Tag: Thunderbird 350

Bullet can skid saala

~ Akshay ~ Leave a comment

So this incident happened about a month or so ago. I was rushing to work as I was running late and all of a sudden it started to rain a little bit. The rain was just about right – not too much to wash away the oil and dirt which forms a slippery mix and not too little to have no impact. Just about right. Well I realized that the conditions were not safe to ride and I started to slow down to ensure that I didnt skid off the road. I think I must be riding at approx. 20 kmph when I saw the signal was red and there was some traffic lined up nicely. So I slowed down even more and that when it happened. The front tire completely gave away and I panicked and decided to brake – and the bike skidded. It hit the rear of the car (the bumper had a huge dent). All this happened in a matter of seconds. Immediately people started rushing to help me get up and pick up bike and check if i was ok. The owner of the car also got out to see if there was any damage and when he saw the dent, he wasn’t too happy. He started saying that I should have been driving slowly. That’s when fellow bikers who were behind me told him that he was already going very slowly and it was road and there wasn’t much he could have done. Hearing that the car owner calmed down a little bit and decided to go on his way. By that time I was up on my feet, and I pushed the bike to the side of the road. I checked to see if there was any more damage to the bike. The angle of the bike handle had changed and the mirrors had loosened. There were some scratches on the exhaust. Overall not much damage. The reason for so little damage was the leg guard on the bike. I shudder to think what would have happened if the bike didn’t have the leg guard.

I slowly turn the bike around and head home. One side of my jeans is completely messed up. Thank goodness, this incident didn’t happen when I was riding in my shorts or formal office wear. The injuries could have been severe. I reached home and narrate the incident to my parents. At this point, my dad says – how can a heavy bike like Bullet skid like this on the road? I told him well it does skid and the end results arent too good when that happens. I am now thinking of getting rear leg guard too – to prevent the bike from touching the ground. But come rains – this baby is going to remain in the garage until there have been a few heavy downpours and all the slick has been washed away from the roads.

Day 101/ 365 – New bike, new issues – Part II

~ Akshay ~ 1 Comment

Continuing from my previous post, I was extremely disappointed that the bike was behaving in this manner. I had all sort of strange thoughts going on in my head and basically all thoughts ended up with me thinking of selling the bike. The next afternoon, I happened to pass by the Enfield showroom and decided to go and check the status on the bike – in case if it was done. I spoke to the folks over at the Enfield showroom and expressed my disappointment. I even told them that I would like to return this bike and get a different piece. But as per them this was not possible as bike was registered with the RTO and I couldn’t simply exchange the bike (I am not sure – if that is really the case).  Even on that afternoon, the issue with the bike was still not resolved. At this point, I was really frustrated with the entire experience. I told them to call me once the bike gets fixed. They assured me that they would be doing that once they have an update.

Day 2 was also over and there was no update from the bike workshop. At this point, I was just exasperated. There was nothing I could do but just wait. On day 3, I finally decided to call up the bike workshop directly and asked for an update. The mechanic at the workshop told me that the bike was ready since yesterday evening and he didn’t have my number and hence couldn’t call me to explain the problem. The problem was caused because I had attached a leg guard to the bike. I got the leg guard fitted from another mechanic and while attaching the guard to the bike, the mechanic passed the wire through the clip, instead of outside.  This caused the wire to be damaged and caused the entire issue. I as very relieved to know that there was no problem with the bike – i.e. all the electrical wiring etc. was good. I asked the Enfield mechanic, if he had fixed the issue – he replied in affirmative and asked me to pick up the bike any time during the day. Later that afternoon, I went to the workshop and asked him to show me where the problem was (Pics to be shared later). I also checked with him, if the wiring had to be changed. He confirmed that the wiring was fine and it shouldn’t cause me problems any more. I was finally feeling better that the bike was alright and there wasn’t anything for me to worry about.One word on the customer service though – it was horrible. The showroom guys didn’t call me to inform that the bike was ready to be picked up. Couple of days back, they confirmed that bike was ready and when I went to pick up they said it wasn’t. I just wish they had done a better job.

It has been 4 days since I have picked up the bike and have been riding happily ever since.

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Day 100/ 365 – New bike, new issues

~ Akshay ~ 5 Comments

As mentioned in my previous post, recently I brought a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350. Last week, while taking the bike out to drop my wife to the bus stop, the bike suddenly stopped working. It seemed that the bike had just stalled. The electrical system was not working. I tried to kick start the bike, it didn’t work. I tried to everything that I could think of, but the bike just wouldn’t start. At this point, I decided to take the bike to the Enfield showroom as that was near to my house. The only way to take the bike to the showroom was to push the 150kg bike on the road in the hot March sun. I really wanted to get the bike fixed as I had to take it work later in the afternoon. So I pushed the bike in the heat for about 30 mins, before I finally reached the bike showroom.

I explained the guys, what the problem was and they started working on the bike right away. After checking a few things, they determined that the problem was with the fuse and decided to put the spare fuse to use. I asked them how could the fuse blow up so soon. I had recently got the bike (not even 10 days since I took the delivery) and this was simply not acceptable. The guys at the showroom told that since the fuse is an electrical part – there are no guarantees for it. At this point, I just felt like killing them. Here, I have a paid a ton of money to get this bike and they offer such unreasonable answers. After changing the fuse, the bike started working again. I assumed the problem was resolved and just taken a U turn to head home, when the bike stalled once again. I once again took the bike to the showroom and told them what had just happened. The showroom guys asked me to keep the bike there and they would have it sent to the workshop. I told them I needed the issue to be checked properly and then fixed since I travel late in the night through a forested area and bike breaking down in the middle of nowhere is not an idea, I am very comfortable with. They assured me that it is a minor problem and they would have it fixed in no time.

I called them later in the afternoon to check how things were – as I had to take the bike to work. The showroom guys told me that the bike was done and I can come and pick it up. So I went to the showroom and saw that the bike had come from the workshop yet. I asked them to get the bike here and while they were asking for the bike to be delivered, the mechanic at the workshop said that there is some major issue with the wiring of the bike and he needs to check it thoroughly before he can confirm that there are no issues. Apparently, while he was taking the bike out  – the bike stalled once again. At this point, I was fuming mad at the Enfield guys and was cursing my decision to get this bike.

To be continued in next post.

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Day 98/ 365 – Thunderbird 350 is here

~ Akshay ~ Leave a comment

After 5 months of wait, last weekend I finally got the delivery of Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350. I was really excited to get the bike. When I arrived at the store, I couldn’t see my bike parked outside and was wondering where it was. I asked the RE guys and they said it is standing outside, and they haven’t put the number plates yet. I decided to go outside and check out the bike. Just as I was standing there and admiring the black beauty, another RE mechanic was trying to park his continental GT next to the bike and in the process broke the left side rear view mirror. Needless to say I was extremely pissed. Here, I havent even received the bike yet and the mirror had already broke. In the mean time, my dad who had also come to pick up the bike with me and brother started arguing with the RE guys and was generally disappointed because of what had happened. The RE guys apologized profusely, put on a new mirror and were like this is a good omen and dont worry about it. Soon after another RE guy arrived and started putting up the number plate. I decided to wait outside and watch him do his thing. While watching, all of a sudden a dead rat fell from a tree and I was like Oh Oh!! “Today is not a good day it seems”.

The number plates got fixed and RE guy started explaining all the bike features to me. There were a couple of things which I think RE could have done better in the bike – one of them is place where you can keep bike papers. There is a box which is given on the left side of the bike to keep papers and the medical kit. The lid of the box comes off completely and thus the papers and medical kit needs to be placed properly to ensure that the lid closes properly and papers don’t slip out. The other thing which I feel they could have taken care of is the petrol tank lid. While they have given a 20 liter tank, the lid of the tank comes off completely, instead of being attached to the tank. Getting to the tool kit, which is on the right hand side of the bike is also a pain. After explaining to me all the features and congratulating me on my purchase, I took the bike to the temple where the priest performed the pooja and the blessed the bike. Given all that happened a couple of hours earlier, I was sure me and the bike both needed the blessings. So far I have been commuting to work on the new bike and slowing breaking it in – which is not going over more than the speed of 50kmph, and everything is working like a charm. I am on my way to begin another riding chapter with RE Thunderbird 350.

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