[vinjosep]

let me add my 2 cents.

I own a P150 (3UG with alloys) which has done duty for close to 45K km. had been using it for daily commute in b'lore. the FE was around 50km/l.

now i have a CL350 and use it for the day to day life, strictly (not by choice) within the city. 5 months and 7K kms later i'm still sure that i made a good decision. I get a minimum FE of 37km/l + the travel from/to the office is more enjoyable. how? i dont know. all i know is that it feels different riding a bullet. contrary to the general myth, i find it very easy to navigate in the city traffic. In fact my travel time has reduced, owing to the fact that i stretch the bike on open roads without breaking a sweat. Again, i give the same attention to the bullet as was the case with the P150. no major problems with both so far.

btb the P150 is now my bro's ride

[amrisharm]

I am a proud owner of a 220FI and from my experience, yes the first few days my wrists and shoulders did hurt from the front heavy driving position on the 220fi( more so than the P180). But then after that your body gets used to it. Also another advantage for me with regards to the front heavy driving position has been no back pain even on long rides. (i am 6"1)

And i have ridden extensively including a marathon 380 km run in a single day from siliguri (w.b) to thimpu (bhutan). So what ever u decide, trust me it wont matter.. u will start to love the very things u are complaining of right now happy biking.

[architect]

Originally Posted by vinjosep

I own a P150 (3UG with alloys) which has done duty for close to 45K km..... now i have a CL350 and use it for the day to day life, strictly (not by choice) within the city.

I am actually in almost the same situation as you and will be upgrading from a UG3 Pulsar 150 (albeit KS model) to (hopefully) an RE 350.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

5 months and 7K kms later i'm still sure that i made a good decision. I get a minimum FE of 37km/l + the travel from/to the office is more enjoyable. how? i dont know. all i know is that it feels different riding a bullet. contrary to the general myth, i find it very easy to navigate in the city traffic.

These are both highly encouraging pieces of news coming from an ex-Pulsar rider. 37 kpl is great FE.

Originally Posted by vinjosep

Again, i give the same attention to the bullet as was the case with the P150. no major problems with both so far.

Well, that's also encouraging except that 7,000 km is too early for serious problems, even in a Bullet.

Originally Posted by amrisharm

Also another advantage for me with regards to the front heavy driving position has been no back pain even on long rides. (i am 6"1)
...u will start to love the very things u are complaining of right now happy biking.

The Pulsar handlebar has a problem of reach. Our riding postures will be diffferent because of our heights. In 6 years and 45,000 km of riding, I have never been very happy with the Pulsar riding posture.

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Thats right!

On the dot. i think RE is the only bike which can be given a new life. 11+years old my535 is all set to get new paint and clean up job shortly, had done the same about 5years back.

It makes a used RE an attractive proposition but for RTO issues regarding a 15yr+ old bike.

[ashokrajagopal]

Architect, I think there is nothing more left for you to do but buy a bullet !! Too many suggestions here, so I wont add stuff again -- buy a bullet, you will never regret it.

[OHCVtec]

Even I am facing a similar dilemma. I have a 2005 Pulsar 180 which has served me flawlessly for almost 50K without a single breakdown. It's still in pristine condition. However I am obsessed by the Bull and am planning to get a second hand Machismo (I might get a very good deal on this).

The plan is to restore the Bullet and use it for say six months, still keeping my good old Pulsar. Once the Bullet proves it's reliability and I am comfortable with my compatibility with the Bullet I will sell the off the Pulsar. If it does not work out I will sell off the Bullet without loosing much on the initial investment(assumption).

[architect]

Well, the selling of the Pulsar part is fine, but buying the new Enfield is an expensive proposition. I am not very keen on a used Enfield but I guess I will end up that way eventually!

[akas_chauhan]

Originally Posted by OHCVtec

The plan is to restore the Bullet and use it for say six months, still keeping my good old Pulsar. Once the Bullet proves it's reliability and I am comfortable with my compatibility with the Bullet I will sell the off the Pulsar. If it does not work out I will sell off the Bullet without loosing much on the initial investment(assumption).

You'll end up keeping both until you sell bullet. I'm really surprised, how you people think bullet will be as reliable as other jap bikes. If you really like bull, just keep it and forget about the reliability part. I'm sure you will enjoy riding it.

PS: I'm riding a bull since last 4 years and will never sell it, even knowing it's unreliable as i got a reliable mechanic.

[architect]

Looking at the waiting / delivery periods of the REs, I have decided to give the Pulsar one last shot. I am planning to experiment with the following modifications.

a. Better seating position using a different handlebar and seat. Can't do anything about the foot-pegs, though.

b. Better illumination (This one could be complicated since I have the kick-start model with the smaller battery).

c. Eliminating irritating handle bar vibrations and removing the rusty saree guard.

d. Denting and re-painting the tank.

e. Any other performance modifications, like an FFE or irridium plugs? No idea as of now. I have always like to keep thing stock.

As of now, I am unsure of anything else. Needless to say, all these might just cost me almost as much as the market price of the bike if you include the expenses in the last year or so on maintenance.

If I am still unhappy with the result, I will look the RE way again.

[mashmash]

If I were in your shoes, I would sell the Pulsar unless I have a younger brother to gift it to and buy a new 200+ cc bike.

There is absolutely no point in spending so much money on your current bike. RE, no doubt a legendary bike, I would suggest you stay away. The amount it costs, is in no way worth the performance, technology or reliability it offers.

[nims]

dude i just did 600km plus in 1 day on the RE c5. a pulsar 220 and a apache did about 400kms too. but i was the only one with a a grin plastered to my face. the thump.mp3 attached with the RE's gets you going. remember any bike will go the distance, its how you want to go that counts!

[Rennjit]

Originally Posted by architect

Looking at the waiting / delivery periods of the REs, I have decided to give the Pulsar one last shot. I am planning to experiment with the following modifications. ..

Agree with you. Keeping the mods reversible will help if you want to sell off later. my views on your mod points below.

a. Better seating position using a different handlebar and seat. Can't do anything about the foot-pegs, though.

Get a higher handle bar with end weight mounts, preferably a bit wider as well. Cushion up the seat flat and wider, for this you may try a step seat like arrangement if needed for ok-ish looks. The foot pegs can be extended forward with some fabrication job, no need to disturb mount position. Depending on how much its moved the brake pedal & gear shifter may need lengthening. Replace these parts to go stock.

b. Better illumination (This one could be complicated since I have the kick-start model with the smaller battery).

Many have used stator coil & RR unit from Avenger to run 55/60w head lamps. I'm not aware of wiring differences of KS model if any at all, so pls ask your mech reg compatibility. Also do a search, there are many topics across various forums. Theres a cheap trick which bullet mechs do- put a 25w bulb in place of 35w. It'll burn brighter but wont last long.

c. Eliminating irritating handle bar vibrations and removing the rusty saree guard.
d. Denting and re-painting the tank.
e. Any other performance modifications, like an FFE or irridium plugs? No idea as of now. I have always like to keep thing stock.

As of now, I am unsure of anything else. Needless to say, all these might just cost me almost as much as the market price of the bike if you include the expenses in the last year or so on maintenance. If I am still unhappy with the result, I will look the RE way again.

Get the necessary repairs done, keep the performance & cosmetic works for later.
A new bullet will take ~3 months for delivery so i suppose you can recover a good part of the costs. And bullets are not cheap sorry economical to maintain