Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Atleast 35 in the worst of conditions. on the best of conditions you may even get 40-42kmpl with good driving and good quality/quantity of fuel

( I say Quantity as well because once i noticed FE dropped sharply and consistently, until i changed the fuel station and the FE came back to normal. No other bad fuel issues. So my only conclusion was, they were probably not pumping the whole litre)

Choosing a Thunderbird - 350-Carb or 500-FI?

Between Thunderbird 350 and Thunderbird 500, which one makes more sense? I like TB, and since I don't find any naked bike around 2 lacs appealing, I am seriously considering TB - I don't mind the cost difference if TB 500 indeed has significant advantages. I am little concerned about FI since it requires minimum fuel in the tank and I am worried how would that affect when I am touring and also about the quality of fuel. Moreover, I am also concerned about RE's quality of FI - as in failure of fuel pump etc.

Those who own TB-500, have you faced any issues as far as FI is concerned? Any problem with fuel pump or FI indicator for low fuel? Any problems with bad quality fuel? What kind of fuel efficiency (KMPL) one can expect from TB 350 and TB 500 respectively?

Re: Choosing a Thunderbird - 350-Carb or 500-FI?

Dear Rider,

Keihin used to be the FI system used in 500cc variants of all REs (they mentioned so in the tech specs earlier), which is the same used in many other FI motorbikes available in market (even ninja). So the FI system is inherently reliable by make. A fuel pump, like any other fluid pump will be damaged by a dry running. Other than that, unlike many other REs, TBTS is blessed with a Fuel Gauge (not very accurate though) so in city driving you can manage to keep fuel levels high enough to be safe for FI. While touring, there can be several alternatives like, plotting your route with all fuel stations in consideration or Jerry can, can be implemented to keep the bike fuelled always.

Apart from that, the 500cc version (as told to me by the dealer) has many different sensors all over the bike used which input data to EFI system and helps it in determining the fuel mixture as well as certain safety objectives. Any of the sensor disconnecting,malfunctioning can cause the EFI to not work properly. But a regular checkup can keep you safe from such an instance.

The most prominent member of Xbhp goes by user name J.Ravi, his excerpts Me And My Bluebird include details on his ownership of his 500cc TBTS and he has literally scaled the country with his bike, with no failures at all!.

This goes to show that with a regular maintenance and an eye for daily visual checks, 500cc bikes can be as reliable as any other RE.

Fuel Economy of 500cc and 350cc might be around atleast 32 to at the most 40 kmpl respectively, then again there may be quite a few exceptional cases here.

Add to this the locomotive like power 500ccs pack!


As to your first concern, Which one makes more sense.:-

If you ITS NOT YOUR PRIMARY and ONLY Ride, and if you can afford it, 500cc makes more sense, purely because Why Not!. If you can afford it, and if it makes you happy go for it.

If you plan to take it more on tours and less on daily commute, 500cc makes more sense, the added power definitely comes handy.

If Its your Only bike and your usage is More for commute and occasionally for tours, then 350 may be more appropriate. This is because, REs are air-cooled engines, city traffic may not always allow you to get enough road (without stops, signals, traffic jams, etc) to get sufficient air to flow over the 500cc engine block and to allow it to get the necessary cooling.

(But then that is my personal opinion, and there may be difference of perspective out here)

Re: Choosing a Thunderbird - 350-Carb or 500-FI?

Thanks for your detailed reply, this would be my primary and only ride (besides car). I don't want two or more two motorbikes for myself. My main concern is reliability with REs given their reputation for niggles, and lack of tubeless is another concern (though that can be taken care of by adding aftermarket alloys+tubeless)

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Hey buddy. I wont say 'i have an re and its running with no issues'. That'd be too typical. This opinion is something you have to build up. Coz thats where your confidence will stem from later on. If not, then it'll just be a nightmare ownership...

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

I agree. But then you cannot take the plunge without reasonable confidence either, right?
I had horrible experience in the past with Kinetic/Sym (now Mahindra/Sym) vehicles and wouldn't ever buy a Mahindra vehicle again. And I cautious about about other purchases as well.

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Here, something for confidence. My classic is around 47k kms in the odo. Have suffered 3 punctures till now. Nothing else. The spark plugs and air filter was changed thrice.

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Hello,

Thanks for your reply!
I'm going for a 350 cause I'll be using it mostly in the city of Mumbai, which has a lot of traffic.
I was planning to get a new or slightly used standard 350 and installing an electric start maybe later.

Reason I'm going for the standard is cause I heard it pulls better and I don't require to change gears so frequently on low speeds.
Due to heavier crank.

With my height I can easily handle any bullet right?

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Do check again, with the new engines, whether there is still any difference between STD and Other variants w.r.t the crank.

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Hi all, Im a 5'7" rider and i currently own a honda and clocked over 28k in it. I'd like to buy a new bike and as far as my rides were concerned im very much into a comfortable bike both for me and the pillion. I had plans of buying the classic 350 as im a college goer and standard doesnt suit me currently ( nor does she like it) i had thought of it as a comfortable bike for my needs based on my short rides on it. A few days back i rode the classic for almost the whole day covering roughly 100 kms with pillion and man it is so not comfortable i couldn't sit on the floor as my tailbone would hurt. I even got a blister on my hand so it is my most humble request to everyone to let me know what are my options as a comfortable bike and i was keen on the thunderbird too but is out of budget slightly more than classic so please help me.?

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Hello,
I'll be going with the Electra 350.
As my dad says, electric start Is very important. Specially in Mumbai traffic. I guess, I'm OK as long as its a Enfield! (I was leaning towards the standard, cause of the higher crank)

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

if your budget is around 1.5L then do check out duke 200? it would suit you college goers. it's zippy, light weight and low cost of maintenance. guess it will have some exclusivity factor too. else IMO hondas/yamahas under 1Lakh are all same.

and some day far away you will like RE and your skin will be mature enough to not get blisters

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Its a very very good bike but it is the least comfortable tourer and even my girl wouldnt like the pillion seat of duke as a commuter thats why i hadnt considered it

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Try a thunderbird and share what you think.

Re: Choosing a Royal Enfield? Ask here...

Hello Everyone,
Need your help to clear a doubt regarding tappet noise.
I was using standards 350cc CI for almost 10 years and was getting tappets adjusted on regular basis for noise reduction. Now I'm looking forward to purchase a new electra or classic 350cc UCE (Disc brake & self start are key requirements).
I want to understand from your experience, how do you reduce tappet noise in new 350cc UCE engines??
Is it possible to adjust in same way as old CI engines??
How to ensure the correct tappet setting & reduce noise.

Thank you

Gagan