[bulletboy76]

Nice review Rajneesh; Liked the photos too!

DB Sir - I think the cat convertor is towards the end of the bend pipe (but inside the bend pipe onl) and not in the silencer; At least that is the setup with al other UCE powered bullets.
With this, I don't think changing the silencer alone (not the bend pipe) would cause any issue. Off course, the the nature of the replaced silencer (free flow or otherwise etc) would definitely have impact on performce (power delivery, fuel efficiency etc), but the cat con does not get removed as long as the bend pipe is not changed.

Cheers and happy thumping!

[sam_b]

Congratulations Rajneesh!
You are probably the first on tBHP to own the TBTS 500. Nice pictures, but i couldn’t help notice that there's no leg guard on the beast yet. I am sure you’ll get them on soon

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by deetee

Congratulations! This seems to be the first TBTS 500 ownership report here! Pics Are you going to ride the bull on your official trips too? ( since you said your job requires travelling a lot)

Not really , since I travel to places like Mumbai, Blore and Chennai. It makes more sene to fly.

[mobike008]

Congrats Rajneesh.

That was a nice detailed write-up and you seem to have bought the RE almost similar to the way I bought mine :-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...umps-home.html

When you see those new shining BULL's its actually tough to decide which one to pick up? Even I was slightly tempted to buy the thunderbird but, in my personal opinion apart from a HD, i dont think there is any other proper tourer looking bike in India

It's a good choice you made of buying the TB-500 as you would have certainly regretted had you bought the 350.

Except for the exhuast, it looks really nice and 30kmpl is pretty good. My bike averages 25kmpl-27kmpl in city conditions

Care to share the OTR price, and also the saddle bag price?

Have fun and expect to draw a lot of attention ( i am now sick of the attention my bike draws at signals)

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congrats Rajneesh.

That was a nice detailed write-up and you seem to have bought the RE almost similar to the way I bought mine :-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...umps-home.html

When you see those new shining BULL's its actually tough to decide which one to pick up? Even I was slightly tempted to buy the thunderbird but, in my personal opinion apart from a HD, i dont think there is any other proper tourer looking bike in India

It's a good choice you made of buying the TB-500 as you would have certainly regretted had you bought the 350.

Except for the exhuast, it looks really nice and 30kmpl is pretty good. My bike averages 25kmpl-27kmpl in city conditions

Care to share the OTR price, and also the saddle bag price?

Have fun and expect to draw a lot of attention ( i am now sick of the attention my bike draws at signals)

The Onroad Price worked out to Rs 1.81 Lakhs ( Including anti rust treatment & Teflon Rs 2K, Helmet Rs 2.5 K). THe Saddlebag cost Rs. 2K)

[isiv]

Congratulations on your buy and wishing you a safe ride. Do post more pictures.

One Q: In the photograph that shows the silencer, it appears the rear sprocket is a lot smaller than other bulls - unless my peepers are deceiving me. Even the clearance between the little cover and chain looks like there should have been a bigger sprock there. Is that the stock setup?

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by isiv

Congratulations on your buy and wishing you a safe ride. Do post more pictures.

One Q: In the photograph that shows the silencer, it appears the rear sprocket is a lot smaller than other bulls - unless my peepers are deceiving me. Even the clearance between the little cover and chain looks like there should have been a bigger sprock there. Is that the stock setup?

Yes the bike is absolutely stock. Since I am not been following these thumpers closely, I will not be able to comment on the sprocket size and the clearance between the chain and cover.

[rajneeesh]

Delhi is experiencing winters in all its glory. The Black Thumper has thus been spending most of the time in the garage. I do take her out over the weekends, but this is usually for very short spins.

The bike has 700 kms on the ODO. Till the initial 500 Km period I kept her below the mandated 50KPH. Riding it at 50 KPH was frustrating in some aspects. Auto -rikshaws would pass me by on the DND and NH8 and I would barely be able to control the urge to give the 27 broncos their collective head. Moreover, the bike is not comfortable at 45-50 KP in the 5th gear as it is not in the meat of the torque band.

With the 500 Km mark and the first service over, I have started taking it upto 80 KPH. The thump settles into a hum after 2400- 2500 RPM and she pulls like a locomotive. 60 KPH equates to 2000 RPM on the tacho and 80 KPH comes in around 2900-3000 RPM. I have not taken it beyonf 3000-3200 RPM as yet. The bike changes character and is most enjoyful to ride once past 2200 RPM. She gathers her skirts, pulls and pulls clean and hard.

No glitches as yet. With the time I spend on her, my confidence is growing. She no longer feels big and heavy as she did when I got her. Looking forward to some glorious rides as the weather takes a turn for the better.

[rajneeesh]

We have had some sunny weather over the past few days in Delhi NCR. The tacho now reads at 999 km. The bike has not reported any problems so far. It did refuse to start once I had killed the engine at a longish red light. The Battery icon was blinking on the info pod. Used the kick start to get going.

On opening the throttle to accelerate hard,she thinks for a second and then makes sweet roar as the revs build up. This is really addictive and I have been doing it way too often.

[rajneeesh]

Experienced the first problem. I was riding back from work on Friday and stopped at theDND toll plaza for the paying the toll. The Bike seemed to baulk and did'nt accelarate as it usually does. On checking found the rear disc brake to have jammed. Rode it to a local garage in near Atta Market. The mechanic there adjusted the brake. On further investigation he found that the rear axle nut was not fully tightened. As a result, the wheel had moved on hard braking cauing the Disc Brake to jam.

The bike refused to start on Saturday afternoon . I had to use the Kick Start. However, since then I have put another 80 Km on the ODO which reads 1130 KM and she is riding just fine. The service reminder icon has started to blink again. Thinking of visiting the Service Centre shortly.

[Karlitoz]

Hey Rajneesh - Congrats for owning the TBTS 500. I have been riding RE;s for 17 years now, and have the Standard, and the Machismo 500 also. Despite my love for the Mach, I really liked the TBTS500. I think a lot of tweaks from thr RE stable have given it a totally different feel from the older bikes.
Ride Safe

[samarth.bhatia]

Hi Rajneesh,

Thank you for this ownership report. A very late congratulations on the buy!

Any further updates after the service?

The rear disc lock up issue seems pretty serious, and I believe it could have led to a serious problem. And the cause for it seems to be a serious oversight on the part of the service/QC team at RE. I hope they have sorted it out, and made other preventive checks.

I'm seriously considering this bike, and this review has so far encouraged me to do so, other than the rear disc issue.

Hope to see an update soon.

Cheers and ride safe,
Sam

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Experienced the first problem. On further investigation he found that the rear axle nut was not fully tightened. As a result, the wheel had moved on hard braking cauing the Disc Brake to jam.

The bike refused to start on Saturday afternoon .

Get used to these while owning a Enfield. I kept my Bullet 500 for a few years, it was the amongst the first ones to appear in India. Finally got fed up after a few years with the leaking oils and hard start-up problems and let it go. Now living peacefully with a Karizma since the last 8~9 years. Sad to see that Enfield has still not sorted out its build issues even after a decade.

Enfield's are still bought with the heart and not the mind.

[ArizonaJim]

In my opinion, one cannot compare the Royal Enfield made 5 or more years ago with the Royal Enfield made three or less years ago.

The fuel injected UCE engine is a totally different thing.
The engine no longer leaks oil. The fuel injection and computer needed to control it eliminate almost all of the issues with starting.
The automatic decompression device has greatly reduced the issues with the sprag clutch and the starting system.
The castings are of better quality.
The materials used in the engine and transmission are more suited to their tasks.
Much of the machining is now done with CNC (computer numerical control) machines that assure better consistency and quality.
The steel connecting rod and roller bearing on the rod's big end adds to the durability and eliminates wear.

The front disk brake provides much better stopping power and the rear disk brake on the T'Bird greatly increases the braking at the rear.

My 2011 500 UCE/EFI now has over 15000 km (9500 miles) on it, most of it being ridden at 80kmph (50mph).
Cruising at 100 kmph (62mph) with some 120 kmph (75 mph) bursts to add some interest for non-stop distances of 160km (100 mile) are absolutely no problem for the motorcycle.
I've made several 700 km (430 mile) round trips at these speeds with changes in elevation of over 2150 meters (7000 ft) without loosing a drop of oil. The altitude changes had no effect on the fuel/air ratio so no adjustments were required.

Yes, my Royal Enfield has a oxygen (lambda) sensor but this is primarily there for emission requirements mandated by the USA and now that Royal Enfield has corrected its computer maps for India I would expect these motorcycles to be as bulletproof as mine has been.

Yes there are a few niggles but to my thinking those can be expected when over 80000 units are made each year. That's over 1500 motorcycles per week. Some minor things are bound to sneak thru.

The one weakness I've found is the quality of the main drive chain to the rear wheel.
That and the front Avon tyre are the only parts that had a significant amount of wear.

All in all, I'm constantly amazed at the quality and durability of the engine.
The rest of the motorcycle is a true classic who's history and many of its features goes back over 65 years.
Who could ask for more?

[enfield_500]

I totally agree with what Jim has to say! I have heard so many people complaining about how the quality control at Royal Enfield sucks and what not. I haven't owned the older bullets, but I do own a 2012 Classic 500. I got the bike at the end of July last year, and have clocked over 12,000 kms on it already. I ride about 70 kms everyday; I've done the weekend long rides too. I haven't faced a single issue with oil leakage, or any serious problems till date. The paint quality on mine is still great too (thanks to the regular wax and polishing). I haven't faced major issues with rust as well. I think The new UCE's can be low mantenance bikes if they are taken care of regularly (as any owner of any bike ought to). Just my two cents.