[Tgo]

You guys might be wondering why this post of mine is related to the tools I have acquired recently when this is an ownership thread for the motorcycle I own. But to tell you the truth, this decision of buying a toolkit was taken up mainly due to two reasons A) I always liked playing around with tools as a kid, mostly tearing things apart and B) I wanted to start working on my bike to get to know how to maintain it better and the latter is the reason why owning the bike led me to owning some tools as well.

Till some time ago I had great faith in the mechanics that I sent my bike for repair to but never so much in the service engineers and that is because of their inability in identifying the problem mentioned and tracing out its root cause. Secondly, I thought that the mechanics working on the bike have little knowledge of how a particular thing that they have fixed changes the riding experience for the owner and this may be due to the fact that the mechanics hardly ever get to own and ride the bikes (long term) they fix due to the limitations of their income in our country which is rather unfortunate.

Fiddling with stuff here and there and feeling the change it has brought about in the bike is something which I wanted to delve into to better understand the machine and to become adept in maintaining it.

So this selection of tools were bought through flipkart and there is more to come...

[adrian]

Originally Posted by Tgo

You guys might be wondering why this post of mine is

Aren't those the 1/2" square drive socket set with ratchet and extensions. How much did it cost you and are they of the make Taparia ?
regards adrian

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by adrian

Aren't those the 1/2" square drive socket set with ratchet and extensions. How much did it cost you and are they of the make Taparia ?
regards adrian

Things that I bought:

10 pc Screw Driver set - Stanley - INR 454
6-32mm ring spanner set - Taparia - INR 1303
6-24mm Socket 1/2" drive (24 pcs) - Stanley - INR 2362
1.5-12 mm Allen Key Set - Stanley - INR 204

[Tgo]

A lot has happened since the last post. I relocated to Auraiya (UP) for work and got the bike transported for use here in February 2015. For the first year things were going well. I had got it ready for service before sending it to Auraiya from Mangalore. It was on the road as soon as it got off the truck.

Had been using it for a year since then and even though I got the Duster, the daily commute was being done on the Thunderbird. I even got it serviced once in Kanpur. Got a new battery installed and a new seat since the old one had become very uncomfortable. In 2016 during the rainy months, the bike started giving lots of trouble in starting. Sometimes it would run and then sputter and die. There were no trusted mechanics I knew in the area, nor was there a RE service center nearby. I decided to take care of it someday. 2 years went by and that someday came last week.

I got the bike transported to the RE Service Center (Akshay Riding motors) that had opened up in Auraiya. Loaded it into a mini truck and got it dropped off at the service center. That day, the bike could just get washed and they spoke to me about what all was required to be done on the bike. Since they had a lot of customers come in for service, they could not start any work on the bike.

Went there yesterday and got the initial diagnosis reported:
- TCI unit connection clips were mangled and had broken off, so a new harness would be required to begin other stuff.
- The carb had a lot of dirt and clogged up fuel in the nozzles and they suspected the internals to be corroded with the bad fuel.
- The new spare battery I had lying with me for over a year was not holding any charge.

Gave them a go ahead for a full service only to be done after the bike starts. For which the new wiring harness and carb was agreed upon. Will report soon.

The bike has been in a pathetic shape due to neglect since last 3 years. The second stage would require a re-paint of the whole bike and the chassis too.

[kaustubh_vaze]

Wouldn't it make sense for you to just dump the current bike and buy a new Thunderbird 500 with lesser issues?

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by kaustubh_vaze

Wouldn't it make sense for you to just dump the current bike and buy a new Thunderbird 500 with lesser issues?

It would, for someone who would use the bike more than the car. But in my case I don't see that happening. Plus, I don't see myself getting even 20 % of the cost of a new Thunderbird 500X in the sale of this discontinued model.

Had I been frozen in pre-marital times and was living in the vicinity of scenic places, a new bike would have been a no-brainer.

The current estimate is 7k, for a fully functional bike.

[Tgo]

Went and checked the progress on the bike yesterday.

It ran for the first time in 2.5 years.
-Wiring harness was replaced.
-Rear brake drum was cleaned and new brake shoes were installed.
-New fuel tank has been ordered since the old one had multiple holes in it.
-Oil, oil and air filters were replaced.
-New carburetor and intake hoses were installed.

Work remaining:
-Front fork seal replacement.
-Replacement battery from Exide under warranty, or not.
-New fuel tank , fuel level sensor, fuel tap.
-Front disc brake cylinder kit to make it functional again.

Bottleneck - Waiting on a word from RE, RSM on sourcing the fuel tank from among other dealers or the factory in Chennai.

[Tgo]

I got a replacement battery under warranty from Exide, and decided to deliver it to the service center for installation when required. Got to see the replacement fuel tank for the bike which had arrived the day before. Looks neat, but the font is



instead of



However, it has embossed lettering in the shade of the latter. So I don't mind the change. Some grommets and bushes (rubber) is on order, another week and the bike should be running.

[Tgo]

The replacement tank also had a leak .

They found it after installing the tank hardware and filling up with fuel.

Waiting for another replacement from RE.

[Tgo]

Resurrected

So the bike is back with me after spending almost 2 months at the service center. It actually took only 4-5 days of hands on work to revive it whereas the rest of the time was spent waiting for parts. A brief summary of work done is as below:

• New Carburettor
• New Fuel Tap and Tank Level Float Assembly
• New Fuel Tank
• New Front Brake Lever and Reservoir Assembly
• New brake shoes
• Some new air hoses
• Full Service
• New TCI Wiring Harness + Fuses
• New Fork Seals
• Misc rubber bushes and bungs for tank, seat, fuses, battery holder etc.

Final Amount came to INR 20,000/-

Have started riding it again. And covered about 200 kms till now. It feels great to have revived the old faithful but it doesn't feel that special anymore mainly due to the vibes and the pollution. Getting used to it though before I ride it to Jaipur where it is going to be used sparingly by my dad.

[Tgo]

I had 2 days to myself to fiddle with the bike over the weekend.

• New front tyre -

  Ordered a Michelin Sirac Street 3.25/19 on Amazon
  Went to the local puncture wala and got it swapped
  Checked the front bearings in the process and they were fine

• New Thunderbird handlebar swap (had bought it 4 years ago)

  Had removed the tank to save it from dings
  Its a fiddly job
  Removing the left side grip was TOUGH
  Need to transfer the cable straps

• Tidying up of the cables under the tank and around the battery area.

  Found that the TPS cable was unplugged from the TCI unit which resulted in a significant change in acceleration
  Routed everything from withing the fuel tank ridge
  Relocated some cable ties to hold everything firmly
  The battery box enclosure needs to come out and get painted soon

• Insulation under the tank

  I used to hate the tappet noise resonating in the fuel tank
  Added 3M double sided tape and stuck a foam pad in the tank ridge (hidden)

In the process I disturbed the Rat's nest in the headlight and now my brake light is always on. Had found two wires tapped from a harness which went nowhere, maybe that was the sorcery which kept the problem in check. Will look into it sometime soon.

The bike looks quite ratty now with surface rust in the chromed bolt heads, exhaust bend pipe, handlebar weights, rims, spokes and the frame. I'll let it be like this for a while. Forks are leaking maybe because of overfilling by the service center.

Got the PUC and Insurance renewed too. The bike is road worthy again. 500 clicks on the odo since revival.

[cake]

Originally Posted by Tgo

I had 2 days to myself to fiddle with the bike over the weekend.

Hello, I own a TBTS 350 2009 model. I am looking to change my tires. There are only 2 options, the stock MRF Nylogrip or the Michelin you mentioned. How has it been so far with the Michelin?

Also, has adding foam made a considerable difference to the vibrations?

Thanks

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by cake

How has it been so far with the Michelin?

Also, has adding foam made a considerable difference to the vibrations?

Michelins have been good so far. They have quite a deep tread so should last long. Regarding the look, the front tyre profile lends it a beefier look compared to the plain ribbed MRFs. Thinking the same I ordered the rear but the rear has a similar profile as the MRF (for the rear) so it still looks puny compared to modern day rear tyres. Grip and comfort increased quite a bit at the front but in my case that could just be because of the tyre change as the old tyres had hardened considerably.

I also got a set of Michelins for my brother's Standard 500. Quite happy with the brand. Have it on all the cars and bikes at home now. If you're ordering online, drop in a message to the seller to register you for the warranty program. You'll receive a message confirming the same.

Foam in the tank was not useful at all. I guess I should have the hydraulic tappets checked. Even though RE says they don't need a service, the sound is too loud at idle and high revs.

How much has your bike run?

[cake]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Michelins have been good so far. They have quite a deep tread so should last long. Regarding the look, the front tyre profile lends it a beefier look compared to the plain ribbed MRFs. Thinking the same I ordered the rear but the rear has a similar profile as the MRF (for the rear) so it still looks puny compared to modern day rear tyres. Grip and comfort increased quite a bit at the front but in my case that could just be because of the tyre change as the old tyres had hardened considerably.

I also got a set of Michelins for my brother's Standard 500. Quite happy with the brand. Have it on all the cars and bikes at home now. If you're ordering online, drop in a message to the seller to register you for the warranty program. You'll receive a message confirming the same.

Foam in the tank was not useful at all. I guess I should have the hydraulic tappets checked. Even though RE says they don't need a service, the sound is too loud at idle and high revs.

How much has your bike run?

That's nice, I was thinking to try out something new. How much did the set cost you?

It sucks that the foam didn't help. Although I love my bike in the city, I would be happier to dampen the vibrations that occur after the engine is heated.

My bike has run 50k right now. Took it in 2014 after it had one previous owner. The odometer was reset sometime in between because of some issue.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by cake

That's nice, I was thinking to try out something new. How much did the set cost you?

I think it was INR 1900 for the front and INR 2200 for the rear. It varies depending on the offers on Amazon.

Do share a picture of your bike sometime.