[jacs]

Ravi sir - Not to hijack your thread, but since it is inline with TB500 and the long ride prep.

I happened to stock few consumables for long rides on my TB500. They are Accelerator Cable, Clutch cable and Spark plugs. All original RE products and surprisingly they weren't that expensive. Total bill < 1k.

Any other parts I need to be worried about? Except tyres

Originally Posted by jacs

Any other parts I need to be worried about?

They are more than sufficient. Among the things you mentioned, I carried clutch cable only plus spare engine oil and TVS chain lubricant spray. Except the last, I didn't use the others!

[satish_appasani]

This youtube video suggest that windshield helps in reducing the head wind and thereby the fatigue during a long ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-40PPaql1k

I am searching online for Givi windshields. They are pretty expensive and I am not sure what advantage they will have over cheap ones.

[abirnale]

Awesome GQ trip updates Ravi Saar! Logging into the thread after a long time and this made me think to go back more to my bird! It's not been in use for most of the time but when it chirps, breathes life in me!

Hats off for this achievement - a bucket list item ticked off!

Originally Posted by abirnale

Hats off for this achievement - a bucket list item ticked off!

Yes, the purpose of my buying Thunderbird 500 is achieved! Now, I can authoritatively say that Thunderbird 500 can go on and on for days together, munching the km in hundreds and thousands without needing any rest. It's the rider, who requires the rest! Thanks a lot for the appreciation and the compliments, Avinash.

[selvagp]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Yes, the purpose of my buying Thunderbird 500 is achieved! Now, I can authoritatively say that Thunderbird 500 can go on and on for days together, munching the km in hundreds and thousands without needing any rest. It's the rider, who requires the rest!

Congratulations Sir, deeply satisfying isn't it.

Couple of months back I did attempt saddle sore on CBR150R, I chose to do a round trip from Chennai to Kanyakumari. Onward I chose, Chennai - Pondicherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Tanjore, Trichy, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. took me 14 hours to reach Kanyakumari and I gave up the idea of returning the same day. Took a full days rest and then returned via Tirunelveli, Madurai, Dindigul, Salem, Villupuram, Chennai. This root was much better and I was able to do 800 kms in about 12 hours.

I also dream to do GQ ride. I couldn't do even the shorter ride in CBR and decided to buy TB-350 (stone). That is when I started looking into the motorbikes section and I chanced upon your thread. Read every post, very inspiring and gives me confidence that I can do it too.

I don't have words to describe my feeling when I saw that you have done CHENNAI - KANYAKUMARI and GQ, those two rides are the ones I want to achieve too.

I made the full payment today and I am expecting to take delivery of my TB-350 (stone) next week.

No better place to post RE info, I am told RE has now revised the warranty. It is now 2 years / 20,000 KMs and Extended warranty may be available.

Originally Posted by selvagp

Congratulations Sir

Thanks a lot for the appreciation and the compliments, selvagp.

deeply satisfying isn't it

Very much, notwithstanding the poor quality and costly spares!

I don't have words to describe my feeling when I saw that you have done CHENNAI - KANYAKUMARI and GQ, those two rides are the ones I want to achieve too.

Apart from Chennai>Pondy>Chennai, Chennai>Kanniyakumari>Chennai was my first mega one-dayer above 1,000 km, which gave me confidence to do many such mega one-dayers later, culminating in the recent Golden Quadrilateral ride.

I made the full payment today and I am expecting to take delivery of my TB-350 (stone) next week.

Congratulations and best wishes.

It is now 2 years / 20,000 KM

Good. When I bought my bird, it was one year/10,000 km only.

[Vikvkv]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

Yes, the purpose of my buying Thunderbird 500 is achieved! Now, I can authoritatively say that Thunderbird 500 can go on and on for days together, munching the km in hundreds and thousands without needing any rest. It's the rider, who requires the rest! Thanks a lot for the appreciation and the compliments, Avinash.

Ravi sir I have been a silent follower of your tbts500 ownership report as well as your travelogues both of your bike and your car and sir I must tell you that you are an inspiration and it made buy tbts 350.The detailed travelogue that you post is immensely helpful. Even my dad is amazed by your travelogue and your enthusiasm. Ravi sir coming to my queries;
1) It seems your bike is running in stock condition have you ever thought of changing the silencer. I have changed mine to wild boar and it makes an unpleasant noice at high speeds..
2) Have you ever faced difficulties riding your bike in cities specific to the handlebar?
3) My bike has seen two replacements of breather tube have you faced this issue?
Thanks again Ravi Sir

[neil.jericho]

Wow! Hats off to you sir for your wonderful roadtrip. My respect both for you and your bike has increased tremendously after reading your posts. You certainly are an inspiration to many riders who keep putting off such epic rides for one reason or the other.

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

I am searching online for Givi windshields. They are pretty expensive and I am not sure what advantage they will have over cheap ones.

If you are riding long distances, a windshield will help a lot in terms of cutting down fatigue. I use a Givi windscreen on my Continental GT and I love it. There is a Thunderbird rider who uses another larger Givi windscreen (picture below). The Givis are high quality for sure. I havent been able to compare Givi windscreens with cheaper ones so I cant really comment on whether I would recommend one over the other.

Keep an eye out the Himalayan's windshield, if it fits the TB then thats an easy solution.

Originally Posted by Vikvkv

The detailed travelogue that you post is immensely helpful. Even my dad is amazed by your travelogue and your enthusiasm.

Thanks for the appreciation, Vikvkv. Kindly convey my thanks to your dad too.

It seems your bike is running in stock condition have you ever thought of changing the silencer.

I am happy to hear the chirping of my bird! I don't have any plans to change the stock OE exhaust/silencer.

Have you ever faced difficulties riding your bike in cities specific to the handlebar?

Never. The raised handlebar and the contoured rider's seat ensure I have fatigue-free long ride.

My bike has seen two replacements of breather tube have you faced this issue?

Even my bird had one replacement already. Royal Enfield recommends replacement of hoses every 12 k km.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Wow! Hats off to you sir for your wonderful roadtrip.

Thanks a lot for the appreciation and nice words, neil.jericho.

Keep an eye out the Himalayan's windshield, if it fits the TB then thats an easy solution.

I like the Himalayan windshield. I will explore the possibility of getting it fixed on my bird.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by J.Ravi

I like the Himalayan windshield. I will explore the possibility of getting it fixed on my bird.

Ravi Sir,
Why just the Windshield and why not the bike itself?
Knowing your gumption for travelling am sure it will be a good tool in your able hands.

Cheers and congrats on the GQ.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Why just the Windshield and why not the bike itself?

That's a good two-lakh-rupee question!

Cheers and congrats on the GQ.

Thanks a lot for the appreciation, nice words and the wishes, ku69rd.

[Vikvkv]

@J.Ravi
Sir how do you check engine oil level. I recently changed my bikes engines oil but I'm unable to get a reading of actual level. The oil guage is always full when I put it on main stand.

Originally Posted by Vikvkv

Sir how do you check engine oil level.

Exactly like this:

The oil guage is always full when I put it on main stand.

That means, there is no need to top up. Even during my recent GQ ride, I didn't use the spare engine oil that I carried anywhere.

Today, I test-rode Himalayan from Sri Velavan Motors, Greams Road, Chennai, mainly to see whether its windshield would fit to my Blue Bird. Yes, I think it would, with some modifications. Here is my FIR:

















Pros:

* The build quality and fit-and-finish are the best of all Royal Enfield models.

* Windshield, metallic piping for brakes, gear indicator, good rear-view mirrors, provisions for fitting panniers, cans, bags, etc.

* Rear carrier to carry more luggage.

* Light-weight off-roader with sufficient ground clearance.

Cons:

* Being a six-footer, I did not like the location of foot-pegs for the rider. I was not at all comfortable during the test-ride unlike the ones with Thunderbird 500. My inner voice says that I won't be comfortable during long mega highway cruising too.

* No kick-starter.

* Fixed headlamp on the frame.

* Gear-shifter does not have heel-pusher.

* Carburettor-engine. No electronic fuel injection.

* No ABS.

* Single horn.

















Perhaps, Himalayan is suitable for the Himalayan rides and off-roading only and definitely not meant for city-commuting and highway cruising, IMO.

On 8 Feb 2016, I had a long test-ride of Mojo in Bangalore. With just a phone call, the sales executive of Alfa Motors arrived with the test-ride bike at my home after taking my appointment! For the first time, I had my test-ride of a two-wheeler starting from my home!





The first test-ride was a short one with the sales executive as my pillion. Even with the medium-built pillion, I was not comfortable. His thighs were touching mine. He was breathing on my neck! For short city commutes, it may be okay. But, for long rides, this bike is better ridden solo only.

The second test-ride was a longer 6.0 km as per odometer and 5.7 km as per my GPS-based DigiHUD Pro smartphone app. The instrument cluster appears to be fairly dependable unlike my Thunderbird 500's. Since it is evening, I could not test the bike in higher speeds due to bumper-ro-bumper traffic in most of the places in our area. I found that in all the parameters like ground clearance, wheel base, suspension movement, liquid-cooled engine, etc, it exceeds Thunderbird 500 positively. The brakes were very sharp. Potholes were swallowed easily, thanks to the longer suspension travel. The switches had backlit illumination for easy identification in the night, which was not available in Thunderbird 500. When the traffic signal turned green, I was the first one to cross it! I enjoyed the power, ride and handling of the bike. The fan worked for few minutes even after I switched off the ignition, cooling the coolant. Cool!

So, coming to the two-lakh rupee question, which one I like more?

Mahindra Mojo.

Will I buy Mojo, if so, when?

Maybe, Mojo will succeed my Thunderbird 500; but not in the near future.