Searching for a 500CC Bullet Lightning EDIT now bought Machismo 500LB (Alberto Green)

maheshmenon · 8th August 2009, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Saw the update. Congrats!!

Where are the pictures?

Here's more.

{ K.A.Mods : Cross-posted from http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post1422229 }

PatienceWins · 8th August 2009, 18:29

Thanks. The bike looks great in that light green or somewhat grey colour.

JayPrashanth · 8th August 2009, 19:04

Mahesh,

Nice ride man.

Cheers,
Jay

Edsel Rulez! · 9th August 2009, 09:11

Colour's good, though I can't discern any difference between Athena Grey (RE's name for the original colour of the CI 500s) and this Alberto Green. By the way, don't the speedo and ammeter come with white dials anymore? That had a nice retro look.

The bulbous leg guard takes away some of the sleekness -- I'd have gotten rid of it, and opted for a short silencer as well. Incidentally, the photographer's reflection can be clearly at a number of places -- most clearly on the tank.

niks_devil666 · 10th August 2009, 11:48

Congratulations Mahesh , I also recently got my 500LB black (last Wednesday)
btw , whts that sticker on the front headlight . I haven't been able to figure out the use for it.

vinayvtec · 10th August 2009, 12:02

Hey it’s a very neat bike... Royal Enfield is not bought by many but once you get used to it you never like to negotiate to some other thing.

One of my Friend has a GSX 1300CC but within city for daily user he rides a Royal Enfield

maheshmenon · 10th August 2009, 15:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by niks_devil666

Congratulations Mahesh , I also recently got my 500LB black (last Wednesday)
btw , whts that sticker on the front headlight . I haven't been able to figure out the use for it.

Some States (like TN) Black Spot is mandatory by law (whether people follow it or not is another matter!!) on the centre to prevent blinding oncoming traffic. In this case this was installed by RE factory itself. Says "Checked OK", think this doubles up as a Quality Certificate.

BTW congrats on the purchase

maheshmenon · 12th August 2009, 21:47

At last the Run-in is over and I can push the bike further, but the manual does recommend a limit of 70-80 kph upto 2000km. But still the feeling of going beyond 60 is quite good.
After the service, the engine seems to have freed up quite a bit and is much more smoother with lower vibes. I just wanted to post an initial review of the bike (in most cases comparing it to my older (1999) Machismo CI).

Looks Dept / Chassis: the Chrome treatment seems to have worked in its favour and I think that the bike does look more macho (flashy in a way though!).So I do get a lot of queries and a lot of heads turn on the roads. The Knee pad has been removed, it used to stick out like a sore thumb on the previous model.

The rear mud guard is quite short to do its job effectively and I am finding quite a lot of sludge splashed all the way up to the Tail Light. At high speeds I guess it may splash onto the pillion.

Gear Box / Engine: I personally preferred the Right shift but I guess that accepted norm is the left shift. The 5th gear is a welcome addition and on the long haul trip it is quite a boon. But I do feel sometimes that I am driving a bike with 10gears

, what I mean is that there seem to be "False Neutrals" between almost all gears.
The absence of the "Neutral Finder" is quite a pain in stop & go city traffic, I wish that they could introduce it again. It makes life so much more simple.

The engine is great and overtaking is a breeze, its the best touring bike on the market. The vibes are less and the ride is very comfortable. The "thump" is missing during start with clatter from the AVL engine overwhelming the exhaust noise, but after a few km the noise does pick up. I am quite tempted to go in for "Short Bottle Silencer", but the ride is so much more comfortable in the stock silencer due to effective vibe absorption.

Electricals: the Head lamps are quite decent but the new Electra head Lamps are better.
The horn is a JOKE!!! The engine makes more noise than the stock horn. The Vibro-Mini on the previous versions are the best for a bull. Will be going in for the change soon.
I am not a fan of the Electric Start and I rarely use it. I have been told that the sprag clutch issue has been resolved but I don't want to take any chances

. But the Kick start is quite tight compared to my other RE and requires considerable more effort. Hopefully this will free up in the coming days !?!?

So overall its a big

!!!!!

MumBiker · 12th August 2009, 23:12

Nice to hear of your "Bull Mach V" experiences

As far as the starter goes just kickstart when the engine is cold, and once the engine is warm you can use the starter (can be quiet useful in the stop and go city traffic).

For the silencer, you can try the Goldstar one with Glasswool. But you will have to see the warranty terms before you move to any such mods.

JayPrashanth · 13th August 2009, 08:53

Mahesh,

The gear nox will free up after 5-6K Kms.

For the horn, you could look at the roots windtone. IMHO, they are the only ones that befit the bulls.

Kick start will also free up in some time, but make sure that your engine doesn't backfire or stall due to very low speeds at high gears. Backfires are the main reason for the sprag giving way. Also, a higher idle speed with a richer pilot mixture is advisable as it prevents backfire.

Cheers,

Jay

Makesh · 6th September 2009, 16:25

Hi Mahesh,

In two minds wether to go for LB500 or TB TS, Between what's the Kmpl of 500? my friend has a one month old TB TS and he came to coimbatore from Banglore and it gave an amazing 50 kmpl!, not that mielage is important but it helps. someone's claiming under 25?, Please update asap.

Thanks.

maheshmenon · 13th September 2009, 13:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Makesh

Hi Mahesh,

In two minds wether to go for LB500 or TB TS, Between what's the Kmpl of 500? my friend has a one month old TB TS and he came to coimbatore from Banglore and it gave an amazing 50 kmpl!, not that mielage is important but it helps. someone's claiming under 25?, Please update asap.

Thanks.

Hi,

30 kmpl is IMHO a realistic figure for city driving.

Cheers

8th August 2009, 18:29	#32
PatienceWins Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,416 Thanked: 807 Times View My Garage	Thanks. The bike looks great in that light green or somewhat grey colour.
	() Thanks

8th August 2009, 19:04	#33
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	Mahesh, Nice ride man. Cheers, Jay
	() Thanks

9th August 2009, 09:11	#34
Edsel Rulez! BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 210 Thanked: 25 Times	Colour's good, though I can't discern any difference between Athena Grey (RE's name for the original colour of the CI 500s) and this Alberto Green. By the way, don't the speedo and ammeter come with white dials anymore? That had a nice retro look. The bulbous leg guard takes away some of the sleekness -- I'd have gotten rid of it, and opted for a short silencer as well. Incidentally, the photographer's reflection can be clearly at a number of places -- most clearly on the tank.
	() Thanks

10th August 2009, 11:48	#35
niks_devil666 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 535 Thanked: 237 Times	Congratulations Mahesh , I also recently got my 500LB black (last Wednesday) btw , whts that sticker on the front headlight . I haven't been able to figure out the use for it. Last edited by niks_devil666 : 10th August 2009 at 11:51.
	() Thanks

10th August 2009, 12:02	#36
vinayvtec BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 390 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	Hey it’s a very neat bike... Royal Enfield is not bought by many but once you get used to it you never like to negotiate to some other thing. One of my Friend has a GSX 1300CC but within city for daily user he rides a Royal Enfield
	() Thanks

12th August 2009, 21:47	#38
maheshmenon BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: IN Posts: 136 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	Machismo 500 LB Inital Ownership Review At last the Run-in is over and I can push the bike further, but the manual does recommend a limit of 70-80 kph upto 2000km. But still the feeling of going beyond 60 is quite good. After the service, the engine seems to have freed up quite a bit and is much more smoother with lower vibes. I just wanted to post an initial review of the bike (in most cases comparing it to my older (1999) Machismo CI). Looks Dept / Chassis: the Chrome treatment seems to have worked in its favour and I think that the bike does look more macho (flashy in a way though!).So I do get a lot of queries and a lot of heads turn on the roads. The Knee pad has been removed, it used to stick out like a sore thumb on the previous model. The rear mud guard is quite short to do its job effectively and I am finding quite a lot of sludge splashed all the way up to the Tail Light. At high speeds I guess it may splash onto the pillion. Gear Box / Engine: I personally preferred the Right shift but I guess that accepted norm is the left shift. The 5th gear is a welcome addition and on the long haul trip it is quite a boon. But I do feel sometimes that I am driving a bike with 10gears , what I mean is that there seem to be "False Neutrals" between almost all gears. The absence of the "Neutral Finder" is quite a pain in stop & go city traffic, I wish that they could introduce it again. It makes life so much more simple. The engine is great and overtaking is a breeze, its the best touring bike on the market. The vibes are less and the ride is very comfortable. The "thump" is missing during start with clatter from the AVL engine overwhelming the exhaust noise, but after a few km the noise does pick up. I am quite tempted to go in for "Short Bottle Silencer", but the ride is so much more comfortable in the stock silencer due to effective vibe absorption. Electricals: the Head lamps are quite decent but the new Electra head Lamps are better. The horn is a JOKE!!! The engine makes more noise than the stock horn. The Vibro-Mini on the previous versions are the best for a bull. Will be going in for the change soon. I am not a fan of the Electric Start and I rarely use it. I have been told that the sprag clutch issue has been resolved but I don't want to take any chances. But the Kick start is quite tight compared to my other RE and requires considerable more effort. Hopefully this will free up in the coming days !?!? So overall its a big !!!!!
	() Thanks

12th August 2009, 23:12	#39
MumBiker BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 89 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Nice to hear of your "Bull Mach V" experiences As far as the starter goes just kickstart when the engine is cold, and once the engine is warm you can use the starter (can be quiet useful in the stop and go city traffic). For the silencer, you can try the Goldstar one with Glasswool. But you will have to see the warranty terms before you move to any such mods.
	() Thanks

13th August 2009, 08:53	#40
JayPrashanth Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore/Goa Posts: 1,302 Thanked: 2,074 Times	Mahesh, The gear nox will free up after 5-6K Kms. For the horn, you could look at the roots windtone. IMHO, they are the only ones that befit the bulls. Kick start will also free up in some time, but make sure that your engine doesn't backfire or stall due to very low speeds at high gears. Backfires are the main reason for the sprag giving way. Also, a higher idle speed with a richer pilot mixture is advisable as it prevents backfire. Cheers, Jay
	() Thanks

6th September 2009, 16:25	#41
Makesh BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 103 Thanked: 12 Times	Hi Mahesh, In two minds wether to go for LB500 or TB TS, Between what's the Kmpl of 500? my friend has a one month old TB TS and he came to coimbatore from Banglore and it gave an amazing 50 kmpl!, not that mielage is important but it helps. someone's claiming under 25?, Please update asap. Thanks.
	() Thanks