For this ride down from IIT Mandi to the Royal Enfield Regional Office Cochin, we covered around 4000 km in 13 days.

BHPian sohanbala recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A bit of backstory

I believe there are certain milestones in one's life as one pursues their passion for anything. This thread is about how a motorcycle made me meet friends who became family, taught me lessons that I still carry forward in life and inspired me in ways that fuel me every day.

On the 2nd of May 2024, me along with my friend Vasisht, commenced a 13-day ride from Himachal Pradesh to Kerala. Both of us met a year back as batch mates during the start of our MBA program at the Indian Institute of Technology - Mandi.

I still recall the initial few days of induction at campus, our program being a one-of-a-kind course with an MBA in Data Science and AI, most of us remained puzzled during the first few weeks of class. During the very first day itself, my Mallu senses kicked in as I saw Vasisht join in for class, and I was right, both of us not only belonged to Kerala, but it turned out that we stayed a few hours away back home.

That being said Vasisht with his background in electrical engineering and me with mine in physics, eventually started making sense out of all the coding and machine learning sessions. Once the heat from Python and ML started settling in, soon our conversation started diverting and both of us came to a common topic "Motorcycles and Royal Enfield".

My father used to work with brands like HM and Royal Enfield, I grew up listening to his stories about Enfield India, and later stories from our family friends who were on the board of Enfield Madras, stories on how Enfield came to India and how British engineers were sent to inspect and support during initial days of Madras Motorcycles.

Even with all the good stories my father was always a bit upset when Enfield was losing popularity in India during the early 2000s, yet he was positive after the Eicher group took over Enfield, and yes, things did change for the better.

I still remember his wide-open smile when the Classic was launched in 2009. He used to describe to me news articles about Royal Enfields' new Oragadam plant and their expansion plans. Since then the name Siddhartha Lal has remained in my mind, my father used to describe how Mr Lal is reviving the entire brand in India. I was still 16 and clueless about even how to ride a motorcycle. However, with broadband internet being more accessible, I sure did follow every news on Royal Enfield and the new plant.

Fast Forward to 2015

It's my final year in college and for the last 2 years, I've been working part-time with all kinds of jobs I can find in my free time, all for just one goal. Be able to afford my first motorcycle before college ends.

I learned how to ride on my elder brother's Yamaha RX 135, ever since then I've been in love with simple, fun, motorcycles. Sadly this taste didn't give me many options for my first bike, I was left with very limited choices back then, I used to go and check every brand store, to see if there was something I liked, one fine day I randomly came across a yellow bee-like motorcycle buzzing by my side. And that was a Royal Enfield Continental GT 535.

I was absolutely taken for a joy ride when I started looking up the internet, as I read more about cafe racers, the history and of course, names like Harris Performance who was behind the 535. I instantly started falling in love with the Continental GT 535, and within the next 2 months I got myself a brand new Continental GT 535 Black in 2015.

Since then something beautiful happened, being very keen on my motorcycle to all its nicks and bits, I was quite frequent at the service center, even for the slightest of my concerns, I was bugging the service managers and technicians, not only did they help me every time, but very soon they all turned as good friends.

Rockers REunited

Hardly a year passed since I got my GT535, I was so puzzled seeing very few 535s on roads in my city, close to none I'd say.

One day I came across another 535 customer at the Service center, we spoke for a few minutes, exchanged numbers and left, little did I know that this was the start of something epic. We kept meeting occasionally and started riding together for short city meets or an evening coffee, one day it just crossed my mind, "Why not start a community exclusive for the RE CGT535 in our hometown", with just 2 of us on board this seemed quite a task, from that very day we started chasing every 535s we see on road, Service Center, be it anywhere, and started asking them to join the group. After the first 4 months, we gained 10 members from my own city. With 10 members in hand, we approached our dealer with the club idea, who happily connected us to the rides team of Royal Enfield Kerala. With their support, we were able to onboard more 535s, within a year Rockers REunited was a statewide community with more than 800 members and monthly meetups across the state.

It was during this time that I saw people of different age groups, different backgrounds and cultures bond faster with you than your own classmates.

One of those many weekend meetups with Rockers REunited, circa 2017

January 2024

Post COVID Rockers REunited became a bit sluggish, still we managed to kick things back by adding micro chapters in Brazil and France.

8 years have flown by, a lot has changed, after 4 years of work life, I decided to pursue my PG in Management, being a person who loved anything technical, I was quite sure that this is where my interests would align, and I joined IIT Mandi, for my MBA in Data Science and AI.

After the first few weeks itself, our batch started preparing for the summer internship programs ahead. Some of us took up a few data-centered projects online, and very soon I hit my first major question.

While everyone seemed happy being in analyst roles, my question was "How can one be a good data-driven manager unless you know what happens on the floor and from where all the data comes from".

I shared this thought with Vasisht and it didn't take much time for him to agree on the same. With that in mind and with the love for motoring, Royal Enfield was an obvious choice to go for, having gone from a near closure two decades back to becoming an iconic profitable brand in home ground and global markets is quite a feat.

The next question was whether to try for strategy-related roles in RE Chennai HQ or Kerala Regional Office.

I have always believed in starting from the fundamentals, besides that, getting to learn from your own home market where we can relate more would be an added advantage, hence we decided to try for Kerala Regional Office, RO being located in Cochin, 6 hrs away from our hometown, many folks suggested it won't be a good decision since Chennai was just 11 Hrs away, however, I still believe we made the right choice. We know our own market and customer dynamics to a large extent, this would allow us to relate and even explore the market more easily. Besides being an auto head, what's better than knowing your own auto market better

I reached out to a few of my contacts in RE Chennai (all people who I met as a customer and turned out as friends). They totally supported the idea and helped us onboard swiftly.

April 2024

3 months flew by, we were due to start our internships in another 3 weeks, with over 10 products in the middleweight segment constituting 93.8% market share, we were certain to learn a lot from Royal Enfields customer experience, dealership network and business aspects. Once we know what's happening on the ground we can figure out how we can make things even better.

One evening we were discussing this with my batch-mates. It was at this point Vasisht floated the idea, he looked at me and said "It will take 6 days to send our bike from home to Delhi ". I knew what he intended by this, I could already see an All India Ride to Kerala brewing in his head.

This was the time the whole of North was experiencing intense heatwaves. The whole night I sat wondering if such a ride would be possible, riding 2 bikes across the country sounded too much for me, but the thought of being able to stop at all Royal Enfield dealerships along the way, getting to experience the regional differences and probably gather some data about the regional market and individual trends, was quite a lucrative idea.

At 3 in the morning, Vasisht knocked at my hostel room, I was still awake checking distance and possible routes. I told him the shortest route itself would be 6-7 days of riding, which I'm uncertain of doing in this heat. He smiled and said, my classic 350 will be sent from home tomorrow by train, we can ride in turns with one bike so that it's less stressful in this heat. I just said "OK".

May 2nd 2024

2 days back we went to Chandigarh picked up the motorcycle and brought it to Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. With a quick ride plan in hand, we ordered most of our essentials including a tent and riding gear to be delivered to our friends in Delhi, so that we could pick them up on the way. The motorcycle also needed a full fluid change and checkup before we started. Anyway, we decided to start off on a clear noon, with the bag secured and our spirits high.

With the IIT Mandi Campus in the background, we decided to take a stop at Rishi Markandeya temple near the IIT campus in Kamand.

Vasisht being his usual poser self for pictures.

Local folklore relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death, personified as Yama.

We started down to Mandi town which is 21 Kms away, the nearest Royal Enfield SC also happens to be there. We reached the dealership, Riverpool Royal Enfield by around 4PM, I had no hopes of getting the bike serviced and checked that day since we were too late and didn't even have a booking made, anyway we met the service manager and explained our ride plan, and to our surprise, he instantly took the bike in for service and assured us to finish everything within 3 hrs.

As we waited we met motorists from all over the world, solo riders and some in groups, all of them stopping here for a final check before they entered Manali, and all of them had the same destination "Leh".

As we were talking to them, the service advisor explained how Royal Enfield has a support team station just an hour away from the last motorable road in India, and has a region-specific program where riders can inform RE about their Ride Plan to Leh and a RE local representative will assist them with route information and ride technical throughout their ride.

We spent the next hour at the dealership checking out the bikes and just observing pointers while making notes on various customer aspects.

With that being said we made some good friends there, they wished us Good luck for the ride and left us with happy waves.

Mandi to Chandigarh

We kicked off back to the roads, with Chandigarh planned as our first stop, so far we have made no hotel bookings or any route plans made, so we decided we'll chart things once we reach Delhi. We rang up our classmate Vidit, who gladly invited us to stop over at his home in Chandigarh.

Thanks to the elevation and longer days, despite of being 6 pm, we had some daylight as we left for Chandigarh which is 3.5 Hrs away.

Nothing like Ghar ka Khana, thanks to Vidit and his family, we finally had some good home food after our months of mess food.

We decided to have a quick night drive around the city after dinner. I would have loved to attach more pictures from Rose Garden and Boat Club, unfortunately, the night pics I took don't do any justice to how beautiful this city is.

Chandigarh to Delhi

We started off a bit early, to avoid the super sunny morning. We waved goodbye to Vidit's family and rode straight to Delhi.

Though it was just 250 Kms to Delhi, some unexpected congestion on the road slowed us up. By now the heat has started to take a toll on us, after being in the comfortable Himachal climate for too long, this was too much to handle.

Here's one picture from the three water breaks we had until we reached Delhi.

From an average of 10 Celsius at Himachal, all the way up to 37 celsius in Delhi was quite a jump. We decided to stay the night with some friends in Delhi, and plan up what next.

So far, as per the heat maps, taking any of the coastal roads would be a very bad idea, the ongoing elections were another concern. We decided to take the middle route as per the following.

Delhi-Agra-Jhansi-Jabalpur-Hyderabad-Bangalore-Mysore-Kerala

Delhi to Agra

We left Delhi by morning 8AM,

While maps showed a 4Hr Ride, it took us almost 6 to reach with 2 breaks in between, the heat kept growing Intense, we just wanted to reach Agra somehow, where our friend Pratyush lives. We decided to stay there for the night do some sightseeing the next day and leave the day after to Jhansi.

We reached Agra by noon, got lost twice in an ally, and lost the bike keys once, but sorted it in between. Somehow we reached our friend's home by 3PM. After freshening up at Pratyush's home, we finished a dealer visit nearby.

Next day morning, we treated ourselves to some Agra Bedai

And then we headed straight to the Taj.

After 2 Hrs of roaming, we definitely knew we had to get back and sort things for Jhansi tomorrow.

Me and Vasisht, we were literally telling each other, "Finally we made this ride happen".

Evening we visited another RE Service center nearby, got the chain cleaned and lubed.

Agra to Jhansi

We packed our bags and started early to Jhansi, by now Vasisht has become an expert in securing the bag.

With the heat building, we were taking breaks every hour and strictly adhered to no rides from 11AM-3PM

A quick stop at Jhansi Fort

I reached out to a friend, whom I had not met in 13 years, I knew he had recently posted and Jhansi and upon contacting him, he happily made arrangements for our stay at Jhansi.

Despite being late, it was incredible to catch up with an old friend after 13 long years. How I wish we had more time in Jhansi, now with the heat building up intensely, we had to start riding early.

Jhansi to Jabalpur

We've been having sugarcane juice and water breaks alternatively, throughout the ride.

After an early breakfast we decided to ride straight to Jabalpur, Col.Lee who I fondly remember from Rockers REunited stayed at Jabalpur, he was riding with us on his GT535 when he was posted in Kerala, the last time we met was in 2017, we decided to catch up that evening and it was a sheer delight to meet a fellow rider after ages.

Not only did Col.Lee meet us, but he called in a few of his usual riding friends in Jabalpur to meet, it was fun listening to all of their riding stories and experiences with different REs like the Himalayan and Meteor.

Next day we spent some time checking the local dealership, we also had the throttle cable replacement done at an RE SC.

So far, at every RE Service Center, when we mentioned we are riding, they have given us priority tags and made sure we had a seamless experience without having to wait much

Jabalpur to Hyderabad

We were running short of time, I had to get to Bangalore by the 12th for a meeting. We decided to ride straight to Hyderabad, on our way we stopped to put up a tent and rest for a while, BAM!

There was a sudden gust of sand, we literally had to run for shelter. To top things up, it started raining, and while all the bags had rain covers, getting our rain jackets from the bag was a task we did not even want to attempt.

We parked in for around an hour for the rains to settle in and then we resumed.

Came across this beautiful field as we were riding down.

By around 8 PM, we reached Adialabad, with no good stays nearby our location we decided to tent up that night.

Rise and Shine, wasn't really the most comfortable sleep, but I did sleep.

We stopped again at 2 dealerships on the way, just casually checking out, and of course, made some wonderful friends there.

After another 5-hour ride, we finally reached Hyderabad

There's this wonderful feeling when you travel for so many days and finally, you end up in a place you're familiar with.

First thing in the evening, we headed straight for some tea at Niloufer

Always been a fan of their tea and bun, finally, we called it a night after meeting several old friends from college and school at CyberCity

Hyderabad to Bengaluru

We decided to do this 600Km stretch without many stops, after leaving early morning from Hyderabad, we took our lunch break en route.

Sometime before entering Bengaluru we stopped at this spot, camped around and took a break.

Bengaluru always felt like a second home from Kerala, with most of our friends and batch mates around, we got 2 full days of rest in Bengaluru, giving us ample time for dealer visits and catching up with many good old friends.

Bengaluru to Kerala

It's been 10 days since we left Mandi, without losing much more time, we left early morning straight to Mysore, stopped at Payana Museum and entered Kerala through Bandipur.

Such an amazing sight to see this after spending so many days on the move.

We spent the night in Calicut Kerala, and moved to Cochin Regional Office the next day morning to meet our manager.

Finally at the Royal Enfield Regional Office Cochin

13 Days across India, covering 11 states and with visits at 23 Royal Enfield stores along the way, this ride down from IIT Mandi to Royal Enfield Regional Office Cochin was purely propelled by passion, the changes we noticed across the country in customer interests, experience and perception is sure to help us during our time with Royal Enfield.

I would like to thank all our friends, family and beloved brotherhood of riders for all the support. Finally a "Thankyou" to the amazing team at Royal Enfield for supporting me as a manufacturer while a customer and now as a mentor while we steer our career.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I will be primarily riding the bike on broken/potholed roads of Bangalore and occasional highway tours of 100-300 kms.

BHPian MDED recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear Fellow BHPians,

Preface:

I recently sold my RE Classic 350 2017 model with 40,000 kms on the ODO for a decent price. The main reason for selling the Classic was "vibrations". In Bangalore traffic, the vibrations at slow speeds and at high speeds were causing pain and numbness in the right hand. The bike had done around 38000 kms on the ODO and was maintained in mint condition (I have always kept my bikes in mint condition, right from Passion Pro-2009, to Unicorn-2017). I was able to fetch a good price on OLX and sold the same. To be on the safe side, I filled the sale documents online on the VAHAN portal got the signature from the buyer uploaded all the signed documents online, made an appointment for document submission at RTO, and ensured that the new buyer submitted the same at the concerned RTO. Within 2 days of the sale, RTO approved the ownership transfer, and on mPARIVAHAN the new owner's name reflected.

The conundrum:

Prior to selling my classic 350, I had taken Test Rides of Speed 400 and CB 350 RS. I did not consider any other bike, as I am 35 plus and don't like the naked (fiber) bikes and prefer retro style relaxed riding posture bikes. Hence, kept only these two bikes for my active consideration.

The paper specs of Speed 400 vis-a-vis CB 350 RS appeared more tilted in favour of Speed 400, however, I am unable to decide which bike it should be. In the meantime, I approached Keerthi Triumph for a quotation. Their quotation included Incidental, Logistics, Transportation, and registration service charges of Rs.4,824/-. I inquired with the SA and he informed me that these charges have to be paid. I reasoned with him mentioning that these are illegal charges and as per Honourable SC and HC of Delhi order, dealers are barred from charging the same. However, he and his management held their ground with regard to levy of this charge. I also obtained a quote from another Triumph dealer (KHIVRAJ) and their charge was Rs.6,383/-. Khivraj said they won't discuss these charges and it has to be paid.

To validate/counter their claim with regards to these charges, I obtained quotations from Hyderabad, Goa, and New Delhi dealers and all of them mentioned "Handling Charges" of Rs.1500/-.

After having made up my mind that it has to be Speed 400, I wrote to Triumph India customer care, and the escalation was sent to Keerthi. The senior official from Keerthi said he will waive off the charges partially and like other dealers will charge Rs.1500 for handling.

I am still aghast at the attitude of the dealers, wherein despite court rulings they are still collecting handling charges illegally. To find out whether Honda also charges this, I reached out to aBigWing dealer in Bangalore and in their quote, no such charge was mentioned.

Considering the overall fracas created by Triumph, I am still in two minds about whether to go ahead with Speed 400 or go for CB 350 RS.

What I like:

Speed 400:

• Low-end grunt and torque
• Excellent suspension and clutch
• Feels like an upgrade from Classic 350

Honda CB 350 RS:

• Brand value in India and its engine reliability
• Seat and the way it looks
• The exhaust note

What I don't like:

Speed 400:

• Heat from the engine/radiator are
• Soft seats
• Dealer attitude

Honda CB 350 RS:

• Doesn't feel like an upgrade from Classic
• Silly front mudguard, which is of no use
• Rusting reported by owners

Hence, requesting the learned forum members to help me in choosing from the above bikes. I will be primarily riding the bike on broken/potholed roads of Bangalore and occasional highway tours of 100-300 kms.

NOTE: Please do not pay any handling/logistic charges for any vehicle which you propose to buy.

If you have read it to the end, I sincerely thank you for your time.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 Bobber is rumoured to be called "Goan Classic 350".

Royal Enfield plans to launch six new motorcycles this year, which includes the Classic 350 Bobber. Here’s a leaked patent image that reveals new details of the upcoming bike.

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 Bobber is rumoured to be called "Goan Classic 350". It has a circular headlamp with pilot lights on either side, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank and a tall handlebar.

The bike could get the option of a dual-seat setup with a removable pillion seat. Another interesting design detail about the Goan Classic 350 is the white wall tyres that wrap around wire-spoke wheels.

The Classic 350 Bobber is expected to be powered by the same 349cc J Series engine that is offered on the standard Classic 350. It produces 20.2 BHP and 27 Nm and will be paired with a 5-speed gearbox.

The bike will feature a conventional telescopic fork at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. The braking setup will consist of discs at both ends supported by dual-channel ABS.

Source: Bikewale

Royal Enfield hasn’t announced the exact timeline for the launch of the Classic 350 Flex.

Royal Enfield has unveiled a flex-fuel version of the Classic 350 at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Show.

The Classic 350 Flex looks like a standard Classic 350, except for the unique paint job. The bike has a metallic green fuel tank with red livery, a single seat and wire spoke wheels.

The 350cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine can run on a blend of petrol and ethanol, but the exact proportions have not been disclosed. The engine produces 20 BHP @ 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm @ 4,000 rpm.

Royal Enfield hasn’t announced the exact timeline for the launch of the Classic 350 Flex.

Source: Bikewale

The Honda CB 350 classic has a kerb weight of 187Kg which is 6 kilos greater than it's twin Highness.

BHPian FueledbyFury recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The moment Honda launched the CB 350 my dad has an urge to check it out. So today we have gone to Bigwing Pezhakkapilly for the TD.

Taking a closer look at Honda CB 350 Classic, I have understood that its just looks alike with Royal Enfield but the ride is day and night apart. The Honda CB 350 classic has a kerb weight of 187Kg which is 6 kilos greater than it's twin Highness. I have ridden both back to back for 4km and here are my observations.

• Initially in the first glance, seeing the highness alongside we knew how actually CB 350 is much bigger in all aspects. Surely an head turner in roads.
• The difference between deluxe and deluxe pro model is only 3K which additionally offers Bluetooth connectivity, chrome elements in headlight, coffee brown seats and a mudguard with same body colour( In deluxe models it came black as default)
• The engine is much refined and offers good low end torque, one can comfortably ride through the city in 3rd gear.
• The seats in CB 350 makes the whole ride different, it provides comfort orient slipt seat for rider and pillion. Also the upright relaxed riding posture adds upto it.
• It is a comfortable highway cruiser in 80-100Kmph range and the refined engine reduces fatigue and reduces frequent breaks for the rider.
• Highness is much more agile in city traffic and easier to handle due to its smaller size as compared to CB 350.
• At standstill CB 350 needs some efforts to move around, but when it starts running it goes with the flow. Bigger size of the bike make it difficult for sharp U turns in the city and agility in city traffic.

I have only experienced the in city conditions and my views are limited. There are not much niggles reported till now and let's waited for Bhpians review on this classic.

Attaching below some stills during the TD.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

We were never huge fans of Royal Enfield but I decided to give the J series powered Classic 350 Reborn a test ride.

BHPian MVM recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This message might be surprising to some.

We have decided to sell off the HF100. I've had the bike for 15 months and the need for a slightly better bike is felt.

Before sharing the details of the bike (for those who may be interested in purchasing it) I will dive into the reasons why I feel the need for a better motorcycle.

The bike isn't built for the comfort of tall riders: I am 6'2 and due to the low handlebars and the position of the foot pegs the bike puts quite a bit of strain on my shoulders. I carry a backpack as well most of the time and that makes the fatigue worse.

This is perfectly understandable as the bike is built according to the height of an average Indian male which is around 5'7/5'8.

I did purchase some handlebar risers and despite them not being the easiest to fit I managed to install them, it was only after installing them that I realised that the accelerator cable was too short and turning the bike to the left would cause it to accelerate.

The lack of safety features: The bike is not equipped with discs or ABS which is perfectly understandable considering the cost of the bike, unfortunately, these have become very important of late.

The extremely light front end and overall weight of the bike: It is one of the lightest bikes currently sold in the country and that allows the bike to be very easy to manoeuvre. As long as I am the only one on the bike it's perfectly fine. The issue arises when my dad (who is also 6'2) and I both try to go on the bike. Due to most of the weight being concentrated towards the rear steering the bike becomes a task. Neither of us can sit very close to the tank as we can't operate the gear lever and rear brake easily if we do so. This leads to an unpleasant and unstable ride.

Considering all these reasons we decided to look for a better and safer bike. We were never huge fans of Royal Enfield but I decided to give the J series-powered Classic 350 Reborn a test ride. Due to the test ride being very brief and me being quite jittery as I was riding a bike that wasn't mine, I decided to rent one from Royal Brothers for a day to thoroughly explore all aspects of owning a Classic 350. After 150 kilometres of primarily city riding (including riding through Chickpet) the Classic 350 made me a very happy camper. We are planning on getting one very soon and considering how long we are planning on keeping it an ownership review is a must.

Thanks for reading.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Should I consider the Meteor 350 or the new Classic 350.

BHPian puntra800 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am a 33-year-old currently riding a modest Bajaj Pulsar 150 for more than 12 years now. Currently, I am in a dilemma, I have always wanted a Royal Enfield from my college days but considering my physique (I am 5' 6" but still I don't feel out of place on a Pulsar) I always shied away from even going to the showroom to check them out and over years other priorities took over and the desire was parked somewhere in the dark corner of my grey matter.

Now since my bike is reaching the 15-year mark I wanted to change it and the dormant devil woke up again now with double the vengeance (fuelled by my better half, she is also a big RE fan). My brain on the other hand started working exactly in the opposite direction of my heart just telling me to think logically.

1. My riding pattern, I prefer 2 wheels over 4 wheels for short drives but when it comes to long drives I refrain from touching 2 wheelers just for safety reasons (Even if I drive safely I do not trust others on the highways) so in other words its mostly going to be a city use vehicle with occasional long drives.
2. The little boss, I have a little one now and if I take her on a 2-wheeler even for 10 km, I am pretty sure I am going to get a sound lecture from both parents and the parents-in-law.
3. The uncle feels, as I am growing old my role as luggage bearer and transporter is becoming more. A scooter makes more sense in this case. Easy storage easy moving around for groceries and veggies.
4. The demon called traffic, since the usage is majorly in the city and I stay pretty close to the metro line I doubt I will be taking it for a longer distance within the city as well, courtesy namma Bengaluru city traffic.

All the above points seem logical but then again there is this famous dialogue in Tamil "Inga enna solludhu" (In a literal sense, what is the heart saying) and the heart says "RE, RE, RE".

Requesting BHPians for their suggestions as people say different perspectives matter.

Also, If I go for a RE would it make more sense to go for a Meteor or the Classic? If I sway away from RE which would make an ideal replacement for my humble Pulsar.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

Follow your heart. You only live once. Watch that old Hindi movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and take inspiration.

You’re only 33, you have a long enjoyable life ahead of you God Willing. You deserve to chase your own happiness and if RE makes you happy and you can afford it why ever not? Go for it!

Here's what BHPian ranjitnair77 had to say on the matter:

Given your usage pattern, it's likely that your RE will gather dust in your parking. It's just not meant for short, congested commutes. And here's the thing with most material possessions: Once you have it, it starts to steadily lose value. The thrill is almost always in the chase, not in ownership.

But then again, your heart has been beating for an RE for many years. It might just awaken the rider in you, given the active RE rider ecosystem. In case you find yourself not using it, you will have no issues in selling it off with minimal financial impact. You should just go get yourself a Classic 350.

Here's what BHPian GreyNomad had to say on the matter:

I bought my first RE (BS4 C350) when I was 35yrs old. Same as you, always dreamt of one but at 5’6” and 63kgs was a bit intimidated by it. I too owned a Pulsar 150 for 10 years but was hardly using it. Once I got the RE, I started on the beautiful journey of motorcycling. And it’s not just about riding. It’s about the holistic experience. Knowing the bike, ‘feeling’ it, personalising it, growing more comfortable with it. And then you start the real riding - increasing the distance slowly, finding and settling into a rhythm where you and the bike become one. That’s the real joy! If the heart wants it, the heart will show you the way to use the bike more often.

I am on my second RE now - the Interceptor650. My 8yr old daughter and I go for 10-15 km rides on the Inty - a ritual that’s slowly but surely becoming ‘our thing’. These are usually weekly errand rides with breakfast or light snacks thrown in. She talks about growing up fast so that she can get her own RE and do father-daughter longer rides!

You want a RE because you have always desired it and can now finally afford to indulge in it. Get it and let it become a part of you. The minor details will take care of themselves.

From a practicality PoV the Hunter is the best suited, from a ‘feels’ PoV, the Classic is unmatched. TD all and take a call on which. But get one and you’ll never look back!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Classic 350 Bobber is expected to be based on the J-platform and is expected to compete with the Jawa Bobber

It seems Royal Enfield is looking to raise the retro quotient of the upcoming Classic 350 Bobber. The latest spy image reveals several details that point towards this.

The Classic 350 Bobber test mule was seen sporting white wall tyres over wire-spoke rims. The bike also had a single seat with raised handlebars, a single-pod tail lamp and a low-slung exhaust.

The Classic 350 Bobber is expected to be based on the J-platform. It could be powered by the familiar 349cc, single-cylinder engine as the Classic 350. This engine develops 20 BHP and 27 Nm and is paired with a 5-speed gearbox.

The test bike was equipped with a conventional suspension setup with a telescopic fork at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. The bike also had disc brakes at both ends and is likely to get dual-channel ABS.

Source: Rushlane

Plan was to ride the bikes back to back and see what they are like on a variety of terrain and over a longer duration.

BHPian KedarB recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Sorry I haven’t been able to respond on this thread. Work and family commitments kept me busy. But this was a welcome break from obsessing over the bike and gave me a nice chance to revisit my thoughts a bit later. I felt the need for a longer test ride to form a clearer picture in my mind. A friend was in a similar dilemma between the meteor and the classic (classic because I added it to his confusion). We cooked up a plan to drive down to Goa, rent these bikes and ride during the day and chill out on shacks at night! A plan this good has a way of working itself out.

So dates and hotels booked, we looked for rental options that could provide us with the Classic 350 reborn. Himalayan BS6 and Meteor were easy but a lot of rental agencies do not mention if their classic is the older UCE one or the new J series one. I finally stumbled upon a rental section on the Royal Enfield website. They had a chrome red Classic 350 available for booking on our dates! So we booked the Classic and the Himalayan on day 1, and Classic and Meteor on day 2. Plan was to ride both bikes back to back and see what they are like on a variety of terrain and over a longer duration.

I will talk about the renting experience a bit later, let me get straight to the test ride experience:

This was the route we took on both days. Tried to keep it similar to help us compare the bikes we were riding.

Google maps link

Day 1: Himalayan and Classic 350

Pros for Himalayan:

• The bike was more refined than I expected. My test ride in Pune was mostly inside a small lane at very low speeds and I only experienced the initial gruffness. The engine smoothens out as you pick up the pace and is buzz-free at 90-100 as well.
• Has great weight distribution. It initially felt a little heavy steering, maybe because of the 21-inch wheel. But once you get used to that, you do not feel its weight. Moving it around the parking lot is easier than its weight would have you believe.
• Liked the riding position for my 5’ 8’’ height. The more you ride, the more comfortable you get in that position.
• Has a good pick-up of speed and shows urgency if you give it throttle. It's very easy to reach 90-100 speeds and it has reserve power to go beyond 100 as well. Managed to touch 110 on an open empty section of the newly minted NH 66
• Suspension is good at particular speeds. it is good on bad patches of road.

Cons of the Himalayan:

• The gearbox was perhaps the most disappointing aspect. It was clunky and the shift from first to second made a really bad and loud clunking noise. It was notchy at all but the changes were made at exact optimal RPMs.
• Overall quality levels were poor. The bike we received had 3K KMs on the odo but the windscreen was vibrating when the engine was lugged or revved. The mirrors don’t stay in position. The small buttons used to set/reset trip meters are very hard to use. It just felt like a generation older than the classic and RE has grown as a manufacturer in this generational change which makes the difference even more apparent.
• The bike stalled in between quite similar to how it was reported in this post.
• The torque figures are very healthy on paper. But when ridden back-to-back with the classic, the Himalayan does not feel that tractable. It knocked and protested at lower RPMs
• While the suspension was good on very bad/broken roads, I found it a bit bouncy on the cement section of NH66 which is highly undulating. This again wasn’t as good as I thought it would be from the reviews. Very similar to how I felt about engine refinement, but in a negative way.

Here is how my frame looks on the Himalayan.

Pros for Classic 350:

• The test ride experience was substantiated by the rental bike. It felt very refined and smooth.
• The bike just feels very calm to ride. You are much more relaxed, and I found myself being very gradual in building and shedding speeds. My friend on the Himalayan seemed to be making more gear changes and working much harder.
• The gearbox is REALLY good. No false neutral, at the same time, it goes to neutral when you want. The gear changes are smooth, accurate and clicky. Add the fact that you do not change the gears so much makes the riding experience that much better.
• Classic also felt very well-balanced in terms of its weight distribution. Don’t get me wrong, when I picked up the bike from the RE showroom, it did feel heavy while moving it around in their parking space and taking it out. But once you start riding it, it just feels very natural. Changes directions easily and I found it very manageable in heavy traffic conditions.
• The riding position felt good. Our rental bike had REs touring seat fitted on it. So even after riding almost 180 KMs on day 2 both of us did not feel the fatigue. This was also the only bike where I did not get numb posterior.
• I was happy with its ride quality. It's good at low speeds and it's also stable on good roads at high speeds. It felt better on the undulating sections of NH66 compared to the Himalayan which was bouncing a bit more. The only place where the Himalayan is better is on broken roads where it takes the edge off the potholes. You can feel these on classic, more than you do on the Himalayan.

Cons for Classic 350:

• The bike is swift in reaching 80. You start noticing a bit of a struggle from 80 to 90, but it gets there. 90 to 100 was a real struggle, especially on the internal roads or on NH66 with even a minor uphill gradient. It did cross 100 on one occasion on a flattish straight road. In the bike’s defence, it was also very windy during that time. However, even after the struggle, the engine still remains refined for the most part. 90 is its comfortable cruising speed and overtakes above this speed will need careful planning. This is probably the biggest downside in classic’s package.
• The digital information unit is quite barebones. I don’t know why RE can’t put a gear position indicator in there or just make it slightly bigger to have the clock and the odo/trip meters showing at the same time.
• You can feel more wind blasts on the classic than the Himalayan. This is quite obvious. It was really windy in Goa those days and some sections of NH66 are downhill and very close to the sea. And the windblast was strong enough to scare us going into a flight off the bike.

Here is me on Classic 350:

Day 2: Meteor and the Classic 350

Have covered the classic above so let me talk about my experience with the Meteor.

Pros for the Meteor 350:

• It reaches 100 a little more comfortably than the classic. This was a real surprise. I never thought this difference would be so noticeable.
• I liked its seat. It was very comfortable especially when you sit on it for the first time. The feeling of sitting inside the bike with that bulbous fuel tank between your legs was good.
• The wide handlebar gave a better sense of control over the bike.
• It felt easier to move around at parking speeds even though there isn’t a major difference in its weight compared to Classic.
• The speed and MID were better than that on the classic. There is plenty of information visible on the MID at the same time and it's easier to read owing to its angle.

Cons for the Meteor 350:

• The biggest con is its cruiser-like riding position. This one is very personal to me, and I admit it’s not as bad as my Avenger. However, I still could feel that familiar numbing feeling at the lower back to the tailbone region after riding the meteor for around 50 KM or so nonstop. And it's still not easy to lift up your butt to escape the shock from a pothole or a speed breaker. If you try to, it messes with your balance on the bike.
• In terms of how tractable it is, meteor is somewhere between the classic and the Himalayan. It still did not feel as tractable as the classic.
• Classic felt better through congested roads. This is when it's ridden back-to-back with the classic. On its own, the meteor is not that bad in the city.

Me on the Meteor 350

If I were to think about my experiences from the two days and approximately 300 – 350 Kilometers, the Classic 350 really stood out as something special.

There was one particularly beautiful stretch of road between the Arambol beach and the petrol pump where it touches the NH 66 almost near the MH border. This goes through some quaint Goan villages and snakes right beside a beautiful river. The speeds on this road were naturally lower. It was on this road that the classic just felt amazing. It was in its element and put us in a state of Zen. Both my friend and I had the same observation.

Then comes the long NH66 that goes from the MH border all the way to South Goa. This road is now almost complete and has some really beautiful bridges built on it. We even managed to ride on the Zuari bridge on our way back. Since we were mostly riding during midday on this section, it was quite empty. It was on these roads that the Classic 350 felt wanting more power or speed.

While travelling through Panji or the smaller roads that connect the north Goan beaches, the classic again felt comparatively better than the other two.

Another way I like to pick between multiple options is to look at the cons and think about which negative points are complete deal breakers and use that to eliminate prospects. Even with this approach, the classic makes more sense to me, just between these three bikes. The negatives of the Himalayan in terms of its quality and the fact that it will soon go out of production and another completely brand-new bike will take a generational leap forward for this brand means I will stay away from it unless it had really appealed to me (which it didn’t). Same for the meteor. It was never in my consideration, and I got to ride it only because it was on my friend’s shortlist. But I prefer the riding position of the classic to the meteor and the other differences are quite subtle giving this one point higher precedence.

So while driving back from Goa, we had a long and satisfying debate on the three bikes and we successfully concluded the trip, both narrowing down to the Classic 350!

Once I was back, I also managed to test-ride the V-Strom 250 and the Dominar 400. A lot of folks on this thread recommended the V-Strom so I had primarily gone to check that one out. But there was a Bajaj showroom right beside it so check that out too.

First the V-Strom 250 SX

The bike feels quite substantial in person and has a good road presence. I wanted to see how the saddle height feels since on paper at least, this is 20mm lower than the Adventure 250 that I had already checked earlier. Moving the bike around in the Suzuki showroom’s front porch, the bike felt just as tall as the KTM 250 ADV. The bike is probably broader than the KTM even in its narrowest region near the tank and that meant I could only tip-toe (172 CM tall). It was quite challenging to move it around in that narrow space. Coming to the test ride, I managed to ride it on a small gravel stretch beside the showroom and then a very small ride around the two signals in front of the showroom (they didn’t allow anything more). The engine was refined lower down and the gearbox was very good. The engine also feels tractable and doesn’t protest being lugged. I could feel some buzz above 6000 RPM. However, the test ride bike probably had a fall sometime as its handle wasn’t pointing straight when the bike was moving straight. This ruined the overall experience. Even if I ignore this small issue, the bike felt a little too tall for my comfort. I have heard many arguments on how this really doesn’t matter and how really small riders race on really tall MOTO GP bikes, but moving around in typical chaotic Indian city traffic or riding on state boards where the road shoulder is 2 stories below the road surface and not uniformly in line, I feel riding this tall a bike will be more stressful than a comparatively shorter bike. The V-Strom’s ride quality also felt a little stiff on the gravel section. So, I took the quotation from the sales guy and went home, mentally finalizing the Classic in my mind.

Bajaj Dominar 400

This was never on my shortlist, but nonetheless, I will talk about my experience from the test ride. It was again around the same two signals and the distance won't even half a kilometre long. Even in that short distance, I could feel the superior acceleration from the engine. But the bike was too buzzy even at idle RPMs.

So that’s about it. I booked a gunmetal grey classic 350 last weekend and expect its delivery sometime next week! I would like to thank everyone for sharing their opinions and helping me in my decision-making process. Just writing my thoughts out and sharing them with the TBHP community helped provide a lot of clarity in narrowing down my final choice. The signing off with this beautiful but rare tea up on the Goan beach! We were riding later, and we are responsible

PS: didn’t test-ride the Interceptor. I was afraid I will like it too much and this could increase my confusion even further. Everything about it is beyond what I am willing to spend on a motorcycle (purchase cost, FE, overall maintenance delta above classic etc.). It’s not about waiting longer and collecting more funds to buy it. I have rationalized what I need from the bike the Classic feels like the sweet spot for my needs.

PPS: a friend who had bought the Avenger with me (the 220 street you see in my opening post) is also upgrading and has booked the mark 2 (chrome and red) Interceptor. Am moving from chrome to stealth black and he is moving in the exact opposite direction!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

There were multiple RE models such as the Himalayan, Classic, Thunderbird and even Bullet standard.

BHPian Ikran recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

8th Jan 2023

This date marked my first breakfast ride for 2023 with (which I was overwhelmed with) 50 RE riders across Mumbai.

Backdrop

I purchased a Meteor 350 Stellar Blue in July 2022 (fondly called Basanti – christened by my daughter) and the riding bug bit me soon after.

As fate would have it and with able assistance from Google baba, I stumbled on a Mumbai-based riding group BRO (Brotherhood Riders Official) which brings RE owners together to share their passion for riding.

With new year celebrations past a week, BRO planned a breakfast ride to celebrate their 50 official members and wish Happy New Year to all riding members.

I was keen to be part of this ride to kick off the riding bug in me this year (One bucket-list item checked).

The Ride

Since there were 50 riders coming from across Mumbai, Thane & Raigad regions, multiple meetup points were set up and I chose to join them from Thane.

I reached Thane meetup point at 06:30 as decided

We started our ride from there at 07:00 to the final meet-up point at Kalamboli and reached there by 07:45.

And was I in for a surprise?

To my sight of 50 RE bikes (Classic/Himalayan/TB/Meteor/Bullet STD) was like “Itne bike toh ek saat showroom mein bhi nahi milte hai dekhne ko”. English – "You don’t get to see these many bikes together in the RE showroom as well".

We had a short meet and greet session there with the BRO’s admin (Jai Parmar, Tanmay Kamath & Abhishek Patel to name a few) and few fellow riders. Must acknowledge BRO’s admins have taken significant effort to pull off this ride. They are extremely well-travelled and sincere in their approach towards building a riding community. Hats off to you guys.

A brief on Brotherhood Riders Official (BRO)

Website

Brotherhood Riders Official is a Royal Enfield motorcycle club established in 2019. We explore unexplored places with Royal Enfield bikes.

Brotherhood Riders Official is a community of Royal Enfield Riders in Mumbai and Pune.

BRO is a platform for motorcycling enthusiasts to share their riding experiences.

Their mission is to promote the motorcycle culture and lifestyle, to provide ethical and quality riding infrastructure to all royal Enfield lovers, and showcase to people bike culture.

BRO’s team plans a monthly day ride and also interstate rides spanned over a few days once a quarter. They are assisted by early-stage members to plan and execute these rides.

One simple rule to be followed by riding members is SAFETY (rider and pillion). Riders are not allowed to ride with the group if safety gears are not on at the time of the ride. Safety is of paramount importance here.

Back to the Ride

We started our ride to Kalamboli at some time half past 8 and reached our destination at around 9:30 (right on time for breakfast).

Once there, everyone digged right into breakfast to cool off their empty tummies and enjoyed a scrumptious fare on offer.

Post breakfast, riders came along for a few pics followed by a ceremonial introduction session where everyone introduces themselves by saying 2 lines about themselves. BRO team distributed their merchandise to newly inducted official members and called it a day.

I returned home with a big smile on my face and to show off what we did along the way riding with 50 REs for the first time to my family. Only to be told by my better half that she will accompany me on the next ride with team BRO.

Here are a couple of videos from the ride:

• Video 1
• Video 2

Signing off with a few more pics. Happy New Year to everyone. Stay safe and happy riding.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.