Oct 03, 2004 09:15 PM
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(Updated Oct 03, 2004 09:15 PM)
The Royal Enfield Thunderbird was one of the bikes I had short-listed, among others, for purchasing. Naturally, I had to look at it closely before taking a plunge.
The policy makers at Enfield India have woken from their deep slumber. They are beginning to introduce new variants of the lovely 350 cc mill that has stood the test of time. They have, also, become a little ad savvy. The new offering, the Thunderbird, is a good beginning.
The Thunderbird comes with slight modifications such as 5 speed gear shift on the left and the break pedal on the right which is totally opposite in the Bullet. I wonder how many Bullet enthusiasts would like this change. There is no neutral finder either. New metallic shades with a tear drop shaped fuel tank and twin pod console are the other changes effected. There is also, a disc break version available.
The Thunderbird is bracketed as a cruiser, and a cruiser it is, but not like the modern cruisers you find today. The modern cruisers are low slung and stretched with small wide wheels. The idea fundamental to a cruiser is that you can stretch your legs while riding. Well, you can forget about that in this bike. The bike is too upright with 19? wheels and a vertically mounted engine which do nothing to lower the centre of gravity. The bike doesn?t qualify as a blue blooded modern cruiser. But still, it is the best bike in the cruiser category available. The Aquila is not having a significant presence in India to qualify for a comparison here.
The build quality is average, though, much better than the older versions of the Bullet. Vibrations still exist and the nuts and bolts keep coming off. One has to learn to live with this problem simply because the makers can?t seem to find a solution. The bike takes comparatively longer time to reach 0-60 Kmph as compared to the Pulsar 180 or the Karizma. Since, it is a cruiser we can forgive that. But, even at its top speed of 115K (120K officially claimed), the Thunderbird is rock steady and stable. This is because of its weight and strong frame. In fact, it is one of the very few bikes stable at that speed.
The disc version has good breaking characteristics (fitted with a large 280 mm disc), and in my opinion, if one wishes to buy the Thunderbird one should go for the disc version only as drum breaks do not respond too well in bringing heavy bikes to a sudden halt. The average mileage of around 38 Kmpl is really good for a 350 cc bike. The Thunderbird has a strange muffled exhaust note unlike the resonant throbbing note of the bullet. Therefore most people in the streets fail to recognize or acknowledge that it is a bullet. The bike is rugged and robust, but definitely not very aesthetics in looks and it is for this reason that most ladies do not wish to pillion ride on this bike. In fact, it gets the least points in terms of looks amongst all performance bikes. Lack of a thumb-start is another sore point. However, spares are comparatively cheap and servicing is no problem even in remote areas.
Conclusion:
The Thunderbird is good in many respects, but it suffers from an identity problem ? it is classified as a cruiser, but doesn?t look like a modern cruiser, it is a bike from the Enfield stables, but doesn?t look like a Bullet. No Mag wheels, no thumb-start. The exhaust pipe juts out beyond the rear tyre. The crankcase projects out in an ungainly fashion. The exhaust lacks the thunderous note of the bullets of yore (courtesy, strict exhaust norms). In short, what we have is a Thunderbird minus the thunder. At an on street price of Rs.84000/- you?ve got to be a die-hard Bullet fan to buy this bike. The question is will the die-hard Bullet fan buy a bike which is so very unlike the Bullet in many respects.
