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-   -   Royal Enfield Pegasus 500 owners feel cheated, express disappointment over cheaper Signals 350 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/201422-royal-enfield-pegasus-500-owners-feel-cheated-express-disappointment-over-cheaper-signals-350-a-5.html)

Why can't RE fit ABS in the 500cc models and be done with this controversy ? I feel that would be a decent compromise. Maybe add in some service vouchers also.

I am damn sure the sales of RE motorcycles will remain unaffected or may increase further with the launch new Signals 350. RE is one company who knows the pulse of what the majority of two wheeler users want - Mojo, thump, coloring scheme, etc.

I infact remember Baleno remains unaffected, after one of our very own member's "#Tin-can" stickering saga - see here (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...-now-what.html). So there you have a recent example of what can be expected of this "garbage" saga.

The complaining owners of Pegasus ‘limited edition’ are getting roasted here, but pause and think for a moment. Imagine someone buying a Birkin bag or Jimmy Choo shoes only to realise that these companies are selling near identical looking cheaper versions. Now there is no doubt that there would be better looking, more durable bags and shoes at fraction of the price in the market, but someone buying an expensive brand buys it for exclusivity and with a intention of making it clear to the aam junta that they could shell out big bucks for that exclusivity. In a sense, what they are purchasing is not a product but a stamp which says “I could afford this”, or “I can carry this off”. No matter how shallow this behaviour may seem, there is a business transaction involved here and the seller needs to ensure that the exclusivity is maintained.

In this particular case, the Pegasus buyers are miffed that aam junta will no longer marvel at the few such bikes they see on the roads since there will be many more identical looking ones, giving the impression that it is an affordable bike. RE has failed to honour that end of the bargain.

For me personally, RE stopped being an aspirational product long ago, Pegasus or no Pegasus. There are a lot of pretenders out there who by donning RE accessories would like to believe they are some elite group of commandos, when in reality many would not be able to run a mile and have never seen a day of combat in their life. Of course, not all owners are like that, but for me there is too much of superficial stuff going on around these bikes. This Pegasus saga is a result of such behaviour.

1. Its not a easy retrofit
2. Why should they ? They delivered what they promised.

Really?? But why? These owners picked up the Pegasus knowing that their bike is not going to be equipped with ABS. And from what I have read online, their grouse is not just about their bikes not being equipped with ABS, it has more to do with their ego as Malyaj mentioned.

Ride safe,
R-Six

If its only about their ego, why don't all 250 pegasus owners collectively paint the same area on their bikes in a common color (front mudguard or one side of the tank) and write some slogan like "Cheated by RE" or "Never Trust RE" (stencil font might help to keep the aesthetics matching :D).

This will help in
1. Keeping the bike unique. For sure there will be only 250 such bikes on the road. And easy to recognise among Signals
2. Brand shaming (which is what they are aiming at)
3. A good story to tell to the strangers who will ask what's that all about. They may also like to go for more frequent and longer rides to spread the word.

The arguement of pegasus owners is childish. These people decided to trust a company who did something similar with himalayan sleet version. Launching it as a limited edition and subsequently deciding to open it for everybody.

Maybe. People do ridiculous things for attention or scoring some likes on the social media (or the news).

This also represents a disagreement between the company's philosophy and the customers' mindsets. Has this happened before? Yes! In fact, for too many times to count. Is it a big deal that this happened? No.

I really don't mind how people would deal with this situation. This thread is all about a bad move by a company and people buying in to the hype. Maybe the masses will learn about these crappy motorcycles, let go of their love for the 'thump' and buy a 'real' motorcycle instead. Win-win situation from my perspective as the company will then be forced to innovate. :)

I remember commenting under one of their special launch propaganda that I would be able to make any RE bike a 'special' edition by spending less than two litres of paint. I am seriously pained by the way these companies cheat people by gimmikery of exclusiveness which exudes from the majority shunning RE after seeing through their sham of selling age old technology whose maintence cost exceeds that of an diesel car.

I own an R15, it requires just 1 litre of oil and has zero issues even after holding highway speeds of ~100kmph for hours together . No RE even comes close. And my Figo Base 1.5D(6.17L on-road) has a similar(if not lower) total cost of ownership than a RE 500.

Exclusiveness must come from others liking your superior product but being unable to get it. Re is trying to shoo away the pragmatic ones and then deceiving those who fell for it by making them believe all others were too poor to afford these worthless machines.

What gratification does throwing a beautiful and powerful bike provide to an owner is beyond my understanding apart from some social media buzz?

From a biker's point of view, a motorcycle and it's rider's relation is like a brotherhood: together in all conditions, good or bad. The moment you own one, its a bond whether its a 2.4 lac or 24k vehicle and its plane jane stupid to discard, disrespect and ridicule it. To the ardent RE fans, their machines are not a "a motorcycle" it is a relationship.

I have a Bullet 500 Forest Green in my garage which i hardly drive due to my heavy reliance on my 4 wheelers but i would not let anyone touch it because i feel it as a part of me and the same goes for my cars as well.


Is their a disclaimer by the company that they will not manufacture similar looking product in future?

Your ltd. will stay ltd. and no one can change it and in this case , owning a smart 500 is itself a good news vs a 350 and the guys who have driven both must be knowing what i am saying.

If still one does not like it, better give it to some one who drools over it but couldn't afford it, i bet he will be more thankful and take better care of it. Such stupidity is beyond normal sanity levels and doing this will not bother anyone a bit except some few whatsapp/ fb share for a week or so and then forgotten.

Grow up haters, cherish what you have and be thankful for your possessions , you may have them but may not deserve them.

I have been watching the PR drama by one of the owners and all the comments that followed that PR stunt silently. Unfortunately, our media loves such 'click bait' title worthy news.

But I simply could not ignore these silly questions by one of the owners and wanted to ask these questions back at him -

Dude, what did you think you were buying when you sat in front of your computer and tried time and again to get the Pegasus while the website crashed again and again? Pegasus was always a slightly different Desert Storm with some fancy stickers on it.

Right, so why did you want to pay a premium to pay that homage to the British army in the first place? :D

So if you really cared about ABS, Bajaj has been putting its loudspeakers to good use to get your attention with the cheaper, yet faster and much more modern Dominar. Why did you skip that, pay double premium and get this one? Or if you knew the trap that you were getting into, and bought an Enfield because it was 'manly', be a man and stop grumbling now. :uncontrol

True. The ABS argument is totally flawed. After a fall during emergency braking at slow speeds on roadside slush during my college days - I had decided long back that ABS will be there on my future bikes. And I skipped various choices due to this one reason alone.

I personally had a big soft corner for the Benelli 600 GT/i over the Versys 650, just because of its beautiful inline4 motor. Primary reason to skip that bike was ABS. Wouldn't have made any sense if I had bought that bike and then later cried when Benelli introduced ABS a few months later.

And I totally disagree if anyone suggests that ABS is not required for the speeds an RE is capable of! :Frustrati

OT - I am the living example of this. ABS Queries

We went to several road trips on my Classic 500 with all the protective gear and long years of riding experience coming from an 11 year affair with the Standard cast iron 350 which had a mind of its own. Back then I used to feel the rush and thrill of controlling and taming the wild.

Then I had a bad fall last year on the Classic 500, while driving locally and at meager speed of 40/50 Kmph as the front wheel locked in a split second of braking, which required 2 surgeries on my right knee and till date the physiotherapy is required even after 16 months. I feel lucky to be alive, and all the years thrill and rush went for a toss. ABS would have surely helped here I believe.

For the weight that it has, in my opinion both the 350 and 500 behave like "Locomotives". ABS is a must in these bikes or for that matter any two wheeler in our country, for the driving skills, road manners and the presumed fundamental rights to illegally overtake or overs-peed or driving in the wrong lane without caring about the lives of other people by the other drivers. To add to the fun the pot holes and irresponsibly splattered gravel are right in your face as if to literally test your driving abilities.

RE should have introduced ABS right from the launch of this bike not because the govt rules, but because of their understanding of these bikes as a manufacturer. Its a pity why the export models had ABS right from the start while somehow they thought selling bikes in India wont require ABS. The sales figures that they have clearly shows that whatever they produce sells like hot cakes. Then why not add ABS to all the models (Pegasus 500 Included). With all their marketing strategies excelling bang on why not also take efforts in safety measures and quality control.

There is nothing like an "expert level driving" or "expert level braking" which can surely avoid an accident on a two wheeler. But in my strong opinion, driving and traffic manners should be included in the schools as basic education so that the next crop of vehicle drivers at least understand these values.

A lot of people here are missing the point when they say that the owners of the Pegasus are being childish, etc. I will make my point with an analogy.

Imagine that your spouse or girlfriend (assuming that all the readers of this topic are men) are looking for a fancy new saree or dress for their best friend's wedding. She walks into a shop where she likes something a lot but but is not immediately convinced. The salesman then tells her that it is an exclusive piece made just for the shop and that there are only 10 pieces in total. This clinches the deal and a lot of money (for a saree or dress) is handed over. Your lady then wears this dress to the planned event expecting to turn heads. Now imagine how surprised she might feel when she sees someone else wearing the same saree or dress. Now imagine how angry, upset and deceived she will be when she finds out that the other person wearing the same design bought it from the same shop and for a lower price because it's a fast moving item made with lower quality silk on a machine loom! Will your lady care that her piece has a higher thread count or is made with traditional silk or is made by the 10th generation of weavers in some little village somewhere? Do you think that your lady will ever go to that shop again? Will she not tell her friends about this?

The simple fact is that RE told the buyers of the Pegasus they were limited edition and then cheated them by making a similar, cheaper bike.

Comparing a Bullet to a Yamaha, Honda or even a Dominar is like comparing apples to oranges. They are both fruit but they are very different. Japanese bikes have the image of reliability, whereas Bullets have the image of being macho, rugged, etc. It's all about the image.

Off topic but not entirely:

I am sorry to hear about your accident and injuries. Your protective gear saved you from many more injuries.

The macho, rugged image of the Bullets makes a lot of Bullet riders wear flimsy open face helmets. Is that image really so important that they will risk their head and face?