The Love of My Life: Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500


Thread Starter #1
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After owning this beast for 6 months, I decided to write the ownership review of this bike. Mostly, this bike is ridden by my dad and I have only done 500kms or so on it. So here is the ownership of my bike :-

My dad was riding a Yamaha FZ-S in blue colour upto 2013. But, he got pretty bored of the bike and thus he wanted something bigger and more powerful. The options considered were :-
- Bajaj Pulsar 220
- HH Karizma ZMR 225cc
- Honda CBR 250R
- RE Classic 500
- RE Thunderbird 500

Since my dad and me are of the bulky types, we decided to go for a Royal Enfield for its look. Also the RE is mostly suited for the bulky/well built types. Now the dilemma was between :-
- RE Classic 500
- RE Thunderbird 500
I was inclined towards the Classic 500 for its classic looks. But dad wanted a modern bike as he was used to the Yamaha FZ-S. Also, I personally liked the Thunderbird's handle.

Dealership Experience :-
We booked our bike with Siddh Auto, Pune. The dealership experience was very good and luckily we hardly had to wait since there was a Thunderbird 500 already in stock. We booked a Plain Black colour. The dealer was very kind to our requests and delivered the bike at a time we wanted.

Pros of the bike
- POWER! - The beast has got lots of power and can easily touch 120 km/h on the highway
- Comfort - The comfort for the rider is too good and you can ride for a long time without complaining of back aches etc.
- Looks - The bike looks fabulous and has the right proportions and styling.
- Attention - The bike is a crowd puller and I often get questions about the bike by random people.
- Feel - This bike has a better build than the older RE bikes and it feels premium with the right accents of chrome it has.
- Reliability - I know people have issues with RE bikes. But for me, there have been no issues with the bike and the bike is running trouble free till now.
- Tyres - The MRF tyres that come with the bike are also pretty good and offer good grip.

Cons of the bike
- Low FE - Fuel Efficiency is very low being a 500cc. Also most of the running of the bike is in traffic thus reducing the efficiency.
- Weird Fuel Meter and Clock - The fuel meter keeps on changing and shows different readings so one has to check inside the tank to get an accurate idea. Also the clock doesn't set properly.
- Silencer - You won't be happy with the stock Thunderbird silencer so you have to change it.

Accesories bought :-
- A loud silencer (Don't know the name)
- LED lamps on the side (front)

Some pics :biggrin: ( Sorry for the bad pics since the bike wasn't washed that day and clicked using my iPhone 4S)

The RE Thunderbird Logo (prefer this anyday over the new logo)
RE Logo.jpg
The Keys of the bike (Keychains bought by me)
Keys.jpg
Headlights with the LED lights installed by me
Headlights.jpg
The speedo and tacho meter
Speedo & Tacho.jpg
The odometer
Odometer.jpg
Trip A Meter
Trip A Meter.jpg
Trip B Meter
Trip B Meter.jpg
RHS Switchgear
Kill Switch.jpg
LHS Switchgear
LHS Switchgear.jpg
Pass Light Switch
Pass Switch.jpg
Accelerator and Front Brake Lever
Accelerator Handle and Front Brake.jpg
Gears and Side Stand
Gear lever and centre stand.jpg
Kick Start Lever and Silencer
Kick Start Lever and Custom Silencer.jpg
MRF Tyres that come installed with it
MRF Tyres.jpg
Rear brakes
Rear Brakes.jpg
Rear LED Taillight
Rear tailight.jpg
Seats (rear seat scratched by stray cats[anger])
Seats.jpg
Front Telescopic Forks
Telescopic Forks.jpg
Electronic Fuel Injection Logo
EFL.jpg
The bike
Bike pic.jpg
 
Last edited:
Joined
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Let me be the first one to congratulate you on your new acquistion. Nice write up and winsome pics. Can you share the OTR price and price break-up as well if possible ?

Happy motoring mate [:D]
 
Thread Starter #3
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The OTR was Rs 1,85,000. I have no idea of the price break up because all the RTO and Insurance formalities were done by my dad.
 
Thread Starter #5
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The differences of RE 350 Thunderbird and 500 are :-

- Displacement - 346cc vs 499cc
- Power - 20 vs 27.2
- Torque - 28 vs 41.3
- RE 350 uses Constant Vacuum Carburettor while RE 500 uses Keihin EFI
- RE 350 has Coil Ignition while RE 500 has Digital Electronic Ignition
- RE 350 has Piston Caliper brakes while RE 500 has Disc brakes
 
Thread Starter #6
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Currently, the bike has 2800 kms on the ODO. Running flawlessly and soon planning to do some modifications? Dad wanted to paint it in army green colour, but I suggested him not to do that since I believe original paint is the best. Can anyone suggest any other accesories/modifications?
 
Joined
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Currently, the bike has 2800 kms on the ODO. Running flawlessly and soon planning to do some modifications? Dad wanted to paint it in army green colour, but I suggested him not to do that since I believe original paint is the best. Can anyone suggest any other accesories/modifications?
Go for a loud silencer and that's it!
Maybe a K&N? Doubtful. Maybe ECU should be remapped for the more air and fuel flow.
Don't know about paint. Senior TAI-Gers Here?

My 2 Cents:
Keep it stock and healthy(maintenance) and it would serve you for years to come.
 
Joined
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Currently, the bike has 2800 kms on the ODO. Running flawlessly and soon planning to do some modifications? Dad wanted to paint it in army green colour, but I suggested him not to do that since I believe original paint is the best. Can anyone suggest any other accesories/modifications?
Are you planning for Paint jobs or Performance job?
If performance, then RE is not for you![sleep]
Push-rod engine are not meant for adrenaline rush and hard/high revs.
Ride it in 70-80 kmph and enjoy its thump![:)]
My personal liking is Marine Blue and Lightning colour on the updated Thunderbird. See atachment for colour of the bike
If wanted go for the updated Royal Enfield Logo too. Try to get that original paint and perfect finish[:)]
 

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Last edited:
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Heartly congrats for your beast,

I would like to know whether your bike makes a huge clunk sound during cold kickstarts?
 
Thread Starter #13
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Being in Pune, the weather is not so cold but it doesn't make any clunk sound during cold starts. Dad doesn't use kickstart since he has undergone knee operation so he cannot use the kick starter. Convinced dad and thus he won't go for modification. Maybe he will change to NGK Spark plugs. Mileage is between 20 - 25 kmpl being a 500cc bike and having 95 percent of running in Pune traffic.
 
Thread Starter #15
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As advised by Royal Enfield, please use the electric start even for morning start ups.
Before starting the bike in the morning, I just give it 2-3 kicks and then use electric start. Does this harm the engine or is it beneficial for it?
 

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