Dear Thread Starter,
I donno if you have bought an RE by now, but still, me having bought a new Std Bullet on March 27th, 2009, I guess Iam the
right person to advice you.
My Background - Pulsar 150DTSi. Bought it 2004 used for 5 yrs. Got an amazing price while selling since I had maintained it
so well. I used to get 55km to a litre. Went ahead and bought bullet just bcoz of the 'man-ly-ness' associated with bullet.
BULLET STD 350:-
1) Daily Commuting - well I feel its a BIG NO. As far as i felt, it is a kind of a bike to be used for occassional 'outings', be in long or
short to really enjoy the feel of a heavy engine and bike. A silly example (although a bit too silly), the right side gear
shift spoiled my brand new 3000rs Lee Cooper shoe since the lever doesnt have the rear trail unlike electra or TBTS. It wont match the work schedule of normal office goer.
2) Mileage - Well I started with 18, then 22, then 27 and finally after consulting and repairing outside, iam getting upto
35kmpl in traffic after first service. Speedo now reading 1100. My bullet expert said new bull gets upto 45.
3) Going for new/old - Its tricky. I went for a new Std bullet just for the reason that i dint want starting issues etc. But
it backfired. It gave me serious probs upfront. Starting trouble, fuel leak, battery issue. I think bullet is the kind of
bike which needs time to settle down. As someone said, it IS indeed a marriage! But now after 1000kms the issues are almost
settled. The shock absorbers are also feeling much softer.
4) Long Term - CI engined bullet will hold good for decades. that is why all bullet enthusiasts/mechanics say STd is the
best. Thumping and things leave it aside. Others like TBTS/Electra not sure whether it will last. And to be frank Thunderbird
LB was a semi-disaster.
5) Maintenance - Bullet does call for maintenance. I understood that within my first month of usage. It needs care. oil leaks have started within 3 weeks !!! how sick.
6) vs Electra - Electra has the only shortcoming that it has low crank weight. but then it has electronc ignition, starter,
discs, 5s gears, gas shocks etc. I do feel the need for a 5th gear in my std bullet. PS: Bullet mechanics somehow suggest std
bull over electra and tbts, i donno why! My cousin has been using electra now for 30000kms, no issues.
7) vs TBTS - tbts is new. dtsi engine. only time ll say if its really good. as of now RE claims that TBTS engine is the
future engine for RE. Riding and comfort in TBTS is the best amogn RE. it has more pulling power too. and FE as well. But
then only issue is that,if A.S.S fails to give u a godo repair (which happened to me), TBTS engine architecture may not be
known to many mechanics elsewhere. RE SERVICE is definitely not the best like honda or hero honda.
8) Riding - std bull u gotto ride to feel the diff. theres something which tbts/electra doesnt have which std has. I was 90% sure on buying
TBTS then riding std bullet i felt it was the best in terms of the real 350cc 'engine feel'.
9) Handling/Comfort - thunderbird tops. electra not bad. std also not bad at all. these bike although heavy, have good handling. since heavy its
stable on roads. shocks work perfectly. bike doesnt jump over the potholes. that the best part im enjoying in my bull. Just
start it, sit back and enjoy the ride without backaches unliked the pulsars!!! my wife loves bullet for its 'comfort' factor ALONE.
10) vs others - same price i personally feel R15 is far better than TBTS. same price zma is far far better than std bullet.
RE has lots of niggling issues upfront. quality is cheap. u cant even compare a new bikes quality with honda / yamaha. and
more over those japanese bikes are stuffed with technology as well.
So finally i would like to tell u - dont jump into conclusions. I really regret my decision to by a new bull. I should have
gone for a 2nd hand one. BUt again it is risky but still new one is not worth 81k onroad.
As always I do agree Bullet is a Bullet. Each morning I wake up thinking I can ride on my bullet! But then it has many probs
attached to it. So thats were 'man-ly-ness' comes into play - When ur bull doesnt start in mid traffic, u need some tough skin
of 'man-ly-ness'.
Overall - I would say RETHINK. Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki far better. Or wait for sometime till Honda etc come up with better bikes. |