Help: Thunderbird 350 or Electra? Edit: Booking Thunderbird 350

[appus]

As title says I need a help now.

I have booked a Thunderbird 350 in Feb. It has come to showroom and they called me to pay and get it.

After booking, I heard few issues with new Thunderbird 350s. Side stand indicator problems, Odo problems, Trip meter problem, Not showing accurate petrol, battery problems etc etc.

I am kind of tall (6' 2") . I checked the height of all the versions and I found Thunderbird the best and Electra as second choice. Classic is less in height and I cant think or riding in that.

If i have to change my booking to Electra, I need to wait for another 6 months it seems. So, should i go for the Thunderbird or Electra ? This bike I may keep atleast for 3 to 5 years for sure.

Help appreciated. Thank You

 

[allhyundaicars]

Re: Help : Thunderbird 350 or Electra (Confused now)

hii appus. congrats for the booking of your TBTS.

my friend recently purchased an Electra. keeping the problems of the new tbts aside , the sitting position is much much better in the thunderbird.

if i ride the electra my back aches and if i sit behind , my legs ache :\ because of the sitting position. and this is just after 20 minutes. i'm 5'11".

maybe i'm used to the position of the thunderbird that's why i find problem in sitting, if you think you'll be comfortable on electra , get one since it won't have the problems that you mentioned.

 

[appus]

Re: Help : Thunderbird 350 or Electra (Confused now)

Thanks Brother.

if i ride the electra my back aches and if i sit behind , my legs ache :\ because of the sitting position. and this is just after 20 minutes. i'm 5'11".

The back pain is the main reason for me to change this Access / Activa thing to a better one. I get back ache when ever i ride activa/access.

I have not traveled /rode Thunderbird/Electra for long distance. I have used my previous Avenger for traveling continuous 350KM and never found any back pain. So, I thought Thunderbird a better choice.

But the problems related to it confuses me.

It is 1,47,000 on road.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

appus, what is your purchase criteria? Seating comfort? Back pain? Delivery period? Price? Looks? Reliability? 'Feel'? Or something else?

As I see it, you are certainly not into "I am buying an Enfield because my heart is into it" thing because if you were, you'd not ask us which one you should buy.

If your sole criteria is back pain, let me tell you that you could ride any motorcycle in the world and sooner or later it would only serve to aggravate your back pain, even if has suspension made of marshmallows and seat filled with duck's feathers.

How bad is your back pain 'problem'? How much do you ride every day/week/month? Why do you need to buy a two wheeler if you have back pain?

Answer fast and we may see another happy motorcyclist cruising happily into the sunset .

p.s.: The problems listed with the Thunderbird you booked are nothing really. The first four could be solved (I suspect) by replacing the meter console which Enfield would do gladly.

 

[Raaj]

I would recommend Thunderbird. If your budget supports, go for TB 500. It's really amazing.

The Build quality of the 'Royal Enfield' is so good that You can drive it for the next 20 or 30 years, the quality would retain the same which seriously lacks in its rivals.

 

[appus]

what is your purchase criteria? Seating comfort? n? Delivery period? Price? Looks? Reliability? 'Feel'? Or something else?

Firstly, Thank you very much.

Vehicle is ready for delivery :)
Seating/riding comfort is my priority. And, I do not want anything below 150cc. Started with splendor, later with Unicorn and Avenger. I wanted something heavier than 150cc and not a sporty look ones.

As I see it, you are certainly not into "I am buying an Enfield because my heart is into it" thing because if you were, you'd not ask us which one you should buy.

Exactly.Not a fan of RE. But, after seeing Thunderbird, I started loving it. I liked it when i saw many years back. Could not own it.

If your sole criteria is back pain, let me tell you that you could ride any motorcycle in the world and sooner or later it would only serve to aggravate your back pain, even if has suspension made of marshmallows and seat filled with duck's feathers.

It is because of my seating posture i believe. If i can sit straight, I may not be feeling pain.

How bad is your back pain 'problem'? How much do you ride every day/week/month? Why do you need to buy a two wheeler if you have back pain?

Answer fast and we may see another happy motorcyclist cruising happily into the sunset .

Hehe. I do not get much pain. It is not severe pain sort of thing. I never got back pain (i really can not remember) when I was riding Avenger. My friends were daily making fun of me because of Bajaj's bike and finally I had to sell it (bad decision).

I ride 20-30 KM a day(up&down to office/home). Some times, 50KM (that is on the maximum). I do not take car for few reasons. Driving alone in a 4 wheeler in this busy traffic, less parking space near office & reaching on time in office.

p.s.: The problems listed with the Thunderbird you booked are nothing really. The first four could be solved (I suspect) by replacing the meter console which Enfield would do gladly.

They took more than a month for replacing my friend's battery which is just 1 month old (500km). The service is a real concern when you spend 1.47Lakhs. :)

I would recommend Thunderbird. If your budget supports, go for TB 500. It's really amazing.

The Build quality of the 'Royal Enfield' is so good that You can drive it for the next 20 or 30 years, the quality would retain the same which seriously lacks in its rivals.

Thank You Raaj.
TB 500 . Do i need a 500CC bike ? That was my question. Money could be a factor, I am okay if it is really worth to invest another 40K and get lesser mileage . But, I do not need that much power in my daily commuting.
That is the reason I was checking in another thread Carburetor vs Fuel Injection thread. 350 is former and 500cc is FI technology.

Waited 6 months. Bike has come. Now 'confused' :). Or just take delivery without thinking much ? (after arranging loan). Do not want to pay everything at a shot.


Again, I thank you for your valuable inputs.

 

[Raaj]

Thank You Raaj.
TB 500 . Do i need a 500CC bike ? That was my question. Money could be a factor, I am okay if it is really worth to invest another 40K and get lesser mileage . But, I do not need that much power in my daily commuting.
That is the reason I was checking in another thread Carburetor vs Fuel Injection thread. 350 is former and 500cc is FI technology.

If you have no prob to spend another 40k, I would strongly recommend to go for 500 TB. Belive me, you would never regret of it. Strange enough, 500 CC Thunderbird gives more mileage than 350 possibly because of Fuel Injection rather than traditional carburetor method. Moreover, it has more power and certainly would be great help if you could plan to hill stations or long drives with friends. (Who Knows, some day you may plan it).

 

[ZenandEnfield]

My neighbour has an Electra, and he says that it doesn't give him any back pain. While both the Electra & the TBTS have gas shock absorbers, the Electra doesn't have a fuel meter. The new TBTS has a disc brake on the back as well, projector lamp, Lcd display.. in addition to a fuel meter which was in the earlier TB.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Firstly, Thank you very much.

Vehicle is ready for delivery :)
Seating/riding comfort is my priority. And, I do not want anything below 150cc. Started with splendor, later with Unicorn and Avenger. I wanted something heavier than 150cc and not a sporty look ones.



Exactly.Not a fan of RE. But, after seeing Thunderbird, I started loving it. I liked it when i saw many years back. Could not own it.


It is because of my seating posture i believe. If i can sit straight, I may not be feeling pain.


Hehe. I do not get much pain. It is not severe pain sort of thing. I never got back pain (i really can not remember) when I was riding Avenger. My friends were daily making fun of me because of Bajaj's bike and finally I had to sell it (bad decision).

I ride 20-30 KM a day(up&down to office/home). Some times, 50KM (that is on the maximum). I do not take car for few reasons. Driving alone in a 4 wheeler in this busy traffic, less parking space near office & reaching on time in office.


They took more than a month for replacing my friend's battery which is just 1 month old (500km). The service is a real concern when you spend 1.47Lakhs. :)



Thank You Raaj.
TB 500 . Do i need a 500CC bike ? That was my question. Money could be a factor, I am okay if it is really worth to invest another 40K and get lesser mileage . But, I do not need that much power in my daily commuting.
That is the reason I was checking in another thread Carburetor vs Fuel Injection thread. 350 is former and 500cc is FI technology.

Waited 6 months. Bike has come. Now 'confused' :). Or just take delivery without thinking much ? (after arranging loan). Do not want to pay everything at a shot.


Again, I thank you for your valuable inputs.

appus, close your eyes and buy the Thunderbird.

p.s.: Old Zen saying: When buy Enfield, try choose a piece on which everything works on day one.

 

[ZenandEnfield]

From my teens I have suffered from chronic back pain due to a slight curvature of my spine. About 10 years ago, I bought an old 350 std bullet. Even though she gives me some more pain, the pleasure is worth it. Old Zen saying, if you buy old bullet, be prepared for 'sam dinkaring' work! ;-). Forgive the pun.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Ha ha ha. Well said Gopal sir, sam dinkaring does rhyme perfectly with 'some tinkering'.

Way to go appus, tell us the good news soon!

 

[appus]

Thank you Raaj, SamDinkar & ZenandEnfield sir :)

I decided on Thunderbird. No more change in it. Now, 350 or 500 ? Will I regret later thinking 'I could have spent another 40K and got 500cc' ? Especially when planning for a long trip ?

Looking forward for your replies.

Raaj, the executive told me less mileage for 500cc Thunderbird than 350cc when i visited the showroom. Are you sure about the mileage factor?

 

[ZenandEnfield]

@ Sam, relieved that you liked my sense of humour.

 

[Sam Dinkar]

Thank you Raaj, SamDinkar & ZenandEnfield sir :)

I decided on Thunderbird. No more change in it. Now, 350 or 500 ? Will I regret later thinking 'I could have spent another 40K and got 500cc' ? Especially when planning for a long trip ?

Looking forward for your replies.

Raaj, the executive told me less mileage for 500cc Thunderbird than 350cc when i visited the showroom. Are you sure about the mileage factor?

If you test ride the 500 even once, you would not want to go back to the 350. The difference in power and torque is DEFINITELY perceptible. I remember reading somewhere in one of your posts that you and your wife used to do long trips on your Avenger. Two astride, the extra torque of the 500cc block shall be even more welcome.

However, speaking from a strictly personal belief, I'd always pick up a carburetted motorcycle over a fuel injected one (more so if it were an Enfield), if long trips were on my agenda purely because anyone can repair a carburettor anywhere but things are not quite the same when it comes to EFI/ECU. Old Zen saying: "When reliability questionable, go for repairability."

You do have another option if you want to go the 500cc route - test ride the 500 Carb. It even has a better seat than that of the Thunderbird. If you like the power, its just a matter of fitting a Fat Boy type handlebar on it to enjoy more relaxed ergonomics. Even its price is almost the same as that of the Thunderbird 350.
Win win?
Dont grin
Take the 500 Carb out for a spin

See, Enfields make poets, so what if they are bad ones?

The Thunderbird 500 is definitely less fuel efficient than it's 350cc counterpart by about 7-10 kmpl, but things are never mathematical with fuel efficiency since a lot depends on how you ride/drive.

So are you taking a decision or shall I edit the thread title to 'even more confused now' ?

 

[Raaj]

One of my friend here is getting 40 km/ltr mileage for 500 TB. But as Sam said its all depends how and where you drive.

I would vote for 500TB. Carb vehicles usually have more vibraion, emission where as injection method have usually have less vibration, less maintenance, more mileage, more ecofriendly with less emission and not to mention more power too. So, I would fondly force you to go for TB 500. All the best.