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Namaste Fellow Bikers!!!!


Sittin in my office, browsing the net looking for bikes.. bikes.. anything on bikes!! I came across a lot of reviews on a lot of bikes, that made for very interesting reading indeed.... Some were quite impressive and some were a total eye wash.. so thought... why not write my own review.. heck so am not the best rider in the world.. neither do i know a great deal about bikes.... but ever since I was a little boy... i have had one feeling - that i was born to ride.. from play acting on my father's beautiful Yezdi as a 6 year old... to clipping down an intermediate ring road on a R1 at 23.. i have come a small distance.. so why not go ahead and say something!!!! pheew. sorry for the long drawn intro.... am still teething in my review posting career ....lol


Royal N Feeld Thunderbird..... shares its name with some awe inspiring and proven machines like the Ford T Bird and the almighty Triumph ( Thunderbird )

Make no comparisons coz thats where the similarity ends.. the ford is a car ( me clueless about 4 wheels ), and the triumph is a 885 cc 220 Kg Beast that spews a high torque 69 hp!!! ... interestingly, the 1960-61 triumph t bird could easily pass off as a Machismo to the naked eye!
The newer models over the years adopted a more street - sport cum sport touring look...

Enuff of the triumph though.. we're here to talk about The Royal Enfield Thunderbird - a bike from a company that is respected and loved by bikers of all ages in this country...so much so that even the much maligned forces ( read “enforcers� if you know what I mean ) swear by it!!

My experience with the teenager ( I prefer to call it a teenager because it is not a baby, not by a long shot, and it is neither a big bro... teenage somehow seems to fit perfect ) started back when i was in college - riding a pulsar 180 ( will post a review on that later!! ) like there was no tomorrow.. crashing while practising stunts.. taking it head on into a truck.. amongst many other extremely painful and beautiful experiences...until one day… I landed the Bird!!!!

my father ( by far the best rider I have ever ridden pillion with ) bought himself the Bird... One fine sunny morning he decided to let his son have it! A brave decision considering he was well aware of my shenanigans on a bike! Somehow, the machine had a very calming influence on me.. make no mistake, by calming i dont mean lesser speeds or safer riding.. i mean a state of mind... suddenly, I did not have anything to prove... there was no interest in the saturday night illegal races..there was no need for any fancy stunts ( although there a few real fancy tricks that can be done on the bird! . will post them later ) life seemed to have a new meaning.. the word style became a whole different concept!! I suddenly graduated from chasing down rx 100s and CBZs to smiling as they shot past me ( ocassionally engaging in a good old chase which the bird never let me down in! till today the only bike the bird has not been able to chase and beat in a casual street sprint is a friends cbr600f4i, which is in a different league altogether! )

about the bike ....


Royal Enfield Thunderbird

1. a 4-stroke, air cooled single cylinder, 346cc engine...

2. pumping out about 18bhp every 5500rpm

3. sturdy ( but sometimes irritating ) 5-Speed constant mesh gearbox

4. Wet multiplate clutch which i am personally not very fond of!

5. Starting up - Electronic CDI ( this one gave me tons and tons of issues , my dad too prefers the older " point sets " system! but i guess technology has to "progress")

Wont go into much more details as the one's above are the only ones I have dealt with at length,

One thing that has to be kept in mind is that this bike was not really built for fuel economy ( although I do get a healthy 32-37 on mine, depending on ride conditions!! ) nor for beginners,and certainly not for the weak hearted, because even though it does not have the torque of an RD 350,
it gives a feeling of being on a docile bull ( no such thing as a docile bull ? ride a Tbird..... ) waiting to break free!!!

Some things needed desperately on the bike... ( some of them done for me, very thoughtfully, by my father )

* an RD 350 handle bar... ( the stock ones always lock the elbows at high speeds on sweeping curves ), the RD 350 bar gives a bit more room to throw in the shoulder and lean into it!! ( also adds to the adrenalin rush!!! )

* a 535 or a 500 silencer ... just for the sound... i mean.. whats a bullet without that thump!!!

* Twin fog lamps ( applicable if adventurous touring type, or avid night rider )

* Air filter ( if rider can procure t bird 500 carbs ( yes your read right T bird 500! Sharing classified info with you all.. so shhhhh!! ) and afford a knn filter.. provides unbelievable.. top speed upto 135 kmph )

* sprocket set ( if the type who wants to ride it around like a suzuki shogun!! )


The bike is a beauty to look at... nice curves long flowing body... and a mean aggressive look if looked at from a sideways 45 - 60 degree angle, and a lil baby if loked at straight from the front ( opnion may vary from rider to rider!! )

One of the rides on it -

2.00 am ... friends come over... leaving for nandi hills impromptu..

2.15 am... jacket on, ciggies stored .. ready to head...

2.32 am... fuelled up at symphony petrol bunk on mg road ( Bangalore )

2.40 am... finished tea at munnuswamy's and we take off...3 bikes..5 maniacs!

about 3 ... we reach the outer ring road...

bike just got back from service - ripe for testing! - doing 35 kmph in 3rd gear on a clean stretch... opened throttle and then that beautiful accelaration ( impressive torque at low rpms ) ending in a mini blitzkrieg nearing 80 kmph.... empty road save a truck or two.. raise to fourth and
the bike ups the ante around 4k rpm touching 105 kmph....nearing the end of the stretch but couldn resist switchnig to fifth and watching the speedo touch a cool 125 kmph!!! ( this bird touches a speedo reading of 130 kmph.. actual should be around the 120 mark ).. true.. absolute.. pure... value for money.. best to be expected from an indian bike. I did feel a slight wobble in the sprocket while switching past 100 but I put that down to excessive tightening of the chain at the service and my rude...sometimes excessively rash.. gear changes!!

So much for the straight… turn right into the 4 lane intermediate for the international airport...

Shamelessly weaved through the sparse traffic, the bikes weight not posing any problems whatsoever, just about enough to drop and lift lightning quick....

around 3 :30 am reach the foothills of nandi hills... stop for a quick smoke ...letting the engine cool off a bit....

around 3: 45 am take of for the hilltop...now this is where the bikes wheelbase and awesome displacement of weight steal the show, outraced a Yam 100 and a pulsar for the first few curves... change in handle bar making it easier for the tilt, shifting gears at slightly higher rpms is a pleasure as the bike glides from one winding curve to the next, slowed down to a crawl and that’s when the birds heavy body comes into play as the bike is anything but easy to drop and lift out of curves at 10 – 15 kmph ( wanted to test what it does it low speeds on an uphill )… make it to the top eventually.. enjoy the view and have a last smoke before a mad rush back into town ( which I will not even describe for fear of having a fines lifetime subscription copy mailed to my house!!! )

4: 30 am – Home sweet Home!!!!!


Overall –

1. Awesome ground clearance considering the lovely Indian roads … decent shocks … bikes a perfect size for someone about 5 10� – 6 2�
2. Good torque – Opinions vary, but the Bird is yet to disappoint!
3. Excellent fuel consumption ratio – 35 + kmpl is awesome when putting all things in perspective.
4. Handles like a dream at 120 kmph.. provided the right bars are fitted.
5. Found the footpegs too long!! ( scraped the edges off the birds pegs over 4 years, could also be disputed though, as the bike has been ridden like a husqvarna sometimes and peg shave offs are quite understandable!!!! )

to be fair what it lacks in hair raising bursts it certainly makes up for with a grunting never say die attempt..which translates into a smooth safe and enjoyable ride experience whether around hills, on open stretches or in rush hour traffic.. although parking is a concern ( breaks my heart to shove it into an already bursting pack of sardines .. which is what most parking lots in Bangalore become on weekends!! ) I have had complaints from my fellow bird comrades that the bike is not meant for the city, but then that depends on so many factors – riders seating position, speeds, gear changes and over all machine control, I do feel its weight while crawling at times, but it has so far only added to the pleasure of owning, handling a biggish, heavy, semi tourer!! From INDIA ?? You bet!!!


Grapevine ----- Enfield 300 ( sports ) ?????? Watch this space………………