I spoke with the RE dealer here in bangalore and he said that it is possible to fit the 18 inchers from the classic and it should be a straight forward fit and should nt require too much modifications. But the issue is the availibilty of the 18" wheels with RE dealers.

thnx & what about silencer of cl 350 in thunderbird & sitting position

I personally think that the upswept C350/500 silencer will look too good on the Tbird. It s meant to give a trails bike look, but the T bird being a Roadster/Cruiser it will not fit too well in the visual scheme. But it should be fittable no problem. The seating position well You could try an Electra handle if you like one other xbhpian has done this check it out

thnx again for suggestions & nice modifications done to thunderbird

Indeed, it has chnaged the look of the ATbird. Brilliant it is. Done by one of oour fellow memebers called pentagram.

Finally took delivery of my Electra on 07th July 2010.

Will be posting review of it shortly.

Congrats...

Congrats bro!! been waiting for mine and its always another week...........

What is the relaxed cruising speed for an Electra and Classic 500?

I am contemplating between the two for touring purpose. I like Classic 500 only for its superior power. So, if Electra can cruise comfortably at 90-100 kmph, I would go for it.

Electra or CL500??

Hi guys,

I've been deliberating over a purchase for the last few months. Initially, my problem was that I was looking for a "one size fit all bike". But now I've narrowed it down to two, the Electra TS and the Cl500. (please don't think out aloud while deliberating on such an issue. Your wife might threaten to leave you. ).

IMHO, the Electra makes much more sense than the Cl350, so I had no problem in ruling it out. Now between the Electra and the Cl500,

Electra:
1. Shorter waiting period.
2. Easier to work with (but)
3. Really plain looking and ordinary handling/suspension.

Cl500:
1. Might just be the best Bull ever, sheer torque monster (but)
2. Waiting time extremely painful.
3. Many cite reliability issues.
4. Seat not all that comfortable.

My question is, are the points I've listed out for the Cl500 valid? If the reliability is comparable to the Electra, and the seating is comfy enough for a 700km run over a few days, I don't mind waiting for 8 months.

Please do help me guys. Am completely lost on this one.

P.S: You might end up saving my marriage as well

i liked the pictures of TBTS i looks gr8 with the electra handlebar n changed my thinking abt this bike...i wanted to have smaller tyre at rear like 16''....what you think...??as TBTS is too high from rear...

Hey Man, I was about to book C-500 and saw ur comment on EFI. Now, I am in doubt . Yesterday itself, I tried Thunderbird TS (3months old) and C-500. I felt TBTS was jolting, vibrating a lot. Also, I felt it is underpowered and was not very responsive to the Throttle.
While C-500 was a sheer pleasure to ride, it was like the engine is waiting for the throttle to make just a little movement and the power was like injected in the machine. It was so responsive to the throttle.
The pickup on 2-3 gear in low speed was a huge difference in C-500 and TBTS. C-500 was way too better.
When I discussed it with the RE guy, he said, TBTS is 350 cc so it felt under-powered. And, the vibrations in TBTS was more coz its not Fuel-injected and anyways, the vibs can be adjusted through RPMs, is it so?? Also, I was not comparing TBTS with C-500 for power, its like it just felt underpowered and not have pickup as expected.
I don't know maybe the pickup or more precisely "throttle response" was not better as it was test-ride bike and was not maintained. I don't know.

Anyways TBTS is out of consideration now. And, now I am i dilemma should I book C-500 or C-350. The doubts are:

For C-350 - Will its performance be same as TBTS, under-powered, less responsive to throttle, and lots of vibrations??
The major concern for C-350 is its pickup, throttle response.

For C-500 - As you said, how reliable is its EFI?? Also, if some prob comes, then I guess local mechanics wont be able to fix it as its EFI and may be the locals wouldn't know what to do with it. Also, will the EFI give trouble in low temperatures and for that matter how the EFI perform in non-normal temps - high or low.

So, in a nutshell, the deciding factor is
For C-350 its pickup, throttle response
For C-500 its EFI system reliability

Lots of doubts I have now?? anyone care to help..

Thanks

Hi Friends,

Thanks for your valuable inputs, I have planned to a RE in 3 months. I was totally confused which one to choose TBTS or Electra TS. I loved both the vehicles, but last week I went for a test drive. TBTS is like a luxury vehicle, If you need the feel and pleasure of a bullet, please go for Electra. I was very happy after the test drive. You will feel like you have done some thing great when you are riding the beast.

At the last its your decision to chose the right beast for you. Enjoy riding the Beast

Manoj

harishuti

Hi All

I have taken an Electra UCE last week after a wait of 3 months in Bangalore. Am damn happy to use it or rather I create reasons to use my Bull. I have read many threads on comparisons between Electra UCE and Classic 350. I had ride both the C350 and Electra and I have felt the below points:

Comfort: I felt Electra a bit better than C350, because of the long step seat. In C350, I tend to slip back a bit due to single seat.

Handle Bar: In Electra, you have got an elevated Handle for wider hand strech, while in C350, you have a standard handle. Lookwise, it might go good with C350, but for longer cruise I felt elevated handles would give more comfort as it is in TBTS.

Tyre Size: There is a long debate in tyre size in Electra and C350. Yes, C350 has got wider tyres than Electra and it might be giving a bit better acceleration as well compared to Electra. But RE would have made researches to fit 3.25x19" tyres for Electra and it gives enough comfort for Electra rides. Only thing to make sure is to fit MRF tyres for durability than factory fitted Dunlop Tyres. Luckily mine came with factory fitted MRF tyres for Front and Rear

Modifications: Since Electra comes with more chrome fittings, its much easier to make modifications than compared to any models of RE. If people feels that there a gap between rear mudguard and tyre, it can be replaced with a Standard Chrome back mudguard (Quality Metal Industries Products - Mudguards)
A chrome head light shade, chrome side stand and a chrome saree guard can add a real retro look to the Electra model, but some feels its too much a chrome.

I didn't see any reason for me to change the silencers eventhough there is not enough thump. As an environmental rider, I feel we should support RE's compliance with pollution norms. Having said that, there are a lot of after market options to change the silences after a couple of intial services. The popular choices of silencers are Short Bottle and Sans Inc silencers.

Cons: These are actually not Cons, but places where RE could have improved in Electra Models for the price of the Bull we pay.

• A fuel gauge: as this is a default meter in all vehicles these days. Gone are those days, you open the petrol tank and see the level of petrol. I don't believe this would be a costlier affair for RE to input in all models
• Rear veiw Mirrors: These are pretty sub-standard quality (not in looks), as they vibrate a lot while on the move and its pretty difficult to see the rear view clearly
• Front forks and Mudguard: For a heavy vehicle like Electra, RE could have retained the same style of forks and Mudguards as it is in C350 or Standard 350 models, which will give a broader fork hiding the shock absorbers and a thicker mudguard. Current models of Electra have a thinner front mudguards.

Everything else, is just a boon for Electra. Its so retro in looks, feels like a King on the road (no exaggeration here). Many other bikes will overtake you easily on the roads, but not to worry, bullets are not for that purpose and every ride, it gives a feel which is very personal to those who owns and ride a Bullet.

I have attached a couple of my Electra Pics.

Re: harishuti

Hey harish
Is that Stock rear tire on your bike??