You are riding a Royal Enfield on a winding highway, on a cloudy morning with greenery on both sides. The cool wind blows through your hair with a slight pertinent drizzle that is not enough to
This is for all the Royal Enfield fans who are wondering whether you should buy an Enfield over another bike; be it a Thunderbird or a Classic 350 or Classic 500 or a Bullet. I have attempted to give you an unbiased opinion after clocking around 18000 kms...
I had stopped riding a two wheeler a few years back and when a friend spoke about his RE, I started ogling at the bike. Jubilant at having enticed me and not to miss an opportunity to make my purse 'that much lighter', he said
"Arae yaar, just pay Rs. 5000/- and book, if you change your mind, bail out; anyways you'll have 3 months waiting time to decide"
No prizes for guessing, I got sold by the idea
I researched and stumbled upon the almost fanatic following for Enfield bikes, where even poor quality issues were justified
"That's Enfield, you need to be a 'Man' to handle the machine"
So if you are sitting on the fence... err I mean, whether to buy or not, here are a few points that may help you decide
The Pro's
1. The Bike feels solid on the ground. Drive an Enfield for 15 Days and switch to any other bike; you'll feel you're riding a toy
2. The Torque is exhilarating. You never run out of Power; With the 500cc Engine, you are always ahead of others
3. Because it is heavy (200 kg), you are rooted to the ground and since the weight is balanced very well, you have excellent control over the Bike
4. The sweet spot is 80 to 100 kms/hr on a 500cc and you can feel, you still have ample power to accelerate to overtake that gnawing motorist. You don't find a bulletier going rash because bulletier's are mature and they enjoy the road responsibly
The Con's
1. The very day of the delivery, I could hear a rattling sound from my fuel tank. The Service Center guy said it was normal however later they acknowledged the defect and replaced the fuel tank
2. The Speedometer button had issues, after repeated complaints they replaced the speedometer
3. Thunderbird 500 has disc brakes on the back wheel as well; When you have a flat, fix the flat without removing the tyre. Apparently the back wheel disc brake assembly is only for specially trained hands. If fitted improperly, it gets locked after you ride a few kilometres. When I confronted the mechanics, they proudly claimed, only they can do it the right way - So much for maintainability!
4. The Customer Service is pathetic; you wonder if you're doing a service to them by buying from them; however the number of Service Centers are increasing, so hopefully competition should address this issue
So should you go for a Royal Enfield?
Its a personal choice. For the engine that you get at this price point, there is no other manufacturer who can give you the sheer experience of the ride as much as Enfield
Would you face issues? 99% you will, however after the initial phase, things become better
What if you borrow a friend's bike for a month and decide? Please do refer such awesome friends to me! If you do try, I can guarantee, you would end up buying an Enfield
So to sum up, if you've read this far, it means you are eager and can handle the initial rough patches!
Still undecided on whether you can handle the issues?
"That's Enfield, you need to be a 'Man' to handle the machine" - sometimes that assertion makes your decision easier
Happy Riding...
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