RE Classic 350 - Initial ownership

EssYouWe · 5th May 2010, 20:40

@Jay

Thanks a lot for all the info. You are almost T-BHP's standarg RE guru.

The Classic suffers from low bottom end torque already, how much of an impact will it be with the cat gone?

How loud is it gonna get? I wouldn't mind a little louder, but I wouldn't want to annoy others on the road.

Thanks again.

JayPrashanth · 5th May 2010, 21:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

@Jay

Thanks a lot for all the info. You are almost T-BHP's standarg RE guru.

The Classic suffers from low bottom end torque already, how much of an impact will it be with the cat gone?

How loud is it gonna get? I wouldn't mind a little louder, but I wouldn't want to annoy others on the road.

Thanks again.

First of all, I'm no guru an all. It's just that I've been doing these things a little longer/before other newer bulleteers.

It won't get loud, don't you worry.

For your CL350 to be able to thump like a STD350 to a certain degree, it isn't impossible. Right now, I am beta testing a ported throttle slide and my LB500 is able to thump along a fair bit if kept under 1/4th throttle while it goes like stink once the throttle is opened beyond 1/4th throttle. I will give our team-bhpians a report shortly.

Cheers,

Jay

VLOCT · 5th May 2010, 22:38

Guys, what's going on here? Even in the early eighties when I had my 350, I never had any of these problems. Hitting a 100 kph was a breeze and I rode long distances maintaining speeds between 80 and 100 kph easily. On top of that my friend and I used to ride the western ghats all over the place. The bike easily carried both of us on the hills. I cannot believe that the new technologies are not being incorporated properly in to this bike. What a shame? I'm hoping that these are some isolated issues. Are they?

RECL350 · 6th May 2010, 12:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Right now, I am beta testing a ported throttle slide and my LB500 is able to thump along a fair bit if kept under 1/4th throttle while it goes like stink once the throttle is opened beyond 1/4th throttle. I will give our team-bhpians a report shortly.

Cheers,

Jay

Here goes Jay's initial report, I guess more detailed report is on the way.
Crisp Punch: Ported throttle slide on a CV Carb with a first hand review | Indian Cars & Motorcycles Blog
I already sent a mail to Chinmay about it. I am going to try it out on my bike soon.

KA18 · 12th May 2010, 03:28

@EssYouWe,
Great review!
Have been following this thread from the first post. Could not partake as my membership was still pending.

Its been quite a while after your 2200kms. Any updates?

Philistine · 25th May 2010, 14:44

Over this last weekend I had the opportunity to ride next to two C350's on two separate occasions for more than 10 odd minutes. The first one was with the stock silencer and I could barely hear anything from that bike ( I mean the thump was minimal). But the second c350 had a short bottle fitted on and thump was very much there. It wasn't absolutely bassy (I didn't expect it to be) but was more than elated to hear something from the bike.
@ EssyouwWe - What silencer do you have on your steed? And yes any updates?

EssYouWe · 25th May 2010, 21:10

Hi.

I have an upswept on my Bull. It does not sound great and I would not suggest it to anyone.

The only way to get some sound (of-course it'll still be without bass), would be to remove the catcon.

I might get that done soon. The odo currently read 2750kms.

I don't know why, but I added Xtra Premium petrol today. Lets see how it reacts to that.

madhkris · 17th June 2010, 23:22

Hi EssyouWe. Have been following your thread for quite sometime now. Nice reports abd discussions. Any new mods? Performance reports? What about your silencer? Any new photos?

EssYouWe · 29th June 2010, 11:13

Hi all!

Sorry for being inactive. Got caught up in a truck-load of work. The Bull has done 3511kms as of this morning.

The last 500 kms have been covered in the past week or so thanks to my office being 45kms from home!

The initial complaints of low power are no longer felt. The bike touches 100 with ease. Ease here is the effort it, not reflecting the engine note! The engine note is shrill and the Bull sounds horribly stressed at those speeds. But then that is the case at all speeds beyond 70. It does not sound like a Bullet, it is just another bike with a loud sound.

But I am not complaining! Despite of the lack of rhythm and sound, it runs great! Reliable and tough as an ox.

I have been putting off renting a place in Noida simply to enjoy the early morning rides for a few more days. It feels great if stay around 65-70. Wonderful cruising with a nice engine note.

The last oil change was some 3 months and 700-800 kms back. Have to get a service done this month, which I have been putting off. Even though this service requires an oil change and all, I don't think I'll go in for it.

I'll just get the front mudguard repainted where the forks had been fouling. Once all the warranty stuff is done, I'll say goodbye to RE's workshop and move to a decent mechanic.

I ordered a new seat from Chawla in Karol Bagh. Should have it by this week's end. The price quoted was really high, but then I am consoling myself thinking about all the customization possibilities.

Will be changing the exhaust as well, the upswept never really worked out for me. Aiming for a short bottle if the mounting plate matches with the Classic's requirement.

Now I have been told that there are three options...
- Single Baffle
- Three Baffles
- Free flowing
First off, are these even options or is the single/triple baffle thing just plain BS? Secondly, if they really do exist... which one do I go for? I wish not to lose the bottom end and want a slightly loud note.
I guess that rules out the free-flow, does the single baffle'd one make sense?

I fill 25 psi in the front and 32 psi in the rear and have grown comfortable to this config.

The tuning is still not perfect, need to find a mech to get it right once.

So that's the update... Sad part is that I do not have a camera, so can't even click the upswept's pics and all. :(

Will keep everyone tuned to whatever changes. Cheers!

bradhey · 29th June 2010, 15:43

EssYouWee, You may check out the OEM short bottle introduced recently for the TBTS, if the mounting slots match with your classic.

EssYouWe · 29th June 2010, 16:34

Checked already, they don't. Its hung by just one bolt to the frame, which IMO is too risky. Also the exhaust is slightly shorter than it should be in order to couple with the bend pipe effectively.

EssYouWe · 3rd July 2010, 18:41

Another small update, I have covered almost 3900 kms as of today. Will get the custom seat tomorrow.

I seem to be getting an efficiency of somewhere on the good side of 40, but this is based on purely intuitive calculations (I haven't measured tank to tank for quite a while now). My daily drive of 85 kms covers 30 odd kms of pure highway joy with the rest being the Delhi ring road.

I filled up XtraPremium today (full tank) for the first time. I felt no improvement in the response, but it did feel less free-revving than usual. Would not recommend anything other than regular petrol to any UCE runners (Except for Sanjeet whose Bull runs at astronomical compression levels

).

Randhawa · 3rd July 2010, 23:11

I have not checked the compression since the rebuilt so don't know if it's still the same or back to the book figures.

You have to take a day off if I make it there, need some time to sort out your baby hey

and a ride on my C5.

Post your experience with the new seat and exhaust if you get it sorted tomorrow alongside some pictures.

EssYouWe · 5th July 2010, 20:54

Hi guys!

I got the exhaust changed to a free flowing short bottle. The sound is superbly awesome!
It isn't exactly the bassy note one expects from a CI, but its 80% there. I am really very happy with the result!

It cost me 750 including labour.

I am still having trouble finding the right seat, the ones expected this weekend wouldn't fit. I need a seat with which I can retain the rear as well!

BIG SARAN · 5th July 2010, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

Hi guys!

I got the exhaust changed to a free flowing short bottle. The sound is superbly awesome!
It isn't exactly the bassy note one expects from a CI, but its 80% there. I am really very happy with the result!

It cost me 750 including labour.

I am still having trouble finding the right seat, the ones expected this weekend wouldn't fit. I need a seat with which I can retain the rear as well!

Could you please upload some pics bro and best if a video is possible?

5th May 2010, 20:40	#316
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	@Jay Thanks a lot for all the info. You are almost T-BHP's standarg RE guru. The Classic suffers from low bottom end torque already, how much of an impact will it be with the cat gone? How loud is it gonna get? I wouldn't mind a little louder, but I wouldn't want to annoy others on the road. Thanks again.
	() Thanks

5th May 2010, 22:38	#318
VLOCT BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Las Vegas, USA Posts: 558 Thanked: 633 Times View My Garage	Guys, what's going on here? Even in the early eighties when I had my 350, I never had any of these problems. Hitting a 100 kph was a breeze and I rode long distances maintaining speeds between 80 and 100 kph easily. On top of that my friend and I used to ride the western ghats all over the place. The bike easily carried both of us on the hills. I cannot believe that the new technologies are not being incorporated properly in to this bike. What a shame? I'm hoping that these are some isolated issues. Are they?
	() Thanks

12th May 2010, 03:28	#320
KA18 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Chikmagalur Posts: 287 Thanked: 309 Times View My Garage	@EssYouWe, Great review! Have been following this thread from the first post. Could not partake as my membership was still pending. Its been quite a while after your 2200kms. Any updates?
	() Thanks

25th May 2010, 14:44	#321
Philistine BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 47 Thanked: 9 Times	Over this last weekend I had the opportunity to ride next to two C350's on two separate occasions for more than 10 odd minutes. The first one was with the stock silencer and I could barely hear anything from that bike ( I mean the thump was minimal). But the second c350 had a short bottle fitted on and thump was very much there. It wasn't absolutely bassy (I didn't expect it to be) but was more than elated to hear something from the bike. @ EssyouwWe - What silencer do you have on your steed? And yes any updates?
	() Thanks

25th May 2010, 21:10	#322
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	Hi. I have an upswept on my Bull. It does not sound great and I would not suggest it to anyone. The only way to get some sound (of-course it'll still be without bass), would be to remove the catcon. I might get that done soon. The odo currently read 2750kms. I don't know why, but I added Xtra Premium petrol today. Lets see how it reacts to that.
	() Thanks

17th June 2010, 23:22	#323
madhkris BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bengalur Posts: 292 Thanked: 83 Times View My Garage	Hi EssyouWe. Have been following your thread for quite sometime now. Nice reports abd discussions. Any new mods? Performance reports? What about your silencer? Any new photos?
	() Thanks

29th June 2010, 11:13	#324
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	Hi all! Sorry for being inactive. Got caught up in a truck-load of work. The Bull has done 3511kms as of this morning. The last 500 kms have been covered in the past week or so thanks to my office being 45kms from home! The initial complaints of low power are no longer felt. The bike touches 100 with ease. Ease here is the effort it, not reflecting the engine note! The engine note is shrill and the Bull sounds horribly stressed at those speeds. But then that is the case at all speeds beyond 70. It does not sound like a Bullet, it is just another bike with a loud sound. But I am not complaining! Despite of the lack of rhythm and sound, it runs great! Reliable and tough as an ox. I have been putting off renting a place in Noida simply to enjoy the early morning rides for a few more days. It feels great if stay around 65-70. Wonderful cruising with a nice engine note. The last oil change was some 3 months and 700-800 kms back. Have to get a service done this month, which I have been putting off. Even though this service requires an oil change and all, I don't think I'll go in for it. I'll just get the front mudguard repainted where the forks had been fouling. Once all the warranty stuff is done, I'll say goodbye to RE's workshop and move to a decent mechanic. I ordered a new seat from Chawla in Karol Bagh. Should have it by this week's end. The price quoted was really high, but then I am consoling myself thinking about all the customization possibilities. Will be changing the exhaust as well, the upswept never really worked out for me. Aiming for a short bottle if the mounting plate matches with the Classic's requirement. Now I have been told that there are three options... - Single Baffle - Three Baffles - Free flowing First off, are these even options or is the single/triple baffle thing just plain BS? Secondly, if they really do exist... which one do I go for? I wish not to lose the bottom end and want a slightly loud note. I guess that rules out the free-flow, does the single baffle'd one make sense? I fill 25 psi in the front and 32 psi in the rear and have grown comfortable to this config. The tuning is still not perfect, need to find a mech to get it right once. So that's the update... Sad part is that I do not have a camera, so can't even click the upswept's pics and all. :( Will keep everyone tuned to whatever changes. Cheers!
	() Thanks

29th June 2010, 15:43	#325
bradhey BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Agra Posts: 288 Thanked: 34 Times	EssYouWee, You may check out the OEM short bottle introduced recently for the TBTS, if the mounting slots match with your classic.
	() Thanks

29th June 2010, 16:34	#326
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	Checked already, they don't. Its hung by just one bolt to the frame, which IMO is too risky. Also the exhaust is slightly shorter than it should be in order to couple with the bend pipe effectively.
	() Thanks

3rd July 2010, 18:41	#327
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	Another small update, I have covered almost 3900 kms as of today. Will get the custom seat tomorrow. I seem to be getting an efficiency of somewhere on the good side of 40, but this is based on purely intuitive calculations (I haven't measured tank to tank for quite a while now). My daily drive of 85 kms covers 30 odd kms of pure highway joy with the rest being the Delhi ring road. I filled up XtraPremium today (full tank) for the first time. I felt no improvement in the response, but it did feel less free-revving than usual. Would not recommend anything other than regular petrol to any UCE runners (Except for Sanjeet whose Bull runs at astronomical compression levels ).
	() Thanks

3rd July 2010, 23:11	#328
Randhawa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brighton Posts: 1,192 Thanked: 355 Times	I have not checked the compression since the rebuilt so don't know if it's still the same or back to the book figures. You have to take a day off if I make it there, need some time to sort out your baby hey and a ride on my C5. Post your experience with the new seat and exhaust if you get it sorted tomorrow alongside some pictures.
	() Thanks

5th July 2010, 20:54	#329
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	Hi guys! I got the exhaust changed to a free flowing short bottle. The sound is superbly awesome! It isn't exactly the bassy note one expects from a CI, but its 80% there. I am really very happy with the result! It cost me 750 including labour. I am still having trouble finding the right seat, the ones expected this weekend wouldn't fit. I need a seat with which I can retain the rear as well!
	() Thanks