[cogentr]

Notice the rust on the fork bolt @ 5.32, mine has it too right out of factory.. I guess that too is a legacy RE cant let go off..
I happen to meet a Gentleman who is RE head of Finance and IT during my delivery here in Chennai brand store.. showed him all the rust and paint peel off in a brand new vehicle, he acknowledged it and also mentioned the fact that their factory is hardly 500 mtrs away from sea..
Ok, fair enough!! but I would at least expect that to be rectified in the first service. Not done!..
Reason: No Green paint available yet sir.. The vehicle was not washed during the service.. Reason: washing jet not ready yet..
Company owned service center!!

[ArizonaJim]

It is too bad that RE's management doesn't stress the need to provide fast, responsive service to many of their motorcycles owners.

They would be wise to develop a reputation for placing the customer first and employing only the best of mechanics. They also should have repair parts available for all of their models (including older ones) so the maximum time for delivery would not be longer than 2 days anywhere their motorcycles are sold.

This would go a long way towards developing a following of motorcyclists who would gladly put up with the long wait needed to receive their new Royal Enfields.

I know from reading many of the posts here that a large number of you expect washing of your bike to be a part of the regular service.
RE should strive to make that fact known to all of their service centers.

As for me, I would prefer that they confine their washing to their hands, their tools and their shop. (When it comes to modern close tolerance machines a good shop is a clean shop.)

There are too many places on a motorcycle where soap and water can cause problems. Especially if they use high pressure water jets to speed up the washing process.

I would rather do the washing myself so that I know it was done correctly, without blasting a jet of water into my electrical and fuel systems and that soiled rags were not used to wipe (and scratch) my paint.

[si1ver0ne]

@Diwa, I was refering to the Classic 500 vs Chrome. As rightly confirmed by Randhawa the Desert Storm tyre specs have not changed only the Chrome tyre specs are back to the first generation C5!

[bradhey]

Originally Posted by si1ver0ne

@Diwa, I was refering to the Classic 500 vs Chrome. As rightly confirmed by Randhawa the Desert Storm tyre specs have not changed only the Chrome tyre specs are back to the first generation C5!

From the pictures posted elsewhere on this forum, you will see that both the chromes and the SStorm sport the same wheel size, 19", upfront.

The confusion may be because RE must not have updated their web site for the new Indian specs. All over the world the C5 is still being sold with a 18" wheel upfront, including the Chrome launched in the US. Cheers !!

[si1ver0ne]

(Admins, hope its ok to post the same questions in two different threads)

Just have a couple of questions, hope one of you could help answer themlease:

1. Now that Royal Enfield has launched its Classic 500 in the Chrome version, how long do you think this chrome plating would last on the bike with almost 80% chrome on it?

2. Any Machismo users can you please comment on the quality of Chrome that you are experiencing on your bulls?

Eagerly waiting for your reply as I'm seriously contemplating to change my booking from Classic 500 to Classic Chrome

Cheers,
Si1ver0ne

[Randhawa]

RE has edited their website and now same specs for C5 range.

[lohithrao]

My Machismo350 which i bought in 2003 has the chrome intact, infact last 4years its in mangalore. so i guess if they have maintained the same quality it should not be a problem at all.

Originally Posted by si1ver0ne

(Admins, hope its ok to post the same questions in two different threads)

Just have a couple of questions, hope one of you could help answer themlease:

1. Now that Royal Enfield has launched its Classic 500 in the Chrome version, how long do you think this chrome plating would last on the bike with almost 80% chrome on it?

2. Any Machismo users can you please comment on the quality of Chrome that you are experiencing on your bulls?

Eagerly waiting for your reply as I'm seriously contemplating to change my booking from Classic 500 to Classic Chrome

Cheers,
Si1ver0ne

[Parm]

Originally Posted by si1ver0ne

(Admins, hope its ok to post the same questions in two different threads)

Just have a couple of questions, hope one of you could help answer themlease:

1. Now that Royal Enfield has launched its Classic 500 in the Chrome version, how long do you think this chrome plating would last on the bike with almost 80% chrome on it?

2. Any Machismo users can you please comment on the quality of Chrome that you are experiencing on your bulls?

Eagerly waiting for your reply as I'm seriously contemplating to change my booking from Classic 500 to Classic Chrome

Cheers,
Si1ver0ne

i am in the same delima as yous, should i go ahead with the C5 Chrome in black or the Desert Storm, i have already paid my booking amount and booked a black chrome c5.

should i change it to C5 Desert storm or stick to Black Chrome?

is the chrome plating and its quality good enough to last years....?

[Randhawa]

Mini review on chrome black/royal maroon and desert storm

Apart from colour difference from C5 there are none whatsoever new changes.

Out of three which is the most appealing bike?

Black chrome gets a thumbs up from me. Very good quality chrome, same as the predecessor Machismo models. It really looks elegant and true classic. Thumbs up to all those who have booked or will book the black chrome.

Royal maroon looks out of place and not my cup of tea.

Desert storm is just yuk yuk all the way down the drain. Looks quite dark from what we saw it in the pictures. Should have been a tad bit lighter shade and to complement the shade just like the green colour(export C5), the rims should have been the same colour. First impression to me looks like a restored bike. I would have preferred the paint on the engine casing to be in black or lighter shade of grey. I am highly disappointed from this one.

Paint quality is so bad that I think I got lucky as I feel the first batch of C5 had far better quality paint job then the desert storm. I did not even felt like taking pictures as there was so much rust from every single weld on the chassis that I could not even believe it myself. I just feel sorry for people who will go for this colour.

Matt finish has a big down side. Even a little bit of scratch leaves a dark mark on the paint and the fuel tank will have more wear of paint due to our thigh contact with it. It will also make the paint shiny in due course where there will be human touch involved.

Desert does not get the new spot welded tank at least for now.

[diwa]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Matt finish has a big down side. Even a little bit of scratch leaves a dark mark on the paint and the fuel tank will have more wear of paint due to our thigh contact with it. It will also make the paint shiny in due course where there will be human touch involved.

Desert does not get the new spot welded tank at least for now.

Also, Matt finish attracts a lot of dust and is not easy to clean. I had seen it myself at the RE service center (Company owned), chennai and the service head also mentioned the same.

[Randhawa]

I was so looking forward to the DS launch but highly disappointed. Give me British racing green on a Classic any day and I will buy a C5 again.

It will retain lot of oil stains and hard to clean at the same time but we knew these problems associated with the mat finish paint job. It's the darker shade and shoddy paint job which disappoints me the most. But on a positive note, taking into consideration the paint does loses it's shade in our hot weather. It might turn to a lighter shade in a years time of use.

Coming to the Price hike.
DS is expensive by 3k while Chrome is expensive by 9k.

[desideep]

I personally am quite happy to look at the CROME in black remindes me of OLD days when a Friend bought a AVL machismo A350 in cherry color.

I would love to get the Black but MONIES is holding me back.


I think that i should just get my Standard Repainted hehehe.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Mini review on chrome black/royal maroon and desert storm

Apart from colour difference from C5 there are none whatsoever new changes.

Out of three which is the most appealing bike?

Black chrome gets a thumbs up from me. Very good quality chrome, same as the predecessor Machismo models. It really looks elegant and true classic. Thumbs up to all those who have booked or will book the black chrome.

Royal maroon looks out of place and not my cup of tea.

Desert storm is just yuk yuk all the way down the drain. Looks quite dark from what we saw it in the pictures. Should have been a tad bit lighter shade and to complement the shade just like the green colour(export C5), the rims should have been the same colour. First impression to me looks like a restored bike. I would have preferred the paint on the engine casing to be in black or lighter shade of grey. I am highly disappointed from this one.

Paint quality is so bad that I think I got lucky as I feel the first batch of C5 had far better quality paint job then the desert storm. I did not even felt like taking pictures as there was so much rust from every single weld on the chassis that I could not even believe it myself. I just feel sorry for people who will go for this colour.

Matt finish has a big down side. Even a little bit of scratch leaves a dark mark on the paint and the fuel tank will have more wear of paint due to our thigh contact with it. It will also make the paint shiny in due course where there will be human touch involved.

Desert does not get the new spot welded tank at least for now.

Randhawa saab, thanks a lot for the feedback. i have booked the black chrome c5, but was reluctant to go ahead as i saw lots of questions being asked about its chrome quality.

anyway i spoke to a dealer in LDH and he said that the ECU has been re-tuned along with the EFI unit, they both have been improved upon on the first batch of C5s released in india.

i dont know how true his claims are, but they are worth debating, i guess!

whats your intake on EFI and the ECU, Randhawa saab?

[Randhawa]

Janab, there is no need for debate as the new map has been done officially since June on all the new vehicles. So you will get the new map on your bull. There is nothing to tune with the EFI unit and only remap is what we needed all that long. Nothing has changed in the EFI department.

The new map is blessing in disguise but let the winter come and we shall see if it still smokes black in morning. That will be it's true test.

[Rennjit]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Desert storm . ...
Matt finish has a big down side. Even a little bit of scratch leaves a dark mark on the paint and the fuel tank will have more wear of paint due to our thigh contact with it. ...

Why, it doesn't have poly coat (matte clear) over the paint ?