[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by tharian

Like always, it will be most expensive in Blore.
2,19,000 on road, 30k more than TB500 which I feel is reasonable .
...

Tharian, Are these pics from a Bangalore showroom? If yes, which one?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Tharian, Are these pics from a Bangalore showroom? If yes, which one?

Yes, Teknik motors, Ulsoor.
Test rides should start in 3 weeks.

[Fullrevs]

Great to see RE are coming out with models contrasting to each other. Ive just bought the Desert Storm 500 (got delivery two weeks back) and dont think I will opt for an exchange. Just don't feel this is the bike for me. Would love to get that engine on mine though. Is this engine a distant relative of the old Lightning model or a completely new engine?

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

Is this engine a distant relative of the old Lightning model or a completely new engine?

Not even close! Old 535 was a Cast iron one. This is a very close relative of the UCE500 powering your Desert Storm.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by tharian

Big question being, at just few thousands more than the 390, what would make a buyer go for this and for me,a Enfield loyalist, is it worth an upgrade from my CI500 or rather wait for the 390 Adventure.

That's actually two distinct questions tharian, pertinent ones both.

The first question is a no brainer to one approaching both bikes as pure machines.

To the second one I would say this bike purely as a machine would definitely be an upgrade over your ageing CI500. If you could live with an RE that is never going to be a Bullet.

Also, is there something like the 390 Adventure in the pipeline, and any time frame to when its expected?

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

Would love to get that engine on mine though. Is this engine a distant relative of the old Lightning model or a completely new engine?

Its a UCE 500 engine with some tweaks. No relative (not even a distant bloodline or remote chromosome) of the Lightning 535 motor. The AVL lean burn engines were modified heavily reworked CI platforms with the same architecture. The UCEs are completely different engines with very little if anything carried forward from the British motors. Though coincidentally designed ground up in the UK.

[akshay4587]

Took the baby out for a spin today
What hits you first,is that the riding posture is unlike any other RE till date,and the engine sounds pretty refined by UCE standards without any mechanical clinking drama,the thump is muted and mellow,just the way i would have wanted it to be.Out on the road,it does feel faster than the CL500 but not by a big margin,and it would never go out of sight of a CL500 on a open road,on the twisties;may be.The vibes are there,but if compared to existing RE line up,they are almost non existent.Also a special note for the Pirelli Sport Demons,they stick to the road like a leech and make the CGT feel surefooted.
Ex showroom in North India 1.86L
With Bar end Mirrors-1.9L

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by akshay4587

Took the baby out for a spin today
What hits you first,is that the riding posture is unlike any other RE till date,and the engine sounds pretty refined by UCE standards without any mechanical clinking drama,the thump is muted and mellow,just the way i would have wanted it to be.Out on the road,it does feel faster than the CL500 but not by a big margin,and it would never go out of sight of a CL500 on a open road,on the twisties;may be.The vibes are there,but if compared to existing RE line up,they are almost non existent.Also a special note for the Pirelli Sport Demons,they stick to the road like a leech and make the CGT feel surefooted.
Ex showroom in North India 1.86L
With Bar end Mirrors-1.9L

Awesome, Akshay. Any word about the Brembos? How did they feel?

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Awesome, Akshay. Any word about the Brembos? How did they feel?

Brakes are very good indeed,but the pirelli's steal the limelight,
by making them feel more effective than they actually are.

[ebonho]

For a moment I actually thought that was a screemshot of a new GT ad. Would have done wonders for the sales for sure.

On topic, can the Brembos fit the old CI 500 factory forks with adaptor plate (like provided in the Pricol kits)?

[jha.shailesh]

I am kind of surprised standard colors like Black and Silver are not available. RE should have offered more color options. Everybody seems to following the new leader, KTM, launch with only one color, six months down the line offer another one to create some differentiation, to boost sales. Though, I am itching to get my hands on this bike, called up few dealers in Hyderabad, but the Nawabs of this Nawabi City have there own definition of "Kal aatu Sir"

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

Would love to get that engine on mine though.

Mate,
No need to get the full engine for this, just buy the bore kit with piston and lighter crank shaft. Also keep an eye on the ignition timings so that it can set accordingly. Not sure if this comes with a different map or the one similar to classics.
Time will tell on how this mod can be done.

In the meanwhile there are a lot of yummy features like steel braided break liners, rear suspensions that will keep you busy for the time being. Does this come with alloy wheels or regular steel lines?

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Mate,
No need to get the full engine for this, just buy the bore kit with piston and lighter crank shaft. Also keep an eye on the ignition timings so that it can set accordingly. Not sure if this comes with a different map or the one similar to classics.

Considering the cost involved in this or an engine swap and the 'performance gain' that is achieved. Its not at all worth it!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Considering the cost involved in this or an engine swap and the 'performance gain' that is achieved. Its not at all worth it!

But a swap of the bigger bore block-piston kit when the current 500 cc one goes is eminently doable. Unless the 535 one is priced exorbitantly compared to the 500 kit, as the L535 one was compared to the std 500 one. Fueling would be an issue though.

[jha.shailesh]

Got a short ride of Continental GT

Here is my initial take:
1. Looks are definitely sporty. The seat cowl is of plastic, but painted well.
2. Seating position is something that would take time getting used to, the foot pegs are a little behind to my liking.
3. The engine is smooth with a nice pick-up, very little vibrations, if any. Reminded me of RX135.
4. Brakes are pretty effective, comparing to earlier models they are far ahead, and very precise.
5. Handle bars looks really good, and offer good support. Though the grips are hard, and with that front-leaning position my wrist & palms starting aching in a 15 min ride, again something that would take time getting used to.
6. The gear lever is tiny and so is the break, not the usual Enfield. Overall a very different RE that I was used to riding.
7. The “thump” is different, but not noisy like the earlier Thunderbird 350. It has a deep throat and sounds nice.

OTR Hyderabad : 2.1 L
Booking amount: Rs. 5000 and requires a photo Id
ETD: minimum 6 months (as told by the SA)

I also enquired about the yellow color, they said it would be available only from next year April-May.

Overall not bad, the pricing seems alright and within the ballpark we were expecting.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Unless the 535 one is priced exorbitantly compared to the 500 kit, as the L535 one was compared to the std 500 one. Fueling would be an issue though.

+1 to that Doc, I have the same thing on my mind. Rather than the pricing I would be more worried on the fuelling and the map. If it means that I would have change the ECU as well then it will get murderously expensive.
Probably any bikes that get totalled i know what to look first for scavenging