Apr 25, 2007 10:54 AM
4757 Views
(Updated Apr 25, 2007 11:02 AM)
I own a black Thunderbird(TB) for more than year and half and done 7K kms. Since many of my family members own these Royal Giants, I’m accustomed with the Thud-Thud’s. But this TB does not exhibit the Thud-Thud’s still the roots can be found around 2500rpm. I really love that gentle rumbling.
No long trips to highlight. It’s really a monster on the roads and certainly has gained lot of respects. Either waiting of green signal or riding, most of the time it’s the centre of attraction. This monster sips the petrol in a decent way to deliver 35-40 kms/lit. It’s worth to mention that this a performance oriented bike. Going for a solo ride or taking the family out it never showed any fuss. On a given open road touched 90 kms/hr and felt still lot of power to tap. I’m not fond of high speeds! The way it delivers the power/torque is just terrific. You need to have your hands on to feel it. The pillion ride may be bit hard for many.
Handling in the city is bit challenging in the beginning and will be ok after few weeks. May be because of its heavily built character many vehicles try to stay away. It also has heavy clutch, brake, weight(175kgs, I guess). If anyone is the first time RE buyer better learn before exploiting it.
The newer de-compressor works well and kick-starting is pretty easy.
It’s bit expensive to maintain. Got it serviced regularly. During initial stages found oil leaks and not any more after 5K kms. With in a month time the head lamp bulb is gone and replaced it with halogen for better results. There was a hiccup in the electric starter and got it fixed during the warranty period. The clutch cable gave away around 6K kms. Other than that there was no major break down. Lot of chrome means lot of cleaning required.
Getting it serviced has never been a problem. Always approach the brand store at Besant Nagar, Chennai. The contact Mr. Sounderarajan and others are really friendly in listening and addressing the customer complaints.
All-in-All, I’m very happy with my purchase and experience to recommend it.
All the above are purely my personal view. No offence please!
