[saifybhp]

Dear Motorcycle enthusiasts,

A bike under the RE branding has been a major craving for me. The Bullet 350 being the apple of my eye for a very long time, I was always on the look out for a decently maintained second hand RE. (I thought of settling down with a Thunderbird too due to my limited budget). With all these in mind, I casually keep scrolling OLX only for REs.

Now some background on my current situation:

I am married, have a 2 year old son. I currently own a second hand Apache 200 4v (2017, carburetor). I had bought this in Sept 2020, from a guy who had maintained it in top notch condition (23.5k kms ridden). He was very much in love with this bike but still wanted to upgrade to a better one. It was an emotional send off for him. I brought it home. (15 KMs from his place). I could understand why. The bike was smooth. Very smooth. I immediately fell in love with this. Having bought it during the pandemic, I use it as my daily driver for short errands of 10 to 15 kMs per day. Even if my office re-opens, as it is very near to my house (5kms), my daily usage would not exceed the current limit.

I have been majorly using this bike on highways. I have taken this on several trips where I have covered 350 to 500Kms in a single day and still never had any issues. I took all the maintenance inputs from the previous owner and have been following it religiously (each time, TVS Authorized service center charges me 2.5k to 3k). On top of this, I had installed new tyres, both front and rear (Ceat and Apollo respectively, cost me around 5k).

Then this happened. I found a well maintained RE Thunderbird 2013 in OLX. Initially I thought that it was too good to be true as the specs read as below:

Owner: 2nd
Maintenance: Only showroom service
KMs driven: 15000
Engine Condition: Perfect

I could not take my eyes off it. And to match all this, the bike was very near to my place. I contacted the guy, went to test ride it and saw that the details mentioned in the OLX ad was indeed true. This guy was very genuine and I could understand that he was not lying about it. The bike was without any scratches. The rust in the exhaust was negligible. The engine sound was music to my ears.

I rode it. Loved it. But then It struck me.

It felt like a downgrade to me. The maneuvering of Thunderbird was not something I had experienced earlier. I have ridden Classic 350s before and I knew the handle position was very different in Thunderbird. But only after riding it, I realized what I would be missing if I sold off my current bike. The Apache 2004v feels as if it was made keeping my body dimensions in mind. That how perfectly I fit into it. Then came the power part. Despite this being a 350cc, my Apache 200 felt way more powerful. The 20.07 PS @ 5250 RPM was no match to the 20.82 PS @ 8500 RPM in the Apache. I understand that both the bikes are for different purposes, one being a cruiser and the other one being a sports bike. I still do not know what to choose between the love of my life and the arranged marriage I am very comfortable with currently. Should I just keep my Apache or shall I go ahead, sell it off, and buy this RE? The resale value for RE would not deteriorate as much as it does for the Apache. Say, next year I found a better RE, I would not be able to sell my Apache for the price at which I could sell it off now.

Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife? And postpone the RE plans to God knows when..

Request your inputs.

Sorry for the long post. I did not want to miss even the minutest of the details. Your comments could help me decide on how to proceed.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Dear Motorcycle enthusiasts,

A bike under the RE branding has been a major craving for me. The Bullet 350 being the apple of my eye for a very long time
....
I am married, have a 2 year old son.
....
I found a well maintained RE Thunderbird 2013 in OLX. Initially I thought that it was too good to be true as the specs read as below
....
Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife?

I'll try to answer your queries from the perspective of someone who has a multi vehicle garage purely for the want of it and not the need!

If you have been craving for a Royal Enfield motorcycle, you should go in for it now. The differences you feels are looking too pronounced as you are just too used to your non RE motorcycle. Once you start using the Thunderbird, you'll definitely get used to it. If possible, have a 2 bike garage and enjoy the best of both worlds - head & heart.

Regarding the car purchase, I feel that should be a priority especially with your son who will outgrow the petrol tank of a motorcycle in no time. The motorcycle is not a safe mode of family transport, period. There should not be any circumstance where you postpone your car purchase because you're changing your motorcycle. So go in for the RE only if finances aren't going to be a deterrent for your impending car purchase.

Hope this helps! Happy shopping!

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Dear Motorcycle enthusiasts,

Sorry for the long post. I did not want to miss even the minutest of the details. Your comments could help me decide on how to proceed.

Finances allowing get the car first and the plan anything else. I still ride bikes and sometimes do take my daughter out for a ride or to drop her off to school. But it isn't meant to be a tool to ride along with your family especially in a country like India. I had learnt it the hard way (that story for some other time) and bought a car. I could afford a car back when I bought it but was just postponing waiting for something new to get launched.

The RE can wait and mind you there are bikes lot better than the REs in the market. You can very well invest the time to research on better bikes. Get the car first.

[shancz]

Welcome to TBHP

Originally Posted by saifybhp

- It felt like a downgrade to me.

- Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache

- It is IMO. The RE you are talking about needs a much higher effort to ride and maintain, quite unlike your RTR or any motorcycle of that type.
I have never dreamt of/owned an RE because I think that in case of a face off the motorcycle will always win and disregard my intents and inputs. That is something I cannot live with

Although the Himalayan is different and have heard similar stuff for the 650 twins too. RE is changing and for the better.
So if you want to own a RE the later the better, IMHO.
The latest classic with the J series engine is the best till date.

What I would suggest is, as the REs get better, replace the RTR with a newer gen RE when the time comes.
For now, enjoy the RTR and get the car when you need.

Why not rent a RE for a weekend and see how it feels to live with it ?

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife? And postpone the RE plans to God knows when..

saifybhp, welcome to Team BHP. Its always good to have more motorcycling enthusiasts join what is predominantly a forum for car enthusiasts.

To me, the answer to your dilemma is fairly straight forward. At your stage of life, the safety of your family should be your number 1 priority. Save up for a car. Once you have purchased that, then save up for your dream Bullet 350. Until then, there will always be motorcycles that catch your fancy.

Most of us keep scrolling through OLX, wondering about motorcycles that we shouldn't seriously consider. I can guarantee you one thing, the day you bring home this 2013 Thunderbird, is the day that you will wonder whether you should have waited and bought a Bullet 350 instead! So, save yourself the headache and buy a car first.

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife? And postpone the RE plans to God knows when..

Welcome to the T-BHP ! I keep altering between my friends Apache and Thunderbird and I find Apache to be easiest to maneuver in city traffic. Thunderbird just isn't nimble as Apache, period. Maybe for long trips on highway, yes definitely Thunderbird makes sense. But your use case doesn't have these long trips. So my suggestion is to retain the Apache, maybe get her polished a bit, to get that "new" feel. Arrange finances and get a car, you'd be thanking yourself a lot few years down the line. Set a budget and post your queries, we at T-BHP here, will gladly help you out !

[amay1283]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife? And postpone the RE plans to God knows when...

I own a 2014 TB 350. My recommendation for you would be to get the car first. After that if you still have a need for owning an RE engine, then go for Meteor or Bullet 350. Hunter 350 should also be available by that time.

[D'Ro@dSt@r]

Originally Posted by saifybhp

Dear Motorcycle enthusiasts,

Or should I Just keep this Apache, buy a car in a year or two when my son becomes too big to fit into this Apache along with my wife? And postpone the RE plans to God knows when..

My friend, I was in a similar dilemma a couple of months ago, where RE was a dream to have it in my garage. But since I already had a Yamaha FZ, which was more than enough for nearby errands, I was not given approval from the home finance head (We all go through this approval process ). That when covid helped by not letting me take my bike for more than 2 years and it was time to let it go.
And I gathered courage to put this idea forward to own a brand new Meteor 350. Initially it was all arguments on wants vs needs and that's when luck shined on me one morning when I got that much dreaded approval to go ahead with the booking (Don't have a count of how many times we discussed to get this approval). Boy was I jumping with joy

Long story short, went ahead with the booking and I was committed a delivery in 2 weeks. But soon it was almost 4 weeks and I was getting impatient. Kept on looking for some pre-owned Thunderbird 350X and there i found one well kept, less driven 2019 TB 350X in my choice of Roving red color.
Gave a call to the seller and we agreed to meet on a Saturday morning. Rode the bike for a few mins and liked it. Closed the deal and the bike was mine by the evening.

So the question is What do I use it for?
I am more of a Car enthusiast and I still use the bike for my near by errands and rides to office.
We are also a family of 3 with a 5 yrs old and prefer taking out car for all our move arounds, exceptions being a quick run to catch the missed school bus in the morning.

I would suggest, If it is more of a heart thing, hold on to it for some more time and get a car if that is what you feel is more important and safe mode of travel for you and your family.

And yes you will not regret buying an RE, even though you are coming in from Apache or any other kind of commuter bikes.
Hope this helps you!

[saifybhp]

Dear Bhpians,

Thank you so much for the your lovely, heartfelt and genuine responses.

It's so overwhelming. Just an update here. Your inputs have been very much helpful in taking a proper decision. I've taken down my Ad in olx for the Apache 200 4v. I've decided to stick with it now, buy a car very soon and then think of an RE at a later point of time.

Once again, Thank you all. Much love.

[KPR]

Good decision. RE TB is the calf in the King's cowshed (In tamil: Raja veettu kannukutti!) It demands a lot of money, time and attention for vibrations and mediocre refinement. OTOH Apache is like butter. I don't think you will love riding a TB. Buy a refined current RE's J series engine if at all RE is in the wishlist. Buy a RE only if you can maintain a two bike garage.

[DriverNo.420]

Apache 200 4v is a beast, especially a well maintained one with a carb like yours. Easily matches the more expensive KTMs on the fun factor. It is much easier on you if you predominantly do short rides(RE's pushrod engines are made for highway, they develop clicking noises if you don't utilise their entire rpm range. Their OHC 350 mill however, is a gem) Moreover, apache also sounds just awesome at low to mid revs.

My opinion echoes with the others. Older REs demand attention while this Apache you've got, is a fill it and just ride it kind of a bike. Priority should be a car You've got just the right bike you need for your usage scenario. Glad you held on to it.

[Phantom 510]

Make a list of requirements first of all. See If it fits your requirements well, only then go for it or else don't. It doesn't matter how enticing the proposition might be. After all it's your hard earned money.

[Nicky4WD]

Hi all,
I know @saifybhp has made their decision and i do not mean to influence it but I'd just like to share my experience and hopefully clear some misconceptions.
I don't comment often but this is a post i hope to add some value to.
I own a Sep 2019 Thunderbird (TB) 350, a beautiful matt black. I specifically picked this up since I wanted a carburettor model and this also happened to be the last one in stock from Delhi since Royal Enfield (RE) would pull the plug on the TB and I didn't want the TB 500 since that was a Electronic Fule Injection (EFI) model.
I'm a mechanical engineer and have grown up with carburettor bikes, and i can tell you that while this RE still has vibration issues (RE USP that is, or shall I say was), it is not expensive to maintain contrary to what others say about it.
I've always serviced it myself (redid the oil after my 1st service too after i realised RE wouldn't allow me to use any other oil other than the RE oil at service) and have made a change to the recommend oil, i use Motul 5100 15W50 instead of the RE oil which is basically a HP oil packed for RE. I have managed to get a Fuel Economy (FE) of 65kmpl at best (I'm happy to share photos to prove my claim, and i was equally surprised just as you probably are, but this is for real). So annual costs (bi annual service interval) are just under 4000/-. I've only done about 8100 km on it but that includes a long 1300km run on it and a commute of 30km on the weekends. On highways I've hit 65kmpl but overall on average i get 40-44kmpl but in stop and go traffic, the FE can drop to 30-35kmpl.
Point is, it's not a difficult machine to keep and if you keep it serviced well, it will serve you well and on a light budget too.
Do these if you want to get better service from your carburettor REs (some of these will apply to EFIs too):
1. Ensure you have the tight tyre pressure always (i do this daily).
2. Clean, wash and lube your chain (i do it weekly but if you're in dirtier areas, do it daily if you can).
3. Have the correct chain tension (I do this every month or whenever I hear a slack in the chain).
4. Clean your air filters (I do this fortnightly and after every dusty trip).
5. Clean your throttle body (use a throttle body cleaner) and your fuel filter (I do this monthly).
6. Ensure you have some free play in the clutch lever.
7. Ensure you don't redline when you upshift (this goes a long way to returning high FE figures).
On that note, if someone's wanting a pristine condition RE TB 350, please connect with me since I'm looking to upgrade to an ADV.
Note: Dear mods, i apologize if I'm breaking any rules of interaction here, if so, please let me know.
Happy riding teambhpians!

[samee_arian]

Hi

I would like to add my views here as I currently own a 500 Classic and have previously owned Apache RTR. As you already know and many have mentioned, these two are two altogether different bikes, nothing to compare really as they cater to two different sets of requirements and preferences. Looking at your experience, I would say, stick with your Apache for now and focus on your car purchase. Once you get the car, I am sure bike is just going to be a thing meant for running errands or a small joy rides when you start getting bored and tired of driving a car, but trust me the car would still remain your preferred mode of transport keeping into mind safety of your family.

RE is more of a lifestyle or experience focused bike than a practical choice. I love the compliments I get and the feeling of confidence I get when moving around on my RE due to its stance, presence and heft, but it definitely doesn't provide agility and ease of use that Apache provided when I am stuck in traffic.

I would actually like to make this discussion even more interesting by adding one more option from my personal experience, a cycle. I currently own a cycle, a Classic 500 and a Honda City. My trips with wifey are mostly by car, my office commute is on my Classic 500 and my nearby trips are generally by cycle along with my weekend morning cycle rides.

I will end by saying, it is good to sometimes keep a dream unrealized.