Bike Choice Discussion Approved

Welcome to xBhp.

If I were you, I would buy the RE Electra 5S. Never goes out of style, and is loads of fun to ride. Maintenance is easy too... I prefer the cast iron RE engine over the AVL Machismo because of less valve chatter and of the solid RE exhaust note...

And is built like a truck.

ot

err pardon me for being a noob,does the ci come with a 5 speed tranny with a left shifter and a self starter

The Electra 5S has left foot gear change with 5 gears and electric starter is optional. That is a welcome change from the older Electra 4S. The old 4G gearbox sucks - the gears are sticky as hell and crude, to say the least.

@ deepakkeshan - wait a few more days for news on the launch of the new 500 cc - has a LOT more power than existing models, and high quality bits. But the price might be much higher than existing RE's.

There ain't no doubt that the R15 is the best bike in India in 1lakh bracket.

I would like to differ on the opinion of bluevolt here, I have been riding the bullet electra 5S for around 3 years now, and it is not fun at all! And it requires maintenance, though it is quite cheap to maintain, that is it. It is slow, sluggish, handling though neutral it is damn lazy, 19inch tyres suck and the brakes too!! And it is not really comfortable for either rider or pillion over long distances due to not so good suspension, which is again a big misconception among people that bullets are very comfortable, especially those who haven't really ridden it!

I am glad that RE is finally ditching the Cast Iron engine for good. For the first time, they are going in the right direction. That's my experience

Well, being old school, I love classics, and IMHO the cast engine RE's are a joy to ride. I have owned and ridden other bikes like the 250 Hornet and CB400, but I won't go to comparing a RE with them because these are SO different in character.

If you thought a Royal Enfield was about riding fast and contemporary mechanicals, then you have been riding the wrong bike for the last five years. And RE's are comfortable - I can vouch for that, having done many tours, often riding for 10-11 hours at a stretch. Do that on a R15, and you'd be giving the neighbourhood physiotherapist some good business Comfort cannot be defined only by suspension, but the seat and the riding position counts as well.

If you look after your RE well, then there is absolutely no maintenance besides the periodic service. You would have to lube your clutch wire/gear box, and clean your plugs once in a while, but that's hardly classified as maintenance.

And besides, once you buy a RE, you are set for life. No need to keep up with the 'latest' version, because classics don't go out of style.

I can relate to your 'slow, sluggish and damn lazy' part because I get that feeling once in a while - that is why I am going to buy my second bike next month, which will be a sports commuter.

But if I had 1 lakh and no bike, I would close my eyes and buy the Electra... I guess everyone to his own!

I will suuggest RE Electra 5S. It is the best in my opinion.
Got Electric Start/Disc Brake/ Cast Iron Engine/5 gears and that too on left side.
Its like the Best of Both Worlds.

Me too mostly buying Electra although the Standard 350 impresses me more.

Go for the Electra 5s. It has got the original thump due to the cast iron engine. There won't be much issues, if you maintain it well.

Very well said bro.... A Royal Enfield is not for those traffic light GPs,hardcore acceleration and scalpel sharp handling....

So ur preferences r the Mach 350 n electra.... Strike off the mach 350 from ur list.... Both Mach 350 n 500 models r stopped! Its a part of history now.... U wont fine the mach series in the RE website model list either!

Go for electra 5S bro. With both eyes closed and both hands wide open.... Also considering the low maintainance,efficiency,comfort and being more advanced version among all the BULLs I would also like to recommend u to consider the Thunderbird TWINSPARK[But at the cost of the classic look of the bullet and the Thump].

If you've set your mind for a Bullet, then Electra 5S is the best of both worlds. You get the CI engine from the Standard 350 and the 'modern features' like left side shifter, disc upfront and electric start. I made my decision against buying a ZMA and got myself a bike for a lifetime last week. Respect the bike and it won't disappoint you; ride it weaving around like a 150-cc commuter and you'll learn a lesson (I did today in a parking lot; heavily brushed my leg with a scooter's muffler and just managed to save the bike from falling).

Comfort is the best among any of the bikes I have ridden. A clay road with tractor-ravaged tracks and the bike jumps around like a nimble creature. My CBZ* gave me a bad back when taken on that road once or twice. One suggestion: change to MRF 3.5" as soon as you can, handling would improve. I am yet to do that. Ditto for a change in 55/60W headlight bulb and holder.

I will recommend you
1. Yamaha Fz 16 (for riding comfort and style and durability)
2. Yamaha Fazer(same as fz16 but with more style)
3. Bajaj Pulsar 220 DTSI(for power and mileage ,though it require more maintainence)

and you can save 20 to 25 thousand for ffuel and any mod also .

No comments bro....

But nothing other than a Royal Enfield can satisfy a man who has set out to buy a Royal Enfield.

I agree with that. But this thing requires regular care and maintenance.And then unreliability while touring.Got struct once in the highway with nowhere to go! The only reason i do not like those But i respect them sole-heartedly.

If you want a hassle free bike, go for karizma. Be it R or ZMR.

Just my 2 cents.

--Himanshu

@satellite.kid - i have both, and i can safely say, that there are many days when i am bored of riding the R15, and i gladly park her for a week or so, and enjoy my T-bird to the max.

A bullet aint about the speed, its about all that weight and big moutha machine moving down the road!!!

@OP- the electra 5s would be a good balance of both worlds, just get a disc brake model, very helpful on the bullets!!