Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark

My name is Rahul and I am crazy about Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twin Spark . I am Little concerned about the Mileage of Thunderbird Twin Spark coz my Profession is Markrting and I roam a lot. So can anyone suggest me the right mileage of Thunderbird in the Avg Speed of 40 to 60KM.

People say After completion of 2K Km the mileage drops down to 30KMPL. Is it true?

And I dont have a good feedback about the maintainance also. Is it Maintainance free or Heavy?

Please Help me.

After doing 24000kms, which includes long trips like solo ride from patiala to leh in 2009, solo ride to bharatpur and numerous rides to bathinda and gurgaon my impression is that it is a gorgeous looking bike which is pretty comfortable on long journeys.where it lacks is the engine performance.

A 350cc is expected to produce at least 30ps of power.Although engine reliability and durability is great, reliability of the bike is poor because of poor quality materials and workmanship.consequently maintenance is high.Overall a mixed bag which is definitely a good value for money.

I Want to Buy a Royal Enfield Thunderbird but my height is 5'5" and weight is 60 kg can the bike suite me.plz reply me or what is the gear shift pattern of Thunderbird, it's my dream to buy thunderbird but think of height of me.and what will I do and heartly want this bike to because this is the bike which give the cruizer look.

HI everyone can any one suggest me a better model in enfield. My height is 5.5 inch and above slim and am confusing to choose which is best suitable for me? tell me which is best in mileage and pickup no matter about money?

Email I.D -sanjay_sutradhar@yahoo.com

Got it on 6th of apr 2011 excellent bike u dont feel like touching another bike after this done 1100 km on (b'cose still like using my cycle cant give up cycling ) its definately a head turner remember when girl riding on karisma as a pillion with her bf was just staring at me in traffic her bf was giving me looks enjoyed it and fkd him all the way in traffic its an awesome bike ride.

HI everyone can any one suggest me a better model in enfield .my height is 6.1 and above slim and am confusing to choose which is best suitable for me?? tell me which is best in all models??thinking to take thunderbirdTSpark....

Am confusing by reading these all different type of reviews but good to see all opinions.Which I heard latest model in enfield is good and best.

Am from hitechcity

Send me reply on praveen.share@yahoo.co.in

Its a superb bike. The bike is not for the people who want to race  it is for those who are steady and love the thump. I have completed 15, 000 Km. I had many long rides on it, no back pain full comfort.

About mileage - you get 35-40 in city and 45 on high way .

About  Selection of the bike -

If you are tall and have a average body go for Thunderbird it will give you  comfort . Thunderbird is of its kind , grasp the look and attention !!!!! Else go for Electra , it will suit you , but can give back problems on bump or on a long ride !!!

You have Average height go for Electra , its all time runner , good looks and Royal .

About Maintainability -

Both the bikes have same TwinSpark engine , First you need to master the gear shifting , as there is little neutral in every gear .

When you change the oil see for yourself that oil is changed , some showroom guys don't change oil they just wash the bike and do some setting , my experience .

Teflon coating is good but not worth the money , you get a polish for just 400/- max , its better to take care yourself !!!!!!!!

For Good mileage maintain the speed of 40-50Km it will give 40 Kmpl mileage , change the oil as directed in manual i.e after  1000km .

Compared to other bikes Enfield are costlier in maintainance and mileage but its Royal , go for it !!!

Regards,

Amrut

It took me 45 seconds to write the Pros until I was restricted by space and 4 mins to write the Cons! I guess I'm in the club already (4 days old) where I have justifications and reasons of how you can counter and avoid the Cons.

Firstly - I got a 2006 AVL Engine Thunderbird a few days back. It does not have a Two Sparkplugs i.e. twinspark or electric start, but I am anyways not a fan of electric start. Finding a used Thunderbird is a painful activity since there are very few dealers who stock used TB's in showroom. I remember looking up the Internet, TeamBHP etc. to find a good deal unitl I got Lucky and got a deal of 54 K (INR) for a 2006 Model.

Do not trust the Internet, as you never know what they guy has to offer and if you would like it, You have to Physically inspect it, try talking to a Thunderbird showroom, they can guide where you can find used bike, their network is mostly B2B, they may direct you to another second hand dealer.

A few things that I observed and was educated by a local Bullet mechanic & the dealer:

1.    Always look at the block and assembly unit - it will give you an idea what shape the engine is in, if it has been dismantled/ Engine Down, if there are any cracks on the Engine or Block.

2.    If possible, get it inspected by a mechanic who can confirm - give you an inventory of the Work that needs to be done - if at all you get it, e.g. Fork Oil needs to be changed, Kick is Hard, Oil Filter needs to be cleaned

3.    Do not be fixated on how much kilometers has the bike Run, be sure its a good engine, for a TB even if has been run for 50K kilometers but is maintained well, there are no hassels. Mine had been run for 13 K in 5 yrs.

4.    Do not ask about average - kitna deti hain, traffic handing is simple or not or questions like how much maintenance needs to be done - If you are asking these questions then you are missing the Point - this Motorcycle is about being Passionate about something, its a Legacy, you need to deserve it

5.    Prepare a list of Questions that you need to ask, how often you need to change Oil, when should silencer assembly be removed, when should gaskets be cleaned - prepare a list of the Things you need to do in order to Run a RE.

6.    There are certain issues; with Oil Leaks - as of now I have not experienced it. Thunderbird Electrical assembly is confusing to regular mechanics - my experience, also pls. do not try and implement Do It Yourself tricks from day 1, take your time, learn about small things e.g. tappet setting, clutch setting, etc.

7.    Finally, if you do happen to get a used vehicle, do remember to take it to a trusted mechanic, did not bother when I had a Bajaj Discover but it has happened in the past that mechanics remove original parts and use duplicates. Rejuvenate your Motorcycle at the Mechanic even if everything is fine, since it’s a good idea to have it Serviced.

I m Rohit. I'm planning to buy bike. I am interested in buying Royal Enfield, but I am confused between Thunderbird Twin spark and Classic 350.

can you anybody suggest me which bike I should buy?

I am 5'10 and just better than slim!!!!

Both are available, but due to some reasons I m confused between these two bikes, I am more inclined towards thunder bird, but I like broad tyres which are not in thunder bird but in classic 350. My father also liked 350 more than thunder bird. And he also suggested me 350. I'm getting very confused.

If anyone could suggest me, it would be a lot helpful!!!

I was interested to buy this bike in Chennai. when I asked the dealers in Chennai, they told me that its lead time is 7-10 months. I was disappointed by this.  Royal Enfield has to do some thing on this to make it more popular. I am impressed by its design power & millage.

Anybody who book thuderbird bike in the Chennai, who changed his mind now, can contact me to give his waiting number.

I am ready to give Rs 5000 for that

Call me 8144684056.

Guys I booked a retb recently and my frnds keepin sayin to take electra....is that electra is very gud than thunderbird and do firing of thunderbird is less than electra...plzzzz help me guys between electra and thunderbird.........! and mostly the electra is that gud than the thunderbird ...

What makes it so special............any one who can help me out of this situation plzzz give me an answer.i will be waitin for your suggestion .but my dream is to have a thunderbird twinspark

I purchased the bike on 7th March 2011, done about 620 kms, first service done on completion of 500 kms.  Got 50 kms to a litre of fuel, by top up method.  Riding as per the advice of dealer not exceeded 40 kms during 500 kms run.  Touched 70 kms for few seconds after 600 kms.  But will take precautions till second free service at 3000 kms.

I like the handling and comfort of this bike.  I do not like people touching it in parking :-)).  I also have Honda Unicorn.  But you cannot compare Royal Enfield bikes with any other bike.  It is different.  I went to purchase Normal black bullet with brakes on right side, but got thunderbird due to its looks.  I am not used to old Bullet which has a brake on left side, I had a fall from it couple of years ago.  These new machines from Royal Enfield are a boon for people like me who are used to riding motorcycles with brakes on rights side.

During first start in the morning engine has to be started and idling is required for few minutes to warm up and lubricate the inside parts.  Don't go by the advice of old timers who will advice you to run the machine with choke on, or put engine oil in petrol for lubrication etc etc etc.  Maybe that will hold good for their machines.  Overall as of now I am happy with my new thunderbird.  I read few good advices on this site.  I am also thinking about purchasing good riding gear (gloves, jacket, knee caps etc.) for long rides.  Only one issue that came was that my handle lock was not working, which was repaired by RE dealer in the parking of my office, so you can also expect good service.

Disclaimer: Do not expect tech. review, but I will try to share my real exp. with this on day 1 and day 2

I booked TBTS in Hyderabad on 26 Nov 2010. After following up with Dealer almost weekly I finally got call to pick up my bike on 26 Feb 2011. I simple could not wait till 3pm. I booked TBTS black and on this day I was made to choose among two that were available. After spending 1hr with both bikes (I could check with my limited knowledge). I choose one. I went to workshop to fit leg guard but I got response out of stock and the sales person asked me to come next week. I thought fine and started back home. There was around 1 to 1.5 lts of petrol in it so I went to nearby BP Bunk and filed for 500.

Pros:

1)The handling is very good, comfortable.

2) You will feel secure with the kind of road grip that it provides.

3) Needless to say when you drive by in slow moving traffic it’s an eye catcher and when you are cruzing (not sure about you but its definite PRO for me). We have lots of Yamaha's, Karizma's, Honda's in our complex, but everyone started enquiring about its Price and they liked this Black Beauty. Definitely it stands aside compare to other regular (if I may call them regular) bikes. Off course (I am not stupid to compare this with HD bikes)

4) Instrumentation panel is well lit during night so that you can track your speed etc. Headlight focus is decent enough.

5) I saw so many reviews that mentioned about handling in traffic. I had Unicorn before except the fact that this Beast weighs more I did not find much different handling in heavy traffic.

6) U Turn is also decent and effortless (off course you should be careful and not try to accelerate)

7) Last but not least you can feel the power that you have in right hand.

CONS:

1) Here is really disappointing I noticed petrol leaking from fuel Cap (Yes this is on Day 2 I noticed)

2) I am having problem to find neutral when trying to halt in traffic. I never had such issues with my Unicorn before given the fact that the gear shift pattern is similar in both

3) Sometime I find throttle response is not good enough particularly when I am in 4th Gear.

4) The dealer himself admitted that there will be some oil leak's for RE bikes. (I did not notice Oil leak) but Petrol slightly coming from side of fuel cap.

Conclusion:

I intentionally took it for 100km ride on Day two. In spite of cons that I mentioned (I do not care). Bcoz. I love it and for me at least those problems seem negligible. Of course I am planning to visit dealer again tomorrow to show

It's a Royal Ride. If you want to turn heads, guys, go for this. No other bike comes close in terms of looks, riding comfort and control. I drive in the chaos of Kolkata, and it slips through the maddening maze like a hot knife through butter.

Anyone who has driven in Kolkata knows how terrible the roads and traffic are. I was surprised by the pick-up. At traffic crossings, it THUNDERS ahead of the other so-called zippy bikes. They zip, zap, the BULL RULES :)

A few points

Mileage: I am getting 37 in the city

Handling: Superb. I once had to brake at 50 because some decided to take a U-turn. It stopped on a dime, rock steady. I had my three-year-old son sitting in front and I thanked myself for buying an Enfield. I can easily slip through traffic. At slow speeds, U need to get adjusted to the weight, that's all. Even on cobbled roads and tram tracks, it handles better than other bikes.

Styling: That's five stars. I have girls riding pillion on other 'fast' bikes giving my Thunderbird an eyeful. (My wife testifies to this). The only cons I can think of are the long waiting periods and the dim headlight. But go for this bike, guys. I wanted it so badly I bought it with money saved up to buy a car :)

Last year after going through lots of review and advice from bike gurus I went to purchase Electra. The dealer told me the waiting time was one month so I decided to have a look for something else. I was having option of Machismo and thunder bird. And I preferred the best.

I must admit the kind of comfort, looks and reliability this bike has given me has exceeded my expectation from royal Enfield.

1. I have heard that RE bike take lot of maintenance.

~ For me till now this has been maintenance free bike.

1. Difficult to control and heavy bike. Somewhat!! This has happened when my fuel ended up while riding and I was alone to push my bike J .

~ I must say that I am regularly driving between Mumbai-Pune highway. Several times the local buses have overtaken me with high speed and got freezed up. The force of wind which smashes my bike is at 120 km/hr I believe, but this bike doesn’t even shake. In pune it happened twice when a biker hit me from rear and has fallen from their bike.

1. Average is very less. Agreed!!

~ It gives me 40-45 km but this is what I expected from RE. At least it is giving me better average then my Rajdoot J

And most important, I have always been attracted to this bike because of looks. The bike is great when you go for long drive as its handle and seat are designed for the same.

I would not recommend this bike for city riding if you have to spend much time standing ideally in traffic. It is difficult to control and most important the turning radius is bigger which doesn’t allow me to go between other vehicles.

Fellow Bulleters! This is my first review in MS and thought would share some of my experience as a Bulleter.I’ve been ridding this bull for around 5 years now and needless to say loved each moment of it!Have had the experiences of owning Machismo/Electra/ and now TBTS.

I would say: Term “The BIKE" may not actually suit these RE models. I would call them "The Bull".

First the Pros-

Comfort-> RE models come with a Pact configuration, the parts used to construct these machines are so heavy that there is no way to fit them all inn without fitting them with strong holds, this gives the machine a stable hold. To Add. Front suspension employs hydraulchandru021y damped forks and rear(Gas filled) with five way adjustable shock absorbers.

Looks and Styling ->Loads of chrome has been used to style. There is minimal graphic display. The colors used have more attiMr_customtakeouters and are more attractive with strong vibrant shades.

Engine ->The machine has single cylinder, 4 stroke 350/500cc engine with peak power of 18 bhp @ 5500 rpm. The engine has a constant vacuum carburetor which assists combustion and improves initial pick-up. And the millage given is not bad these days as I can see some give close to 40km/litr. But who cares isn’t it.

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Now for the Cons-

Gear system-> well why on the world do these machines have a semi-neutral in between gears, this one actually sucks. In fact this would worsen the situation of the gear shifts when on motion. May actually cut the clutch plates as the volumes of strokes are high . I simply cannot understand.

Maintenance -> This comes with the package. I would say if you look after the machine, then the machine will take care of your pocket. And more over when one starts to understand ones ride: the problem that comes with it becomes easier to be solved.

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Now some of the Do's ->

1) Change oil frequently, while changing ask the mechanic to flush the tank! This would help those Legendary Oil leakage problems with RE models, Actually there is a saying, if there is no oil leakage then there is no Oil in the bike.:)

2) Tighten chain for every 1500km

3) Slight push of a throttle helps while shifting gears(+)

4) Use Kick start instead of Electric start if the veichele parked for more than 10hrs, increases battery life.

Don’ts

1) Do not change mechanics frequently, Well can’t help in some situations though!

2) Try and avoid sharing the ride with some who do not have a clue about this machine.

3) Do not change gears rapidly, remember this is not a RX100 or some kind of two wheeler.

Well hope I v thrown up decent info to start off with. Enjoy your rides guys.

Enjoy madi. Sudhi here.

First off this is my first review. Having decided on a bike mostly on the reviews given in this site I am happy to say that i'm 99% satisfied. I waited one whole year (365 days exactly!!) to bring you an year's log of my thunderbird. No more intros

Overview: The bike is not just a motorbike but at par with the bull. Sound is lacking but with the production of standard stopped, no use crying over it.

Power: The power of the bike is really good, it doesn't accelerate it lifts off! Looks like a lazy bull but is the first off any signal. The best thing is it can keep cruising at 80+ for miles on miles.

Braking: Disc brake is good, but I have seen better on the apache and karizma. Not the same breed agreed but the bull's brakes do the job fine. Rear brake is hydraulic, but this is hard to believe coz its as efficient as disc brake is.

Handling: I learnt to ride on this byke so I can't compare. But when you learn on this bull, fzs and karizmas are like toys when you handle them later. Quick maneuver and feather touch turnings are completely out of the question, but if you want those why are you buying a bullet?

One thing I must mention here is that for most turnings the handle bar is less used. A slight shift of weight can turn this bull with ease at any speed above thirty. So day to day non die hard handling is a breeze.

Night rides: The bull has powerful head lamp which is pretty good for night journeys. But be warned, helmet is a must. I went out without one and now go out with fake front teeth :)

Long rides: My long rides end at 400kms. And the bike gave not even one hiccup at any point.

CONS: Had to have my spring clutch repaired. Don't know why but kicker got stuck. Warranty covered it. Also self got fused. Had to be replaced. A side foot rest broke off but no warranty. Spent 350 rs on that. Just today had to go tighten my side stand and tommorrow to weld back a silencer which mysteriously broke at a joint! Be ready for a few trips to the workshop for sure.

But with that in mind I would say its a good buy. And if you are looking for a trouble free motorbike in all respects, go for avenger. Its a decent bike but no bull for sure.

For owners of new thunderbird or wannabes

First 500kms under 40km/hr please. RPM below 3. If possible 2. Kick start but use self as any complaints need be addressed before warranty goes bye bye. Don't plate or teflon coat it. Regular washing oiling and waxing will keep it good for really long time. Ride hard!

Please ask if anyone needs info on products and ways of caring for the bike!

My son purchased this bike which was his dream. He bought in sep 2009 only at Bangalore. Today he is shocked to see that the engine body is cracked for no reason. This was noticed by him when there was a pool of oil when he came to pickup from office. No hit or accident occurred any time. The defect is shocking. The defect has emerged today Sunday. He does not know what to do. The price is more than rs 1 lac . It is difficult to describe the mental agony.

We really do not knw what to do. This is a company which became sick and got revived and the management seem to be now very active in burying the product forever. What a quality of the prestigious engine.

Recently(Nov 2009) my brother bought thunderbird twinspark, the problem m facing nw is that the rear tire of the bike is touching the mud-guard & due to which the real tail lamp wire got cut.

When their is a cut in any part of the wiring the fuse gets blown up & the bikes stops there itself. so its a serious problem & you should think before buying it!

I request the people of the manufacturing plant to look after this problem as it is creating a pool of unsatisfied customers.

Showroom is unable to help me out!

On that eventful day, at one of the signal posts my eyes lit up looking at a Macho beast(TBTS) besides by car. Love at 1st sight(may be I naive not to notice a bullet before. But there is always THE RIGHT TIME).  Being 5.6 feet and weighing 60Kgs, I was apprehensive of looking like a rat riding an elephant. But then, love is blind. Driven straight to the RE showroom and had a test ride. Amazingly, this heave bull went where I wanted it to go and did what I wanted it to.

The Myth was broken.

Booked the next day and after lot of negotiations(on delivery date), cajoling and blackmailing, got my Bull delivered on 30th Dec 2009. Boy what a gift for the New Year. Sentiments apart.

After riding a Japanese  bike for 10+ years one has a feeling that this beast does not sound smooth.  I  had a feeling that my bull was making lots of noise. One can here rattling noise from everywhere. Went to the showroom and had all my doubts cleared.  Sounds are part and parcel of a bull.

The bike was sluggish for the initial phases of running in. After 1st servicing(500km, which I covered in 3 days. Was worth watching the expression on the showroom guy’s face), the bull started riding smooth till 60kmph and would scream if accelerated to 70kmph. I was patient till I got the second servicing done.

To titillate my bull, I set off on a 500km ride from Bangalore to Karwar. And that is when the real characteristic of the beast showed up. Through the Ghats of Sakleshpur, to the scorching heats of Mangalore-Karwar in the month of May, not once did the bull let me down.  Riding at 100kmph was a piece of cake. No matter what the terrain. I hardly needed to honk for others to make way. Such is the beast’s reputation.

Now a days, my hands just don’t go for my car keys anymore. The Bull it’ll be.

Happy thumping.

I am from Bangalore. I have ridden many a bikes and not so passion or crazy so far about bullet. This is my first craze about RE TBTS. I had booked this bike in Jayanagar branch and waiting for the delivery.The positive comments were good from the net and my friends too. Today I could read some negative comments on the bike like:

1) Oil leakage

2) Bike pulling towards right side

3) Head light is dim

4) After sales support is not good

5) Battery life is not good

6) Chrome area getting rusted soon

Can you please help me in giving me the right feedback on this, wherein I need to take a call whether or not to buy ROYAL ENFIELD TBTS.

Expecting your response. Thank you for reading.

Regards,

Anand