As promised please find some more pics attached for your reference. PS: To fit a TB seat you need those clamps as seen on the pic beside the original hook. Also if you have noticed the back side of the seat is slightly different from the original TB seat which is lean and slopes down at the end. Thats accommodating in TB because it has the back rest for the pillion but if you fit a back rest on Electra it will spoil the looks. So the initial problem with TB seat was the Pillion rider had the danger of falling back every now and then. So to avoid this i added more cushion on the back with a curvy finishing on the back side. It worked wonder and pillion rider sits without holding the rider.
Don't have the pics with earlier handles this one is of Electra's.

Thanks for pics Dude.. They look awesome...Some questions though -

Do you know how much it will cost me to de these mods for the Electra at least on the approximate side -
1. Changing the seats to match something of a thunderbird.
2. Changing the handles to either RD or that of thunderbird.
3. Changing the tyre to broader ones.
4. Adding a disc brake at the rear.

When i bought my machismo 350 in 2008, i thought 350 was good enough for my usage. After a while i kept cursing myself for not buying the machismo 500. Sometime later, classic 500 was launched and i jumped and booked one.

If you are looking at best of both the worlds, and love touring, save some money, and go for UCE 500. Dont trust me, take a test rider of various models and experience it for your self.
Yeah, about 30kmpl is what a typical c5 would give. sedate riding on highways will give upto around 35 as well.. If you can live with such average, then no issues.

I dont mean to say that 350 cc bulls are not good. I have had some memorable times with my machismo 350, and i still have it. the new UCE 350 engine is a gem as well and a very capable tourer. Its just that when another 150 cc can give you that extra 9 bhp and extra 20 odd nm of torque, then why not.

I just mean is dont make a haste decision, like i did with my mach 350, analyze your need/requirement/usage, and go for the best possible option, be it a honda, bajaj, enfield, etc.

why not the new thunderbird 500?
- projector headlamp
- rear disc brake
- 20L fuel tank

but the negative :
- 1.8L atleast
- 25-30kmpl
- you won't get it before 6 months from today.

In case your are ready to wait and can shell out that amount, I think it's worth it!

The new thunderbird 500 share the same heart thats UCE 500. Also, we are not very sure of its launch. could be 3 months, could be 13 months?
And once the bike is launched, there is going to be a wait peroid of 8months +, looking at REs current production capabilities.

Cost may be another factor. Even being conservative, RE will add about 10k for rear disc, and about another 25-30k for all the other features such as projectors, leds, powder-coats, thicker forks, new SA , seats instrument cluster etc. RE is not really known for competitive pricing, hence i feel TB500 may not be less then 2L ORT.


Also, one should be cautious of a new product from RE. when C5 was launched in europe, RE lovers went mad appreciating its curves. When the bike was launched in india, it had a plethora of niggles and issues. RE itself identified some 55 odd revisions / modifications to improve the bike. Most of them have been taken care in the current models. So better to wait for a few months, then jump at a new product from RE.

TB500 definitely looks promising, and hope it meets expectations. I am sure it would be a good buy, provided one has a stretchable budget, and and time to wait.

6-7k

I completely agree with what Nasirkaka said in above posts. As i had said in my previous post that my classic will come home in a weeks time. The whole reason for going for CL500 was UCE, EFI and 500 CC. 350 is enough power to enjoy for city rides but when you hit the highway you feel like having that extra mile

TB500 is too early to jump in Cl500 has gone through revisions rectifying major of the minor niggles with the bike. Its been more than 2 yrs since the bike has been launched and hit the roads. If your budget permits go for cl500 otherwise get hold of some good used bike, have some RE experience , ride for half a year and then sell it off to buy the bike you feel like.

Thanks Guys.. After much though I have eliminated TB out of my equation. And since I am not too much into touring and all, I am assuming 350cc would best suit me.

A question though -
How is the Standard 350 different from the Electra apart from the Disc brakes. The question why I ask this is, Standard 350CC is available through canteen for me as my Dad is in Defence and I will save around 15k by buying so but want to know what is the real difference between the 2.

are you sure about 15k difference. When i inquired about the Classic 500 at CSD the difference was mere 4-5k.

It's 14% off at CSD rate Dude...

Seems I will go with Electra as the disc brake and gas charged suspension is outweighing the feature of Std Bullet. Will have to paint it over once I get it...I just do not like the steel colour at the front and rear....

Will try to go to showroom tomorrow and get a test ride again to make sure I am satisfied

Dude is the classic available through CSD

Std 350 and Classic 500 are available in Chennai through CSD.

I think the 14% off is on std because when i inquired about the classic 500 the CSD rate and showroom price differed by just 6-8k. So was not worth the effort to go through CSD channel with all those hassles.

but my friend one last doubt is there any waiting period while buying it via csd

The waiting period is still the same and I heard when going through CSD the period even gets prolonged by a month or two.