The best. Review on Bullet ThunderBird

Royal Enfield Motors(REM) introduced a new bike called the Thunderbird in May-June 2002 in Bangalore. Its'new' coz they have broken quite a few of their 60 year old norms. The first and foremost of them is the right side brake and left side gear. Second a user-friendly kick start. And third is the design of the bike. It’s the first cruiser from their stable.(Many consider Lighting 535 as the first Indian cruiser but REM never marketed it as a cruiser as far as I can remember). Overall, a brand new approach to motor biking experience.

The Tbird is different from a STD 350 Bullet. REM has powered it with a new AVL engine which is lighter and nosier compared to the old one. This has made the Tbird easier to handle and maneuver. It also doesn’t require any effort to park it on the main stand. The starting is made CDI compared to the old CB style, so no more staring at the amp meter before kick starting the bird.

The gears as I mentioned earlier has been shifted to the regular/left side. A fifth gear is also been added. It’s a boon on the highways. One can easily cruise at 80 – 90 kmph at a low engine speed. This helps the engine to keep cool. It has also helped the Tbird to return more km per litre of petrol. I agree I didn’t buy it as an economy bike but at the end of the day/road it does make a big difference in your pocket. My bird is giving me 44 km/l within the city.

It is also fitted with a longer silencer due to pollution norms. The sad part is it works and has “killed” the signature sound of a bullet. This is one major reason why a hardcore bullet fan doesn’t consider a Tbird as a real bullet.

The Tbird also comes with factory fitted disc brakes. This has highly enabled the retardation capability compared to the other bullets with drum brakes.

The tear drop tank is same as the other bullets but only lifted up to give it more cruiser style. Could have been a better job. The instrument pods are also a pleasure to view, especially at night. One holds speedometer, odometer and a trip meter while the other holds tachometer and fuel gauge. The indicator lights are smartly concealed by a black “thing” in between the pods.

The pleasure:

The Tbird has a definite feel good factor. It’s difficult to explain in mere words. Well! Let me give a try. It boosts “the male ego”. Gives me a high! On highways its feels great to cruise with the steady beat of the engine. The best part is the confidence I feel when riding it at 80kmph and above. The disc brake really works. I use to feel tensed whenever I crossed 60kmph in my old KB100(I have done quite a few thousand km on my old cheetah). The twin pods with the new head light and mirrors(all chromed) looks really cool. The sitting position with the apehanger handlebars are very comfortable both in long rides and city riding(I suspected the latter). In fact the Tbird is highly maneuverable even at high speeds.

The pain:

Lots of attention has gone to the design of the rider’s seat. I guess that has diverted the attention from the pillion seat. The pillion seat is a pain in the().() specially during long rides. The back rest with the logo looks good but needs improvement ergonomically. Another pain is the absence of an Electronic Start(ES) especially for unpredictable red lights in city riding. Cruiser style foot rests are missing. I won’t have minded a few more inches of leg space. I am not very happy with the overall quality of different parts of the bike. For example my tank lid refused to open after using it for 5 – 6 times. Many nuts have already rusted. Chrome & rust don’t look very good on the same bike. What say!

The Solution to the bum(back)rest:

I have changed the original back rest with a new back rest cum carrier frame. Its very comfy for the pillion. I can also easily carry 30 - 40 load in it in long rides. Its slightly high so for the first few times its not very easy for a short pillion to get on & off the bike.

End note:

I bought the Tbird in Aug 2002. Was little apprehensive coz it’s a bullet but one test ride is all it took to make my decision. I wanted to own the bird immediately. And I did. The best part is I fit in it properly and I enjoying every km in it. I am yet to do a really long cruise with it. Wil write after I do one. If u wanna cruise go for it.

Km completed till date(18/03/03): 6700 km

Top Speed till date: 110 kmph

Average: 44 kmpl