New Bullet Fan Needs Help!

Bluu · 20th December 2008, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollywoodhogan

you can check out at teknik or hsr

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post1089458

Yeah I will. I posted those links btw

JayPrashanth · 20th December 2008, 19:37

@Bluu
Yeah, that is an extremely unpleasant experience to have. But, to be brutally frank, you just cannot expect any better from the Royal Enfield dealers. I have heard plenty of incidents like these before and it is extremely disappointing. We buy bulls only because we love them inspite of these callous dealers. Do not let your bad experience at the dealership be the determining factor in buying the Mach500 LB. Even I was promised a test ride of the Electra 5S by none other than the Royal Enfield customer care themselves. Via email, they said that their representative would contact me for the test ride at my convenience, more than a month ago. I haven't heard from them till date.

Furthermore, when the salesman told you that he will bring a LB500 from the godown, it could very well be a motorcycle lined up for delivery. God knows how many Royal Enfield motorcycles meant for delivery are instead used for test rides and demos. This leaves me very frightened and uneasy as my motorcycle could potentially be a victim of mishandling. Meanwhile, why don't you try HSR on Mission road as Teknik also appears to be a callous showroom. I have read a few mouthshut reviews giving negative reviews about Teknik and a few reviews praising HSR. HSR is the smallest dealership. So, you may have a better experience. Also, kindly post your experience as I also need to go through a similar process before putting down my money for the Mach500. Yes, Royal Enfield dealers also don't offer any finance options from their side. Your best bet, IMHO would be an auto loan from one of the public/private banks. I also plan to go the same way.

Be prepared to do simple adjustments and maintenance yourself or get in touch with a good local bullet mechanic. That is the best way to go rather than trusting the dealerships' mechanics to service your motorcycle, except ofcourse the free services.

Cheers,
Jay

hollywoodhogan · 20th December 2008, 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluu

Yeah I will. I posted those links btw

i know. you sounded so upset that i thought i shall remind you that there are others who also sell the bullet in bangalore.

btw, there is a waiting normally of 20-30 days for the 500. but you may get lucky at any of the showrooms who just might be able to give you one much earlier.

the problem with any company run outlets is that the staff salary there comes from the bank account of the manufacturer at chennai unlike regular dealerships where the staff there get their salary from the money made at that very showroom where they work. so i guess complacency sets it at company outlets. perhaps its human nature. so perhaps the guys at the dealer showroom try harder to satisfy a customer.

guess you will soon find out.

hollywoodhogan · 20th December 2008, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ashpillai

Hi All

I have been mulling over a new bike for an year now..... Have been riding the P 180 for six and half years now. Following the forums on Team-Bhp and other sites too, I have begun veering seriously towards considering Bullet as a choice. Of course...... the specifics would come later.....

My query is that does a person like me who has had not even a single ride on a bullet till date need to "spend some time with one" before making the leap or like other bikes can I just get one and then get accustomed to it???

dude, you don't need to spend any time before you buy a bullet. the bull will make sure that you spend time with it after you buy it!!!

don't hesitate, go for it. you will get used to it within a few days and you will actually start to enjoy your journey.

Bluu · 20th December 2008, 21:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollywoodhogan

i know. you sounded so upset that i thought i shall remind you that there are others who also sell the bullet in bangalore.

the problem with any company run outlets is that the staff salary there comes from the bank account of the manufacturer at chennai unlike regular dealerships where the staff there get their salary from the money made at that very showroom where they work. so i guess complacency sets it at company outlets. perhaps its human nature. so perhaps the guys at the dealer showroom try harder to satisfy a customer.

You're right, I was upset since it ruined my day. I agree with your summing up - I was just discussing the same thing with my wife.

@JayP - I'm going to check if the bike is available through the defence canteen. My dad is an ex-army Colonel and if it is available through the canteen then I do not have to deal with the ..err.. dealers. However, I will let you know in case I visit the HSR branch.
As for the email thing, I think it is an autogenerated response. My company wanted to arrange a corporate ride under the RE Logout scheme and all I have to show for it from the past 2-3 weeks is an email saying they'll get back to me. Their loss.

JayPrashanth · 20th December 2008, 21:49

@Bluu

It was not an auto generated message. Actually I had emailed them asking about the possible phase out of the C.I. engines. They assured me that the Electra 5S will be produced atleast till March 2009 and they also told me that they will contact me for a test ride at a time and place of my convenience. I was very happy to see the prompt reply from their end but after that, the test ride never happened. Anyway, lets look to acquiring our bulls soon.
Happy Thumping

vikrut · 26th December 2008, 13:44

The thump of the 350 is the only thump thats really music to my ears out of all the bikes right now of the RE stable , but i yearn for a new 500cc , So will have to settle for the machismo 500cc , looking to get the seat changed to a lower seating perhaps cruiser style and also the goldstar , does anyone know where I can get this done in Bombay ?

JayPrashanth · 3rd January 2009, 21:12

Finally I bit the bullet. Yes, I went to the RE Brand store at Jayanagar, Bengaluru today and put down five thousand rupees as advance for the Royal Enfield Machismo 500LB. I saw a gorgeous alberto green LB500 near my office and I was smitten. Needless to say, I chose the alberto green over the classic black colour.

Ok, before I go into the other details, I'd like to thank team-bhp and the fellow bhpians here for assisting me for making the buying decision.

Coming to the Dealership experiences, I first called the RE brand store on 30th December. The response was a little curt when I enquired about the prices and approximate delivery date, mode of payment, etc. After this, I called HSR services and then finally Teknik motors. After the calls, I wanted to go to HSR as the manager there was very receptive and polite. All the dealers at the three dealerships told me that I could take a test ride on Saturday. Finally, the much anticipated Saturday(today) arrived and I called HSR motors first to confirm the test ride. They told me that the motorcycle was unavailable. After this, I called up Teknik who told me that I could come in the afternoon for the test ride. When I enquired about how far I could go on the demo motorcycle, the people at the dealership told me that I could take the bike upto the end of CMH road which is pretty short, in my opinion. Finally I called the RE Brand store who were curt even this time around but they promised me a test ride.

So, I left home at 1215 with a friend and reached the RE brand store first. After making me wait for around 20 minutes leaving me to admire the Royal Enfield beauties, finally a salesperson Mr Amit asked me what he could do for me. I asked for a test ride of the Machismo 500LB and he immediately handed me the keys of a TN registered Machismo 500LB which was parked outside the dealership. He came along and button started the motorcycle for me. When I tried to wear my helmet, he told me that I could ride without one. But, I didn't take chances and I put my lid on and rode off. As he didn't tell me how far I could go, I rode the motorcycle for a good five kms with a km of traffic riding. And I was grinning ear to ear with the superb torque of the big bull. Believe me, this motorcycle is seriously powerful as I didn't feel the speeds I was doing. Before I knew it, I was doing 60 plus and all this on my first ever ride on a Bullet. I expected to find a crude, unrefined engine, vibrating it's bolts off and to my surprise, the Mach500 was smooth and I felt vibrations(the throbbing kind) only at idle. The gears were very smooth to shift and I was shifting them as easily as my dad's YBX125. +1 for this. Coming to the biggest surprise, I was able to take a lock to lock u-turn at around 5kph so effortlessly, even leaning into u-turns with a pillion onboard. Although seasoned bulleteers here might laugh this off, I was very jittery about the bullets weight of 180kilos+ when I first mounted the steed. But, the superb stability even while negotiating sharp turns surprised me no end and I was ripping the bike and downshifting hard to shed off speed. The rear brake wasn't too effective in shedding the behemoth's speed and I had to use both the front disc and rear drum in tandem to shed speed. The engine braking was pretty effective although I did encounter a couple of false neutrals during hard downshifting. In traffic, the bike did feel heavy but the stability even at very low speeds made me feel very confident. Without batting an eyelid, I came back and parked the bike. I put the bike onto it's main stand pretty easily(i weigh around 60-62 kilos). After this, without batting an eyelid, I just went back and paid five thousand rupees as the booking amount and booked an alberto green Mach500. The dealer told me that it would take 25-30 days for delivery. I was happy with it and I specifically asked Mr Amit to make sure that my bike doesn't end up being given for test rides, etc. Also, I told him that I was apprehensive about the mechanics abusing my motorcycle when it is rode for registration. Mr Amit gave me a surprised smile but thankfully told me that they ride slow when they take the motorcycles for registration. Though I know that I sound a little paranoid when I say all this, Mr Amit finally understood that it was my first bike. So he assured me that they would take utmost care till they deliver the motorcycle which I sincerely hope they do. Meanwhile, the bike I tested had around 4.5Ks on the odo which was working. The bike was not kickstarted as the decomp wasn't working and when i tried to kickstart it, the kick lever didn't budge even when I was literally standing on it. Even Mr Amit couldn't start it and he told me that he didn't want to risk a slip disc:P But, the electric start worked flawlessly during the four times I used it just to test it. All in all, a happy experience and I am looking forward very eagerly to lay my hands on my Alberto Green Mach500 within a next month

Cheers,
Jay

lohithrao · 4th January 2009, 08:40

RE brand store seems to have thier service part active but not the sales one, even service since i know a mechanic am comfortable else one will deft get pissed.

For long the RE is not very customer friendly and i guess its got worse now....

Blu & Jay my advice to you is know your machines well it would help you to deal with the mechs etc...

Bluu · 4th January 2009, 14:27

Well done Jay! Maybe I can see the bike once you pick it up?

JayPrashanth · 4th January 2009, 18:56

@lohith
Yeah, I am all set to pick up a pete snidal manual from Nandan shortly. Meanwhile, I have been reading about Bullets for the past six months. So, I have a small idea as to how the ownership experience might be. Yes, I am ready to dirty my hands. Also, I intend to go to the A.S.S only for the free services

@Bluu
Yeah, sure man. I'l keep you informed.

ritz830 · 4th January 2009, 20:12

why not buy the Kinetic/Hoysung aquila. Thats an international bike running in USA, UK and Asian countries. Also you will be getting the actual cruiser feel.

Again. Why not Aquila?

vikrut · 5th January 2009, 00:06

because the bike isnt available anymore brand new. buying 2nd hand is also a hassle , spares are rare.

furthermore , a guy looking for a bullet is looking only at the RE stable.

Bluu · 5th January 2009, 08:24

I'm sure they're expensive too. Even second-hand.

Bluu · 6th January 2009, 21:10

Further dilemma:

Found out that the 500LB is unavailable in CSD while TB is, at a cost of 80K.

That would put it on road at maybe around 85-87K (Chennai). It is 1L plus while 500LB is 115K on road in Bangalore.

I don't want the TB as badly as I want the 500LB but it makes so much sense financially since the difference works out to almost 30K!

Should I go with what my heart desires or what my mind says is right?

Argh!

20th December 2008, 19:37	#62
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	@Bluu Yeah, that is an extremely unpleasant experience to have. But, to be brutally frank, you just cannot expect any better from the Royal Enfield dealers. I have heard plenty of incidents like these before and it is extremely disappointing. We buy bulls only because we love them inspite of these callous dealers. Do not let your bad experience at the dealership be the determining factor in buying the Mach500 LB. Even I was promised a test ride of the Electra 5S by none other than the Royal Enfield customer care themselves. Via email, they said that their representative would contact me for the test ride at my convenience, more than a month ago. I haven't heard from them till date. Furthermore, when the salesman told you that he will bring a LB500 from the godown, it could very well be a motorcycle lined up for delivery. God knows how many Royal Enfield motorcycles meant for delivery are instead used for test rides and demos. This leaves me very frightened and uneasy as my motorcycle could potentially be a victim of mishandling. Meanwhile, why don't you try HSR on Mission road as Teknik also appears to be a callous showroom. I have read a few mouthshut reviews giving negative reviews about Teknik and a few reviews praising HSR. HSR is the smallest dealership. So, you may have a better experience. Also, kindly post your experience as I also need to go through a similar process before putting down my money for the Mach500. Yes, Royal Enfield dealers also don't offer any finance options from their side. Your best bet, IMHO would be an auto loan from one of the public/private banks. I also plan to go the same way. Be prepared to do simple adjustments and maintenance yourself or get in touch with a good local bullet mechanic. That is the best way to go rather than trusting the dealerships' mechanics to service your motorcycle, except ofcourse the free services. Cheers, Jay
	() Thanks

20th December 2008, 21:49	#66
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	@Bluu It was not an auto generated message. Actually I had emailed them asking about the possible phase out of the C.I. engines. They assured me that the Electra 5S will be produced atleast till March 2009 and they also told me that they will contact me for a test ride at a time and place of my convenience. I was very happy to see the prompt reply from their end but after that, the test ride never happened. Anyway, lets look to acquiring our bulls soon. Happy Thumping
	() Thanks

26th December 2008, 13:44	#67
vikrut BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 117 Thanked: 3 Times	The thump of the 350 is the only thump thats really music to my ears out of all the bikes right now of the RE stable , but i yearn for a new 500cc , So will have to settle for the machismo 500cc , looking to get the seat changed to a lower seating perhaps cruiser style and also the goldstar , does anyone know where I can get this done in Bombay ?
	() Thanks

3rd January 2009, 21:12	#68
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	Finally I bit the bullet. Yes, I went to the RE Brand store at Jayanagar, Bengaluru today and put down five thousand rupees as advance for the Royal Enfield Machismo 500LB. I saw a gorgeous alberto green LB500 near my office and I was smitten. Needless to say, I chose the alberto green over the classic black colour. Ok, before I go into the other details, I'd like to thank team-bhp and the fellow bhpians here for assisting me for making the buying decision. Coming to the Dealership experiences, I first called the RE brand store on 30th December. The response was a little curt when I enquired about the prices and approximate delivery date, mode of payment, etc. After this, I called HSR services and then finally Teknik motors. After the calls, I wanted to go to HSR as the manager there was very receptive and polite. All the dealers at the three dealerships told me that I could take a test ride on Saturday. Finally, the much anticipated Saturday(today) arrived and I called HSR motors first to confirm the test ride. They told me that the motorcycle was unavailable. After this, I called up Teknik who told me that I could come in the afternoon for the test ride. When I enquired about how far I could go on the demo motorcycle, the people at the dealership told me that I could take the bike upto the end of CMH road which is pretty short, in my opinion. Finally I called the RE Brand store who were curt even this time around but they promised me a test ride. So, I left home at 1215 with a friend and reached the RE brand store first. After making me wait for around 20 minutes leaving me to admire the Royal Enfield beauties, finally a salesperson Mr Amit asked me what he could do for me. I asked for a test ride of the Machismo 500LB and he immediately handed me the keys of a TN registered Machismo 500LB which was parked outside the dealership. He came along and button started the motorcycle for me. When I tried to wear my helmet, he told me that I could ride without one. But, I didn't take chances and I put my lid on and rode off. As he didn't tell me how far I could go, I rode the motorcycle for a good five kms with a km of traffic riding. And I was grinning ear to ear with the superb torque of the big bull. Believe me, this motorcycle is seriously powerful as I didn't feel the speeds I was doing. Before I knew it, I was doing 60 plus and all this on my first ever ride on a Bullet. I expected to find a crude, unrefined engine, vibrating it's bolts off and to my surprise, the Mach500 was smooth and I felt vibrations(the throbbing kind) only at idle. The gears were very smooth to shift and I was shifting them as easily as my dad's YBX125. +1 for this. Coming to the biggest surprise, I was able to take a lock to lock u-turn at around 5kph so effortlessly, even leaning into u-turns with a pillion onboard. Although seasoned bulleteers here might laugh this off, I was very jittery about the bullets weight of 180kilos+ when I first mounted the steed. But, the superb stability even while negotiating sharp turns surprised me no end and I was ripping the bike and downshifting hard to shed off speed. The rear brake wasn't too effective in shedding the behemoth's speed and I had to use both the front disc and rear drum in tandem to shed speed. The engine braking was pretty effective although I did encounter a couple of false neutrals during hard downshifting. In traffic, the bike did feel heavy but the stability even at very low speeds made me feel very confident. Without batting an eyelid, I came back and parked the bike. I put the bike onto it's main stand pretty easily(i weigh around 60-62 kilos). After this, without batting an eyelid, I just went back and paid five thousand rupees as the booking amount and booked an alberto green Mach500. The dealer told me that it would take 25-30 days for delivery. I was happy with it and I specifically asked Mr Amit to make sure that my bike doesn't end up being given for test rides, etc. Also, I told him that I was apprehensive about the mechanics abusing my motorcycle when it is rode for registration. Mr Amit gave me a surprised smile but thankfully told me that they ride slow when they take the motorcycles for registration. Though I know that I sound a little paranoid when I say all this, Mr Amit finally understood that it was my first bike. So he assured me that they would take utmost care till they deliver the motorcycle which I sincerely hope they do. Meanwhile, the bike I tested had around 4.5Ks on the odo which was working. The bike was not kickstarted as the decomp wasn't working and when i tried to kickstart it, the kick lever didn't budge even when I was literally standing on it. Even Mr Amit couldn't start it and he told me that he didn't want to risk a slip disc:P But, the electric start worked flawlessly during the four times I used it just to test it. All in all, a happy experience and I am looking forward very eagerly to lay my hands on my Alberto Green Mach500 within a next month Cheers, Jay
	() Thanks

4th January 2009, 08:40	#69
lohithrao Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kudla/Mangaluru Posts: 3,204 Thanked: 225 Times View My Garage	RE brand store seems to have thier service part active but not the sales one, even service since i know a mechanic am comfortable else one will deft get pissed. For long the RE is not very customer friendly and i guess its got worse now.... Blu & Jay my advice to you is know your machines well it would help you to deal with the mechs etc...
	() Thanks

4th January 2009, 14:27	#70
Bluu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 247 Thanked: 98 Times	Well done Jay! Maybe I can see the bike once you pick it up?
	() Thanks

4th January 2009, 18:56	#71
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	@lohith Yeah, I am all set to pick up a pete snidal manual from Nandan shortly. Meanwhile, I have been reading about Bullets for the past six months. So, I have a small idea as to how the ownership experience might be. Yes, I am ready to dirty my hands. Also, I intend to go to the A.S.S only for the free services @Bluu Yeah, sure man. I'l keep you informed.
	() Thanks

4th January 2009, 20:12	#72
ritz830 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: chennai Posts: 355 Thanked: 4 Times	why not buy the Kinetic/Hoysung aquila. Thats an international bike running in USA, UK and Asian countries. Also you will be getting the actual cruiser feel. Again. Why not Aquila?
	() Thanks

5th January 2009, 00:06	#73
vikrut BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 117 Thanked: 3 Times	because the bike isnt available anymore brand new. buying 2nd hand is also a hassle , spares are rare. furthermore , a guy looking for a bullet is looking only at the RE stable.
	() Thanks

5th January 2009, 08:24	#74
Bluu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 247 Thanked: 98 Times	I'm sure they're expensive too. Even second-hand.
	() Thanks

6th January 2009, 21:10	#75
Bluu BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 247 Thanked: 98 Times	Further dilemma: Found out that the 500LB is unavailable in CSD while TB is, at a cost of 80K. That would put it on road at maybe around 85-87K (Chennai). It is 1L plus while 500LB is 115K on road in Bangalore. I don't want the TB as badly as I want the 500LB but it makes so much sense financially since the difference works out to almost 30K! Should I go with what my heart desires or what my mind says is right? Argh!
	() Thanks