[B O V]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

This mod is not at all difficult as I have seen many of them Standard CI's sporting a front disc brake setup.

Originally Posted by slicvic

As mentioned earlier it is not difficult. Have done it for my Bullet too.
The Hub, Spokes, Yoke, Brake Lever are all different.

I used the kit which is available with the dealers. Costed around 8000/- two years back.

Thank you, Navin and Slivic, I'm changing my front and rear rims and spokes so I thought it'd be useful to have discs up front. Currently I have the single leading shoe type hubs.

Regards,

BOV

[Rennjit]

@ B O V, try to get the kit by BYBRE like one comes on RE these days. Finding spare bits like lever, switch etc for Pricol set (difference in design) is getting less easy. It is easy & quick a job to change out the pads on bybre. And buy a matching shape clutch lever also if you have the dog leg shaped lever now.

cheers...

[bhagathmp]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

The biggest advantage of RD handle bar, as per me, is its flatness and not inclined to either sides like that of TB. My TB was a hoot to ride in both traffic and ghats after switching to the RD replica.

I have looked at sourcing the RD replica handle bar - both from shops as well as online. Online there are replicas ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 7500! And while asking around to get it from shops, price would be around Rs 750, but there is no way to say if this is duplicate or of good quality (haven't visited any shops yet, so I might be jumping gun here). If anyone has bought them online, could you please share the details and the price you paid? Is there any good shops in and around Trivandrum (Kerala) where I can pick one up?

Originally Posted by bhagathmp

Guys I need some advice / help / recommendations on improving the riding comfort of my DS 500.

2) Though most of my ride is going to be solo, I do want to retain the flexibility of having a pillion at times. I plan to replace the spring loaded independent seats with that of the current gen Electra. I know the mounting points would be an issue, but looking at fabricating the mounts and bolted onto the frame rather than welding. In case I need to go back to the stock form, this would be an easy job.

4) This is more "a good to have" - I like the backlight switches that you see on Pulsar. Is this something we could mount on the RE? I believe these are LED, so would need some power source. Anyone with experience doing this , request you to kindly suggest.

Any inputs to these two requests ?

Regards
Bugs.

[B O V]

Originally Posted by Rennjit

@ B O V, try to get the kit by BYBRE like one comes on RE these days

Thank you Rennjit, will get the bybre kit then.

Originally Posted by bhagathmp

I have looked at sourcing the RD replica handle bar - both from shops as well as online. Online there are replicas ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 7500!

I've seen a lot of em replicas, dunno anything about the quality but theres one guy in Edapally who sells a lotta these parts. Enfield county is the name, search on fb you'll get the contact details.

About the seat, I guess a bit of work will have to be done.

Since you want to swap out the seats whenever you want, I guess you'll want to keep the subframe. The electra seats not get seated properly. Ask a good mech. It can be done easily IMO.

Regards

BOV

[vijay_k]

Hi Guys,

I am planning to upgrade / change the horn of my cl350 as the OE one is almost conked off.

I am confused between hella red gril and Bosch fc4, pls suggest which one should I go for. Also when I upgrade the horn should I change the relay or are the OE once good enough?

Vijay

[rki2007]

Today I had been on a short ride for about 100 kms after a long ride to Chennai and back to Bangalore a month ago.

A new issue has cropped up with my TBTS 350. There is a screeching sound near the engine area. The sound appears only at low speeds and upon acceleration the sound disappears. It is something weird. I will examine the issue in detail and report soon.

Ride experience:

Generally I fill normal IOC petrol which performs fine on my TBTS 350. But for the first time, I filled Shell normal fuel. Some how I felt the bike to be lethargic and strained more which was unusual. I assume this could be due to the change in fuel. I thought Shell was superior. But don't know what went wrong!!

As usual the braking efficiency was very bad. Beyond 70-80 kmph, it was quiet fearful to push further due to the inadequate braking efficiency.

Also at low speeds, if there is an emergency situation where you have to brake hard, the rear wheel moves out of line and skids.

Overall not very impressed. I would have been happy if there was an ABS like that of TVS Apache 180 RTR. Without proper brakes, the very purpose of owning a cruise bike itself fails. RE need to pay attention to this at the earliest.

[bhagathmp]

Thanks for your inputs B O V

Originally Posted by B O V

I've seen a lot of em replicas, dunno anything about the quality but theres one guy in Edapally who sells a lotta these parts. Enfield county is the name, search on fb you'll get the contact details.

I did a bit of "looking" around this past Saturday. Went to couple of RE authorized spare parts guys and was directed to Amba spares at Takaraparambu. He had two models of the RD handle bars - one was in chrome with out the bar/rod in the middle, and the other was matt black powder coated one with the bar/rod. I picked up the black one. Will have to weld in a provision to mount the bar end weights. Was pretty late in the evening when I finished up, so will be replacing the stock handle bar this weekend.

Originally Posted by B O V

About the seat, I guess a bit of work will have to be done.

Since you want to swap out the seats whenever you want, I guess you'll want to keep the subframe. The electra seats not get seated properly. Ask a good mech. It can be done easily IMO.

I read on some RE forums about the possibility of mounting the new TB split seats on the Classic. I checked with one of the local mechs and he confirmed this can be done but need to have a few clamps bolted on. no welding required so can be rolled back if needed. The RE spare parts guys didn't have the seats in stock. Price is around Rs 2100 (for the rider seat) and Rs 1400 (for the pillion). If the guy gets the stock this week, plan to have the seats replaced as well. If not will ride around with the stock spring seat and the RD handle bar and see if that alone helps.

Next thing on my list is the backlit switches. Need to check with the Baja spare guys for the price .

Regards
Bugs.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by rki2007

As usual the braking efficiency was very bad. Beyond 70-80 kmph, it was quiet fearful to push further due to the inadequate braking efficiency.

Also at low speeds, if there is an emergency situation where you have to brake hard, the rear wheel moves out of line and skids.

Overall not very impressed. I would have been happy if there was an ABS like that of TVS Apache 180 RTR. Without proper brakes, the very purpose of owning a cruise bike itself fails. RE need to pay attention to this at the earliest.

Exactly my experience mate but with the front brake of my Tbird500. The motorcycle is so front heavy that it nose dives dangerously and skids when one presses the front brake in emergency at low speeds. I was almost about to fall over as the front disc locks up sending the motorcycle into a tizzy. I always had a feeling that RE should provide ABS on these dual disc as well as single disc motorcycles for braking safety. I will also post this on my ownership thread.

[bulletboy76]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Generally I fill normal IOC petrol which performs fine on my TBTS 350. But for the first time, I filled Shell normal fuel. Some how I felt the bike to be lethargic and strained more which was unusual. I assume this could be due to the change in fuel. I thought Shell was superior. But don't know what went wrong!!

Even I have similar experience with my Bullet STD UCE. With Shell petrol, the fuel efficiency drops by 2 - 3 kmpl and the bike feels strained.

I have found Bharat Petroleum petrol (fro the 'Pure of Sure' pumps) doing a nice job.

I usually get a mileage of anywhere between 42 to 46 kmpl.

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Exactly my experience mate but with the front brake of my Tbird500. The motorcycle is so front heavy that it nose dives dangerously and skids when one presses the front brake in emergency at low speeds. I was almost about to fall over as the front disc locks up sending the motorcycle into a tizzy. I always had a feeling that RE should provide ABS on these dual disc as well as single disc motorcycles for braking safety. I will also post this on my ownership thread.

I have somewhat lost interest in RE bikes. A humble 150CC bike will provide a good cruising comfort with good braking grip. If that is the case, then what is the point in owning/riding a RE.

Also in terrific traffic conditions like that of Bangalore, it is difficult to zig zag with a huge bike like TBTS.

I don't know. I am slowly losing the thump in me

[navin_v8]

Dont be disheartened mate, I as a fellow RE enthusiast having owned CI's to AVL's to now UCE also feel that RE should have atleast provided ABS as an option given the motorcycles' braking behaviour. Over the course of my riding I have learnt to master the brakes. The simple technique is to use both the brakes progressively in the form of 7(front brake):3(rear brake) ratio. Different riders have different riding styles but this is the technique I have started using on my Tbird500. I will suggest you to practice some more before you give up. The new Tbird tipping in at 200 kgs is a heavy bike and front heavy is what I have felt.

The stop and go city traffic that requires frequent braking and sometimes hard braking due to morons behind wheels that decide to pop up out of nowhere and brake at their will makes the Tbird a cumbersome bike. Honestly I have been riding the Tbird in a city like Bombay which if not equal is choked more than Bangalore, but I have managed to tame its weight and bulkiness by following some riding techniques. Some of them are: I don't try to run it in a zig zag manner through the traffic, keep a safe braking distance but sometimes find it difficult in choc a bloc traffic, I avoid turning the handle completely while taking turns or while cramming into small sections as it puts all the weight on your legs and hands, etc. Try using a different riding technique for a week or so and feel the difference. If you are still not satisfied then there are a lot of options (KTM Duke 390 comes to mind).

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

The new Tbird tipping in at 200 kgs is a heavy bike and front heavy is what I have felt.

Technically speaking, its the other way round. I am not talking about the heavy feeling of the handlebar while turning here, but the actual weight of the bike and rider distributed on to the front wheel. On a Thunderbird, weight is more biased on to the rear wheel. Thanks to its generous handlebar to seat room and kicked out footpegs, Almost all the rider weight is biased more to the rear wheel than the front. On a bike, the most powerful brake is the front one and it needs a good amount of weight to be transferred to the tires during braking to increase the contact patch of the front tire and provide optimum grip. You can very well imagine why this is hard to achieve on a TB! Also, due to the ape hanger style handlebar rider (Upper Body) weight will also not be transferred effectively down the forks while braking which can further load the front tires! Classic's and Standard bullets are better in this respect!

To add to all these, the brakes lacks proper feedback, we will not be able to identify the fine point at which the tyre loses grip and wash off and the MRF zapper is definitely not helping!

The reason why Continental GT excels in braking is due to all these factors and not solely due to its Brembo units!

@navin_v8. You can also try to switch to the RD replica handlebar to make the TB more manageable in traffic!

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by bhagathmp

I read on some RE forums about the possibility of mounting the new TB split seats on the Classic. I checked with one of the local mechs and he confirmed this can be done but need to have a few clamps bolted on.

As the mech if he has done it earlier and is it possible to have a look. The TB500 has got split seats which are removed when you pull a cable to release the lock, much like a car boot or bonnet. I'm guessing this would be difficult to fabricate.

[himanshugoswami]

Guys one query.

this morning while cleaning my bike, i saw some rubber bits fallen down. on closer inspection i saw that there are these rubber clamps on the fins of the engine, but they are randomly placed. Any idea what purpose they serve? will their absence cause any negative effect?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Technically speaking, its the other way round. I am not talking about the heavy feeling of the handlebar while turning here, but the actual weight of the bike and rider distributed on to the front wheel. On a Thunderbird, weight is more biased on to the rear wheel.

@navin_v8. You can also try to switch to the RD replica handlebar to make the TB more manageable in traffic!

I was actually comparing the braking of the new Tbird500 to my AVL Tbird 350 which too comes with a front disc brake. I have never experienced the AVL Tbird being front heavy while braking and while turning as I feel on the Tbird500. Infact I think the weight is properly distributed on the AVL Tbird as it doesn't bank as dangerously as a Tbird500 under hard braking while doing slow speeds. Maybe the front tires (MRF Ribbed Nylogrip) that the AVL Tbird shares with the Standard CI and other stable mates might be helping as mentioned by you. I have a RD replica handlebar on one of my Standard CI's and they are comfortable both for city and highway rides. But the point is I never felt the reason to change the handlebar of my AVL Tbird all this while in both city as well as highway riding so its not just about the handlebar when it comes to Tbird500's handling while braking and taking turns. What I feel is each rider has a different way of riding and maybe I am still learning how to ride the Tbird500.