Topic Approved

Machismo 500LB is the way to go
Cast irons(some people refer to them as real bullets) are low on performance compared to AVL's although AVL engine have mechanical clatter,and also CI engines might be phased out soon.

my friend bought machismo350 and he regrets now for not opting 500. so by the way things are with us, i vote for Machismo500.

My experience with Electra 5s

Hi,

I have purchased Electra 5s (red), 8 months back and have crossed 5000kms. My experience fully support my decision of going for Bullet.

For fullest experience, I take my bike on highway to a trip of 100kms+ on weekends with maximum speed of 90kmph (I go for more speed only for short runs). It is simply awesome in control, heavy for any form of vibrations and I run the bike varying speeds between 60 to 90kmphs (maximum speed for shorter duration and minimum speed for maximum). My favourite spots to visit are Pune-Mahabaleshwar (1side 110 kms), Pune-Jejuri (1side 78kms), Pune-Nashik (1side 210kms) etc..

I like the DBES, Torque, Speed and handling of the bike, which I think is the best in class without trading off anything. Just one side-effect of purchasing bullet, I am well educated of the bike now (considering working, minor repairs, although never needed) and have a good friend circle of Bullet-engineers

Simple Advice, Just go for it, you will never regret your decision..

Machismo 500Lb is the way to go..Mine's just completed second service and i'm loving it.. The Torque is amazing. The "Thump Factor" can be improved to a certain extent by doing the following-

1) Open up the silencer. At the point where the Bend pipe meets the silencer, is the Cat Con.Get it welded free and throw it away. Ur bike will now breathe much better and U will notice a difference in both the Thump as well as the way the bike moves.

2) Remove the Pulse Air Valve or just have the mechanic stick a Ball bearing in the hole effective blocking it and rendering it useless. That will take care of the clatter when the throttle is closed and u are coasting.

3) Take out the Long Silencer box and store it. Replace it with a short bottle silencer. The original one costs Rs 850. Don't get the Electra one with the Glass Wool costing Rs 1,300. Get the one that is more free Flowing used in the Standard 350.

Now zoom Ur bike and listen to the sweet music from the exhaust.
None of the above modifications are harmful to the engine in any way.

Oh and after 3,000 kms, have ur mechanic replace the shims on the rockers with slightly thicker ones. After another 200 kms, get the tappets slightly loosened.

Now Ur bike will really sound/ feel great, trust me. And Boy, will it mooooveee..

Change Engine Oil at 100, 500, 1,000 and thereafter every 1,000kms regardless of what the manual says. Kick start the bike every morning and if it has not been run for a couple of hours.

Oh and one more thing, a lot of people in the forum and elsewhere have been complaining about the bike Misfiring when the throttle is closed and when coasting ( Like downhill). I was plagued with similar problems and finally located the fault. Seems that at the point where the Rubber Hose connects the carbuttor to the engine, there is a groove meant for a metal ring. This was missing right from the start (RE Quality control!) and air was leaking out from it. Got it for 8 bucks and problem solved.

Hope this helps..

I have a 30 day old Bullet Machismo LB500 which has done about 2200 km. Here are the issues I have faced. The valve nuts were defective and were making a light rattle. So they replaced both the valves at 880 kms. The PAV conked off at 1500 kms. Again, warranty replaced. The crash guard developed a crack at it's mount and the silencer gasket blew. Warranty replaced. Speedo cable conked out at the same time. Warranty replaced. These issues are not to scare you but to portray a real picture as to what exactly you are getting into. Bullets will be maintenance intensive, make no mistake about that. But, these are relatively minor issues for a Royal Enfield. And as long as you have warranty, you don't need to worry much. Meanwhile, though the LB500 is superior in performance, it requires more maintenance than the AVL350. The sprag clutch remains a niggling issue with many LB500s reporting loose pistons, early in their lives. For more reliability, I recommend the Machismo AVL350. The reason being, a couple of my friends have AVL350s which have run for over a lakh kms each before a rebuild. On the whole, the AVLs have better abuse tolerance than the CI engines.

Coming to the Electra, if you have an easy throttle hand and ride easy, go for it. The Electra is one of the last CI motorcycle which will be built by Enfield and you will be holding on to a piece of magnificent motorcycle history. Also, if the classic bullet thump is your criteria, you have to buy the Electra. I am not suggesting the STD350 as it is a totally different beast although it shares the same CI engine with the Electra. Okie, after reading my review about the LB500, you may be a little worried. The fact still remains, I love my Machismo 500 and I really don't mind these small niggles which can be easily rectified. The fact of the matter is, Bullets have old engine technology which will have some teething problems intitially. But, Once a bullet settles down and is on song, there is nothing like it on our Indian roads. I am loving each moment of it and learning a lot from my motorcycle every passing day . As a fellow forumer on another forum said, bullets are sold by RE as premature babies. We need to lovingly nurture them to induce reliability. Get the drift?

Hey Zwaltek,

First & foremost, congratulations on deciding on this brand, welcome aboard man.

As for which particular model you should go in for, ask yourself as to what would you want & see yourself riding. For me it would have been the LB500 for the simple reason that it is 500cc & has got more torque than the 350cc (I am talking about & comparing the two Machismo twins). I can live with some problems even if they are a little more with the 500cc, but then I cannot compromise on power & torque.

Although coming down to facts, as somebody here rightly pointed out, if you want a slightly easier life then go in for the AVL 350. I don't own an AVL machine, but a lot of my friends do & trust me, the AVL 350 is more durable in simpler terms.

About the debate on CI & AVL engines, it will be a never ending story, but then decide based on following,

CI : better thump, cheaper parts relative to AVLs, lesser vibrations & clatter, although their mileage is about 3-4 kms lesser than their AVL counterpart & also these cannot be revved as much as the AVL engines.

AVL : better accelaration & top end, more mileage, but you end up paying more for spares & compromise on the thump.

Take care.

Happy thumping,
Prakhar

Thank you very much everybody. It's really nice of you to have spend time on these precises answer. I did not buy it yet but i think i will go for the 500cc even if i understood that i will probably have to spend sometime at the mechanics, at least for the beginning. The second reason i am going for the 500cc is that it's have the Euro 3 norm and that will be easier to import it in case i have to go back to europe.

Now i have to find my way to "how and where the hell do we obtain a driver license" ?

Zwaltek,

You will have to visit your nearest RTO. The Pune xbhpians will be able to assist you on this. Meanwhile, I don't know the procedure for a foreign citizen getting an Indian driving licence. This, assuming that you are a foreigner. If you happen to be one, I guess you'd be able to manage with your international driving licence from wherever you hail from.

Cheers,
Jay

great piece of advice bro!
i also own the 500lb, its an amazing machine.
done 2850 kms yet, will be doing the aforesaid mods soon.

yeah ! i have the bike since saturday. that is such a cosy engine, i love it.
thanks for all the nice advices, that's great.
cheers and have good rides.
ez

I have purchase a Machismo 350 of 1999 model...dhuk....dhuk....dhuk...

I love this

Royal Enfield Bullet 350

Hi Guys,

A friend of mine wants to go for a Bullet 350 Standard, but the major concern is the maintenance of the bike. He wants a hassle free bike which should not have problems every now and then. Regular service and other stuff is fine. So how does the Bullet 350 score in terms of maintenance?? Either Std. 350 or he might look into other options. Your help and suggestions are much appriciated.

Thanks in advance.

Topic Approved.