[rajneeesh]

The bike celebrates her second birthday later this week on the 11th . In the two years I have had her, I have clocked a liile over 8K KM. I have enjoyed every km on the saddle and there have been no major issues so far.

The issues I have had so far related to the electrics. I have had blown different fuses on 4-5 occasssions. The other issues have centred around the instrument clocks. The trip meter had stopped working and REML had replaced it under warranty. The second time around the clocks were rhis issue was epalaced was when fine cracks had appeared on the glass. This issue was first reported on the forum by J Ravi. I took the matter up with REML and they replaced it again ( this was done in December 2013 just after the warranty had expired). The rear disk pad awas also replaced once. Other than this I have had to get the front foot pegs on either side replaced once. These were due to the bike falling doen as on both occasssions my neighbours had reversed into the bike. Since then I have made it a point to park it in the garage even during day time on weekends even though it entails my having to unlock the door take the bike out/or take her in and then lock the gate again.

When not in use during the ewwk days I cover the bike with an old bed sheet. This has heped preserve the lustre of the paint and people are surprised whe I tell them that it is a 2 year old bike.

The speedo/odo unit again gave a surprise when I took the bike out for a short spin earlier today. The Speedo needle way going all over the place and indicating speeds of upto 140 KPH even though I was not exceedng 40 KPH. The odo too joined the party in its own way. It showed 7 Km when the distance covered was barely 2.5 KM. My servant had washed the bike today and maybey some moisture entered the clocks. I will rechek after some time if the issue persists.

The weather in NCR in now conducive to biking and I look forward to putting some miles on the clock.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

The speedo/odo unit again gave a surprise when I took the bike out for a short spin earlier today. The Speedo needle way going all over the place and indicating speeds of upto 140 KPH even though I was not exceedng 40 KPH. The odo too joined the party in its own way. It showed 7 Km when the distance covered was barely 2.5 KM.

The speedometer bug reigns in the new era Bullets as well, sad.

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

My servant had washed the bike today and maybey some moisture entered the clocks. .

You should be careful while assigning the task of washing your bullet to your servant as the motorcycle is equipped with costly electronic components rapidly destroyed by shorting (may explain why you have so much blown fuses). IMO the rider should wash his machine, the first reason being that it creates a bond between you and the machine and the second one is that things like loose nuts and bolts, missing chain link, broken sprocket tooth etc are easily detected and rectifiable. After washing the motorcycle, it would be better if you use compressed air (in low force) (a vacuum cleaner in blower mode would also do) to blow away the water from the switches and wiring harnesses before attempting to start the motorcycle.
regards adrian

[vrajaram]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

The odo too joined the party in its own way. It showed 7 Km when the distance covered was barely 2.5 KM. My servant had washed the bike today and maybey some moisture entered the clocks. I will rechek after some time if the issue persists.

Rajneesh - I own a 1.5 year old TB-500, have had few issues with the instrument console, and recently faced a very similar issue you have reported.

The speedometer needle behaved erratically for a while, and one fine day stopped working/moving. This will naturally lead to inaccurate or malfunctioning odometer/trip meter readings as well. And as it stopped moving completely, the odometer reading remained static !! This was almost 3-4 months ago.

Reported to RE Service Center, they asked me to replace the unit (again). After few follow-ups with Customer Care, they agreed too, even though out of warranty. Last week we replaced the unit, but the problem persisted !! Its actually a 10 minute job, nothing more. Now, this required some more introspection. So i asked them to check the sensor, and wires leading to instrument console.

You will find a thin cased wire running from the front wheel to the instrument console. It will end in a white box which has 3 pins, and hence 3 different colored thin wires ending on it. (not sure what is called, placing a Sample pic below..from Google images)

One of the wire (green) may be loose or cut (my case). So the needle had stopped moving. That's the root cause, bingo ! However, the trip meter avg speed doesn't work anymore and am going to live with it. Glad that speedometer needle works.

In your case i expect it to be very loose (verge of being cut). Its very easy to check yourself, as i observed the mechanic closely. Just trace the end of the wire to the white box, check all the three wires if they are okay, it will also have hell of a dust, so have then opened and cleaned. Now i talked about the 'white pin box' on right side of headlight unit. There are 3 similar units on left side of the unit. You could have them checked too, if first approach did not help.

Please try this out and let me know if it helped. I doubt moisture had anything to do.

I saw few posts regarding high idling RPM issue. It will be mostly due to a crack in the pipe, and requires replacement. Bike comes with a default white plastic pipe, i replaced it with a black rubbery one many months ago, and have not had the issue hence. However every chance it will develop cracks soon, and will need attention/replacement.

[rajneeesh]

I took the Bike for a ride to Greater Noida and back today. ( 60 KM roundtrip). The clocks are back to normal now. However, I will be more careful with the washing of the bike. Though I will not wash it personally as suggested by Adrian, I will superwise the washing. AFAIK the blown fuses is concerned, the bike was not washed around that time. I have bought a Jopasu duster to dust the bike . The washing is done not more than once a month . I dust the bike and clean it with a yellow cloth every time I take her out of the garage. The compressed air drying thogh an ideal solution, would be a bit too much as it would entail lugging the Vacuum cleaner from my 2nd floor flat to the ground floor and back.

[rajneeesh]

Took the bike for the 7th Service to Shri Mahadev Agencies. The workshop is now open on Saturdays and that is a big boon to office goers like me. Earlier they had their day off on Saturday and the place was crowded like a strip bar without any cover charges on Sundays.

The service was routine. No spare parts required and all that was needed was topping up of engine oil and adjustment of the headlight beam. The bill came to Rs 540 which was comforting to the pocket. The odo is now at 8287 KM and the bike is rnning flawlessly.

With time I see a lot more of the TBTS bikes on the roads . It seems to be getting popular as the time passes.

I have one question to the folks on the forum. Do two wheelers also need to get the PUC check done once a year for Bharat Stage 4 compliant vehicles like four wheelers or is the law any different?

[rajneeesh]

The TBTS 500 has now achieved the 9000 Km milestone. The last few months have seen it spend more time in the garage than on the roads due to the NCR winters. I expect to spend more time in the saddle in the next few months.

No problems to report ( touch wood). The bike is retuning 30-32 km per litre of unleaded petrol. I have been using 3 M polish to keep it shining.

[rajneeesh]

The "Chapariya" as the TBTS has been christened by my wife went for the 8th Service to Shri Mahadev agencies in Noida. The odometer reading at the time of the service was 5113 Km (on current Odo). The bike on the whole has clocked approx 9600 Km.

I had taken the Chapariya to Bhondsi on 29 March for the Delhi Bikers Fest. It was quiet a carnival with the bikers from all over Delhi NCR turning up in huge numbers. The assembly point for my group ( I was riding with the Royal Mavericks) was the slip road just after Ambience mall in Gurgaon.

We started at 8:30 and rode in formation from here to Bhondsi where we reached a around an hour later. It was a gala festival at the venue ( the name escapes my memory) where hundreds of biking enthusiasts had turned up with their rides and family members. It was quiet refreshing to see a large number of young ones as well as women who were as enthusiastic as any body else. Though Royal Enfield Bikes clearly out numbered the other bikes ( a lot of RE Clubs had lent their support to the event), there was a fair sprinkling of Harley Davidsons, Triumphs, KTM's, Indians and other super bikes from the like BMW, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha stables.

The place had old as well as custom bikes on display. Some stalls selling T shirts, Biking gear and acessories were also there.

Some people were narating theier experiences, one of which was truly inspiring. Maj. Gen. (Retd) Jain narrrated his experience of riding from Delhi to London on his scooter in a mere 33 days at the "young" age of 73 years.

There were activities like bike painting and the organisers had also arranged for some concerts. However, it started to rain at around 12:00 noon and I decided to head back to Noida. I took the picturesque "pahari wala rasta " via Surajkund. On the whole it was a day well spent and I look forward to participating in therse meets more often.

[rajneeesh]

Not much has happened with Chapariya since my last post. I have now joined a RE club and went for a morning ride to Bahadurgarh on May 3. It was great to make new friends who are united by their passion for the RE bikes. The RE Biking club members are a diverse lot. You have 18 year old kids, middle aged men and women and some seniors who are in their 70's. I am very impressed by the members, who unlike the common perception are courteous and well behaved group of responsible riders . Safety is paramount on these rides and we generally cruise at 7o KPH so thatat we can enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, I do not have suitable pictures of the ride.

Currently I am off the saddle due to a surgery. I expect to be back on the bike in a couple of weeks riding with my new buddies. Till then I am spending my time getting ready to welcome a new addition to my garage, a Safari Storme 4X4.

[AvinashKeezh]

Nice log on the events with your TB, rajneeesh.
Keep putting them on the forum..

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Currently I am off the saddle due to a surgery.

Hope it's nothing serious, and you get well and back biking.

[rajneeesh]

Thanks for your concern AvinashKeezh.

I am fully recovered now and back on the saddle. The early onset of monsoon has also helped cool down the temperatures. The next couple of weeks are kindof busy due to work commitments. However, I look forward to some nice rides in the days ahead.

[rajneeesh]

The Chapariya today crossed the 10 K milestone. It has taken little less than 2 years and 8 months for me to log in this mileage. The ownership experience has been pretty positive so far. The biggest problem with the ealier bulls was oil leakage. So far I have not had to experience it. I have had my share of blown fuses and premature replacement of the rea disk pads. I keep it covered with a old bed-sheet while not in use and that has helped immensely in retaining the paint lustre and preventing the onset of rusting.

The MRF Tyres have acquitted themselves well without a single puncture ( touch wood). The instrument cluster ( currently on the third one after the last 2 were replaced under warranty) is working well though the fuel gauge has a mind of its own.

I am looking forward to some weekend rides over the next few months with my Biking buddies.

To summarise, it has been a very enjoyble 10 K Km with the TBTS 500 and it brings a smile on my face every time I fling my leg over the saddle. I just hope that it continues to be reliable and hassle free in the years to come.

[harikrishnanm]

Hi All,

I have been travelling around and the TB has been in storage for almost a year. Last weekend, I tried starting her up, but the battery was completely dead. Got a new battery and, voila, the bike started on the first attempt. Unbelievable.

(I did use the kickstarter to get some oil circulating before I tried the electric start)

Felt good to get her out on the road again and feel the thump.

Only thing that I notice now is that the idling is high and the idle engine speed keeps going up and down; 1500 RPM - 1800 RPM. Its a regular pattern. And since I only hobby ride on the weekends and on some pretty empty highways, this should not be a problem. But then it is an irritant.

Any idea what could be causing this ?

Originally Posted by harikrishnanm

the idle engine speed keeps going up and down; 1500 RPM - 1800 RPM.

From the past coupla days, Blue Bird's idling rpm crossed 1,250, which was unprecedented. Today, I inspected the breather tube and found that it was ruptured at many places, especially at the bends. So, I rode to Sri Velavan Motors, Anna Salai, Chennai, located 2 km from home and got it replaced at a total cost of ₹ 112. Now, Blue Bird hums at 900 - 1,000 rpm.

The details are here.

[harikrishnanm]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

The details are here.

Ah OK. I will check on this over the weekend. I am anyway planning to go to the service center since I plan on an oil change.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by harikrishnanm

Ah OK. I will check on this over the weekend. I am anyway planning to go to the service center since I plan on an oil change.

harikrishnanm mate, I would also suggest you to disconnect the battery and store it separately and drain the fuel if one is storing the bike for prolonged periods. Also it is good that you are taking the bike to the service centre. Go through J.Ravi sir's thread as it will help you a lot. Ride safe