[charade]

Originally Posted by arjun.r

Also, anybody tried checking the difference in mileage with and without heavy leg guards?

Does the leg guard significantly affect mileage? I didn't it would be that heavy!

Also, saw a thunderbird with the air fly type guard. Didn't look too great on the Bird. I felt it was more suited for a STD. Any views on which leg guard looks good and serves the purpose as well?

[ku69rd]

Mate,
Just wonderful the way you have described the tents & Sleeping bags, can you please let me know the details of Mufi? Also is he available online to check for the specifications?

Upto what temperature are these sleeping bags guaranteed to be good? 5 Degrees or 0 Degrees?

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by charade

Does the leg guard significantly affect mileage? I didn't it would be that heavy!

Also, saw a thunderbird with the air fly type guard. Didn't look too great on the Bird. I felt it was more suited for a STD. Any views on which leg guard looks good and serves the purpose as well?

I have a diamond type guard on my thunderbird, I believe it is the only guard which looks good and doesnt foul the forward placed footpegs of the bird.

[marinegopi]

Hey Insearch how's the bluetooth helmet? A brief write up regading it will be informative

[Insearch]

Originally Posted by arjun.r

.....
Wanted to revisit the leg guard bit. Is dual leg guard recommended (front n rear) or will the front leg guard be enough to take care of most situations?
Also, anybody tried checking the difference in mileage with and without heavy leg guards?

Hi arjun.r. ebonho has commented on the rear leg guard also, just check out his posts on page 8-10. In short, he is not impressed by the protection it offers. One positive that needs to be mentioned here is the folding front foot rests on the Thunderbird. ebonho has mentioned how his foot got trapped and injured by the foot rest of his bullet. The chances of this happening on the TB are less, as the foot rest would fold and the weight of the bike would shift to other areas. This also means that a front guard is important and required for protecting the body of the bike.

Originally Posted by charade

...Does the leg guard significantly affect mileage? I didn't it would be that heavy!

My understanding is that the guard is not made of beams, but hollow tubes, so the impact on mileage would be miniscule.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Mate,
Just wonderful the way you have described the tents & Sleeping bags, can you please let me know the details of Mufi? Also is he available online to check for the specifications?

Upto what temperature are these sleeping bags guaranteed to be good? 5 Degrees or 0 Degrees?

Thanks!
Mufi mentions his name as MV Lokhandwala, in his mails. I do not think he has a website. Call him and take his word for whatever he opines on. I say this, having touched, tried and tasted his stuff. His views on the "comfort", "survival" modes written on most mass manufactured sleeping bags, were a revelation. Hence your question on the suitability of the bags for extreme temperatures is best answered by him. My opinion on the bags is that they should be ok, till -10 degrees, since I was slightly sweating, at 16-18 degrees celsius, with the sides of the bag open, and me covering only lower body and back, with it.
To contact Mufi, just call on his cell: +919822397741 or landline: 012026356105 (To re-iterate: I have Mufi's permission to post his contact details)
You could refer to ebonho, the Doc with the Duke and the bullet, as your reference. Or a man from Hyderabad...

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I have a diamond type guard on my thunderbird, I believe it is the only guard which looks good and doesnt foul the forward placed footpegs of the bird.

Yes apachelongbow, that is my understanding too.

Originally Posted by marinegopi

Hey Insearch how's the bluetooth helmet? A brief write up regading it will be informative

This will require some detail. Please give me till late evening and I will post, once I am done with the 9 to 6 routine.
Regards.

[marinegopi]

Please take your time brother

[Insearch]

Originally Posted by marinegopi

Please take your time brother

Hi again marinegopi. Since there is a thread devoted to helmets, I have posted the reply on that thread. Please have a look and let me know of any follow up questions. Here is the link:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3057732
Regards.

[rana.vkr]

Hi Insearch,

Let me start by thanking you for putting in the time/effort in this thread. As someone earlier mentioned, this has become THE definitive thread on TB500.

I took Team-BHP's membership particularly in the wake of me booking an RE. I have made the payment for my bird and should be getting my hands on it by early next week <fingers crossed>. This after earlier cancelling my booking for CL500, which made the wait all the more longer and me more desperate

Needless to say your thread here has been a boon for any newbie and I have spent the last 2 hours to read it in a single go. And thanks to everyone else too for contributing on this thread for making it a storehouse of knowledge.

Happy riding !

[charade]

Originally Posted by rana.vkr

I took Team-BHP's membership particularly in the wake of me booking an RE.

@ Rana.vkr,

I guess a lot of people do that! Even I joined after booking my RE

In fact I was also confused between the Classic and the Tbird. The first test ride was on a TBird 350 at the Kandivali showroom. It was my first ever RE ride and, boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The bike had about 1700 kms on the odo and seemed to have been run-in really well. The gears were smooth like butter! And the riding position was perfect, especially for me as I aint too tall. I almost booked the bike that day.

The Classic looks awesome with its retro styling. Took an extensive test ride ("experience ride" - got to keep the bike for a day) on the Classic 350. The riding comfort was very poor especially if you ride it for over an hour.

After a lot of thought and debate (350 v/s 500) went in for the TBird last month. Now, the really long wait (10 - 12 months) has begun.

[arjun.r]

Another doubt.

While booking TB500, I was told the Stone paint (matte black) does not come with company warranty. Anyone here who's actually ever ended up using paint warranty, or is it better to be safe and go for the other two "glossy" finishes?

I've got my heart set on matte, but not sure why it's not covered in warranty.

[rana.vkr]

Hey Arjun,

I am getting my TB500 tomorrow in stone-black color i.e. matte finish.

I had a detailed discussion with the manager of the RE outlet before I booked.
1) Clearly, RE doesn't give a guarantee on this paint finish. They have mentioned it in so many words in the T&Cs which you sign while booking and while making the payment.
2) This paint-finish is not supposed to be exposed to soap/shampoo etc else it will not remain matte. Nor it could be polished. Plain water is to be used for cleaning the bike.
3) It can't be exposed too much to Sun. The manager gave me some mumbo-jumbo on oxidation that happens in direct sunlight. This is totally stupid particularly for a bull, and I don't think this point is applicable.

Anyway, in spite of all the warnings of the manager I am taking the delivery tomorrow and either way I will be wiser in the near future.

[charade]

Yeah, the matte finish does look classy. But the lack of a warranty can sure be a deal breaker.

Not sure what exactly the warranty covers. I'm guessing it only covers manufacturing defects i.e. defects from the factory or while transporting to the showroom (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong). In this case it's pretty sad that RE isn't giving a warranty.

[Insearch]

Originally Posted by charade

Yeah, the matte finish does look classy. But the lack of a warranty can sure be a deal breaker.

Not sure what exactly the warranty covers. I'm guessing it only covers manufacturing defects i.e. defects from the factory or while transporting to the showroom (somebody please correct me if I'm wrong). In this case it's pretty sad that RE isn't giving a warranty.

Why bother about the warranty if you like the matt finish. Enjoy it for a year or two and then repaint the bike in whatever Color you like. I have seen a custom painted matt finish, slightly different shade from the standard matt, in Hyderabad, and it looked exquisite.
If and when I get to go and meet the riders group again, I will try and take a snap. Meanwhile, live your dream when you have a chance. Better to fail at what you enjoy doing, rather than succeed at what you do not enjoy, in the first place i.e. Enjoy the Color of your choice.

[Swaroop77]

Originally Posted by Insearch

Why bother about the warranty if you like the matt finish. Enjoy it for a year or two and then repaint the bike in whatever Color you like. I have seen a custom painted matt finish, slightly different shade from the standard matt, in Hyderabad, and it looked exquisite.
If and when I get to go and meet the riders group again, I will try and take a snap. Meanwhile, live your dream when you have a chance. Better to fail at what you enjoy doing, rather than succeed at what you do not enjoy, in the first place i.e. Enjoy the Color of your choice.

You said it exactly the way I would have wanted to. I went through the same dilemma when I was booking my bird. Now after taking the delivery of the 500 matte black, a week ago, I do not regret it at all. The colour is beautiful!

Now in the painful stage of going through the "run in" till I hit 500 KMs.

[Insearch]

Originally Posted by Swaroop77

You said it exactly the way I would have wanted to. I went through the same dilemma when I was booking my bird. Now after taking the delivery of the 500 matte black, a week ago, I do not regret it at all. The colour is beautiful!

Now in the painful stage of going through the "run in" till I hit 500 KMs.

Thanks Swaroop. Take it easy during the running in and you will enjoy the results. Though I used to go slightly higher than the prescribed speeds, I did focus on running in the bike smoothly across the 500 and 2000 Km intervals, never stretching it's legs. The reward is that I have no extra noises or any niggles concerning the engine.

My bike has touched 2800 Kms today. Still enjoying riding it to the office every morning. The Linea has become a novelty now! I have started opening the throttle more and more with the cruise speeds being 75 to 85 kmph. Vibrations are very controlled at 80 and start rising sharply between 90 and 100. Once I pushed the bike to 110+ and got the feeling that I would have shed all my flab by the time I would get down, courtesy the vibrations. When accelarating fast, the bike tends to miss a gear.
Leaning into corners by cruiser standards is comfortable. My only glitch is the console. The switches do not always respond. I hope I will be able to get it changed at the next service.
Hoping to join the Hyderabad Wanderers for a ride in a couple of weeks. Wish me good fortune .