[roadqueen]

Hi,
I am 5"2.
I had the same specs as your wife. I previously owned an avenger, 15 years later and serious issues, I was looking for a new bike. Checked out many. All same issues my legs wouldn't touch ground comfortably.
Thought about getting an avenger again but the chrome really would rust in Goa's humidity.
Finally saw the Vulcan 650, it was love at first sight.
Legs reach. Easy to ride. No chrome so not much chances of rusting.
The ground clearance although an issue is not that bad. Just slow down enough before huge speedbumps and it will go over ok. Or change the exhaust. I didn't.
The colour to that I got was matte grey. Although I wasn't so excited about it. It grew on me. I love it now. It's not a small bike and it isn't noisy to grab attention by the ear. But it is a looker and I do get asked about it a lot.
Same as you, I did not get a test ride. But I bought it on blind fate that my gut instinct was pushing me towards it. No regrets whatsoever.

My Vulcan 650. Will load more pics later


Arrey, I guess I was late.
Oh well, enjoy the Meteor.

[sramdev9]

I would suggest the Jawa Perak. I ride an RE TBTS 2019 model with duel ABS and i test rode Jawa 42 earlier this year. I can tell you the bike has got power. The Perak has got character, is one of the good looking bikes and sounds good too. Should meet all of your wife’s criteria (except for the chrome), and your budget too. Seems to be a sensible choice if you do not want to wait for RE 650 cruiser or the zepplin!

[quote=Sensible option. Issues are only in terms of mounting luggage and less room on single seat (would need frequent stops while touring).[/Quote]

This is a good example of the luggage loading potential of the Perak. I don’t think luggage loading will be an issue!!

[Jessierider]

Originally Posted by vencat

Background

The lady is the wife. She has been riding an Avenger since 2017. I have a used Thunderbird since 2014.

December 2020 when Meteor was out, we went to check it. It was quite tall for her. Avenger is 737 mm. Perfect for her. Meteor is 765 mm.

Meteor is the best option that is currently available. My younger brother has a standard royal Enfield bullet. He got himself a custom seat made for INR 3600 back in 2017. I am not sure about the numbers but this custom seat has a scooped out top which considerably reduces the seat height. My brother who is 5'4 can easily plant both his feet flat on the ground. This was done at JC road in bangalore. In addition, I have personally covered upwards of 400km on a single day multiple times, the seat is supremely comfortable with minimal pain in the backside. This is because, standard seats on the bullet was extremely soft whereas the custom one is on the firmer side.

The pic below is the only one in my gallary that gives a basic idea. If need be, I shall share a few more pictures as and when needed

[A350]

Originally Posted by vencat

He said - just now I got off a call - this person had booked a customised bike ( with name embedding ) but now does not want the bike. If you are interested you can check it.

Congratulations to San on her new ride. The same thing happened to my friend who had finalized the meteor and gone to the showroom to book it. He saw a customized bike in the same color that he wanted (Blue) and asked if it was available, the show room people checked with the guy who had booked it and he let it go, so my friend merrily drove home on the bike after making full payment

[skrao]

My wife has been a bike rider for 20 plus years. She is 5' 2" as well. She used to ride a Shogun with difficulty. I have bought her an Avenger 220 (the one with the Pulsar engine) , its been 6 years with it. She did test run a Thunderbird, she did not like the gears for some reason. She also looked at a few imported bikes, and then settled on the Avenger

[Phantom 510]

RE Meteor 350 should be the right one for her.
1. Much improved 350cc engine that scores on both refinement as well as performance.The gearbox is also very precise and slots in without a fuss.
2. Strong torque off the idle and in the midrange will make life easier in our riding scenarios. There is always right amount of go at the twist of the wrist.
3. Classic feet forward cruiser ergos along with the unstressed motor works wonders on the open roads.
4. Longest engine oil change intervals in it's segment at 10k Kms or 12 months whichever is earlier backed by largest service network (in it's segment), affordable service costs and service on wheels.
5. Being an RE it should hold it's resale value well.

[rageshgr]

How about the HD Street 750. It is really low too

[saitvsk23]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

How about the HD Street 750. It is really low too

Now that it is discontinued, hunting for spares will become a nightmare.
Even if you find to manage, they'll be priced absurdly.

[vencat]

First accept my apologies for not having updated the thread.

Short summary : We ended up getting a Vulcan.

Here is what happened

RE showroom had asked for a week to get the bike ready etc. and we went to pick the bike - with full family and lemons.

The silver / grey Meteor was parked majestically and all shiny. The day I had gone to the godown to check the Meteor I spotted one more Silver one - with February manufacturing date and full of dust. Had taken photo of the chassis number just in case.

Lo and Behold - this new one was the same dusty February manufactured one when I compared the chassis number.

Did the RE guys try to push us an old untaken model - or was it a genuine mistake? We will never know and were not ready to find out.

The Manager said it was a mistake, give us another day we will bring the actual one. I was ready to give them the benefit of doubt, but San did not want any of it. If they bungle this little thing - what will happen tomorrow on service.

We went back home dejected. San was saying let me just continue riding my Goldie ( her Avenger ).

I renewed the chats with the Kawasaki rep. Had earlier told him we are getting a meteor. Again - no test ride vehicle. Anyway convinced San to go to Kawasaki showroom the coming Sunday. Lets test ride a Ninja - and see if you like it. We can book Vulcan.

We went to the showroom on that Sunday - she rode the Ninja and was impressed with the 650CC Engine - the same engine of Vulcan. And we put the 50,000 booking amount.


Attachment 2226122


It took another 2 weeks and the bike finally arrived in the godown. It was the only Vulcan in a bunch of some 10+ Ninjas and Versys. It took 2 days for them to unpack the Vulcan.






We then went to have a look at the bike. San sat on it and started the bike. She loved it. It was perfect.

Meanwhile at home I change the wallpaper of my monitors [ this is my jugaad standing desk ]




Over the weekend we took the bike for a run in the Varathur village roads.

After fixing the number plate took the bike to Bettamugilaalam.







Pros

Silky smooth
Super bikes are a different class and one can feel it once you ride it.


Cons

Damn expensive.
The parts are also expensive.
Each service is going to cost 7000.
Drinks petrol like a car :(

I have to convince myself and Adventure 390 - I still love you.

[shancz]

Congratulations on the Vulcan.

Good call on walking away from the RE dealer. It wasn't a mistake, reminds me of the fiasco with the Safari owner in Punjab who took delivery of a different Safari than the one he had seen the previous evening and this one proved to be a lemon.

Happy Riding

[handsofsteel]

Congrats on the Vulcan.
A silky smooth bike. Though be careful of the ground clearance (like any other cruiser). Don’t fuss too much about the service costs, after the warranty, you can start doing the save yourself. It’s a bullet proof bike and you can’t go wrong with it. You’ll love it all the way.

[Vijaynidhi]

Congratulations on the new acquisition and wishing your wife many kms of safe and joyful rides. (off topic question)- the last picture in your thread, is that Timberland Oaks at Bettamugilalam?

[vencat]

Originally Posted by Vijaynidhi

Congratulations on the new acquisition and wishing your wife many kms of safe and joyful rides. (off topic question)- the last picture in your thread, is that Timberland Oaks at Bettamugilalam?

Thank you. Yes. It is in Timberland Oaks. We have purchased a plot and are planning to build a small house there to stay on weekends. Let me know if you also own a plot there - you can DM me - we are trying to create a WhatsApp group of all owners.

[vencat]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Congrats on the Vulcan.
A silky smooth bike. Though be careful of the ground clearance (like any other cruiser). Don’t fuss too much about the service costs, after the warranty, you can start doing the save yourself. It’s a bullet proof bike and you can’t go wrong with it. You’ll love it all the way.

Yes after the first service where they adjusted the suspension a bit, and also a bit of practise - the ground clearance issue is taken care of. Now I dont hear San saying she scratched the chassis.

Also the new Kawasaki Center in Whitefield - they did a few adjustments and did not charge us anything. San is very happy! She once dropped the bike and twisted the side mirror and we couldn't fix.

[Vijaynidhi]

Originally Posted by vencat

Thank you. Yes. It is in Timberland Oaks. We have purchased a plot and are planning to build a small house there to stay on weekends. Let me know if you also own a plot there - you can DM me - we are trying to create a WhatsApp group of all owners.

Thanks Vencat. Yes, we own a plot there too. Let's do a ride