[samarth.bhatia]

Here is a quick update:

I have crossed about 11,000 kms, although the odometer only shows the last 800 odd - that is because the entire instrument cluster has been replaced under warranty by RE. The hazard light switch had stopped functioning.

Also changed under warranty, are less important items :P
- piston kit
- cylinder head
- gaskets
- piston rings
etc.

The above was done to stop the excessive engine oil consumption.
I have gotten the oil changed after 800 off kms, and there was no depletion now. So it is ok for now.

The battery seems to be on the weaker side.

The clutch plates have been replaced, as they had started slipping.

Updated pictures:
(High Resolution versions can be viewed by clicking on any image)

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Here is a quick update:
Also changed under warranty, are less important items :P
- piston kit
- cylinder head
- gaskets
- piston rings
etc.

Hello Buddie,

Those are quite a few changes you have done on your TB. Not a regular replacement but hopefully they have addressed the issue.

Your bike is a fantastic looker to be honest and am sure you would take it places. With those mags have you gone in for tubeless tires? How is the build quality of these mags? Also what is the rear tire you are currently using?

Am currently on Ceat Vertigo Sport and they are doing just fine. They are due for replacement shortly in another couple of thousand Kms.

Are they fiber Panniers?

Overall looks very good and happy munching miles.

Can you please upload a couple of snaps depicting the full frontal of the Gaadi?

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Hello Buddie,

..hopefully they have addressed the issue.

..for tubeless tires? How is the build quality of these mags? Also what is the rear tire you are currently using?

Are they fiber Panniers?

...full frontal of the Gaadi?

Hi,

Thank you for your kind comments.

I hope the issues have been addressed too.
I am using tubeless tires, but with tube as I had replaced the tires while still on spoke rims. I have retained the tubes for now, as I had gotten them filled with Slime.

The rear tire is Ceat Vertigo Rage - it is good on tarmac, decent for rough surfaces, but fails to provide grip on gravel. It is also not too bad on wet surfaces.
A better tyre than the stock MRF.

The panniers are all plastic.

Here are some frontal views:







Cheers,
Sam

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Hi,
The rear tire is Ceat Vertigo Rage - it is good on tarmac, decent for rough surfaces, but fails to provide grip on gravel.

Hi Sam,

She looks very purpose built with those LEDS and windscreen. Does it not buffet during cross winds causing a strain on your shoulders?

If you are looking for good grip on gravel as well, do give the Vertigo Sport a good look. The knobby pattern is very good but they are soft rubber and would last roughly around 16-18K under spirited riding.

With your feedback, looks like I will stick to Vertigo Sport itself.
Have put mine with Slime and find them good enough.

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Does it not buffet during cross winds causing a strain on your shoulders?

The cross winds do not create any hassles as the windshield has been mounted at a lower point, to ensure the flow of air is from windshield to top of my helmet.

However, around speed of 50 kmph, if I ride with one hand, I feel vibration in the handle - this may be due to improper weight distribution on the handle due to the windshield (or its supports).

Sam

[inline-six]

@Sam Can u please PM me the details of those beautiful aux lights.

Thanks in Advance

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by inline-six

@Sam Can u please PM me the details of those beautiful aux lights.

Thanks in Advance

Hi,

Since you dont have PM privileges, let me tell you some details here itself. The lamps have LEDs, 2 on each side. Each LED is 10W, so the total load is 40W.
A few pages back, you will find a video I had posted of these lamps, and compared them with the main head lamp (high and low beam).

Truth be told, these lamps are useful on highways, but tend to blind oncoming traffic on two way roads. So it has to be a mix of these and the headlamps, depending on the situation.

I have them installed with an inline fuse, and a separate switch. They work only when the ignition is ON.

Sam

[SamarthMehrotra]

Thank you my namesake for such a detailed post-purchase thread of the Thunderbird 500! I never cared for the Bullets range much until the Thunderbird arrived on scene with its projector beams.

I am still undecided whether to choose the TB 500 or wait for Mahindra MOJO and the TVS-BMW 300cc bike. Reliability is my top most priority; though it seems RE has rubbed off quite a lot of their insanity.

I would really like the purchase link for those LED units. They seem to be well utilised by you and do the job well as posted in your pictures. Pls PM me on: https://www.facebook.com/samarth.mehrotra in case you have problem with PMs here. Thanks again!

[samarth.bhatia]

Long time no update.

Well, the bike has been chugging along, giving troubles every once in a while.

The other day, I took the bike for a short ride on a Sunday evening, topped up the fuel tank at a neighbourhood petrol bunk. The guy filled the tank above the level I'd usually go to. Started riding. After about 3 kms, the bike suddenly switched off.

Pushed it to the side of the road, opened up the fuel tank lid. Sometimes, the breather holes get chocked, so I thought that's what happened. Closed the lid, turned on the ignition, started the bike. The engine came to life, only to die within 2 seconds.

Repeated the process a couple of times, with no improvement. Pushed the 200 kg bike to a fuel bunk close by. Asked them to remove about one litre of petrol from the tank, which they did using a pipe.
Started the bike, this time it worked for a few minutes. But again switched off.

Called up a very reliable Royal Enfield expert. He asked me to try and get the bike back home. This was Dusshera night, so all the mechanics at his place were off.

And the evening became more adventure-filled. Dragged the bike across the wide main road, went up to an auto driver. Requested him to push to bike with his foot. And that's how I got the bike home. Due to it being a festival, the roads had lesser traffic. Still it got quite worrisome when climbing flyovers on outer ring road, and when changing lanes. Had to drag the bike with me feet several hundred meters at a spot due to there being a bottleneck. Got home somehow.

The next day, the bike was taken to the workshop. After trying several things, I was told the roll-over sensor was not working properly. That was changed.

It has been several weeks, and the bike is running without trouble. To be honest, I worry that it may go off on me - I never found out WHY the sensor had stopped working. So I don't know if there's something I should avoid.

Other Updates:
New free flow exhaust - Dolphin from Gursewak - installed.
Reason: The old Wildboar Reverse Conical exhaust broke - it was of absolutely horrible build quality - the entire mesh inside had broken, and there was a hole near the clamp that supports the entire weight - essentially the clamp had ripped outwards.

The new exhaust has a deep note, but is slightly louder. There's quite a bit of popping when I let go of the throttle - there's more popping since the winters started setting in.

The large windshield has been replaced with a smaller one - the large one broke, and was honestly too heavy. The handle felt better once it was gone. But then I put the smaller one as I had another highway trip - this time to Bhimtal.

There's also a new mobile charge cum lighter unit on the handle - the old one was stolen.

There's a new rear tire - I am now on the new Ceat zoom - the old one burned off - full story to come with my short travelogue.. Coming up in the next post.

Cheers,
Sam

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Long time no update.

Well, the bike has been chugging along, giving troubles every once in a while.

Thank you for the update Samarth. Been looking at your thread regularly.

Sad that not all update their respective threads . The only updated one is J.Ravi Sir's.

In May'16, I'll be getting my Tbird500.

[Saminxs]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Long time no update.
Well, the bike has been chugging along, giving troubles every once in a while.

Hi Sam, I am on the verge of booking TB 500. But reading about all these niggles/problems/issues with the RE bike is holding me back. Reliability is very important for me as I may be travelling with my wife and would not want bike to die down in between a long ride. Very worried because of these issues. I have to choose between RE TB 500, Honda CBR 250 or Ninja or Mojo .. :( What would you suggest?

Mod Note: Please avoid quoting the entire post while responding

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by Saminxs

Reliability is very important for me as I may be travelling with my wife and would not want bike to die down in between a long ride. Very worried because of these issues. I have to choose between RE TB 500, Honda CBR 250 or Ninja or Mojo .. :( What would you suggest?

Well, over a nearly two year ownership period, I have faced a lot of issues - most of them are listed here. I've also received warranty support on most in my first year of ownership.

Would I want to trade the bike in for any other? Not as yet.

It's not exactly a fill it, shut it, forget it bike. In fact far from it. But what's interesting is almost all the issues I've faced have happened in city riding, thankfully close to my home/ an RE support centre.

If you want to go on longer rides with your wife, I would suggest moving with a group of other RE riders as well. In case of any breakdown, for the most part, you'll get necessary support.

As for the other options? Well, like this bike, they also have their pros and cons. I am quite intrigued by the Mahindra Mojo, to be honest. It seems to be a well thought out product for tourers. Let's see how it fares in the longer run (I really hope well).

The TB500 is still brilliant bang for the buck, and a very well thought out long distance cruiser. With a few add ons, it becomes very nice indeed.

Only thing is, with a pillion, my bike ends up carrying 105 kg + pillion. If the pillion is light, I'm good. If not, the brakes & suspension start to feel a bit inadequate. So please do take slightly longer test rides, with both cases - just you, and you + your wife.

I hope this helps.

Sam

[sajjt]

Originally Posted by Saminxs

Hi Sam, I am on the verge of booking TB 500. But reading about all these niggles/problems/issues with the RE bike is holding me back. Reliability is very important for me as I may be travelling with my wife and would not want bike to die down in between a long ride. Very worried because of these issues. I have to choose between RE TB 500, Honda CBR 250 or Ninja or Mojo .. :( What would you suggest?

Same here This is for the second time am postponing my booking of TB. First was when the TB launched on 2010 IIRC, one of my cousin who already made a booking asked me to wait for a few months for feed back and within 6 months I have made up my mind not to go for it due its reliability issues. Second incident is right now after reading Sam's detailed writeup here!

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

Well, over a nearly two year ownership period, I have faced a lot of issues - most of them are listed here. I've also received warranty support on most in my first year of ownership.

Would I want to trade the bike in for any other? Not as yet.

It's not exactly a fill it, shut it, forget it bike. In fact far from it. But what's interesting is almost all the issues I've faced have happened in city riding, thankfully close to my home/ an RE support centre.

If you want to go on longer rides with your wife, I would suggest moving with a group of other RE riders as well. In case of any breakdown, for the most part, you'll get necessary support.

As for the other options? Well, like this bike, they also have their pros and cons. I am quite intrigued by the Mahindra Mojo, to be honest. It seems to be a well thought out product for tourers. Let's see how it fares in the longer run (I really hope well).

The TB500 is still brilliant bang for the buck, and a very well thought out long distance cruiser. With a few add ons, it becomes very nice indeed.

Only thing is, with a pillion, my bike ends up carrying 105 kg + pillion. If the pillion is light, I'm good. If not, the brakes & suspension start to feel a bit inadequate. So please do take slightly longer test rides, with both cases - just you, and you + your wife.

I hope this helps.

Sam

Well said brother, It's not exactly a fill it, shut it, forget it bike new gen bike, its more than a life style statement like a proud HD owners proclamation There is no such thing as a great bike with a bad engine. A bike may look a little ugly, steer with mind of its own, have bad electrics or bad suspension. But if its engine performs, all is forgiven. But when it comes to here, its let down at most of the times. It has become a very pampered machine to be honest. But whenever you have a bitter experience due to reliability issues a true bullet lover will never curse the machine where you cant expect any other two wheels. On a positive note, I would say its not the machine got pampered but the bulleteers!

Am still waiting for a positive review on TB to take the plunge.

[samarth.bhatia]

Originally Posted by sajjt

On a positive note, I would say its not the machine got pampered but the bulleteers!

Am still waiting for a positive review on TB to take the plunge.

Would I recommend the TB500 to anyone? Well, it does depend on the person & their needs.

If you want a comfortable tourer, at least at this price point, I do not see an alternative. And the sheer number of features that come factory fitted to make your highway journeys safer -

• double barrel headlamp with projector
• LED tail lamp
• Hazard lamp - sad that I need to count that as a feature
• a punchy engine, with excellent low end torque - so the bike pulls easily fully loaded even on steep himalayan inclines
• front & rear disc brakes
• heavy body with a good ride even over bumpy surfaces
• comfortable seating posture
• good control under heavy braking

Would I tour the himalayas on any other bike at this price point? I don't think so. Somehow despite all the niggles, it appeals to me.

And BTW, I have no reason to believe that other bikes are WAY more reliable - firstly, there are barely any contenders, secondly, the only ones are yet to prove their long term reliability, availability of spares etc. (read. Mojo).

And I'll tell you what - on my last ride (Delhi-Bhimtal-Mukteshwar: travel details below), the bike performed without any hassles, and since it was raining, for some reason the carburettor run 350s had to be re-tuned so they'd not behave to erratically. So the ECU did its job rather well - no issues reported by the EFI 500s.

I've come to understand one thing about biking in India - it's not so much the bike, but the sheer number of idiotic mechanics who spoil it. This is a common problem reported by users of almost all brands. And after a lot of struggle, I have understood it's better to try and know some things on your own, and find only competent mechanics to do the job.

__

Travel Entry
Delhi - Bhimtal - Mukteshwar - Delhi

This ride was initiated due to a Delhi - Bhimtal - Delhi ride organised by our local RE club - Soul Thumpers (Saket, Delhi).

We left from Delhi on an early morning, and started for Bhimtal. There were nearly 70 bikes or so. The ride started from the RE company showroom at Saket. With a lot of last minute packing missed out, I had to return home for a short while, so there was a lot of running around. Not the perfect start.
I had a close friend along on a Classic 500 - his first long distance ride, and his first ride on an RE. So he needed some time to get comfortable.

We got to the start point barely in time for flag off.

Headed towards Ghaziabad. I had done the same route a few months back on a friend's Elantra. Had gotten stuck while moving out of Ghaziabad-Hapur. Anyway, thankfully didn't face too much traffic. And since this was in August, it was good to get out on a cold early morning, as the daytime would definitely get hot.

Since it was a large group of riders, it was important to try and keep them all together. This meant following the lead riders, and not breaking the pack. What it also meant was reduced average speeds - and this was a bit of a bother.

We finally exited the main Ghaziabad stretch and the highway started to open up a little. Surprisingly we even found a bit of cloud cover. As we rode on, it started to drizzle and eventually started to rain hard. I was carrying my DSLR in the tank bag - the waterproofing got tested well during the trip. Hats off to NH4 Motorheads (Bangalore) for yet another smashing product.

As it started to rain harder, we stopped for breakfast at a small dhaba.

Here's a small video:

Ride with Soul Thumpers to Bhimtal

After filling our stomachs with parathas and lassi, we started to ride. The objective, to get away from the cloud cover ASAP, and reach the hills.

So Moradabad and then Rampur came by quickly. We faced some traffic just before entering Rampur (an overturned truck). Now I had asked everyone to follow me beyond Rampur, and take a diversion to Kemri-Bilaspur road. This was to avoid the horrible road between Rampur and Bilaspur. And to ride on a more scenic route. But due to the traffic at Bilaspur, we got split into two or three groups. So a large group of riders followed me to Kemri & then Bilaspur - Rudrapur stretch. At Rudrapur, one enters Uttarakhand, and the road quality improves dramatically.

Some filled up their fuel tanks at Rudrapur as we waited for another group. Since the group got delayed (various punctures, re-turning carbs due to rain, etc.), we continued towards Haldwani.

After reaching Halwani, Kathgodam passed by, and the climb started. In another 45 minutes or so, me and my friends arrived at the hotel.

That evening was spent joyously with the rest of the group.

The next morning, the group left towards Delhi, while me and my two friends decided to visit Mukteshwar (about 50 kms away).

Boy oh boy was this day fun. It started raining heavily. We first went to a deserted Sat-tal, got absolutely drenched. We had kept our bags & gear at a local friend's place, so that didn't get drenched. Reached back to the friend's place later, changed into a dry set of clothes, and left for Mukteshwar. And it again started raining. This time our gear got drenched. Reached Mukteshwar. Click some pictures, started back for Bhimtal (we were to leave for delhi the next, so wanted to avoid too much of mountain riding).

Here's some teaser pics from Mukteshwar:































To be continued..

Cheers,
Sam

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by samarth.bhatia

I've come to understand one thing about biking in India - it's not so much the bike, but the sheer number of idiotic mechanics who spoil it. This is a common problem reported by users of almost all brands. And after a lot of struggle, I have understood it's better to try and know some things on your own, and find only competent mechanics to do the job.

Mate first of all what a fantastic write up on your sojourns with the Tbird500. The point you've made above is bang on correct mate. All motorcycles are good it's only the incompetent mechanics that spoil it and this includes RE service centre mechanics as well.

Boy oh boy was this day fun. It started raining heavily.

Riding in the rain is like no other feeling. I mean its dangerous as visibility and traction goes for a toss but its that very thrill that brings out the rider in one. Especially with RE motorcycles riding in the rains is fun. The feeling is different when one hears that sweet mellow thump in the background with splattering rain drops on the helmet visor coupled with cool breeze and winding roads. The pics you've put up shows us riders as one with nature. Also hills is where the Tbird500 truly shines where torque is the king.