Team-BHP > Motorbikes


Reply
  Search this Thread
39,531 views
Old 26th November 2013, 17:44   #31
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArizonaJim View Post
I think Royal Enfields response to your problem by coming to your home to examine the motorcycle is commendable.

I rather doubt they will be willing to extend the warranty for the entire motorcycle for another year but they should be willing to warrant the newly installed parts (and the labor of installing them) for a year.
After all, they will be brand new parts.
Yes, it was commendable. The extended warranty part came out of my frustration from the response I was getting from these guys. I have no intention of claiming a full bike extended warranty, but only of the parts that have been & will be changed.

Just to refresh it all : Parts changed till date :

1. ODO
2. Full body kit ( painted parts ) ( changed from twilight - > stone ) ( last month )
3. Rear Shock absorbers
4. lock kit
5. Now, the complete brake assembly.
shan2129 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 26th November 2013, 21:52   #32
Distinguished - BHPian
 
4x4addict's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 4,483
Thanked: 4,521 Times
Infractions: 0/1 (5)

This blaming the supplier excuse offered by bullet and Tata fans amazes me. The company who took your money and sold you the product is responsible for it, not the sub vendors.
4x4addict is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 26th November 2013, 22:15   #33
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by 4x4addict View Post
This blaming the supplier excuse offered by bullet and Tata fans amazes me. The company who took your money and sold you the product is responsible for it, not the sub vendors.
Did I miss something ? which excuse ?
shan2129 is offline  
Old 27th November 2013, 16:20   #34
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fade

Royal Enfield is claiming that the Brake Fail situation with my bike was the Brake Fade phenomenon.

What they don't understand is that my brakes failed, not faded.
shan2129 is offline  
Old 28th November 2013, 04:30   #35
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ArizonaJim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Phoenix, Ariz.
Posts: 1,200
Thanked: 2,836 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Perhaps it is a matter of semantics, but if brake "fade" is severe it will be impossible to stop the vehicle.

Another way of looking at the words is, if the brakes became inoperable when they were hot and, when they cooled, they worked as they should, I would describe that as Brake Fade.

If the brakes became inoperable and after they cooled they still refused to stop the vehicle, they failed.

Of course, this is coming from someone who spells tires instead of tyres.

Last edited by ArizonaJim : 28th November 2013 at 04:31.
ArizonaJim is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 28th November 2013, 10:46   #36
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArizonaJim View Post
Perhaps it is a matter of semantics, but if brake "fade" is severe it will be impossible to stop the vehicle.

Another way of looking at the words is, if the brakes became inoperable when they were hot and, when they cooled, they worked as they should, I would describe that as Brake Fade.

If the brakes became inoperable and after they cooled they still refused to stop the vehicle, they failed.

Of course, this is coming from someone who spells tires instead of tyres.
haha. Nice one . We all know you are technically sound or at the very least, very much passionate and dedicated towards your bike. So there goes the tire | tyre

I agree on the semantics part. But, this phenomenon is not limited to disk brakes. It applies on drum brakes too.

I am just so worried about people taking their Thunderbirds to Leh Ladakh and other parts of our beautiful country

Last edited by shan2129 : 28th November 2013 at 10:47.
shan2129 is offline  
Old 2nd December 2013, 13:51   #37
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6
Thanked: 3 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
When riding downhill how do you control your speed and most importantly which gear do you use?
You should be using the same gear downhill as you would use uphill for the same speed. For instance, if you want to be at 30 kph going downhill. You should consider which gear you would require for making 30 kph while going uphill (say, 2nd gear) and use the same gear downhill too.
Safe riding!
Badaasaab is offline  
Old 8th December 2013, 18:51   #38
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

So finally, after a very heated conversation with RE people, they decided to change my Entire Rear Brake assembly with Disk. I added with Disk, because initially they were reluctant to change the disk.

I was continuously pointing out that IMO, the disk that came with my TB500 was faulty ( it had a bend ). After taking the disk out, the service engineer confirmed my findings & replaced the Disk with whole of disk assembly. while the whole process of changing the rear disk set was going on, the mechanic who fitted the assembly found out that the DOT 4 oil that came with the new assembly was significantly low, than the normal level. So, the service engineer, very calmly and without hesitation, said, that & I quote:
Quote:
Top it up with the pink oil
when I said, the oil he was talking about is DOT 3. he said " No worries, they both go ok with each other. Not having a good knowledge, I did not have a technical ground to prove him wrong. But using my common sense of judgement, that instructed me to stop him, I told him not to top it up with another oil & use the same DOT 4 oil instead.

DOT4 oil was not in stock & it took them another 3 hours to source it. Really RE ? Is keeping essentials that hard ?
shan2129 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 9th December 2013, 03:36   #39
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ArizonaJim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Phoenix, Ariz.
Posts: 1,200
Thanked: 2,836 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

For what it's worth, the DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids are totally compatible and can be mixed together without causing a problem. The resultant fluid mix will boil at a lower temperature, somewhat like straight DOT 3 fluid.

I am somewhat nervous about mechanics calling the fluid "oil".
Brake fluid is not an oil at all.
(Oil won't eat the paint off of your vehicle but brake fluid will rapidly cause it to wrinkle and fall off.)
In fact, if anyone puts real oil into a brake systems hydraulic cylinders it will totally destroy every seal and hose in the system.

The safe thing to do if your mechanic starts calling the fluid "oil" is to look at the container and make sure it says "Brake Fluid" and is either DOT 3 or DOT 4 rated.
ArizonaJim is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 9th December 2013, 12:24   #40
Senior - BHPian
 
alpha1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: LandOfNoWinters
Posts: 2,089
Thanked: 2,596 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by shan2129 View Post
suddenly one day, while riding down hill from Mussoorie to Dehradun ( a mere 60 km ride ( 30 uphill and 30 down hill )), the rear brakes on my Bull gave up. Yes, you read that correctly.
I think quite a few people have also mentioned the same in this thread: are you absolutely sure that you did utilize engine braking (= using gears to brake the speed down) while going downhill.

What you experienced is what most people do experience when they rely only on the brakes to reduce speed.
alpha1 is offline  
Old 9th December 2013, 21:28   #41
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by ArizonaJim View Post
For what it's worth, the DOT 3 and DOT 4 fluids are totally compatible and can be mixed together without causing a problem. The resultant fluid mix will boil at a lower temperature, somewhat like straight DOT 3 fluid.
That's a relief

Quote:
I am somewhat nervous about mechanics calling the fluid "oil".
Brake fluid is not an oil at all.
(Oil won't eat the paint off of your vehicle but brake fluid will rapidly cause it to wrinkle and fall off.)
In fact, if anyone puts real oil into a brake systems hydraulic cylinders it will totally destroy every seal and hose in the system.

The safe thing to do if your mechanic starts calling the fluid "oil" is to look at the container and make sure it says "Brake Fluid" and is either DOT 3 or DOT 4 rated.
Yes, the mechanic called it Brake Oil. But the container said Brake fluid.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alpha1 View Post
I think quite a few people have also mentioned the same in this thread: are you absolutely sure that you did utilize engine braking (= using gears to brake the speed down) while going downhill.

What you experienced is what most people do experience when they rely only on the brakes to reduce speed.
Yes, I am very much sure. It is now a proven factor that the cause of brakes failing at that time was faulty system. The Disk was crooked and pads were cracked. 70% of the pads were eaten & the engineer confirmed that the pads were in continuous contact with the disk from day one.

So, only a little bit of pressure on the pads was enough to cause this.
shan2129 is offline  
Old 22nd May 2015, 10:43   #42
BHPian
 
drdeepudev's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Alleppey, Kerala
Posts: 230
Thanked: 57 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Posting in an old similar thread. The same thing happened with me.
From the last two or three days, while riding the thunderbird 350 for 10-15kms, I'm feeling, the bike is not accelerating as it should be. Reaching 70kmph is a big task. The very next day, I took the bike to RE service centre and explained the facts. The mechanic cleaned the pads and refitted every thing and told every thing is fine. Also, my chain was badly damaged and at 21000 kms I replaced my chain and sprocket. Today, on the way to work , after 15 or so kms from home, the same struggle to gain speed was felt. I parked the bike and just touched the disc and my fingers were nearly burned. I poured some water to the the assembly and it was literally steaming. This heat was felt in the previous incident too. At the time of writing this, I'm stranded in highway waiting for the mechanics to arrive. That's how I searched here and got all the information. Will update what's going to happen.
drdeepudev is offline  
Old 25th May 2015, 00:50   #43
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Dehradun
Posts: 303
Thanked: 82 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Oh God, That sounds really bad. Hope you got help in time.
shan2129 is offline  
Old 31st May 2015, 21:57   #44
BHPian
 
drdeepudev's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Alleppey, Kerala
Posts: 230
Thanked: 57 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by shan2129 View Post
Oh God, That sounds really bad. Hope you got help in time.
Yes. The dealership service centre was kind enough to pick my bike up. As mentioned in this thread, I told them to bleed the brake a bit and the problem was rectified. They were clueless what was happening to my bike. Such is the competency of company workshop. The saddest part is, just before this incident, on the previous day, they had reassembled the whole brake system for wheel tightness. Team bhp saved my day. Thank you, Shan, arizonajim and many others who had contributed.
drdeepudev is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 21st April 2016, 09:50   #45
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Namma Bengaluru
Posts: 73
Thanked: 26 Times
Re: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 : Brakes Failed : No Quality Control



Hello. So, these many years and months down the line, still happy with the bike? and say I want to pick one up, how would you rate it, and would you recommend any other bike as a close alternative?
Sridutt is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks