a classic 350 owner and I just love riding my beast... I don't care if a ninja overtakes me or a activa... for me its the love of riding the RE

And what do you mean by " Especially if they are 500cc RE" ?? All bullets have same build so it doesn't matters if its 350 or 500cc... so why the 500cc would not be able to overtake you ?? Rather they will overtake you much earlier then 350cc guys as 500cc has about 27 bhp power in the same build as of 350cc bullet while the 350cc bulets has only 19 bhp...

And let me clarify they don't fail to overtake you.. its just that they don't want to... else they will leave you behind in 5 secs with the 27 bhp power in their hand... and I really mean it...

I have owned a RE Machismo 500 AVL since Feb 2009 and trust me it was a brilliant product in terms of stability and load carrying capability. The only hitch with it was its weak top end power. Even the RE DS will allow you to touch the 130 kmph mark but then the bike will not be under effective control at those speeds. The new chassis of the Classic is weaker as compared to the AVL or CI bullets. A well maintained Pulsar 150/180 is capable of smoking the DS or even the AVL 500 on a highway. So my vote goes to the CBR despite me being a Bullet rider. The CBR handles well, has better top end performance, is vibration free and most importantly a safer bike to ride at high speeds. The suspension of the CBR is also very comfortable, way better than RE.

Having ridden the RE DS,I would recommend it!
The bike just pulls!
In the first gear itself it goes over 40Km/H and it feels abnormally-normal!
It sounds brilliant too(The bike I TD'd had the upswept exhaust).
It brakes well and the seating position is awesome!(It's got loads of attitude!)

Do you know what you have penned down here !!!

A World War III !!!!

No P150/180 can cross 115 easily they take time to reach till 120kmph, that too i guess is more!!

CL 500 engine is not good on highways ??? very unsuitable statements!!

New UCE 500 runs like hell on highways....easily crosses 120kmph and goes upto some 130kmph+ 1/2 +/- kmph.

But i am sure P150 and P180 can't catch RE 500 on highways.


NOW MOST IMP: RE Is not at all for riding at high speed or zig zakking !!! It's a crusie/tourer bike so requirements are very clear!!!

I assume people thinking for racing or gets introvert with some silly bikes over taking them then surely they are mentioning wrong bike in thier threads "RE". RE is very simply defined that it's stable and tourer only!!!

RE 500 and CBR 250 are very different bikes and not at all in comparision. this is like Speed Vs TorQue !!

Buyer has to first settle down on which parameters he is buying a bike!!!

I agree with Shamnath to a great extent. At times I have myself tried to race against an R15 or a Pulsar on my RE Machismo 500 AVL but honestly on each occasion, I had to bite the dust coz modern machines using modern technology are way quicker, nimbler and have better ergonomics. The RE Classic 500 doesn't manage anything above 122 kmph as tested with a speed gun, R15 speedometers are also way too optimistic. I have personally tested my RE Machismo 500 AVL with a speed gun at 129 kmph and at that speed. Try drag racing a well maintained RE Machismo 500 AVL and a RE Classic 500 and you will be surprised with the results.

Hi Somen. I am very much aware of what I have penned down. There is no point paying Rs. 1.65+ Lacs on a fuel-injected RE C5 since its cruising capabilities are limited to 110 kmph, anything above that and you are looking for trouble. Brakes are a huge disappointment on the C5, the front locks very readily which could mean your face on the tarmac in no time esp during rains. The RE C5 is an over-rated and over-hyped bike, its more for the posers/show-offs. A 500cc fuel-injected UCE mill should be mated to a chassis so as to be able to cruise at a comfortable 130 kmph all day with a top whack of around 160 kmph. Even the damn brakes are so in-effective on all RE's. Hence my vote to the CBR for being an overall better bike and definitely more forgiving. We Indians are falling prey to RE's new marketing gimmicks and shelling out our hard earned money for a piece of crap. A P220 DTSi at half the cost and way better features as compared to an RE C5 will be able to smoke the RE C5 on any given day. RE products lack serious performance, are shabbily built and to top it all over-hyped and over-priced. For those who call RE C5 a tourer, what good is a FI 500cc tourer that cannot sustain and isn't stable at speeds above 110 kmph????

Still i would say RE is not for racing. Why would a person buy a RE which is no where in dynamics and race beyond 90kmph ??? It's Chasie design is too not for 120kmph. Then why will you ride at such high speed.

I am a R15 owner and i have raced against 2 CL 500 and i must say that machine runs like hell. He was catching me with a pillion at speed of 128kmph !!! R15 can't get 120+kmph with a piilion wih out screaming engine and a short cut to heaven!!!

R15 or Pulsar today has great designs and shapes !!! They are made for riding at high speed but not made for touring.

Friend if you own RE from past many years and you Race against such bikes then it's really sad to say that you are not a RE lover.

People don't buy RE for speed or great ABS brakes type....

People buy RE just for self esteem world, i.e Torque / Stability and Status of RE!!



Absolutely right 1.7L for only engine and look is too much but still people are dying ang queued to buy RE.



absolutely !!

P220 ??? It's a way different bike, my friend.

I guess you frustrated by your RE !!

Why are you comapring RE with P220 or any other bikes ??

Can P220 or any other bike ride up a Ladakh with no sign on stains ??? Nope no bike.

Can any bike give you effortless touring pleasure with a pillion nope. not compare to RE. Awenger is goos but it's not that up to RE.

People buy RE becuase they love it, not for showing off!! RE stands for decades as it is, thus nay bike stands as it is ???

RE is surely not a Speed / Handling/ looks but with all issues we accept RE as our loved Bike!!!

Technology ??? what technology are you talking my friend??

a 350cc giving you an average of 40kmpl, this speaks technology
a 500cc gives you an average of 30kmpl this is technology....

R15/P220/NS200/CBR are all best bike till date and gives a mileage of 40kmpl here and there. what a technology. If RE improves it's designs than no bike will stand there!!

You have Machismo which is a legend RE bike.

I have owned a CBZ and a Karizma in the past. I currently own a RE Electra 5S since 2006 and a Yamaha FZ-S 2011. Have a pretty good variety you can say!

One of the big reasons people buy RE (in the past or now) because RE doesn't have a direct competition or an alternative. I am not talking about performance when I say direct competition. I am talking about primarily the design of the motorcycle. Now, design of a motorcycle and the way it looks always make important factors while buying a motorcycle/car. You can be satisfied with a motorcycle's performance, but if you do not feel good when you look at it, then it becomes quite a deal breaker. That's a truth.

I am pretty sure if RE had a direct competitor with a design that would remind of yester-years, with better reliability and with a distinct sound of its own (like an RE) then things would have been much difficult and challenging for RE today. The Classics are the most eye pleasing REs to date. No questions about it and it tells in the numbers they are selling.

The UCE engine seems to be the best RE engine by far; however, it has been designed and tuned in a different way. The latest 500cc mill from develops around 27bhp at crank while a CBR also manages pretty close to it with a 250cc engine. The differences don't end here. REs have never been high revving machines. They peak out at much lower revs than a modern single cylinder Honda engine (just an example). Moreover, REs are heavy machines with non aerodynamic body that further reduces any high speed performance.

RE did good that they finally came out with their most efficient engine so far with UCE. It's quicker, faster and smoother than previous RE engines. However, they seem to have forgotten the rest of the motorcycle! The new engine is more powerful but the chassis and rest of the body remains age old. Even in the Classics, the chassis hasn't been changed other than mounting points for the new UCE engine! The new engines that are faster require better chassis design for better high speed stability and handling since new engines are capable of reaching relatively higher speeds than the old RE engines. They seem to have understood that a little bit and that is probably the reason they have put a new swing-arm in the upcoming T'Bird 500. But I believe they need to redesign the whole chassis that was actually designed to hold engines of the past!

Compared to CBR250R in performance, the CL500 is not equally good at maintaining anything north of 110kmph. Even with the new UCE engines, high speed riding is a pain with vibrations that will rattle the teeth out of the mouth! The comfortable touring speed would not be more than what the latest R15 would manage with equal ease.

RE still has a long way to go and there's still room for lot of changes/improvements in various areas in their motorcycles. In my opinion, RE is currently having a dream run (sort of) due to lack of any direct competition. And anyone who believes that Harley is any sort of competitor to RE is highly misinformed about the American giant. Please, no comparisons there, not even in dreams! Harley is in a different league when you talk about RE at the other end.

But I believe this is how motorcycles like RE are designed. For example, if you compare the performance of a 1500cc Harley to that of a 600cc Japanese sport motorcycle, I believe we will end up experiencing similar dissatisfaction with the performance of Harley just like in the case of CBR250R vs CL500. Different designs, different riding styles, different purpose, eh!!

Regarding choosing between CBR250R and Classic 500. I think it's fairly easy! Just sort out the preferences! Putting aside how different these two motorcycles are, CBR250R is a better motorcycle overall by far in my opinion.

I feel this comparison shouldn't be happening in the first place. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Or else, next we will start comparing a Iron 883 with the R6 or CBR600RR and then conclude that how unreliable and slow the 883 is when compared to the Japs supersports despite having a bigger CC engine and will pass it away as a utter waste of money which is certainly not right. Similarly, C500 and CBR250 are world apart and are built for different people. Classic is a niche product whereas CBR250 is a mass product for those who like to sport commute. I really like the Classic for its appeal, power and laid back character whereas the CBR250 is in a league of its own. In the end, it entirely depends on your choice and I chose to book the C5 instead of CBR (didn't test ride it) since I anyways wanted it. But there's no denying that CBR250 is a brilliant machine indeed and so is the C5.

@The One: I have explained the same in my previous post

The main purpose of my post was to share my thoughts on what RE lacks.

Sure you did my friend. I just needed to put it across in my words

Re: Honda CBR250 R or RE Classic 500 Desert Storm

It's a really old thread that I happened to chance upon but it interested me because I own both these bikes. I have owned the CBR250R for much longer that the DS. Like a lot of people have already pointed out, the 2 bikes are worlds apart.

RE Desert storm

Pros :
Brilliant Torque. Pulls anything. 2 people with luggage is no problem at all. Even in city traffic you'll find yourself not having to downshift as often.
Very comfortable for the pillion. Ample space for 2 people even when wearing backpacks.
Lower seat height. So suits shorter riders as well. My wife who is 5ft 4in tall, who is also rider, handles the RE quite easily but struggles to get both feet down on the CBR.
Upright riding position is comfortable although the spring loaded seat can give you butt aches on longer rides.

Cons :
Vibrations. Although it's typical for REs to have vibrations, the mirrors on the DS become quite useless once you reach speeds of over 70-80kmph.
The build quality is still not up to the mark. Definitely not for a bike worth 1.85L. It's common to see parts developing rust, utility boxes don't close properly at times.
Instrumentation is poor but I guess it was sacrificed for traditional looks.
rear drum brakes are useless. Front brakes aren't bad but the combination of front disc and rear drum still doesn't give you confidence that the bike will stop when you want it to.

Honda CBR250R

Pros:
Power! Revs up beautifully. Picks up speed in no time. When it crosses the 4-4.5K RPM range, you can feel the bike lunge forward eagerly. The gear shift is smooth and sharp and the throttle response is always consistent.
Very precise braking. Stops on a dime. Even without ABS, braking is very precise as long as you know how to brake right. But if you are a person who uses the rear brake a lot, then I would suggest going for the ABS option.
Cruising at 100+ kmph is no problem at all. I have cruised at 120+ for longer durations and I have never felt that the bike is unstable.
Very reliable. I have done close to 10,000 km and I have never had any problem with the bike. I have never had to get anything fixed on the bike. Just routine services to check engine oil and keep all parts lubricated.
Very trendy and informative instrument cluster.
I'm about 5' 9" and it's the perfect size for me. Shorter riders might find it too tall while taller riders (over 6ft) might find the riding position (knees especially) too crammed.

Cons :
It's more of a solo rider bike. Pillion will struggle on this bike. Gives you a backache if on long rides . If the rider is wearing a backpack, the pillion has no place to sit.
As in all sports bikes with full fairing, the handle doesn't turn much which makes it difficult for you to get the bike into and out of tight parking spots.
Low end torque although not bad will make you downshift often when in city traffic.
Even though it's designed to be a tourer it still has racing DNA in it. So your riding position isn't totally upright. If you do not know how to support your body weight with your thighs and upper body, you'll end up putting all your weight on your wrists while braking and they'll start to hurt in no time. Long rides will give you some wrist pain anyway.
Not all Honda service centres service CBR250R. I live in Bangalore and I don't have much problem finding ones that do but if you are on a tour and need some servicing you'll have to look around a bit to find a service centre


If you are a solo rider who likes speed, agility and smooth riding, you should go for the CBR. If you are more of a relax laid back tourer who loves the thump then DS is the right bike. They are both great bikes and they both get you enough attention on the road.