[indian21r]

That is hot ride man. Remove the back seat, Looks will be Killer. By the way apart from the paint scheme is there any other difference with Classic 500. Last pic is a classic

[//M]

Last sunday the Royal Enfield dealership in Ranchi had organised a short ride for the RE owners. The total distance covered in this trip was 170 kms and 10 RE's participated which included 1 CL500 Desert Storm, 2 CL500 Chrome's, 4 CL350's, 2 Thunderbird's and 1 Electra.

Some pics from the ride:

[neel385]

Great looking bike...congrats on your purchase.

OT, but your helmet so does not go with the bike!! Get a good WWII styled helmet, or else, if you want the face protector, please get the helmet re-painted. No offence mate!!

[//M]

Originally Posted by indian21r

That is hot ride man. Remove the back seat, Looks will be Killer. By the way apart from the paint scheme is there any other difference with Classic 500. Last pic is a classic

I am not too sure about the differences between a DS500 and a normal CL500 apart from the paint, but I think the saddle is better sprung. Also I was toying up with the idea to remove the back seat, but I guess I need it for a pillion.

Originally Posted by neel385

Great looking bike...congrats on your purchase.

OT, but your helmet so does not go with the bike!! Get a good WWII styled helmet, or else, if you want the face protector, please get the helmet re-painted. No offence mate!!

Thank You neel385. I know the helmet is a bit loud for the Desert Storm. I have to get another helmet, but till then this one does the job perfectly. The SOL SL68S-II has great fit and looks great.

[//M]

Few more pics of the Classic 500 DS.

[ruchirtnt]

Originally Posted by //M

Few more pics of the Classic 500 DS.

That is really Good but IMHO Classic series looks Great with single seat only, the extra seat looks like a patch on the beast, that is why I have observed that most of the RE showrooms have classics on display with a single saddle

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by //M

I am not too sure about the differences between a DS500 and a normal CL500 apart from the paint, but I think the saddle is better sprung. Also I was toying up with the idea to remove the back seat, but I guess I need it for a pillion. .

Saddle Removal is a DIY. Try it for a day and you will ask pillion to take another ride.

@ruchirtnt, RE look good only with Single either the long one or the one on classic. As such utility of the second seat is not great. It does not give the required support.For the Seat size, they should have gone for harder foam.

[//M]

Yes the pillion seat is not as comfortable. I will remove the pillion seat but at first I am looking to remove the saree guard. A DS painted stay is not yet available in the RE dealership so I am waiting for it. Once the stay will be available, I will remove the saree guard and then the pillion seat.

[//M]

I had been getting 23 kpl for the first 235 kms which was certainly less than what I expected. But then I did some short highway runs with variation in speed as recommended by @ArizonaJim and the fuel economy figures improved magically. Calculated the figures yesterday and found that my DS500 went 33 kms for every litre of fuel.

The odo now stands at 520 kms and the first service is due. However I am going out of station for a couple of weeks so I plan to get the servicing done once I am back.

With the rising fuel costs, I am very happy that the Desert Storm is now returning figures of 33 kpl. These figures may come down as I will be riding more in the city, but anything around 28 kpl will be acceptable.

[mobike008]

Congrats and welcome to C-500 world.

Desert Storm is a great looking bike and RE made a good decision of introducing Chrome and DS both of which are so different cosmetically to fuel the thirst of different style seeking buyers.

Your review seems spot on and I felt the same about the bike and as you keep riding this passion will practically engulf you. After getting my Chrome, I hardly take out my Pulsar 150

Btw, I am consistently getting 27kmpl in city rides. Not keeping track of highway rides which happened a few times for a maximum distance of 200kms up and down

I tank up and cannot fill more than 9.XX litres when reading from my previous tank up ( which I usually make a note) is roughly around 300kms

Ride Safe !!!

[//M]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congrats and welcome to C-500 world.

After getting my Chrome, I hardly take out my Pulsar 150

Thank You Sir.

I also have a Pulsar 150 UG3 and I rarely ride it these days. Moreover the Pulsar which used to feel powerful till a few days back, now feels like a 100cc bike when compared to the immense size and substance of the C5.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by //M

Moreover the Pulsar which used to feel powerful till a few days back, now feels like a 100cc bike when compared to the immense size and substance of the C5.

Absolutely. Many times I do back to back rides with my BULL and Pulsar. Firstly, the gearing gets confusing as Pulsar (5-Down) and BULL (1D-4up).

Secondly, the footpegs seem suddenly to close to body.

Thirdly, and most importantly it feels as you rightly said like a toy. You need to revv the engine hard whereas a slight twist of the throttle to the BULL is more than enough to get the same result.

No wonder RE riding is an addiction.

[//M]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Absolutely. Many times I do back to back rides with my BULL and Pulsar. Firstly, the gearing gets confusing as Pulsar (5-Down) and BULL (1D-4up).

Secondly, the footpegs seem suddenly to close to body.

Thirdly, and most importantly it feels as you rightly said like a toy. You need to revv the engine hard whereas a slight twist of the throttle to the BULL is more than enough to get the same result.

No wonder RE riding is an addiction.

The UG3 Pulsar 150 that I have has 1-Down-4-Up system only but yes the footpegs seem to be placed much closer.

RE riding is definitely an addiction. Many of my friends who actually planned to get KTM Duke 200 and the likes have booked TBTS and CL350 now and they don't mind the waiting period too.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Guys now ride any 100cc bike like a splendor and you'll feel as if you are on a tobu-cycle!! Great report //M. Seems the RE dealership in Ranchi is quite serious about the riding events. Good to see that these kind of events are being organised here in Jharkhand!! What was the route you all went through?

[//M]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

What was the route you all went through?

The route taken was Ranchi-Sikidiri-Gola-Rajrappa-Ramgarh-Ranchi. Total distance covered was 170 kms. The Sikidiri-Gola section has enough hairpin bends to keep a rider grinning and also the Ramgarh-Ranchi section is brilliant with wide corners and beautiful scenery too. Also being a sunday we encountered minimal traffic in the whole trip. The only fly in the ointment was the scorching heat.

Another route that could have been an option was the Rajrappa-Silli-Ranchi route. Heard that this route was very scenic but due to the heat and road condition, it was avoided. With the success of this small trip, the RE dealership plans to conduct more such group events in the coming months.