@jatinkrmalik

motorcycles 17 min read

Classic 500 Ownership Experience : Part 3 (After Sales Service)

Read third part of my Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership experience about how this machine is ageing viz. riding, maintenance & after sales service.

Jatin Kumar Malik First published on BitSnapper

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I guess, this post, however late, was inevitable. I was warned about the quirks I will have to face with Royal Enfield and I was okay with it, as long as it gives me the celestial riding pleasure. Well yes, this is not the practicality but I don’t think anyone buys an Enfield for the same. It’s irksome from the start as you have to wait for like 6 months to a whopping 1 year to actually own it after you test ride it. It starts right from the day you pay the booking amount and goes on in different phases of ownership.

Nevertheless, here is the long due third part of my Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership experience. I have broken the same into phases as per the service so that you can skim easily through the whole thing. Enjoy the read. :)

The Honeymoon Period

Well this is the period when everything feels perfectly right.

Silver Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
Machines.

You are madly in love with the machine and you ride it with utmost care <50 Km/hr. Gears are applied with perfection too. Everything is smooth and slick except you! You just can’t wait till the Running-in period ends

Same thing happened with me. Well, I witnessed bike’s 500cc mill to go from rough wild beast to the royalish smooth king. Ha! Enough for analogies. The simply stuff is that after buying a machine this costly you become super aware of even tiny of the noise (err sounds?) coming through it. The “zzz” sound when applying front disc brake is normal. The engine becomes a bit silent in a nice way as you cross 250~300 Kms. Overall the experience improve drastically but one may not notice it due to excitement of actually riding an Enfield for the first time.

Overall, I loved riding this beast and completed 500 on the ODO in 12 days only. It was a pleasant experience for me and god! RE makes you sexy. People will stare at you, inquire about the bike, admire you like fucking anywhere! Be it neighbours, office, public parking, red lights & even on goddamnit road while I was riding >100 Km/hr. So much for the old british charm eh?

Rider's view of a silver Royal Enfield Classic 500 tank and console waiting at a zebra crossing at night Waiting at a zebra crossing, a few weeks into owning the Bull.

First “Free” Service (@542 kms):

So, I had clocked 542 clicks (read: Kms) on the ODO already when I ready to go for the First “Free” service. A day before, I called up my friend Shivam who got his Silver CL350 serviced last week to run me through the whole procedure at once. After getting the necessary details, I planned to get up early next morning (Sunday, 18th Jan’15) and reach the Service station by 9:30AM. But little did I know, Dilli ki Sardi(Winters) just doesn’t allow you to get out of the multi-layered quilt setup one sleeps with. I got up at around 10.30AM, got ready and rushed to the North Delhi Motorcycles Workshop, Rithala at around 11.30AM only to find a long queue of RE machines lined up for some mechanical love! :P

Here is the list of service activities to be done on my Silver Storm:

First free service activities - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
Quite a list eh?

The service centre is relatively very small and congested. I was attended by the RE Executive (don’t remember the name), and the procedure of creation of Job card started. He gave me an estimation of ₹1,200.00 for the First supposedly FREE service. And yes before you guys start bashing me, I know Owner has to bear the cost of parts and oil but still, it costed me more than first service of a ₹7,00,000 Toyota sedan! Anyways, I signed the job sheet and started telling the guy about the minor issues I have faced in my initial ownership. Here is the list of issues I reported:

  1. Handle bar swinging to left (alignment issue?)
  2. Bike stalling while down-shifting gears with clutch pressed.
  3. Golden coloring of Bend pipe
  4. Silencer having a deposit of burnt plastic (courtesy: My dealer, who didn’t remove the Styrofoam sheet before giving the bike to me).
  5. Check Left Indicator (it wasn’t working at the time of Delivery, but started working magically after Fuel filling :P RE’s magical niggles
  6. Misfiring of engine, sometimes a loud pop (phat) sound when idling.

The estimated Time of delivery given was ~3pm. I decided to wait in as I was hoping to see a hands-on view of how servicing is done and all. But, the staff of North Delhi Motorcycles Workshop was so rude, that they said you have to sit inside the customer lounge or else we wont service the bike. Now that’s some very rude behaviour with a customer who has just purchased one of the Iconic bike worth close to ₹2 lacs that too by a 22 year old guy who just got a job and put his savings in the down-payment and got a loan of ₹1.2 lacs just to get this bike.

Sure I understand there is a protocol for servicing but politeness could do wonder!

Still, I sat in the lounge and waited patiently. The mechanic did the usual (Oil and filter changes) and send the bike for washing. I was amazed to see none of my above problems were even addressed to until now. Attitude much? I patiently waited for the bike to come back from the washing. When it did, I went to another guy whose position read as “Customer Relationship Manager”. LOL! Was he? I told him about my concerns and even showed him the same on jobsheet and he addressed it like It was nothing and called the mechanic who just changed the Engine oil and the filter and he simply said, Bike has no issue. I still said, I find it difficult to drive in heavy traffic as It keeps stalling on low RPM when clutch is pressed to downshift the gear but it was dismissed quickly as “Ki ye to hota rehta h, chote mote issues hai” (English translation: “That this is something which keeps happening, they are minor issues”). I mean seriously?

I also told them about their own customer executive fault due to which my silencer has a big black burnt plastic spot(dealer didn’t remove styrofoam sheet from silence before delivery). They dismissed it by saying “Abhi to silencer garam nahi hai, nahi hoga, khud karlena” (English translation: “The silencer is not hot as of now, I won’t do it, do it yourself later”). Similar behaviour was seen for every issue. They didn’t even bother to check anything else except the work written on the Service invoice.

They just mopped and wiped the water off and applied some wax on the tank and asked me to pay for the jobsheet. The invoice generated was for ₹1,107.00. I paid in cash and felt bad to be treated this way. Here is the invoice for the same:

First service - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
₹1100 for first service. Damn that’s expensive!

Let’s try again..

I wasn’t satisfied with the service as mentioned above. I received a call from a ma’am asking about my experience of First service and if I am happy with it. This was the time when hell broke apart. I vented my anger for mismanagement and told her that I wasn’t happy with the service/customer treatment. She asked me visit them once again to get my issues resolved. I was planning to write a big hate-mail to Royal Enfield head office, Chennai but decided against it and went to the North Delhi Motorcycles Workshop.

I was stern this time and walked right into manager’s office and ask him if he is going to help fix my issues or not. Surprisingly the guy was calm and immediately asked their top rep to address my problems. I had discovered about the alignment issue with the wheels and told him about it as they wobble while riding. He dismissed it by saying that wheel alignment will cost around ₹400. I told him I am not going to pay a single penny as alignment is not supposed to be off so early (~560 Kms). I also told them about the indicator issue that left one stops blinking as per it’s will.

I managed to convince(scare?) them to do it under warranty and I was promised to get it fixed by 4pm. I got a call around 4:10 PM to collect the bike. I went there sure enough the wobbling was reduced by a lot. The guy said “Ye to Unnis Bees Ka Fark hai! Itna To Chalta hai!” (English translation: “This is a slight difference, it won’t matter”). Indicator was also working properly now so I assumed it’s fixed. I was charged ₹16 for 2 Flanged hex bolt (pretty expensive for 2 bolts eh!).

Wheel balancing - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
₹16 for 2 bolts?!

Second “Free” Service (@1568 kms):

3000 Kms/90 days is the criteria for second service. But as summer’s were approaching, my riding became a lot less it used to be. I used to take bike to Office (Adobe Noida), ~40 Kms away from home. So, this time instead of completing the Kms, 90 days were approaching and I got the call once again to book an appointment for the service. I did that and fix it for Sunday, 29th Mar’15. Surprisingly, Shivam’s second service was also at same time as he was delayed by 10 days for the same. We reached the service centre around 10 AM this time and the job card process started.

I have had some minor niggles with the bike, which are as follows:

  1. Stalling issue (suspecting the low Idle RPM).
  2. Horn button became too tight (sometimes didn’t blow on pressing which can be dangerous on road.)
  3. The damn left indicator
  4. Rear tire wasn’t aligned (was wobbling like hell)
  5. Clutch was very tight!

So as per the process, the following was to be done.

Second free service activities - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
The second one.

But, the service representative put up an estimate of ₹1000 again, and I was shell-shocked. How in the name of god? I inspected the job card and there it is, he put up the bike for Engine oil change again and oil filter and exactly like it was in first service. I asked him and he said “Sir 1500+ KM chalne par karwa dete hai hum change” (English translation: “We generally follow this practice when bike has run 1500+ Kms”). I simply showed him the service criteria, it is supposed to be done around 3000 Kms and still only Check/Top up is to be done in 2nd service. I refused him to do any of it and just to the bare minimum, he told me ₹250 and I gave my consent for the service (without checking, my mistake).

The “service” was completed in 10~15 minutes and again except Idle RPM, no other issue was looked upon and bike was already lined up for washing. I was waiting patiently that maybe it will be fixed post-washing. NOPE!

I went into Customer Relationship Manager’s cubicle and told him about the same. He inspected the bike and rejected the tire wobbling as a problem and said itna to har bike me hota hai. So I told him to check Shivam’s Classic 350 and guess what his tyre was perfectly lined with the frame. He didn’t agree to it and I was dejected. Then I told him about the faulty horn and he again dismissed it by saying “Sir aap jaan he nahi lagana chahte” (English translation: “Sir, why don’t you put more pressure on it”). This was the limit, I simply asked him to fix/replace it else I will drop a mail and complaint against it. He said that he can’t replace the same as it’s not completely broken. Surprisingly I have read this same in other RE ownership reviews. RE people insists on completely breaking an item before they will replace it. Funny right? Even if it endangers your life. Nope! Sir first break it.

Well, I was adamant with it and they finally replaced the whole console. Indicator was working fine again and I was assured that it’s fixed. I believed them once again to was at peace with it. For the clutch issue I was told that since it’s a 500cc Enfield, it is supposed to be hard to press. Wait, what? How is this possible. I have ridden Suzuki Intruder which is having a fucking 1800cc mill. It is fun to drive and manoeuvres like a baby and clutch/gear shifting is also smooth. I was like leave it, there is no point in arguing with them.

The bill was generated and it was ₹242 for Chain lubrication and Battery treatment. I paid it and a guy was cleaning the bike. I looked down and chain was dry as a desert! I called him immediately and asked him about the same. He said that he forgot to do it. He started the bike, put up first gear and as tire was rotating, he got a spray can and sprayed it across the chain. What?! ₹250 for that? I could have done it myself.

Nevertheless, I took the bike and left with a broken heart as I knew it’s going to be same in every service. Honestly I expected a bit of a special treatment after buying a sub ₹2 lac bike.

Here is the invoice, just in case:

Second service - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
Avoid Chain lube spray, buy one & do it yourself.

Third “Free” Service (@3233 kms):

So, some 3 months later with 3233 clicks it was time to get my CL500 serviced. This time however, I was fully prepared to deal with the workshop agents (that’s what they are) in the best possible way. Since last service, few issues cropped up with my bike which I was eager to get solved at any cost, either with hook or crook.

As usual I got the call from the workshop. I decided to book an appointment for the first slot i.e: 9AM for Sunday (5th July 2015). Unlike last time, I was a bit discipled this time and was standing in the workshop at 8:55AM. Mine was the first Enfield for the day. The guy came in 5 minutes with the usual yellow jobsheet and took my Owner’s Manual to check/fill the required details. Before he could brief me about the expenses, I asked him to do the basics, skip the Battery treatment and Chain lubrication from the jobsheet. The bike had run only for 1600 kms uptill now, so I didn’t think chain lube was necessary. However, I did point out that in 3rd free service activities it’s clearly mentioned in #3 to check battery terminals and apply petroleum jelly. The guy fumbled, mumbled and said “Yeah sure.” Preparation eh? ;)

Third free service activities - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
Activity List for Service #3

After the usual affair, he asked me if I am facing any issues with my machine. Sure! Here is the list of issues from top of my mind:

  1. The damn damn damn left indicator (changing console didn’t fix it) :(
  2. Tightest clutch ever with the level wobbling like crazy on speeds >40 Km/h
  3. Loose seat (probably due to after-market seat cover guy’s laziness)
  4. Slight misfiring of the silencer (rarely but noticeable)
  5. <One more trivial thing I am not able to recall>

Surprisingly, the guy nodded his head in affirmation for all the issues and wrote them down on the job-sheet. Ay! That is some positive change. He quoted me ~2 hours before delivery of the bike so I decided to wait on and get my issues resolved. One of the usual mechanics hauled my bike on the Service Bay #1 and started with his business.

Now, this is when this very interesting thing happened. I planned to visit a friend directly from the service station so was carrying my backpack with my laptop, along. I decided to wait in the owner’s lounge, which is opposite to the service bays. I took my favourite seat in the corner sofa so that I can see my Silver Storm getting serviced. After a while as I was getting bored so I took out my laptop. I switched on my Airtel 4G LTE wifi tethering and connected my laptop. I decided to open this exact post and started drafting my experience for the third free service. Since I was the only one there, one of the mechanic came and sat next to me in that lounge itself. He saw me typing furiously (I do that) in the Zen mode of the Wordpress post and this piqued his interest. He asked me what was I typing. I saw the opportunity and I seized it 😎

I told him “I am drafting an email to the head branch of Royal Enfield (Chennai) as I am fed up of this workshop’s service. I have had few issues from a while now which are not being solved”. I also told him that I will only wait till the delivery and if my problems are not resolved I am going to send the mail with all top officials of RE in cc. I even said a few names (God bless LinkedIn) ;) After this, the guy went straight into Manager’s room.

I don’t know what happened but the service in-charge called me and asked me to explain my issues, which I did perfectly. He asked me to sit in the lounge and assured me they will fix all it all.

After the service, the bike was being buffed with wax, my left indicator was changed as the problem was finally diagnosed to be the faulty bulb holder. They even decided to do a chain lube for me for free, which is IMHO rare of the rarest. At about 11:30 pm, when the bike was serviced, washed, cleaned, waxed and buffed. The in-charge guy came and asked me to take it for a spin and check if I had any other problem.

Lo and behold, I took the bike out of service centre and as soon as I pull the beast into the first gear, I knew everything has been done perfectly for the first time! Man. The clutch, gear-shift, engine, all of it became so smooth. It felt exactly like it was at the time of delivery. I came back and told them everything is fixed and thanked them for that :P

The final bill generated was ₹968.00 which I paid gladly. For the first time, I felt satisfied with RE’s service as they actually listened to my problems and genuinely solved them. I wish they keep doing the same.

Finally I rode home with a huge grin on my face.

Here is the invoice:

Third service - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
Same as #1 minus chain lube
Royal Enfield Classic 500 speedometer showing 4,444 km on the odometer
My Classic 500 at 4,444 km.

Fourth & Last “Free” Service (@5167 kms):

So, 3 months were up since the last time and I got the call from service centre regarding my last free service i.e: The Fourth one. As usual, I booked for an appointment at 9 AM for Saturday to avoid the rush. I got there at 8:55 AM, and in 5 minutes I was ready with my feedback for the service executive. I had only 2 issues:

  1. The throttle movement (Accelerator) was not smooth. It was jerky and was not rotating to it’s 100%.
  2. Idle RPM was too low, causing the bike to stall once a day.

The executive promptly noted down my feedback & assured me to get it fixed. I was quoted an estimate of ~₹1400 because of addition of ₹900 for Engine oil to which I argued that it’s not there in service manual and what’s the point of changing it in every service? To which there was no explanation and he said he will get the level checked and top it up. Man! They never seem to learn to not mess with a guy like me :P

Fourth free service activities - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
The 4th one.

My experience in 3rd service was pretty good so, I politely asked for the same mechanic to do the service for my bike and he happily agreed to do so. I was given ETA of 2.5 hours for which I decided to wait as I really wanted that throttle mechanism to be fixed. The mechanic begun with general service stuff, topped up engine oil and after an hour, he called me. He showed me that the accelerator wire has caught rust due to which it is not allowing smooth movement of the throttle and it need’s to be changed. I asked him to go ahead and replace it with a new one. He even explained me how Enfield uses Twin cable for throttle and how we need to take apart the whole chassis to change that in Classic 500. So, brownie points for that. :)

After a while, the mechanic called me again and asked me to go for a test run as he has replaced the cable. I saddled up, fired the engine & started the ride. The throttle was back to the awesome state it was in when I first got the bike. I just twisted my wrist and boom! I crossed 70kmph in that congested street. Honestly, I got so used to riding with the faulty cable that I had forgotten the engine response on my beast. I brought back the bike to workshop with a stupid grin on my face & gave a thumbs up to the mechanic. He then fixed up the Idle RPM issue and asked me to test it if it feels fine to me. After resolving my queries he did the usual bolt inspection and send the bike for washing and stuff.

After the usual cleaning and polishing stuff, my bull was ready to rule the roads. The ₹602.00 bill generated looked like this:

Fourth free service - Royal Enfield Classic 500 Ownership Experience
The bill.

Ha! Yes, they sneaked in battery treatment because I didn’t ask not to do it. Also, do you see #4 for “Black cable strap”, that’s actually just normal cable tie which was getting lose on the handlebar where it is used to keep the wires together. Upon enquiry I was told that these cable straps comes in pack of 6 so they decided to replace all of them on my bike.

₹36 for 6 cable tie is just bonkers but that’s how Royal Enfield workshops work. :P

This wasn’t that bad of an experience as I got my throttle fixed. That’s all that matters. 😎

Silver Royal Enfield Classic 500 parked side-on outside a house at night Silver Storm parked up after a night ride, November 2015.

Well this is going to be a long continuous post till I own the Bull. I plan to update this post on various Milestones (Service every 3 months, 5k/10k Kms and so on..). This will also help me track the overall experience of my ownership and will be a useful resource for any who owns a Royal Enfield Classic 500 or plans to do the same.

Feel free to drop a comment below if you want to ask anything specific about the beast. I would be happy to help and since owning an Enfield makes you half a mechanic (pun indeed?). Anyway, jokes aside! Try me, I may be able to give you a great advice after all ;)

131 commentsfrom BitSnapper

Carried over from the original post and read-only. Add a new comment below.

  1. A. K. Mukherjee

    Hallo Jatin! I shall like to thank you for presenting a wholesome review for Classic 500. Let me tell something about myself. I had been a proud owner of Bullet Electra 5s (Cast Iron Engine) for a period of 3 years (since 2007) and 52000 km. During the period of ownership, I learnt various jobs on regular maintenance and also realized that bikes from stable of Royal Enfield calls for heavy physical maintenance. The good part is that it helped me to get emotionally connected to my steed, although it is a machine. Presently, for the past four years I am driving an Apache RTR 180 but it has never able to fill the gap of 'Bullet feel'. Gradually, I am getting inclined to get a Bullet. Since, I have driven 350 cc a lot, I think that a 500 cc would be right to go. I have not owned and rode it, From various blogs, reviews and ownership experience that I came upon on net, it appears to me that it is altogether different experience to ride on the saddle of a 500 cc Bullet/Classic. After reading your blog, I believe that you are the right person to get some feedback on this mean machine. I have a few queries. It is listed below.
    (a) Did you ever experienced starting trouble during the winters of Delhi with your motorcycle? If yes, was it easy to get over it or does it demanded 10 to 20 kicks or push of self starter button?
    (b) Can you please tell the fuel efficiency figures (approximate as the bike is not fitted with reserve key) during winters of Delhi? How the figure changed during summers? I know that a wannabe Bulletier should not ask such forbidden question, but if you watch the following two videos on youtube, you shall get to know that it is possible to improve existing fuel efficiency figures. The links are:
    For open loop operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebDV63eMFro
    For closed loop operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Ryk7D_3co
    The motorcycles that are imported to foreign countries are provided with a lambda O2 sensor at the exhaust pipe. Those are closed loop feedback while those which are made for Indian market are devoid of this sensor as it requires installation of an expensive Catalytic converter. ECU's of these Indian siblings run on open loop.
    (c) How many times the fuel injector and/or fuel pump has been cleaned or replaced?
    (d) After running how many km, do the fuel filter requires replacement?

    In your blog, you mentioned about back firing with a loud (phat) sound. I have given some thought to it. First, we need to understand why this sound occurs The fuel/air mixture is an explosive mixture. So, if the fuel keeps on burning explosively even after the exhaust stroke, the sound could take place. This explanation is supported by the fact that the golden color has appeared in the bent pipe. Now, the question is why the fuel-air mixture keep on burning after the exhaust stroke? This could only happen, if ,
    (a) the fuel injector is injecting more fuel than required in some strokes
    (b) the ignition timing is retarded in some four stroke cycle.
    (c) there is carbon deposition inside Pulsating Air Valve, a device even RE mechanics get scared of to open and clean.
    Sorry that, I can not comment on the wobbling part unless and untill I get a feel of the dynamics of motorcycle.
    Waiting for your response. Ride Safe.

    1. Jatin Author

      Hello sir!

      FIrst of all, apologies for late reply as your comment was somehow struck in Spam filter and I couldn't notice it. Also, thanks a lot for appreciation and I am glad you went through the pain for reading my wholesome experience.

      An Old bulleteer! What a pleasure to have this discussion with you! It's true one just can not replace that bullet feel. As you must have read in Part 1 and Part 2 of this post, I myself was inclined to go for a modern JAP bike or KTM but as soon as I took the test ride for CL500 I was sold. One just can't deny the old charm of Royal enfield bikes. However, you are very true on the maintenance for the same as it just doesn't follow the "Fill it, Shut it, Forget it!" mantra like other bikes. It always need that special care. Although you yourself had the old Cast iron spec'd Electra, compared to which new UCE engines are almost maintenance free. RE has moved on from their bad "Oilfield" reputation days.

      I see you have posted quite a list of comments and queries. I will reply you your points in the similar manner.

      (a) Did you ever experienced starting trouble during the winters of Delhi with your motorcycle? If yes, was it easy to get over it or does it demanded 10 to 20 kicks or push of self starter button?
      >> Not even once in last 6 months I had a trouble with self. Fuel injection really play it's part well. Upon swinging the key to Ignition, the ECU chip checks for all faults for 2-3 seconds, if any, and then with just a subtle press of self button the engine comes roaring to it's dug-dug life. Also, I sometimes start the same with kick and I am able to do it in 1 or max 2 kicks. I can understand you concern as old cast iron bikes used to have the pressure mechanism and would sometimes require endless kicks to get it started, but it's just not the case with CL500.

      (b) Can you please tell the fuel efficiency figures (approximate as the bike is not fitted with reserve key) during winters of Delhi? How the figure changed during summers? I know that a wannabe Bulletier should not ask such forbidden question, but if you watch the following two videos on youtube, you shall get to know that it is possible to improve existing fuel efficiency figures. The links are:
      For open loop operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebDV63eMFro
      For closed loop operation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Ryk7D_3co
      The motorcycles that are imported to foreign countries are provided with a lambda O2 sensor at the exhaust pipe. Those are closed loop feedback while those which are made for Indian market are devoid of this sensor as it requires installation of an expensive Catalytic converter. ECU’s of these Indian siblings run on open loop.
      >> Ah! The Lambda O2 sensor. I remember reading a great deal about it on xBHP CL500 ownership thread. Well, as per fuel efficiency in Winters, I got the bike in January which is almost the peak of Winters in Delhi. Before first service I got ~26 Km/Lt. I managed to log 500 clicks in 11 days. After 1st service (engine oil change) the FE climbed to ~29 Km/Lt. After that I couldn't keep a track of same. But in last refill last week, I got FE ~31 Km/Lt. which is pretty decent for a 500cc mill IMHO. Few of my friends having the CL350 are getting ~34 Km/Lt. so I guess I am satisfied, although FE depends a lot on one's riding style. As per the O2 sensor, No you cant fix an O2 sensor on domestic ECU!
      Reasons:
      Although the one on the export model is a 4wire heated lambda sensor for which there is no wiring in the loom. Pins are blank on the ECU. Even if you manage to plug in wires from O2 sensor into the ECU, it will not work. ECU is not programmed to pick up any signals from O2. You will need the loom and custom aftermarket ECU to attach an O2. RE has refused to acknowledge any issues with the EFI setup with the absence of O2 so zilch hope of having an O2 on C5 in near future. But pollution norms could force RE to provide one. You never know.
      The O2 sensor and the ECU programs are there to reduce the exhaust emissions so they conform to the US Department Of Transportation regulations. It is not something that increases engine power or fuel economy.

      (c) How many times the fuel injector and/or fuel pump has been cleaned or replaced?
      >> Not even ONCE! Why would you do that? It's just a misconception. You fuel tank has a fuel filter to stop dirt/misc particles to enter the fuel pump. It's just that you know it's there you are worrying about it. Most of our cars are fuel injected. How many times you had need to get it cleaned separately? Replacing a fuel pump is beyond question unless there is a manufacturing defect or it's being tempered with, I see no reason.

      (d) After running how many km, do the fuel filter requires replacement?
      >> Well, I have no idea about the same. Again like the hypothesis above, unless you are getting a lot of Dirt fuel I don't think it is necessary. It can purely be a use case dependent scenario as you bike may start to misfire/stall due to dirt accumulation in the fuel filter but that's a rare case. I have a Pulsar 220 Fi in my family which was bought in 2007. It's in 8th year now and still didn't have to change the Fuel pump or Filter. So, I guess it's more of a maintenance + petrol pump's fuel quality luck

      Few benefits of EFI which you will definitely feel over carb (based on personal experience):
      #1 Crisp and instant throttle response (hell indeed) :P
      #2 No cold starts problems.
      #3 Better spread of power throughout the rev range.
      #4 Red line chasing nature. (not that you should do it often)

      Hope this solves all your queries. I have tried my best to keep the response to the point. If you feel the need to know anything else, feel free to shoot it here in comments. Good day. :)

      1. Jatin Author

        p.s: As per the problem with misfiring and phat sound, it's surprisingly solved in a recent 3rd free service last week. I have quite a *bad* reputation at the service center as I decided to write a firm long email of 1500 words to their head office while keeping all top officials in cc of that mail in first week of ownership of the bike. So, bonus? They listen to my problems patiently and genuinely try to solve them.

        For the golden color on the bent pipe, you are absolutely correct! I also think that the ignition timing is retarded or there is carbon deposition. I haven't pressed them much on that issue. Maybe, I should drop a mail to Royal Enfield Chennai office and enquire about the same?! :/

  2. Karan Luthra

    Hi Jatin,

    I am going to take a delivery of my bike on 10th of Aug and I am curious (scared) of knowing everything about the PDI. I have read a lot about the PDI and still not sure if small issues like a air filter box is not fixed or locked in properly, the paint is coming off from some place or alignment issue.

    Looking for assistance on these things, or tell me how to deal with the dealer in this situation.

    Thanks!
    Karan

    1. Karan Luthra

      O by the way its a lagoon blue 350...

    2. Jatin Author

      Hello Karan,

      First of all, congrats to be a proud owner of Enfield (in a few days)!

      Well, I can very well understand your concern as RE bikes are sent from the Chennai factory across India in Trucks. So, there is always a chance something might be messed up. However, before delivering the bike to you, it's the Dealer's duty to get the PDI (Pre delivery inspection) done at their workshop for each and every bike.

      Here is a nice PDI list I used:

      1. Start with visually inspecting the whole bike- from bodywork to rims tyres- anything hanging, out of place, damaged, dented, rusting at the welding joints or repaired(transit damaged) painted parts like fuel tank, mudguard .

      2. Check the front fork sleeves(which covers the forks top length) clearance between the front mudguard. If clearance is not equal between booth the sleeves and the mudguard then it will scuff and damage the paint work on mudguard/sleeves.

      3. Check for all the electrical parts .e.g. headlight high/low beam- high beam pass, indicators, horns, brake light switch -front and rear, parking light, EStart. Also check the indication light in the speedo- neutral light, high beam and indicator.

      4. Apply the front and rear brake to check out the effectiveness and any odd noise from front or rear brake while braking.

      5. Check your tool kit if its complete or not.

      6. Take the key and match the serial number on the key with the lock serial no of the rear LHS electrical/storage box. The no will be on the outside where you insert the key into the lock. Also check working of all the locks on the bike with same key.

      7. Check the chain slack while sitting on centre stand and then off it. Should not be more then 1.5 inch while on the centre stand.

      8. After starting the bike, check for any exhaust leaks at the head where the down pipe is attached and at the exhaust/down pipe joint. Also for any white smoke from the exhaust.

      9. Check for any oil leaks from the engine-rocker covers, side covers- rear shock absorbers and front. Don't worry if you see a bit of oil under the RHS engine cover. It will be form the chain.

      10. After engine has warmed up for a couple of minutes- the tick tick noise of the auto de-compressor should stop. Check the idling is stable and not erratic(jumping up/down). Starting should be smooth and not take more then one crank to start(not more the 3 seconds to start)

      11. Take a ride on the bike and make sure you have a pillion rider as you need to see if you have rubbing issues of the rear tyre with the mudguard. Thats due to the bad alignment of the mudguard and sometimes of the rear tyre also.

      12. While test riding, go through all the gears and brakes(F/R). Notice any abnormal noise or any hesitation in the engine response. Do check the exhaust for any white smoke or black while riding.

      13. Check for any acid spill from the battery and the drain pipe from the battery is attached. First gen C5 use to come with exide batteries which had no drain pipe but new ones come with exide or FIemm batteries which have the drain pipe. Look for any spill damage on the engine cover under the battery

      14. Check the accelerator cable- should not get stuck when turning left or right while on C stand. Check the choke cable for proper engagement and clutch cable is not too tight or too lose.

      15. Check booth the springs present on the centre stand and engage the side stand. Should not take much effort to engage both the stands.

      16. To check for any pre damage to the chassis front. Turn the handle bar left to right. It should turn equally to both the sides and not more or less at one side to other.

      17. Handle should not be tight. To check this, lean the handle to one side wee bit and if it comes down fully then its fine. To check for loose handle, apply the front brake and rock the bike forward and backward. You will feel the play or noise if its too loose. You can also put it on C stand and while holding the handle firmly, ask you friend to grab the front forks and rock it forward / backward. Any play will be felt easily.

      18. While on C stand, rotate the front wheel and check the run out of the tyre or at least any abnormal noise. Wheel should rotate freely and also check for front speedo is tight at the speedo hub and the speedo needle is moving smoothly .

      19. To check the D.O.B of your bike, open up the LHS electrical box and you will find the green non- pollution sticker with the D.O.B on it. You can cross check the month with the chassis no.

      20. By RE rule, your dealer should fill the fuel tank above reserve and the reserve light should go off. But most of the dealers steal the petrol money and give you only .5L(even less) to get you to the nearest petrol station. You can actually demand from him to fill up more then reserve as per company policy or else you should inform RE about it. After you fill her up, if the reserve light is still on then the fuel level indicator is faulty.

      1. Jatin Author

        Also, regarding how to deal with the dealer in case of mishap!

        Just refuse to accept the bike until they fix the issue! The dealer will try to get rid of situation by telling you to get it fixed from their workshop and bluff like it will delay the delivery by weeks or months just so that you take the complaint back. Just DON'T!

        In such case, simply ask for a confirmation for same in written or else simply tell him that You will ask/complaint Royal Enfield head office about your behaviour on Email/Social Media! If he still refuses, ask him to cancel the booking. He will shit bricks and will make sure he listens to you.

        Protip: In such case don't argue with the Sales/Delivery guy. Just walk in to the office of Dealership manager and follow the above.

        Let's hope you won't need to go through any of that anyway. Happy Riding mate. Let us know when you get your beast!

        1. Karan Luthra

          Thanks Jatin for the quick response.. keeping the fingers crossed.

          1. Jatin Author

            No problem mate! Let us know when you get it. :)

  3. J Singh

    The folklores make people believe in stupidest magics and heros who were probably not.
    I suspect. most of the young bullet owners have read poetry in magazines about it. Like Harleys, Bullet is already sold before it is bought. Consider this:
    1.
    Here is a bike which hasn't changed much since it was first designed a few thousand years ago. Nothing wrong with it a design may be aesthetically enduring for that much time, still it was designed when roads, traffic and distances were different. Remember that.
    And yes, I have a friend who still types on his old Remington typewriter. Typing on a computer keyboard is not fun enough. Its too soft and he loves the thumping sound of typewriter buttons. And besides swinging it back and forth for each line keeps his wrists active (?). Then the fun of using that white liquid eraser each time he makes a spell mistake. The certainty that his letter will not be copied and no virus will ever come into his machine...except that he keeps repairing it most of the time which he says is fun and better than spending time on TV. But he says once it is fixed and when it is fixed, just hearing that tick tick sound on the machine makes him forget all the repairing. And there is more, the pain in the bones in his fingers doesn't let him sleep, but keeps reminding him of his beautiful machine..at length he says he sleeps with my machine's thoughts on my mind and plans about buying more carbon papers and ribbons. It costs not nearly as much you see as a printer's ink.
    I know another person who wouldn't let go his Blackberry........
    And one old man I knew said he makes his own whiskey. His doctors told him that his liver now hangs on thin threads and his whiskey is no more than a poison, still he said, "Pahli Dhaar ki peene ka maza hi kuchh aur hai" No matter what the costs are.

    2.
    It comes without Tubeless tyres. Now it is a fact that the tubed tyre flattens so quickly. Sometimes in seconds. And if you are on a certain speed, lets say 70 KMPL, you are likely to suffer and more.
    3.
    For the given price, it does not come with an ABS. Given its design for a max 50 KMPL (may be) speed, and usually driven hard to convince oneself about one's macho attitude, it will make you lick dust if you suddenly face oil on road or even a heavily wet surface.
    4.
    The paint is lousy at the best and it will rust sooner than later.
    5.
    For daily commute, its a pain, absolutely in cities like Delhi. The saddle seat that comes with Classic, will numb your buttocks and bring swelling to your lower back, if driven for a longer period.
    6.
    It is expansive to maintain. service and petrol. Not counting productive days lost at service station or without bike when it stays useless.
    7.
    The aftersale service will almost certainly have you suffer rude behaviour, unsatisfactory workmanship and frustration. But the folklore and poetry by the fellow bullet owners keeps you in a fool's paradise.
    8.
    It looks a few years old when you buy it new Its true it remains the same for ever.
    9.
    Riding a bullet makes you feel brave. But there is a very thin line, sometimes in between bravery and foolhardiness. Well I think it takes courage to accept a mistake. It will be brave to face the truth and call it a beautiful but useless bike.
    10.
    Its difficult to start and idle speed troubles makes you afraid and you usually don't risk killing engine at traffic lights. It will be too embarrassing to kick it to life again. 2 or 20 0r 200 kicks, you never know.

    11.
    You say the experience of riding bullet is unique. So be it. But when compared with costs and sufferings that come with it, one has to be irrational.

    12.
    The tiny drum brakes in the rear tyre is not going to save your life when it will be supposed to.

    13.
    The wobble in tyres and dangerous for you.

    14.
    The long silencer can send you into a hospital for long if you, by mistake inclined too much.

    15.
    You will smell of oil and grease. Not everyone finds it sexy. Actually no one.

    Head turner? Drive a R15 or the new RS200 and see how those bikes turn heads and get you compliments.
    A bike must start when you want it. turn as you want it. Stop as you want it. It must look new when you buy it and should require servicing as expected not wantonly.

    Its a thing of the past. It gone. Dont beat round the bush. Try something new.
    its a pity Harleys are expansive. Although they suffer from similar traits. they are still better bikes.
    But Japanese bikes are way ahead and so much fun.

    No offenses intended. Apologies in advance if my post did.

    1. J Singh

      last but not the least, some people may believe that the auto tempos and bullet share the same engine..so much for the sound..
      Oops. Sorry. .

      …One more thing..
      I saw someone writing a long check-list before taking delivery of a bullet.
      Is it fair?

      If you bought a CBR 250 or a Ninja or recently a Yamaha 300, or even a KTM, a Unicorn…. I can assure you, you will not need to carry a checklist.

      1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

        Whoa. :D Now that's some rant here! Most of the things you mentioned above don't hold true for the new generation, like in my 8 months of ownership not once had the self-start failed me, it comes to life in one go. Also why would you try to incline a cruiser on curves is beyond my understanding.

        If you read the article above, I have visited the workshop 5 times till now. 4 for the service and 1 for the alignment issue which is pretty trivial IMHO. RE has a legacy to carry, so don't expect a modern aerodynamics design from them.

        I agree to your rant about Tubeless tyres, because my car has them and yes it is super convenient, though I am yet to face a puncture on my CL500 (Let's hope it stays that way..). True again for the ABS part, but you have to understand the point, it's not mean to ride screaming past 150 kmph. It's a cruiser, I have gone till 130 kmph on my classic and yes, honestly it was not inspiring at all. It was super scary, RC 390 feels way better on those digits in speedo. :cool:

        As per after sales service, ha! I have had pleasure of owning multiple bikes and cars, and trust me it's uneven. My dad is super fed up of Maruti Suzuki service for his car and he openly claims it's the worst despite the general opinion being other way around. So, it's the same way for most of brands. Depends on multiple factors. You just can't generalise something based on a stereotype. :)

        No smell of Oil or Grease. Trust me, I am allergic and would have sold the bike if that was the case. Paint quality is fine though their chrome plating sucks! Rust is a major issue due to extra-ordinary use of metal. Duly noted.

        So Mr Singh, I don't know if your motive was to offend me or something with the rant above. Well I am sorry to disappoint you but I am noty offended, just amusedt amused. Honestly I am not a fanboy and I really don't care. I used a Lumia 1520 (WP developer here) for 2 years, now I am using iPhone 6 and I may buy a Nexus 5 2015 in Nov when it launch. As you can see, customer is the king here. We are free to make choices as they fit us. Being a guy with a height of 6'2" I find Royal Enfield Classic 500 to be super comfortable. I take it to my office ~3 times a week which is around 41 KMs one-side.

        p.s: I took a print out of checklist while taking delivery for my Toyota Etios too. So does it mean Toyota is a bad company? Hell, it's the top manufacturer of the segment across the globe. Carrying a checklist just signifies how aware as a customer I am. Just my $0.02 :)

        1. J Singh

          Whoa. Now that’s some rant here! Most of the things you mentioned above don’t hold true for the new generation, like in my 8 months of ownership not once had the self-start failed me, it comes to life in one go.
          I AM HAPPY FOR YOU. I WONDER WHY BULLET RIDERS DO NOT KILL THE ENGINES AT THE RED LIGHTS. GUESS I AM WORNG. GOOD FOR YOU MY FRIEND.
          Also why would you try to incline a cruiser on curves is beyond my understanding.
          ITS NOT A SHARP RACE TRACK INCLINE THAT I REFERRED TO, IT’S THE JUST ABOVE INCLINE THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE TO USE IN DAILY DELHI LIFE, PARTICULALY AT RIGHT ANGLED TURNING WHILE OVERTAKING. A 10 TO 15 DEGREES INCLINE MAY NOT BE FORGIVING. BUT YOU ARE THE BETTER JUDGE.

          If you read the article above, I have visited the workshop 5 times till now. 4 for the service and 1 for the alignment issue which is pretty trivial IMHO.
          ALIGNEMENT IS NOT A TRIVIAL ISSUE. WITH RE IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE EITHER. MANY OWNERS COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. IT TELLS YOU WHERE IT IS COMING FROM. ALIGNEMENT CAN BE A SERIOUS ISSUE, WE ALL KNOW THAT AND SERIOUS BEYOND A SMALL NIGGLE. PRE LOADING INSPECTION MUST ENSURE THE ALIGNEMENT IS IN ORDER. SINCE IT IS NOT A BIG TECH HIGH TECH PROCEDURE, IT TELLS YOU THAT RE DOESN'T REALLY THINK VERY MUCH ABOUT THE CUSTOMER WHO IS BUYING IT WITH SO MUCH LOVE AND DREAY EYES. ITS HEART BREAKING. LOVE MUST BE RETURNED.
          RE has a legacy to carry, so don’t expect a modern aerodynamics design from them.
          I AGREE. BUT CARRYING A LEGACY DOES NOT MEAN, YOU OVERLOOK INNOVATION. OR THE NEED OF THE HOUR. TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE TRIUMPH OF ENGLAND. THEY CARRY A LEGACY TOO. BUT AFTER SUFFERING A DEFEAT AT THE HANDS OF JAPANESE BIKES IN ALL DEPARTMENTS, EXCEPT MAY BE LOOKS, AND CHANGE OF HANDS AT OWNERSHIPS A FEW TIMES, THEY SAT DOWN AND THOUGHT HARD. THEIR TOP BRASS WENT AND CAMPED IN JAPAN. THERE THEY VISITED ALL MAJOR FACTORIES AND OEM MAKERS. AFTERRETURNING THEY INCORPORATED ALL NECESSARY CHANGES, (EXACTLY AS THE JAPANESE BIKES) AND RELAUNCHED THE BIKES WITHOUT CHANGING THE CHARACTER SO AS TO CARRY THE LOOKS OR LEGACY. RE HAS INTRODUCED EFI. IF I AM NOT WRONG, ITS JAPANESE TOO. YOU DO NEED DYNAMICS IN DESIGN INCLUDING AIR RESISTENCE SINCE THE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED ARE CHANGING. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IS GETTING A ERFORMANCE GUARANTEE WHILE ENJOYING THE LOOKS AND STYLE AND OF COURSE SOUND.

          I agree to your rant about Tubeless tyres, because my car has them and yes it is super convenient, though I am yet to face a puncture on my CL500 (Let’s hope it stays that way..).
          IF YOU AGREE WITH ME, YOU CAN NOT POSSIBLY CALL IT A RANT. A TUBELESS TYRE CAN BE LIFE SAVING TO SAY THE LEAST. BUT ALLOWING YOU TO JUST PUMP THE AIR IN A LEAKING TYRE AND LETTING YOU GO ON THOSE FEW MILES TO HAVE THE PROPER FIX CAN SAVE YOU A LOTS OF TROUBLE INCLUDING PUSHING THE BIKE. AGAIN THIS IS NOT A HIGH TECH PROBLEM. RE COULD FIX IT LONG AGO. THEY CANT HIDE BEHINDTHE FACT THAT MRF OR OTHERS ARE NOT MAKING 19" RIM MATCH. NOW THEY HAVE CHANGED TO 18" AND THAT OPENS THE OPTIONS TO FIT A TUBELESS SOMEHOW. SO IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, THIS REEKS OF A RECKLESS CARE TO HOOT ATTITUDE ON PART OF THE RE,MORE SO WHEN PEOPLE BUY WITH SO MUCH INSPIRATION AND LOVE. AN ALLOW WHEEL, A TUBE LESS TYRE THESE ARE REALLY NOT THAT BIG AN ISSUE. BUT IN PEOPLE INSIST THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE SPOKED WHEELS AND TUBED TYRES, I CAN NOT JUDGE THAT.
          True again for the ABS part, but you have to understand the point, it’s not mean to ride screaming past 150 kmph. It’s a cruiser, I have gone till 130 kmph on my classic and yes, honestly it was not inspiring at all. It was super scary, RC 390 feels way better on those digits in speedo.
          IF YOU THINK IT IS TRUE I THANK YOU. ABS DOES NOT JUST KEEPS BREAKS FROM LOCKING, AND IS NOT USEFUL ONLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. IT IS A LIFE SAVING TRICK. I ONCE FELL OFF MY RD 350 ON A VERY SMALL HEAP OF SAND WHILE TAKING A U TURN AT A SPEED WHICH MAY BE 10 KMPL. BUT AS I SKIDDED, MY HAND PULLED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE TORQUE CREATED PUSHED THE BIKE SEVERAL METERS. IT BROKE MY WRIST AND SHOULDER AND I WAS OUT OF ACTION FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT ABS CAN SAVE YOU ON WET SURFACES AND SLIPPERY THINGS, LIKE SAND, AND SAVE YOU A LOTS OF SURPRISES. ITS NEITHER FAIL-SAFE OR ALWAYS SAVING IN ANY CONDITION, BUT IT HELPS. AND IT IS NOT A NEW TECHNOLOGY. IT HAS BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME AND YOU MAY NOT KNOW RE MAY PUT ABS IN FUTURE. IF THEY DO, WHY DID THEY NOT? IT IS THEIR ATTITUDE OF TAKING THE EVER FORGIVING CUSTOMERS. THEY TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED. I DON’T LIKE THAT.
          As per after sales service, ha! I have had pleasure of owning multiple bikes and cars, and trust me it’s uneven. My dad is super fed up of Maruti Suzuki service for his car and he openly claims it’s the worst despite the general opinion being other way around. So, it’s the same way for most of brands. Depends on multiple factors. You just can’t generalise something based on a stereotype.
          I AGREE, AFTER SALE SERVICE IS A COMPLEX WORLD OVER WHEN IT COMES TO AUTOMOBILE. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT ASPIRATIONS AND SERVICER HAS LIMITATIONS. STILL SUZUKI OR TOYOTAS MAY LACK BASIC COURTSIES AS EXCEPTIONS. BUT WITH RE ITS LIKE A RULE. MY FRIEND WHO OWNS A 500, WAS PRIVATELY TOLD BY A SERVICE MANAGER THAT MOST BULLET RIDERS ARE RUFFIANS AND IF RUDENESS IS ALL THAT THEY UNDERSTAND. I DID NOT LIKE THAT EITHER. IF YOU LIFT THE CURTAIN, MAY BE YOU WILL FIND THAT THE SERVICE STATIONS DO NOT GET A PROPER RESPOSE FROM RE. THEY ARE TREATED RUDELY BY RE AND THEY PASS IT ON. I DO OT HOW FAR IT IS TRUE. YOU SEE IF A PROBLEM IS RECURRING AND AT SERVICE STATION LEVEL THEY HAVE NO CLUE TO IT, THEY REFER IT TO THE H.O. IF THEY CONTINUE TO GET NO RESPONSE OR SOLUTION, THEY STOP REFERRING FURTHER BUT THEY HAVE TO FACE A CUSTOMER WHO BELIEVES THAT THEY HAVE SOME SOLUTION, WHNE THEY DON’T. FRUSTRATION CAN MAKE ANY ONE RUDE.
          MY FRIEND WHO BOUGHT THE RE 500 IRON, HAD A LOOSE CHAIN ON HIS BRAND NEW BIKE.
          NOW IS THAT ASKING FOR TOO MUCH ?
          No smell of Oil or Grease. Trust me, I am allergic and would have sold the bike if that was the case.
          IAM HAPPY TO KNOW THAT. BUT YOU SHOULD WAIT FOR IT TO DO 10,000 KM AND CHECK AGAIN. I HOPE IT STAYS THE SAME FOR YOU.
          Paint quality is fine though their chrome plating sucks! Rust is a major issue due to extra-ordinary use of metal. Duly noted.

          YOU SEE, CHROME IS NOT A HIGH TECK MAJOR WORK EITHER. GO TO ANY DECENT SMALL CHROME PLATTER IN DELHI AND HE WILL GIVE YOU A HROME PLATING THAT WILL LAST SEVERAL YEARS WITHOUT LOOSING GLITTER OR TAKING RUST. ITS NO BIG SCIENCE, YOU CAN CHOOSE HOW MUCH CHROMIUM AND NICKLE YOU PUT IN THE SOLUTION BEFORE IT IS TREATED ON THE SUBSTRATE. YOU MAY CHOOSE A CHEAPER ONE OR A PROPER ONE. RE CHARGES LIKE THEY ARE IN GOOD ROYAL LEAGUE AND THEN CUTS COSTS. MIND YOU, THEY DO NOT IMPORT MUCH OF THEIR COMPONENTS AND STILL THEY KEEP CHARGING. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THEIR PRODUCTION IS NOR EFFICIENT AND THEY ARE LESS PRODUCTIVE HENCE MORE EXPENSIVE.

          So Mr Singh, I don’t know if your motive was to offend me or something with the rant above.
          IT IS NOT A RANT AND I HAVE NO MOTIVE TO OFFEND YOU. I AM SORRY AGAIN IF I DID.
          Well I am sorry to disappoint you but I am noty offended, just amusedt amused. Honestly I am not a fanboy and I really don’t care. I used a Lumia 1520 (WP developer here) for 2 years, now I am using iPhone 6 and I may buy a Nexus 5 2015 in Nov when it launch. As you can see, customer is the king here. We are free to make choices as they fit us. Being a guy with a height of 6’2″ I find Royal Enfield Classic 500 to be super comfortable. I take it to my office ~3 times a week which is around 41 KMs one-side.
          p.s: I took a print out of checklist while taking delivery for my Toyota Etios too. So does it mean Toyota is a bad company? Hell, it’s the top manufacturer of the segment across the globe. Carrying a checklist just signifies how aware as a customer I am. Just my $0.02
          NO. BUT IF YOU CHECKD THE LIST ON A TOYOTA OR A MERCEDES, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHECK ON MOST BOXES. IS THIS THE CASE WITH RE? HONESTLY?
          I DO AGREE THAT RE HAS A FINE BOOKLET.

          1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

            Damn! This looks like mother of inline-comments. I will do the partial inline for your replies. Hope you will get it. :P

            I AM HAPPY FOR YOU. I WONDER WHY...FOR YOU MY FRIEND.
            >> I do it all the time when Green light ETA >40 seconds.

            ITS NOT A SHARP RACE TRACK...THE BETTER JUDGE.
            >> Well this is scary because I always slightly incline my CL500 on bank roads while pulling out my knee on bends. Guess old habits die hard, but I am quite sure Classics have a good ground clearance.

            ALIGNEMENT IS NOT A TRIVIAL ISSUE...MUST BE RETURNED
            >> The problem is bikes are shipped from Chennai factory in trucks. With loading and unload and a long travel time, it's bound to happen. But I duly agree that bike should be thoroughly inspected in PDI by Workshop guys before delivering it to the customer. :roll:

            I AGREE. BUT CARRYING A LEGACY...LOOKS AND STYLE AND OF COURSE SOUND.
            >> Well yes! I agree, EFI is great but they should incorporate more advanced tech. If I am paying ~₹1.5 lacs+ I expect it to have ABS, Tubeless tyres, Dual disc etc. The problem is that ever since Classic was launched back in 2009, it has been the best selling model for RE and is the key variant to be credited for the sudden interest of people in RE and long waiting periods. But since the launch there has been very little change in the Classic family. I do hope that they do bring some nice upgrades in next year's model. Let's hope for the best. :wink:

            IF YOU AGREE WITH ME, YOU CAN...NOT JUDGE THAT.
            >> +1 for Tubeless tyres. I believe those who insist for Tubed tyres are living in denial. :mrgreen:

            ABS DOES NOT JUST KEEPS BREAKS...LIKE THAT.
            >> I agree ABS can be life saving. But for the matter of fact :idea: The ABS that is currently available in the bikes are only useful when you are braking in a straight line. Even the slightest amount of lean and its effectiveness drops. down exponentially

            I AGREE, AFTER SALE SERVICE...CAN MAKE ANY ONE RUDE.
            >> Well I am yet to experience any rude behaviour from RE guys. I am a software engineer, if you even hinted a little bit of rudeness to me, I am going to screw them badly.
            Respect is a 2 lane highway. You give it first to get it back. :)

            YOU SEE, CHROME IS NOT A HIGH TECH...HENCE MORE EXPENSIVE.
            >> Well this is something I don't have much idea about. Thank you for expanding the horizon of my Bike gyaan. Well, let me know if you know some good guy to get my Rider seat's springs plated. Delhi monsoon hasn't been kind to them. Also, I don't think Chrome plating is a costly affair so don't see the point of cost cutting here. :razz:

            IAM HAPPY TO KNOW THAT. BUT YOU SHOULD WAIT FOR IT TO DO 10,000 KM AND CHECK AGAIN. I HOPE IT STAYS THE SAME FOR YOU
            >> Haha! Let's see sir. I really hope RE has left it's Oilfield days back in 20th century. :twisted:

            IT IS NOT A RANT AND I HAVE NO MOTIVE TO OFFEND YOU. I AM SORRY AGAIN IF I DID.
            >> Ha! :D

            NO. BUT IF YOU CHECKED THE LIST ON A TOYOTA OR A MERCEDES, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CHECK ON MOST BOXES. IS THIS THE CASE WITH RE? HONESTLY?
            I DO AGREE THAT RE HAS A FINE BOOKLET.
            >> Luckily I didn't have any problem. And since this was bought from my own earning, trust me I did a thorough job in inspecting it. :cool:

    2. Amit Chugh

      LOL!! Thats a load of bull shit! You have no idea what your are talking about....no point in giving you any explaination.......Classic case of Ignorance is Bliss! LOL!! still i couldnt resist...Kick Start ? have u heard about the self starter button?! you clearly havent! I rest my case....peace.

      1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

        Ha! The guy is clearly living in the 90s. ;)

    3. nishant chaudhary

      Lolzzz. The most hilarious review I have ever heard .

      Stanza is an absolute epic " And one old man I knew said he makes his own whiskey. His doctors told him that his liver now hangs on thin threads and his whiskey is no more than a poison, still he said, “Pahli Dhaar ki peene ka maza hi kuchh aur hai” No matter what the costs are. "

      Sentence made me laugh for hours -"Pahli Dhaar ki peene ka maza hi kuchh aur hai" , reminded me of my village .

      Thanks for epic laugh I had after years .

  4. Siddhant Gautam

    Hey Jatin... that was really a good read. I have too booked a classic 350 silver on 2nd september.. waiting period 1.5 months.. :( I just can't wait for it to be delivered.. Don't know why but every bullet on road seems to draw my attention towards it..well i think that's just anxiety.. Just keep posting about your experience with Royal enfield. :)
    PS- Bajaj Chetak Space Grey :P

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hey Siddhant!
      Congrats man. The waiting period is the toughest. :(
      Royal Enfield is selling these machines like hot cakes. I see a lot of REs on road in Delhi now.

      Sure. I will keep posting my experience and expense report. :D

      p.s: Trust me, *That* Space Grey was way cheaper than the present one! Ha!

  5. Amit Chugh

    Dude you have way too much patience!You should have complained the very first time and shown them that after spending 1.85 lacs you definitely have rights to proper service and problem solving. I bought a Classic 500 in Pune, Brahma Motors and since the very first service they have been providing me with full satisfaction be it attitude or addressing the problems I was facing(not that there were any major ones) As a consumer you have full right to get the best service and if not change you service centre immediately and initmate the Company, I am sure they will be glad to help. But all in all the Classic 500 experience has been awesome. Riding it gives pure pleasure and feeling of ultimate bliss. Loving every moment on it! Take care and happy biking!

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hello Amit,
      I agree with every bit you have written above. As a customer, if I am paying for some service, I deserve to get the best one. I was a bit sceptical at first, but I got my issues resolved. Communication is the key.

      Classic 500 has been hell of a ride for me too. It super comfortable and torque is produces is very addictive. Its a beast on both highway and in the city.

      Happy Biking mate!

  6. GAUTAM sharma

    I just booked my Classic 350 (Ash White). With waiting period of 2 moths. So the delivery will be next year 2016.

    1. What do you think of that color. As I still have time to change the color request.

    2. What I want to know is how much petrol is provided by the dealer when the bike is delivered...??? As I heard many people saying that RE has the policy of filling the tank till the reserve light is switched off by itself, but my dealer said they will only provide 1.5l of petrol.

    ???????????

    What should I expect.

    3. Also please provide customer service number of RE as I tried to contact them but the guy on other hand told me that he is technical guy and can't answer my question and call some other time. I was like HELL! THIS IS BULLSHIT!

    Also can provide the email address you used for complaining and the names and emails of the officials you informed about your issues. That will be helpful.

    Thanks

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hey Gautam!

      Congratulations! Trust me waiting period is the hardest but probably worth it! :D
      I will answer your query one-by-one in same order you asked.

      1. What do you think of that color. As I still have time to change the color request.
      ASH color is super badass! It looks like a cop bike. Just get a blue-red strobe installed and no one will overtake you like ever. :cool:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtL5btOkQLk

      2. What I want to know is how much petrol is provided by the dealer when the bike is delivered…??? As I heard many people saying that RE has the policy of filling the tank till the reserve light is switched off by itself, but my dealer said they will only provide 1.5l of petrol
      Well, Classic 500 has a reserve capacity of 2 litres. 1.5 litres would be just enough to take the bike from showroom to nearest petrol pump. I had a talk with a Senior guy in RE, he said that's the general policy now. So make sure to fill her upto brim as soon as you get the delivery.
      ProTip: Do make sure that you fill her up as soon as reserve hits because Classic 500 uses fuel injection, where a fuel pump determines the amount of fuel & air mixture to enter the engine. So, Petrol also acts like a coolant for the fuel pump. Make sure you never push your bike to limits in reserve as prolong running with low fuel and then trying to start the bike empty may result in damage of fuel pump. Trust me, it's costly AF.

      3. Also please provide customer service number of RE as I tried to contact them but the guy on other hand told me that he is technical guy and can’t answer my question and call some other time. I was like HELL! THIS IS BULLSHIT!
      Well this should work:

      Else you can always contact your dealership, he should be more than happy to help! :)

      Let me know if you have any other query.
      Happy riding mate and make sure you always gear up and follow traffic rules.
      Enfield is for men, not immature boys.
      Just my $0.02. :)

      1. GAUTAM sharma

        Those strobe lights are awesome. I will surely have them installed.

        One more thing is bothering me, or I should say it is not letting me sleep.

        Although I ordered for Classic 350. I had test drive of Classic 500. And that feel, when you pull the accelerator and the bike pushes you backwards and that power. OMG......!!!!
        I had never drove any of enfields except the standard 350. And just after riding the Classic 500 for around a kilometer, I stopped and hand over the bike to the dealer who was sitting behind me and said that it is awesome and I will crash it for sure because of the goosebumps I am feeling at the moment.

        What I want to ask, is the experience same in Classic 350 too. Or it is not????? I hope it will be, if not that awesome.

        Thanks

        1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

          Haha! Okay I misread that you booked 350.

          Well since 500 is EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) you get tap-on-throttle. Just give accelerator a flick and it plunges forward like there is no tomorrow. 350 also has good torque and hp, but it's more of a relaxed engine as it has carburettor which has manual fixed tuning. So, the amount of air+fuel mixture remains constant depending upon the RPM you are revving on.

          Both the bikes are excellent to drive in City but on highway Classic 500 feels a bit better as it can do easy take-overs and could cruise at higher speed. Other than that, both bikes are pretty much identical.

          But still, 350 has crazy pickup if you are coming from Pulsar, Karizma etc. It feel very powerful to ride. :cool:

  7. rahul

    Thanks for the ownership report,I had driven motorbikes extensively over time and i was planning to upgrade to RE but your report makes me think twice about the after sales service,I would consider looking into another stable and move away from RE.

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hi Rahul. As I said, it's purely dependent on the dealership and the workshop you go to for your initial services.

      Also, let us know, which bike are you considering next? Mahindra Mojo looks good for a sports cruiser! ;)

  8. Jitin N

    Hi Jatin,
    Truly appreciate your time you took out to pen down your experience on service with North Delhi motorcycles.
    I too went there for 1st service and made fool of 1700 rs..I have not gone back for 2nd till now.
    I just wanted to check, if the golden color spot on silencer near the kick was resolved by them and how.
    I reported this problem during 1st service and they said it is common in some bikes and cannot be corrected.
    Should it not be replaced during 1year itself?
    Thanks
    Jitin

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hi Jitin!

      Well it's pretty common in Classic 500 ( I have seen it in almost all of them). I think stock map of ECU is to be blamed here which leads to retarded ignition timing resulting in carbon deposition.

      I think if you threaten them enough, they may replace it only for you to find the problem reappearing again in few days/weeks. I have made peace with it, probably you should too. :)

      Cheers,
      Jatin K Malik

  9. Shreyas Sawant

    I am buying the same Royal Enfield Classic 500 Silver. I would like to try talk on phone. Can i please get your number?

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      Hi shreyas! I will prefer answering here. :)

  10. Shreyas Sawant

    Okay so.. 1.Will u suggest classic 500 to anyone?
    2.Rate out of 10...
    3.What are precautions need to b taken for classic 500 before and after buying it?
    4.Any tips about accessories?
    5. How the riding should be? ( Coz m a rash rider)
    More questions to come.
    Congratulations on your massive knowledge about classic 500. Hope you reply soon.

    1. Jatin Kumar Malik Author

      1. Yes! I will depending on the requirements of a person. If you are an individual who likes stability and likes to enjoy little things in life .Enfield is for you. If young/hot blooded kinda boy, go for KTM :)

      2. 8/10 (-1 for abysmal after sales service, -1 for Rust which is inevitable)

      3. I have a PDI (Pre-delivery inspection) list below in the comments. I would suggest you to save it and check with same on delivery date. :)

      4. A leg guard is a MUST! It will save you, your life and the bike in case of any mishappening. You can also go for a backrest as the pillion seat is not very comfortable and your friend may complain about it on long distances.

      5. Ahan! Rash rider! Don't go for bullet. Inspite of having a superb pickup in CL500, it is still no where near to the Japanese bikes. Classic carries a long stroke bore engine, which is not actually meant to drive rest. It has it's own benefits on long routes and highways as you can literally idle your bike on 90kmph and it won't overheat as compared to other bikes. Plus it's more comfortable. But if you want to ride rash (with no regard of your own life or other's) go for KTM RC 390, it's a rocket :cool:

      If you have any more questions, keep them coming mate. :)

      Cheers,
      Jatin

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