Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 review

Royal Enfield says the new Thunderbird 500 is ideal for cruising down highways. We took a road trip to Ooty to find out if it really is the highway star, the company says it is

It might have been a cash-strapped company’s attempt to turn its fortunes around, but the Thunderbird today has a cult status. It is the bike of choice for many looking at touring on two wheels. However, it has gotten quite old in the tooth now, and its inherent shortcomings are becoming a tad too obvious; even to its die-hard fans.
To arrest this, Royal Enfield is now ready with a significantly updated version of the motorcycle. Called the Thunderbird 500, the bike gets all new styling and new-to-the-model engine and cycle parts.
The engine and gearbox is borrowed lock, stock and barrel from the Classic 500 with the gear ratios as well as the final drive having been left untouched. And, that's not a bad thing given the model gets a higher capacity, more powerful and modern engine compared to the older Thunderbird. As with the Classic, the new Thunderbird gets fuel injection along with tremendous portions of pull in the low and mid range. Whack open the throttle from as low as 2000rpm and the Thunderbird accelerates seamlessly and with gusto almost all the way to its 6000rpm redline.
It's also surprisingly quiet with the rider hearing the exhaust note above all else when on the move. The only issue here, in typical Bullet fashion, are the vibes that surface at 3000rpm but get really bothersome close to 5000rpm. These can be felt most via the fuel tank and the footpegs. The good bit though is, thanks to the gearing even when cruising close to 120kmph, the engine isn't revving this high. So, even after hours of riding there's no tingling sensation or scratching to be dealt with.

Moreover, the styling related changes work well too. The new motorcycle still has the characteristic Thunderbird stance with the round headlamp, high handlebar, the upswept tank and a stepped seat. The latter though is now a split design with the rear seat coming off for better luggage carrying capability. In addition, the headlamp is now projector type for better illumination, the fuel tank is larger for better range, and with the forward set footpegs, the seating ergonomics is more comfortable too.
But, the most outstanding bit about the new Thunderbird is the way it handles. It uses the same chassis as the Classic, but sports meatier front forks and a stiffer oval section swingarm. We rode the new Thunderbird up to Ooty from Bangalore and on the 50km odd, well-laid and seriously twisty ghat section, the bike surprised us with its willingness to turn into corners and make quick direction changes as well.
It feels light and neutral while tipping into bends and even when leaned over there's hardly any swaying or wallowing from the chassis; in fact given the weight and the size of the bike, it feels tight and confident while attacking corners. Thanks to repositioning of the front footpegs, the bike can be leaned more too before the footpeg scrapes around a left bend and the exhaust shield when leaned over to the right.
We aren't very happy with the bike's braking though. Sure, it does get a 280mm disc upfront and a 240mm disc at the rear wheel, but the feel from the brakes is wooden. Also the bite isn't great, so if you do get carried away and push a little harder, things can get hairy if you need to stop in a hurry. The MRFs though - the 90/90 19in at the front and the 120/80 18in at the rear offer decent grip, even in the wet.

If every new product launched by a company feels as if it is its best yet, the company is obviously doing something right. And Royal Enfield, in our opinion is now that company. It surprised us with the Desert Storm last year, and now with the new Thunderbird it has done even better. The bike not only has been finished with good attention to detail but it also sorts out problems Bullets were infamous for, particularly dynamics. It handles well, is ergonomically a lot sounder and with that torquey 499cc engine, the Thunderbird is also quick and well suited for highway cruising. It still is vibey and it could do with better braking, but there's no doubt that if you're looking at buying a Bullet for touring, or a Bullet, period, the Thunderbird 500, is clearly the one to go for.


Courtesy: www.autobild.in

Yamaha Ray Review

I am over 30, not all that pretty, and I, certainly don’t have a fetish for pink soft toys lining my bed. Clearly then, the scooter I am riding, isn’t targeted at me. It’s here to give 18-year-old pretty girls wings. Therefore, it’s light and has a low seat height, says its maker.

But, surprisingly, the Yamaha Ray doesn’t feel very girly to ride, or to look at for that matter, if one were to overlook the colour scheme. Actually, it’s a sharp looking scooter with youthfulness dripping from it. The front resembles the Honda Dio to a great degree, but that’s not such a bad thing. It’s also not small like the TVS Scooty; in fact, its length (1835mm) and wheelbase (1,270mm) are one of the longest among scooters in India, including some 125cc offerings.

The Ray, though, displaces 113cc. It's an undersquare engine coupled to a CVT and makes max power of just over 7bhp. The peak torque is rated at 8Nm and both these output figures are at par with other scooters in the category.

Once astride, the Ray’s narrow and low seating becomes obvious. So much so, that for my size it actually feels a bit cramped. The floor board is pretty narrow too. Get it off the stand and the Ray’s lack of weight becomes clear too. On the move, the Ray is tremendously flickable. One can drop it left or right with utmost ease and confidence which should make it a superb ride for filtering through traffic. The braking again impresses; the 130mm drums at both ends and the grippy tyres bite into the tarmac with ferocity. The only issue is the brake feel, which the optional front disc would easily take care of. 

As far as the powertrain goes, the 113cc engine is smooth and the CVT works without hassle. But, given the Ray’s light weight and 7bhp of max power, we expected the scooter to be peppier, at least the initial pickup. It’s not slow, but it can’t hold a
candle to the likes of the Suzuki Swish either.

At Rs 46,000, the Ray is priced well. It should appeal to young working women given how easy it’s to ride, thanks mainly to its light weight and narrow width. It’s also well put together, though the plastic bits in a few places could have been of better quality. The design is crisp and clean, but it isn’t a product that can be tagged as a game changer since it doesn’t bring anything new or outstanding.

Absent!

It's been nearly six months since i posted anything, but the car industry has kept me busy. however will post a few things soon.

XCD Sprint or Flame

An interesting result from the XCD SPrint vs Flame poll - the Sprint, even though hasn't hit showrooms seems to have caught the majorities fancy.

Now, i haven't ridden the bike as it is still not out, but on paper with its 12+ bhp figures and striking styling it does promise to hold some potential. And given Bajaj's outlook - it won't be expensive either.

But, now there's a new kid on the block - the Honda CBF Stunner. it, of course, doesn't have the power and toqure figures on paaper to challenge the Bajaj, but as we have seen in the past, paaper tigers sometimes get left behind in the real world.

Will have a comparison as soon as the bike hits the road, bu till then if you are looking to buy a sporty 125, the Gladiator and the CBF surely deserve a look in.

Will also have the CBF review soon...

Honda CBF Stunner

Now, it’s not exactly as I expected it to be, is the new 125 from Honda, the CBF Stunner – 11bhp, 11Nm of torque, hydraulic shocks, analog meters and regular lamps.

But where it does leave the rest of the 125s behind is in the styling stakes – it does look like a more modern Karizma really with its half front faring et al. it also gets tubeless tyres and split seats.

It is what Honda calls a sporty 125 designed to appeal to the boys in their late teens – so it gets rearset footpegs and a toe-only gear shifter. One of my colleagues rode the bike and said it doesn’t feel as fast as Honda quotes it to be - 0-60kmph in 5.2 seconds. He also mentioned it should compare well with the Gladiator in terms of performance, ride as well as handling.

More on the bike is a weeks time.. till then here are the specs from the bike’s brochure.

Pricey R15!

It’s getting to be a R15 blog this!!! But then, it’s also the most exciting bike to hit our side of the world in a long time, so please bear with me…

Just read and confirmed that the R15 will cost almost a lakh rupees! I honestly never thought the ‘1,00,000’ figure would feel so daunting, but it is. I was almost sure, without having even ridden it that I would buy one.
But now… I am not sure. But the thing is, even with such a huge price, I haven’t completely written it off; I am still considering it. And I am sure, once I ride it, if the R15 even comes close to my expectations, I will surely buy it!
And I am praying that it does, because as much as my weak memory permits me, I can’t think of any other bike which has raised such aspiration and got the butterflies in my tummy going hysterical, like the R15.
Sure, there have been more powerful, better looking and better performing motorcycles before. But, all have most certainly been out of bounds, for their price, of course.
But the R15, even with such a gargantuan of an Rs 1 lakh price tag, seems manageable; it is a huge stretch of course, but still feels attainable all the same. And that’s down to the motorcycle fluid running along my bloodstream more than anything else. Right now, feeding my dog, child or even my wife (and indulging her), isn’t even on my mind!
But, ‘how do I get the Rs lakh – personal loan, auto loan, call dad, rob’ certainly is.
Another question that’s haunting my mind, is how many will Yamaha sell? Not many would be my bet. But few others think, thanks to the R15 being a one of its kind product, it will find a lot of takers.
So I quizzed them about the RTR coming in with race kits, and packing in almost the same horsepower ratings? And the answer: “It doesn’t have the styling or the road presence of the R15, and such bikes sell on styling.” ????
A pot of rubbish, I think.
I should be riding the bike in a few weeks time. And then, I am sure, will begin a mad rush to get my finances in order.

Get yours too, just in case…

The results are in…

You guys have spoken! And the R15 will debut soon enough (sometime next month) for us to see how closely our demands have been met. Have sent the poll results to Yamaha as well.
Now, for those who are new to the blog, or did not bother with how the polls progressed – here’s the snap shot…

Almost 150 of you voted, which I am told is a decent size for a survey!

It was asked how much power should the R15 make for your to consider it?
And… 11% said, 16bhp is good, while 18% thought 18bhp was a decent figure, and 25% of you consider 20bhp to be the right figure to go along with a bike which is being touted as the sportiest ever on Indian roads.
However, an overwhelming 44% of you want the bike to make 22bhp! And, I wish the same!

But, I have now learnt the bike would make somewhere in the region on 18bhp. These are well placed rumours, but rumours nonetheless.

So we still might hope!!

It was also asked, how much would you pay for the bike?
And no surprise here either – we want the maximum bang for our buck – so we want the latest technology, the maximum power, but also, want to pay the least amount of money for it!
As the poll reveals – only 1 tiny per cent of you would buy the bike if it were priced over a lakh, and 9% of you would consider it, if were on the Rs 1 lakh threshold. Also, 9% of you won’t consider the bike at all!

Is it that you want a sportier bike, or did the R15 put you off in anyway – I’d certainly like to know.

But, an enormous 80% of you would buy the R15, if the bike were priced around the Rs 90,000 mark. And there might be good news, the same rumour mill tells me, Yamaha is working to ge the ex-showroom price around the Rs 80,000-85,000 mark. If, the company does manage to do that, I think the bike will find a lot of takers!


Hope you guys enjoyed voting as much as I enjoyed looking at the results. More coming up, on a plethora of subjects…