[virtualhemant]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

@virtualhemant- I think you are using bigger gear in slow speeds. Don't drive it like a Std 350.

Yeah, I was trying to pull it like a Std350. Need to come out of 350 thing.

Still the chain is loose. if I just lift it by hand and drop, the top side of chain hits the corner of the chassis (near rear break light switch). Seems the mech was not able to adjust it correctly. I will ask them to adjust again during first service. I hope it will not hurt chain/sproket till then.

Hey can you guys help me kickstart this beast? It was easy for me to start std350. I was able to start it only once during the delivery. (seems I was too exited). But now I am not able to kick it to life in the morning. I think I am not getting the right technique with auto decomp. Manual decomp was more handy.

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by virtualhemant

Hey can you guys help me kickstart this beast? It was easy for me to start std350. I was able to start it only once during the delivery. (seems I was too exited). But now I am not able to kick it to life in the morning. I think I am not getting the right technique with auto decomp. Manual decomp was more handy.

It is winter, and so there is more trouble starting the engine. Here's how to do it:

1. Kick it 5-6 times with the kill-switch OFF
2. Turn on the switch and kick it again (or use the Electric Start!). Starts up beautifully every time.

[EssYouWe]

I am just a newbie bullet owner, but I have been using the Kick Start only till now.

What I do is kick 2-3 times with the clutch pressed and then take it half way down, release the clutch and click without flicking the accelerator. All through, the accelerator is wrung just a small amount and that too constantly kept there.

@Sawyer

Do try the 500 once. I am sure you'll love it. It really is an awesome machine. I wish I had one.

:(

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

@Sawyer

Do try the 500 once. I am sure you'll love it. It really is an awesome machine. I wish I had one.

:(

My bike goes for a full service and oil change to the dealer next week, and I will take a look at the new 500.....I shall do my best to resist its temptations! I am pretty happy with my 500 so I am hoping this is not too much of a test of character.

[rrahul_2778]

I couldnt resist myself and had a small TD on the 350 some time back. It sure feels nice and stable, fit and finish is damn good too. But I didnt like the idling rattle (sounded more like the piagio autos). But pickup and comfort is definately top notch . Couldnt test ride 500, there was no TD bike.

Not wanting to compare, but had gone for TD of apache rtr 180 too coz wifey likes that bike. It is also a nice bike, just if one gets accustomed to the riding posture. And yes it is very torquey in all gears .

@saywer - The Classic is damn good but so is LB500. I dont think CL500 is like so attractive that you would want to dump your tried and tested LB. As they say a known devil is better than unknown angel. Just set aside the hype, hoopla and charisma effect everyone has created around the classic and sit and see if you really want to let go of your bike.

In my case, I was to get the LB500, but was not sure of the chrome quality since I had bad exp with my TB and Mach is all chrome. Now presently I am not in position to put over a lac for a bike and I actually told the dealer if he comes across a good electra 350 or 500 CI bull, then to call me.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by rrahul_2778

@saywer - The Classic is damn good but so is LB500. I dont think CL500 is like so attractive that you would want to dump your tried and tested LB. As they say a known devil is better than unknown angel. Just set aside the hype, hoopla and charisma effect everyone has created around the classic and sit and see if you really want to let go of your bike.

Noted, thanks! And it is not really a case of the current bike being a devil, while I am pretty sure that the new one is RE enough to not be angelic.
I also suspect that it will have just as short a production run as the LB 500, as RE falls into the rut of planned product obsolescence to keep its limited market reaching into their collective pockets. A used 500 CI on the other hand, sounds delicious!

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Noted, thanks! And it is not really a case of the current bike being a devil, while I am pretty sure that the new one is RE enough to not be angelic.
I also suspect that it will have just as short a production run as the LB 500, as RE falls into the rut of planned product obsolescence to keep its limited market reaching into their collective pockets. A used 500 CI on the other hand, sounds delicious!

The CL500 in all probability won't go the way the LB500 did. Production will continue for a long time since the CI500 has already been discontinued and the LB500 too will be discontinued shortly in the export market. So, till the export market exists, the CL500 is set to be produced as it is the mainstay of REs exports now.

Cheers,

Jay

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

The CL500 in all probability won't go the way the LB500 did. Production will continue for a long time since the CI500 has already been discontinued and the LB500 too will be discontinued shortly in the export market. So, till the export market exists, the CL500 is set to be produced as it is the mainstay of REs exports now.

Cheers,

Jay

So was the LB in Electra mode overseas. Thing is now RE has gotten away from the classic engine that was its USP and now will have to carve out a new one by going in the usual direction that will call for frequent product upgrades. They cannot hawk the UCE as a classic engine and will have to keep upgrading it for reliability and other such. I am sure that they would have said exactly what you are saying about the new bike, when the LB was introduced. One either has to be a purveyor of a visible classic design and once that position is vacated, then one has to move to the other position of continuous upgrades. Some of them good, some of them cosmetic. A la HD. I doubt that RE will be able to pull off what will be a halfway house strategy. Time will tell.

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

So was the LB in Electra mode overseas. Thing is now RE has gotten away from the classic engine that was its USP and now will have to carve out a new one by going in the usual direction that will call for frequent product upgrades. They cannot hawk the UCE as a classic engine and will have to keep upgrading it for reliability and other such. I am sure that they would have said exactly what you are saying about the new bike, when the LB was introduced. One either has to be a purveyor of a visible classic design and once that position is vacated, then one has to move to the other position of continuous upgrades. Some of them good, some of them cosmetic. A la HD. I doubt that RE will be able to pull off what will be a halfway house strategy. Time will tell.

Yeah, product upgrades will surely happen but the UCE engines being phased out will be a little far fetched since RE has invested a lot of time and money on developing these engines. There also has been some unconfirmed talk about a twin in the line of the RE Interceptors of yore. This, since it has almost proved to be impossible for RE to go beyond 570-600cc without adding a balancer shaft. The vibrations were simply too much and RE just doesn't want to add a balancer shaft lest the vintage appeal fade away.

So, we might see more variants of the UCE engines in the future, but 500cc imho is the limit of the large unbalanced single. The LB however was at best a stop gap arrangement right from the word go. And emissions, not sales killed the LB500. Let's hope that the current UCE engines stick around for a longish time, lest the RE motorcycles become like most other Indian motorcycles that become obsolete in less than a year or so. REs appeal has always been longevity of their motorcycles and once RE meddle with that, I really don't see where the company is headed. Yeah, as you say time will tell.

Cheers,

Jay

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

REs appeal has always been longevity of their motorcycles and once RE meddle with that, I really don't see where the company is headed. Yeah, as you say time will tell.

Cheers,

Jay

That and the fact that they can be fixed by roadside mechanics across the country. Since the built in reliability has a long way to go before it doesnt need that attention as the mass made bikes do not these days by and large, RE has some strategic challenges to address. Good luck to them in staying the course and offering something different!

[RECL350]

Introduction:
Since childhood whenever a dab dab dab .. sound falls on my ear; it stimulates signals in my brain which turns my head toward the source of the thump. It had never been possible for me to imagine myself riding the beast. My thin body frame and 50-54kg weight had always stood between me and the beast. Its been 2 years; weighing machines show my weight to be 60-63kg(Somehow people make me believe its "After marriage effect"). Started googling out all about bullets. I liked Machismo's looks. And then found that TBTS mileage is very good(I have asked a KSRTC driver about Volvo Bus' mileage .. very serious about this stuff). TBTS is heavier than Mashismo. Decided to weight for a UCE Machismo. Followed this thread hoping for updates on Machismo. When I came to know about Classic with same TBTS engine nothing could stop me .. on 2nd November booked Classic 350. Once the specs were out on 4th.. was a bit worried. I was hoping Classic 350 would be lighter than TBTS .. but both are same. I even decided to join gym. Went to check it out on 4th Nov. When I first looked at it .. my biggest fear just melted away. Sold my 6 year old Bajaj Caliber 115 for Rs13k. Got the Beast delivered on 4th December.

First Experience:
My wife who was suppose to accompany me that day was busy with meetings at office and had left me on my own. I was cursing her. Sales person asked me to check it out. Inside I was like "Man .. finally the time has come ooohhhhuu " .. but outside I looked very tensed. I pulled clutch pressed ignition switch .. "bood bood bood" ( there was no "dab dab dab" yes i did know that ). Engaged in first gear it made Kattrrrr sound. Released clutch slowly and the beast started moving. I felt the handle to be very heavy.. engaged the 2nd gear .. "Lachkkk" sound .. then 3rd gear .. same "Lachkkk" sound but false neutral .. came back to showroom.
Started moving toward my wife's office, after few hundred meters .. i started feeling comfortable.

The bike:
Seat .. soft and wide. My height is 171cm. Saddle height looks short but cant keep both feet touched to ground because of wider seat. But once the feet are on foot pegs .. seat feels like cushion chair. Comfortable; unlike my previous bike everytime i slowed down my butt used to slip forward. By placing bums a bit towards end of the seat I could feel the springs action below. Initially happened to find false neutrals when changing from 2-3-4-5 .. mostly between 4-5. Soon found a way to avoid that. It wont happen if the gears are changed as per the manual i.e according to speed. Starting in the morning with choke on, takes a minute or so to hold the idling. Engine makes "tak tak tak" sound for few seconds. Even though i use cotton cloth for wiping off dust, found minute scratch marks on the petrol tank.
Took it out on Bangalore-Mysore high way and on Bangalore-Hyderabad high way. Managed speed between 40-60km. I never had a chance to ride such a heavy weight motorcyle. Its got stunning road grip. Hands-free I noticed - Bike pulls to right. I have a habit of applying both brakes simultaneously. Brakes are good .. effective. Its got very bright Head light and a weakest Horn(feels like Luna).
Torque is impressive .. this bike doesnt care for ups and downs or the winds .. just keeps pulling.

I Service: Oil deposition just below final drive near kick lever shaft. Service person checked and found nothing wrong with seal or the plate. After the service was done I cleaned that area, and took it for a test ride. ~3km .. revved the engine few times came back and then found black wet powder like material deposited at that area. Wiped it with tissue paper. Then we both looked at it closely and both were convinced that its not engine oil, its the chain splash.

No issues. Odometer reading 525.

Mileage:
Impressive .. odometer at 541.
Tank reserve capacity ~2ltrs. Max speed attained 60kmph.

1st Fill(~1ltr + 6ltrs): 80% high way + 20% city. Reserve at 270km. . . So the average comes out to be 54 !!!. Just cant believe this one. We can ignore this since amount of petrol not clear.

2nd Fill( 6ltrs): 20% HighWay + 80% City. Reserve at 537km. 44.5 .. I strongly believe this reading.

Already bought a getoffurass saddle bag and extra long pillion backrest. Planning a Kerala tour soon

[Sawyer]

I was at the service of my 500 LB and was able to take a closer look at the classic 500. First reactions, I am sorry to say, are negative. The bike does not have presence. It looks visibly smaller, and does not impose itself on you like any of the older bikes do, with all of them sharing the same chassis/wheels, from the 350 standard to the 500 LB.
I was also not too happy with the forward lean to the riding position.
The appearance of the engine is not a highlight of the bike either.
I also suspect that the bike will not be as good a handler as the older bikes, which are very flickable in the right hands. The squat stance and the thicker cross section of the rear tyres leads me to think that.
Of course on the other hand, the ride may be more planted and stable at speed. More power for sure, and more reliability. The latter is welcome, I am not so sure about the former. Bullets are all about lazy thumping along in my head, and the Classic looks like it will not do that as well as it will like being thrashed at speed. Not my cup of tea, so I am sticking to my 500 LB, that ticks more boxes for me.

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by RECL350

Already bought a getoffurass saddle bag and extra long pillion backrest. Planning a Kerala tour soon

@RECL350: great review.
Write one again after your trip to Kerala on how it does over long distances.

[niks_devil666]

Is the RE equipped to deal with the Fi unit?

Moreover how are the service centers in Bangalore , any good ones that you can recommend?

[TheARUN]

Went to TEKNIK motors Bangalore to check out how much I should budget for converting my STANDARD to a CLASSIC

The guys did not have the rear view mirrors
They did not have the ME seat

This is kinda crazy, launch a new bike without spares at authorised service stations.