[Ironhide]

Quoting ebonho from another thread

Originally Posted by ebonho

Really good realistic points bro.

Is it not ironic that even after three different generations of 500 cc motors across the past two decades we as owners are still crying for a bike that can comfortably hold 90-110 kmph for long periods of non-stop running regardless of ambient temperature without sucking the life out of the motor, parts breaking/bending/giving way, or inordinately large quantities of oil being consumed.

Such is the real world confidence we have as customers who've seen the machines and what they can actually do on the road when pushed (..... and Indian Bullets are pushed, and then some!), that even today when we are discussing a 750 cc TWIN, we are still being measured and cautious in our expectations and asking (very humbly) for RE to give us a bike that can JUST hold 120 kmph in May-June at 2-3 in the afternoon for an entire tankful worth of running.

If they can, then we will allow ourselves to get really greedy and ambitious and ask for (horror, shudder, tremble) 140 kmph from a RE liter class.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Jim as an old timer of the hardcore Bullet community scene here in India, I can tell you that we have been hearing noises from deep inside about Royal Enfield "threatening" to do this for years now. And in our eternally optimistic naivete we actually believed we would get a twin.

And most of us are now completely disillusioned, tired of waiting, and have moved on to other bikes.

There is a limit to brand loyalty. Especially when the brand does not reciprocate and keeps churning out the same stuff in new and constantly increasingly more expensive bottles. With zero difference in quality, reliability, performance, or cost and availability of spares.

You as an American with access to all the lovely bikes a biker could dream of, at good prices, and having seen it all and done it all, are at a stage in your life where you can appreciate a Bullet for what it is and what it is not, and enjoy the ownership experience therefore.

The scene is very different for us here in India. For us the Bullet isn't an exotic piece of machinery and/or a modern classic/vintage. We have grown up seeing and hearing Bullets on our roads. They have always been a part of the scenery here. For us the Bullet is a bike that till recently was big and powerful and the only thing available for guys who were on the big side, and wanted to go fast.

Now the game has moved on. And Bullet is getting left behind for this demographic.

Yes they would still sell on their persona and brand and mystique to the newcomers. And I am happy for them for that. They deserve it after keeping the brand and the bike alive when the whole Brit biking world went extinct more than half a century ago. That commitment and staying power should be rewarded.

Quite simply, Royal Enfield is for us Indians what Harley Davidson is for any red blooded American. Its our bike, our brand, warts and tantrums and all.

Originally Posted by ebonho

The most modern radically new chassis offering of Royal Enfield, a stripped down Cafe racer no less, weighs "only" 184 kilos (with 90% fuel) and is the "lightest" offering in their stable.

And it already produces a claimed 29 horses. And tops out at 140 kmph and thereabouts.

The Standard 500 with 22 bhp topped out at 120-125 kmph.

The Lightning 535 with 26 bhp topped out at 125-130 kmph.

The LB 500 with 25 bhp topped out at 125-130 kmph.

The UCE 500 with 26 bhp tops out at 130 kmph.

The Continental GT with 29 bhp tops out at 135-140 kmph.

That's FIVE engines/states of tune to increase the top speed of the bike by 20 kmph after approximately 25 years.

This is counting the start point from the early 90s for the Indian 500s.

Considering the Indian 500s of the 90s were hardly different from the Redditch 500s from the 50s, you could add another 40 years to the above matrix.

And then newly minted fanboys wonder why the old guys crib and whinge. With good reason. With a lot more kms of ownership under their belt to back up what they say as well. If it matters to the new entrants to the hero worship game.

Bottom line - a 400 cc RE single producing 26 bhp is not going to do 130 all day. It will just about do 130 - on the very optimistic speedo. And if you hold it there, the piston will eventually melt into the sleeve or come out through the tank.

Cheers!

P.S. As for the other part of the equation of this much touted RE R&D and incremental improvement over the years and new engines - any RE 500, ridden like a 500 should be ridden, will still not give you any more than 25 kmpl in the city and 27-30 kmpl with a very light wrist on the highway.

Reliability? Visit dealerships, go to the workshops, and check their manifestos for warranty replacements and breakdowns (major ones - requiring splitting open of new engines). 99.9 % will be UCEs. The standards and the LBs have long since stopped going to dealerships.

The only thing that has really improved significantly (statistical significance) at RE, across their offerings, is the price.

This aptly sums up the frustrations of many riders who bit the 'Bullet', and now are regretting it. The case that Bajaj makes, though their offering are not entirely niggle free (but a darn sight more reliable than the antiquated and undependable offerings from the RE stable) is that motorcycling should be niggle free. One should head out on two wheels, to enjoy his/her ride and not with a constant voice in the back of his head that the bike may break down somewhere . So what if any roadside mechanic can repair the bike - why should it even come to that?
In most of the motorcycle travelogues that have an RE, there's almost always a breakdown. Why should it be like that . Why can't one travel across the length and breadth of the country without his/her bike breaking down? And what about finesse? With all those vibrations, rusting parts and weight a long tour to the distant beautiful parts of the country can hardly be enjoyable? Even their latest offering is beset with reliability and quality control problems, not to speak of poor power and excessive weight. Here's a video on how an owner sold off his Himalayan and bought a new Yamaha FZ 250 instead. The interesting part is the number of components changed on a new bike - talks volumes about quality control!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRy9g3mkwBM

Why can't RE, which is raking in all the moolah from their burgeoning sales, invest in R&D and provide us a niggle free, reliable bike with better power to weight ratio? All it should take is some committed, sustained R&D and a more focussed and unforgiving quality control.

Is it too much to ask?

Cheers !

[BLACKBLADE]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

This Ad, served as an eye opener for me, that I need to evolve to more modern, more reliable and more fun bikes, before I get too old to do shit, and the first thing to do is to get rid of that 14 year old junk!

Sorry mate. You married the wrong girl, meaning to say not your kinda girl, and suffered for 14 long years !

Originally Posted by green_ninja

The reason being non-availability of original plastics and aftermarket parts available were not necessarily cheap. These bikes are updated once every 3-4 years and suddenly parts support for the older models becomes non-existent.

Think for a second, no modern plastic clad Indian/Japanese bike unless maintained by someone with OCD will last that long. In the end, the REs will be slow, somewhat unreliable but it is the only bike available in the market now that will probably last a lifetime for someone who doesn't care about changing his ride every 3 years.

Well Said mate! How often does one see a well kept old Jap bike, in pristine condition ? REs are for a life time. Like a marriage, a life long commitment. An emotional union of sorts. Can't say this for any other modern day bike, can you ? All this won't make sense for some, in this age of Tinder et al.

Originally Posted by green_ninja

Last but not least, if you are from a Tier II or III town in India where most women still travel sitting one sided on a bike the RE has the most comfortable pillion. At the end of the day, ride what you like. Understand the limits of your own skill and the capabilities of your bike. Ride your own ride. Cheers!!!

Whoa ! You can call us old-school, but that's how we roll ! "Ride your own ride". Summaries it all, brilliantly.

[greenhorn]

I have begun at appreciate the qualities of the bullet after my brother in law bought himself a ktm rc 390 instead of the bullet. Now my wife and in laws are worried sick about something happening to him. At least with a bullet, he could have looked cool without going anywhere too far or too fast.

[petrolhead_neel]

Originally Posted by BLACKBLADE

Well Said mate! How often does one see a well kept old Jap bike, in pristine condition ? REs are for a life time. Like a marriage, a life long commitment. An emotional union of sorts. Can't say this for any other modern day bike, can you ? All this won't make sense for some, in this age of Tinder et al..

Agree to disagree. Say what? My father rides a 2014 Classic 350(<20k kms), and is simply FED UP with the issues and lack of consistency in RE's service centres. He *also* rides a 2010 Honda CB Twister 110, 50k Kms old now. And the cheap, commuter bike from Honda has NEVER given us any problems, just periodic service and changing consumables. It has been the beater bike for my father, he has taken it quite some places when bird watching and simply not caring about the bike and parking it in the middle of nowhere. And the greatest thing is that she still rides like she's a month old. The quality of parts is astonishing too. No rusting at weird places like his Bullet. I can go on and on about how much I love the Twister and how reliable she is, but I will be digressing and that discussion is maybe suited to a different thread. I hope I made my point. Japanese bikes, if kept well, can go on and on. I just gave you an example of a "cheap" one.

Neel

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by BLACKBLADE

Well Said mate! How often does one see a well kept old Jap bike, in pristine condition ?

I've seen well kept 1980s and 1990s era CB400s, Ninjas (ZX-6/9R and older ZZR600), CBR900RR, CBR600Fs, myself. The odd VFR and CBR1100XX too lurk around somewhere, a Gixxer 600/750 here and there.

Often, the engine and frame show more wear (paint peeling, coatings pitted) while the plastics are still shiny, if sometimes cracked or rattling.

That said, I do wish , in stark opposition to many bikers, that manufacturers maintain longer product lifecycles and maintained parts compatibility for longer, even if there are fixes and improvements within a generation of the bike. It will keep costs down tremendously owing to economies of scale.

Even the west now doesn't upgrade as often, so it makes sense to have the same model for 5-10 year cycles with another 5-10 years of parts stocked. It's said Honda does support old models best.

[T2luvroads]

Originally Posted by T2luvroads

I own both a 2004 RE Electra and recently A Bajaj Dominar. But the the TVC made by Bajaj really pulls the morale down. I'm also part and parcel of Royal Riders Club Kolkata so it hurts my sentiments and many other RE fans who could have been probable customer of Dominar. Rather projecting on the pros of Dominar would seek more support.

After riding both of those in alternate days regularly (I'm into medical sales and rides bare minimum 50kms per day) one of my critical observation about handling is that at 0 kmph to 5 kmph in congested traffic of Howrah and Kolkata RE is more stable and maneuvering is much easier & comfortable in tight situations than that of my new friend D400.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Ricci

I've seen well kept 1980s and 1990s era CB400s, Ninjas (ZX-6/9R and older ZZR600), CBR900RR, CBR600Fs, myself. The odd VFR and CBR1100XX too lurk around somewhere, a Gixxer 600/750 here and there.

Just see this CB 500

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcsQ8jDqGbU

Other videos by him are a pleasure to watch and when you are having more fun, honestly a 50/60 bhp bike is good enough, just that when a suspension/brake upgrade happens, one may get tempted.

On this topic, this came as forward over WhatsApp, cheeky

[Latheesh]

Here is another pointless ad from Bajaj. This time it is Dominar vs Social media. Don't miss comment section of the video.

https://youtu.be/kyiIvoEstRM

[VinodDevil81]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Here is another pointless ad from Bajaj. This time it is Dominar vs Social media. Don't miss comment section of the video.

Here is an article from Motorbeam about the strong negative public reaction to this new Dominar Vs Social Media ad series.

Source -MotorBeam

What is wrong with Bajaj these days?
How ridiculous and pointless their ads have become!

Who developed this crazy idea of comparing Dominar to social media in an ad?
Are they comparable entities by any standards?

Most importantly, why do they always have to compare Dominar against something?
Why can't they just demonstrate its virtues and strong qualities/features in a straight-forward way just like other brands?

I am a Bajaj owner who decided to buy a DTSi Pulsar 14 years ago just because of the first ever ad of the DTSi series.
That was a hit ad in those days showing a biker on a Red DTSi pulsar performing stunts in front of a classic non-DTSi pulsar guy on a bridge.
The moment I saw that ad on TV, for the very first time ever, I finalized that this is going to be my next bike, and I bought it within a month of launch.

Even today i have that Ad clip in my mobile and still I love watching that ad.
Such was the power of Ads that Bajaj used to make in those days.

Exaggeration of facts and creating hype is ok to a certain extent in all ads.

But Bajaj has taken things to a ridiculously low level now.

They think that the viewers are fools to believe any nonsense that they show in their ads.
They have this feeling that they have achieved a marvelous feat and have reached some world class level with this average 400cc engine bike.
And last but not the least, they also think that except them, the rest of the competitors are good for nothing.

Atleast this is what a casual viewer feels about them after seeing some of their latest ads.


N.B: But I need to mention that still, their ads have that "decision making power" in them.

I had been following Dominar reviews ever since its launch and was seriously considering to buy it after a couple of years when the first facelift revision gets launched and all the current niggles are sorted out.
But the moment I saw these new social media Ads, the same decision making process was triggered in my mind which happened 14 years ago with the Pulsar ad.

But this time, the decision was a bit different.
No Dominar! Never! That was the decision this time.

Hats off to Bajaj for such wonderful decision-provoking ads!

[adrian]

Dominar's new advertisement is out. Looks like Harleys are in the menu (Brake issues )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFzDPvCqlro

[adrian]

Royal Enfield advertising for their motorcycles like never before

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xFbFqJ1mss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWHLvxl3zvw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsc0KzASsBQ

Courtesy : Royal Enfied Youtube channel

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by adrian

Royal Enfield advertising for their motorcycles like never before

These videos from Royal Enfield are honestly really well done. They are simple, effective, to the point, playing to the product's strengths, embracing new audiences (women riders in the second video), relatable and classy. There arent any below the belt cheap shots at the competition.

Royal Enfield is continuing its great run with beautifully made advertisements. The 650 twins had great videos accompanying their launches, the Interceptor one was exceptionally well made and very popular. It was shared quite a bit on social media as well. I feel the production value on the video of the Trials Works Replica is the among the best that I have seen.