[Sivacar]

Dear Moderators and BHPians, this is my first write up in this forum. In case of any errors/deviations, kindly correct me. In case of any difference of views, let us have a healthy debate.

Overview: From 1999 to 2010 I was working in Chennai. During those years, my first motorcycle was a Bajaj Boxer CT with Ktec engine, which I used it for 2 years. Then I rode a Kawasaki Wind 125 for another 6 years close to 80,000 km.

There was a programme in Discovery Channel called the greatest ever, If such a programme was to be made for motorcycles sold in India. I am sure the Wind will be in Top 3, it is one of the perfect motorcycles ever sold in India. Right from the 125-cc engine with silent timing chain, fueled by a CV carburetor, mated to a 5-speed gear box. The instrument with white background tachometer, to that near perfect riding posture, it was a class act from Kawasaki.

The design of the Wind still lives in Bajaj Platina commuter motorcycle.

In 2010, I shifted from Chennai to Guwahati. I was working in Guwahati till 2015. After that I shifted to Shillong. In Shillong there was a need for motorcycle again for me to commute and there was also an itch to explore the beautiful Meghalaya. This time another Bajaj, the Pulsar AS 150 came in to my life.

Another great bike again discontinued by Bajaj. The AS 150 was near perfect for me for the following reasons.

Excellent riding posture with a tall seating. Good for tall riders, fantastic headlamp. It’s a combination of low beam projector and a high beam halogen.
A differently tuned 150cc Air-cooled engine, with 4 valves per cylinder and 2 spark-plugs. With a power output of 17ps @ 9500 rpm and a torque 13 Nm @ 7000 rpm. This was the most powerful air-cooled 150 cc engine in the market at that time. This is the only Bajaj were the engine is super smooth in the top end. The more you rev it gets smoother, and had a fantastic top end.

But the only issue I had was the peak torque was produced at a high 7000 rpm, which was not an issue in plains. But was really a pain in the hills of Shillong and Meghalaya. The bike has to be revved a lot to get a decent push.

The second issue was the top speed was around 121kmph at these speeds the tacho needle will be crossing 10,000 rpm mark and the shift warning light will glow in top gear. I have never heard or ridden any bike with such an issue.

In Jan 2019 I again shifted from Shillong to Guwahati, unfortunately in May 2019, my Pulsar was stolen. I don’t want to dwell too much on that story. I had parked it in a desolate street at around 8 p.m. when I came back at around 10 p.m. it was gone. Straight away gave a complaint to the nearest Police and started the process of Insurance claim.

I was thinking of purchasing a Honda Grazia 125, had a depressing feeling that the biker inside was getting old and ready for retirement. At this juncture, my wife simply said this,” I cannot imagine you commuting on a scooter, you still have around another 10 years before you can retire your biker. I always imagined, and wanted you to ride a Bullet. Get one immediately”.

PS: She also funded my down payment

But the only thing is she wanted to buy the popular Classic 350, while I wanted the Electra 350. We both went to the nearest showroom, I showed both the bikes to her and showed the difference, and explained my logic to go the Electra 350.

Also took a test ride of both the bikes back to back with her a pillion, after riding the pillion she was comfortable in the Electra 350. Of the three-color choices, we decided to go for Silver.

Reasons for choosing Electra 350 over the classic.

1) Rear seat comfort – The rear seat of the Classic 350 is horrible to say the least (no offense to the owners). Anyone who has ridden pillion for ½ an hour can explain that. No lower back support whatsoever.

2) Preferred the taller handle bar and seat height of the Electra. I am 5 Feet and 11 inches tall.

3) What I also felt is that since the Chassis of the Bullets were engineered for 19” wheels, changing to 18” have altered their originality. And Royal Enfield wanted a lot of 100cc to 150 cc users to upgrade to their brand, so they made the Classic 350 in such a way that it is actually user/city friendly with shorter handle bar, smaller rear wheel and a wider radial tyres. But this has reduced the actual charm/essence of riding a bullet.

Dealership and Purchase Experience:

I inquired for purchase in Shahila Expositions in Six Mile in Guwahati – Both the Sales Consultant and the Finance Consultant were knowledgeable and know their job. I had a pre-approved loan in HDFC, the loan was approved in a week’s time. After the loan was approved I paid the entire down payment and booked the bike on 15th July. Took delivery on July 17th 2019.

I named her “The Silver Bullet” taking inspiration from the Werewolf movie which was released when I was a kid. I think it was around 1985.

What I liked about the Electra 350.

1) This particular version will be The Last of the Mohicans for the following reasons.

a) For using 19” rims in the rear wheel – I doubt Royal Enfield will offer rear 19” rear wheels for any of their upcoming motorcycles. I also have a feeling that Electra will be discontinued, considering the importance given by RE towards the Classic 350 updates.

b) Exactly a month after my purchase RE reduced the price of the Electra and Classic by around Rs.10,000 – But also deleted the Nitrox rear shock absorber, rear wheel ABS, changed all the Chrome to Black.

c) Carburetor – The BS VI norms will ensure that all the bikes hereafter will be fuel injected.

d) Push rod engine architecture – I am not sure whether the new J series engine are using camshafts and timing chain. (If that is the case, we will not be seeing any push rod engines in the future.)

2) Commanding seat height and tall handle bar, and SUV like tall riding posture ensure that you will get a superb view of the gaps in traffic.

3)Fantastically tuned ABS, WOW – the tuning is done in such a way that the ABS cuts in whenever you are about to lose the balance of the bike. Even the rear wheel ABS is well tuned. Kudos to RE engineers for that setup.

4) Excellent headlamps – In spite of being Halogens, both the high beam and low beam had good spread and throw.

5) Excellent chassis balance, you can actually have a good lean angle. The rear brake is set up in such a way that you can feather it easily to maneuver in traffic.

Things that I do not like about it

1) Vibrations – Actually quite a lot of it. It starts at around 85kmph and increases progressively. At 100kmph it is at its peak. Really unbearable, especially in the handle bars, because of the vibes I usually do not exceed 80kmph.

2) Performance – The 125cc brigade of scooters and 150-200cc brigade of motorcycles will easily overtake you in city traffic. You have to let go of them.

3) Speed Error – When compared with Google maps (in two-wheeler mode) there is a speedo error of 10 kmph.

4) Tyres – The ribbed tyres do not offer the best of the grip. It limits the handling and braking potential of the motorcycle.

My Usage and other issues faced during the ownership

Date of purchase: 17th July 2019.

Total distance covered till date: 13500 – till 5000 kms in Guwahati from then till now in Chennai.

Memorable rides till date: On a Sunday did a Guwahati – Jowai – Shillong and Guwahati ride solo. Covered close to 300 km in around 8 hours.
Issues faced so far in my ownership:

After coming to Chennai, at around 6000 kms one of the valves related to emission failed. It led to the leakage of petrol. The valve and the Petrol tank were replaced under warranty. Service center was prompt in dealing with it, in spite of the lockdown.

The bolt which holds the Silencer got loose, so I usually carry a 14 size spanner with me to tighten the bolt regularly. One day some how the silencer fell off. I had tie it with a thread and left the bike at the workshop and had a discussion with the Service Manager Joel. Since it was happening regularly he himself got engaged in the trouble shooting. What they did was replaced the clamp set and added a new lock nut and used a longer bolt to tighten the silencer. After this repair work there was no issue. Excellent work by the service centre.

At around 12500 kms, the front fork in my bike started to dive dangerously under braking and the rear shock absorber got stiffer without any warning. The handling and the balance of the bike was affected. Took it to the workshop with a dreaded feeling of replacing the rear shock absorber. After listening to me carefully, the supervisor himself rode the bike and found out that it is because of the excessive dust in the ABS sensor ring the balance of the bike was upset. After cleaning the rings, the bike"s handling again become the way i used to have. Excellent diagnostic work again.

The maintenance schedule I follow is provided below.

I usually give my bike only to authorized service centers, (Shahila in Guwahati and AKG Motors in Chennai). My experience is so far good. The service advisers are knowledgeable and the quality of their service is good. Even though it is a bit time consuming.

Every Sunday: Wash my bike myself and use Motul chain spray to lubricate the chain.

Every 1500 kms: Chain tightening in the service centre.

Every 3000 kms: Service without Oil & Oil filter change

Every 6000 kms: Service with Oil & Oil filter change. (RE workshops nowadays use semi synthetic oil. It is good enough to ride till 6000 kms)

Further mods planned in the future.

After 20,000 kms will fix the Car-berry vibration reduction plate. (Seen a lot of reviews in the internet including the one written by Hammer and Anvil)

Will start using the Castrol Power 1 Cruise 15W-50 engine Oil

Will replace the existing silencer with the new short silencer launched by RE (road legal)

After 30,000 kms will replace the current ribbed tyres with a suitable radial tyres.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos to upload as of now (will upload soon).

Hope my write up was useful and interesting to the forum members.

Any update regarding my motorcycle will post it in the forum.

[Sivacar]

Some photos which were taken in Guwahati

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

[SS80]

I agree with everything you said about the electra and the classic 350.

I bought a used electra about 11months back, completed close to 6000kms till now. Apart from electrical issues (mainly due to bad maintenance by previous owner) no other major issues faced.

Prior to lockdown my daily usage was close to 40kms /day in the pot hole ridden roads of Bangalore and this one just glides on all. The seating and handle bar position is way too comfortable compared to all other models of RE.

Happy munching miles. By the way, most electra's have a sweet spot around 70kmph, where the bike runs at 15 - 20% throttle, perfect rhythmic beats and effortless feeling. Has that been retained in the newer electra?

[jeeva]

Originally Posted by Sivacar

.

1) Vibrations – Actually quite a lot of it. It starts at around 85kmph and increases progressively. At 100kmph it is at its peak. Really unbearable, especially in the handle bars, because of the vibes I usually do not exceed 80kmph.

I doubt if that will reduce the vibrations.
You can re-torq all the engine mounting bolts during the first service, which will bring down the vibrations by a margin. You can also plan to install the old type metal swing arm bushes, replacing the current rubber ones for better ride comfort.
If you really want to bring down the vibrations, the crank needs to be weighed up, or replace it with the standard 350/500 crank.

[KPR]

Silver electra is the first bike that I drool over again and again from RE. I couldn't buy that as my close relative had a red electra. So I had to settle with my next liking TB500. I wonder what is that people see in a classic 350 that I don't see ! Cheers for being a like minded person.

Off topic: It should be disheartening for you to leave a place like Shillong. Beautiful state Meghalaya is! The Swiss of India.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by Sivacar

Some photos which were taken in Guwahati

Congratulations on your first write up.

Silver Electra has a timeless charm and simplicity which only a few bikes nowadays have. For the rear tyre - I have been using Michelin Sirac Street for the last three years. I feel it is a good upgrade for road trips and street use. Keep riding and sharing!

[Sivacar]

Thanks SS80,

At 80 kmph in 5th gear this bike is a dream to ride, only thing is the thump is lot more muted when compared to the Cast Iron Engined Bullets.

Thanks Jeeva for your input,

I can,t under stand what that it means (hope you are referring the vibration reduction plate) ?

I will check on the other parameters you have suggested.

With respect to the change of crank, can you suggest is it good idea to open a perfect running engine. Because i want to hold on to the factory assembly as long as possible.

Thanks KPR,

Unfortunately life had other plans for me. So i have to leave Shillong.

But four years and a Pulsar 150 AS for company with my family. It was one of the best episodes in my life.

Thanks Warrioraks,


for the tyre suggestion. Will kept posted on updates.

[SS80]

Originally Posted by jeeva

I doubt if that will reduce the vibrations.
You can re-torq all the engine mounting bolts up, or replace it with the standard 350/500 crank.

I have replaced the swing arm bushes to the metal ones and that dint make any difference to the ride quality, only thing is it lasts longer than the stock one.

[clementw]

The seat comfort of the Electra is much better than the Classic. I wish RE will update it at par with the newer models and retain it for the niche who still like the old school riding, the added benefit of being a rarity on the road will give it some exclusivity too

[jeeva]

Originally Posted by Sivacar

Thanks Jeeva for your input,

I can,t under stand what that it means (hope you are referring the vibration reduction plate) ?

I will check on the other parameters you have suggested.

With respect to the change of crank, can you suggest is it good idea to open a perfect running engine. Because i want to hold on to the factory assembly as long as possible.

Yes, I meant the vibration reduction plate.
No, I won't and will not suggest you either to open up a brand new engine for this reason. Since you are annoyed with the vibrations, just want to let you know that the heavier crank will resolve it, once for all.

Originally Posted by SS80

I have replaced the swing arm bushes to the metal ones and that dint make any difference to the ride quality, only thing is it lasts longer than the stock one.

Personally, I felt that the feeling of "getting thrown" around at the rear has come down after installing the metal bushings. I have gone one step ahead and have installed a grease nipple to lubricate them.

[royalbeat]

Congratulations on your new ride. Wish you many happy miles on your bike
Electra is an excellent bike and a rare one with an old world charm. I bought mine in 2008 during my first job. I still have it without any major repairs over the last 12 years. It still drives like a charm and starts with the first kick. I use mine mainly for city travels but I do plan to retro-fit disc brakes on my bike for added safety.
Couple of times there has been an itch to upgrade but I have never been comfortable with the idea of letting go my silver electra.

[Sivacar]

Originally Posted by royalbeat

Congratulations on your new ride. Wish you many happy miles on your bike
Electra is an excellent bike and a rare one with an old world charm.

Thanks Royalbeat,

That is exactly the reason i went out and bought the Electra.

Let's hope this model gains some cult status in the future.

[Aafaq]

I have owned both the Classic 350 and Electra 350, both of them sold now, but out of the two, I have enjoyed riding the Electra 350 because of its riding position and comfortable seat.
Happy riding!