[maddy42]

Wow just wow. This looks like a drool machine. Endless possibilities, and great to have a new product line. RE had the opportunity to go either the harley way or the triumph way. Looks like they chose the latter.

Before my bubble gets burst by someone in the QC department or the Marketing dept let me directly call out Mr Sid Lal.

Dear Mr Lal,

As a avid motorist and fan of anything on wheels it is my pleasure to directly talk to you (hopefully).

Indians and the world over are watching your companies moves with bated breath. You have managed to take the company to places they have never been before and carved a niche in the market dominated by underpowered offerings with commuters kept in mind and major sticker jobs launched as new machines.

Please do not change the attitude and cut corners in quality ever and also do not neglect your core market(Indian) to launch a product which does not stand to your motto. Do not make something which you personally would not ride.

In this new product we see something which was never dared by RE ever before. Go ahead with it and launch something which will keep the customers Stirred and Shaken and awed at what an Indian company can achieve. The world is watching while you get your company to launch something WORLD Class which can cater to customers across all borders.

Thank you for listening to another motorist.
Maddy

[ram_hyundai]

My guess is that the piping at the front along with the fact that the side body covering is well inside the part of chassis around it we can expect a front half fender and a neat side cover too.Look at the exhaust which has a nice end but the body doesn't jell well.So expect another cover for this too.This is more than enough to change the entire looks of this one.

[padikpanther]

Sincerely hope that the looks match the performance.
Might sound like nit-picking: but if this is meant for serious touring, then the up-swept exhaust is definitely not saddle bag friendly and the brackets that we see are too puny to accommodate saddle bags for a long tour. Something very important from my point of view, I'm almost OCD in this case: no provision for mud flap on the rear tyre, in case people are travelling in groups, the one travelling behind the leader gets a free spray paint and in rough terrains one can expect some loose gravel n pebbles too..

[himanshugoswami]

A friend's son is working for the R&D team at RE and i was speaking to him recently. he mentioned that this bike will completely change the perception of REs forever. Sid Lal has given a very strict brief to the team and focus has been on rideability and quality. Also this will feature top notch cycle parts- we have already seen it in the GT with Brembo brakes and pirelli tyres- this bike will take that forward- although he didnt confirm it, but dropped enough hints for me to guess that the shocks will either be Ohlins or something in that league. as re the engine, the focus is on low end and mid range grunt and he says that once i ride it, i will find my TB 500 to be a tortoise in comparison!! cant wait! Oh- and this look is not the final production look- there will be some embellishments to it.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by padikpanther

..the brackets that we see are too puny to accommodate saddle bags for a long tour. Something very important from my point of view, I'm almost OCD in this case:.

Just to clarify, I think the brackets are for keeping the saddlebags away from the rear wheels and indicators and not to accommodate the saddlebag inside it. Notice the rear indicator is placed inside these brackets.

[lohithrao]

Looks real tempting, but i heard that Himalayan has been put on hold :| anyone has more info on this?

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Looks real tempting, but i heard that Himalayan has been put on hold :| anyone has more info on this?

post Diwali launch is what I have heard- this could also mean launch at auto expo 2016, which seems a logical thing IMHO

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Also this will feature top notch cycle parts- we have already seen it in the GT with Brembo brakes and pirelli tyres- this bike will take that forward- although he didnt confirm it, but dropped enough hints for me to guess that the shocks will either be Ohlins or something in that league.

WOW! That's some expensive candy. The aftermarket Ohlins monoshock (S46DR1) for my street bike costs around INR50k.

Can't wait for the bike launch!

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

the shocks will either be Ohlins or something in that league.

Originally Posted by outofthebox

WOW! That's some expensive candy. The aftermarket Ohlins monoshock (S46DR1) for my street bike costs around INR50k.

Even if this is true, it will be a Made in India suspension with an ohlins sticker. Just like Due 390 supposedly has WP suspension but in reality its made by Endurance.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Talking of the chunky off road tyres. It seems to be shod with Ceat Gripp 19" front and 17" rear. Same as that of the Impulse!

I pray it does..

I have an Impulse.. which means at least for tyres I wouldn't have to run pillar/post.

[padikpanther]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Just to clarify, I think the brackets are for keeping the saddlebags away from the rear wheels and indicators and not to accommodate the saddlebag inside it. Notice the rear indicator is placed inside these brackets.

I too had noticed that the indicators are placed inside the brackets. What I fail to understand is why the brackets are 'box' shaped, the way we see many aftermarket utility boxes fixed on bikes.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by padikpanther

I too had noticed that the indicators are placed inside the brackets. What I fail to understand is why the brackets are 'box' shaped, the way we see many aftermarket utility boxes fixed on bikes.

Perhaps they are brackets to mount OE Panniers a la Binelli GT 600

[gopalmg]

As someone who frequently goes long distance touring on my TB 500, I love the rear carrier and the rectangular frame to prevent saddle bags from touching the rear tyre. I end up buying a new new saddle bag each year simply because the bottom left corner touches the tyre and the cloth gets worn off. I find the front rectangular frame intriguing. Of course it means I can sling stuff across the fuel tank. The Thunderbird may be the tourer in the RE lineup so far, yet it doesn't have the things that we tourers really need - like a rear carrier behind the pillion seat or the saddle bag protectors. If RE gets the engine and the quality right then this could be a segment killer. I also like the windshield in the front. At high speeds it reduces fatigue by deflecting the wind blast away.

[bblost]

I was driving down from Chennai to Hyderabad. As I crossed Puzhal, I saw this very lovely looking bike.



As I was driving alone, it was a challenge to click a picture. I hid my camera till I came alongside the rider and snapped a couple of shots. This was the best I could manage.

This bike has some really good acceleration. The rider zipped off and I knew there was no way I would be able to click any more pictures without compromising on safety.
The bike effortlessly crossed into the 100+ speeds.

The rider to give him credit did NOT do any nonsense. He was riding like a professional and was never rash at any point of time.

After some time another bike also crossed me and I did not attempt to click his pics as I knew it would be futile.

A couple of kms before Nellore, I found the rider parked by the side of the road.

I parked some distance ahead and went over to chat with him.
Joked with him that he need not worry as I will not click any pictures of his stationery bike.

Took a close look at the bike. It looks nice.
There is a single shock in the rear. The mudguard design is very interesting. The bike is really tall. It can easily hop over all the road dividers if needed. There is a oil cooler. The frame is completely different.

Information that I cannot guarantee as correct:
1. Engine will be about 380-400 cc
2. Mileage around 27kmpl.

One thing is sure. The bike looks awesome even in its naked form.
The rider told me that once you ride this, there is no way you will go back to any of the other RE's

I have some videos that got recorded in my dashcam. Once I am able to check them, will upload them on youtube.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by bblost

I was driving down from Chennai to Hyderabad. As I crossed Puzhal, I saw this very lovely looking bike...

There is a single shock in the rear. The mudguard design is very interesting. The bike is really tall. It can easily hop over all the road dividers if needed. There is a oil cooler. The frame is completely different.

I have some videos that got recorded in my dashcam. Once I am able to check them, will upload them on Youtube.

What an awesome capture!

Did you get to hear what it sounded like??

I wonder of there is a possibility of 2 versions coming off this platform! A scrambler like the one you shot and a thoroughbred ADV version like the one posted a few pages back!