Photograph by Vir Nakai |
A tried-and-true motorcycling Swiss Army
Knife, Royal Enfield has long been the bike du jour for dyed-in-the-wool Indian
adventure motorcyclists. The recently launched Thunderbird 500 employs a
multitude of improvements to achieve higher levels of performance, comfort and,
above all, practicality. To discover some of its potential, Royal Enfield
invited us for a 2-day pre-launch ride from Bangalore to Ooty and back routed
on superhighways as well as some tasty sinuous backroads of the Nilgiris.
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Photograph by Harsh Man Rai |
On first look, the Thunderbird has a
brutish appearance, far removed from the rather effete appearance of its
previous iterations. Clad in all black, including the powder-coated 500cc,
27-bhp engine, the only relief is found in the winking chrome of the fenders,
exhaust and headlights. A fat 20-litre tank tapers into thickly padded
quick-release stepped seats, the rear one easily detachable to stack up luggage
for longer trips and lashing points for bungee cords are thoughtfully provided
on the sub-frame. Round folding foot pegs now occupy a slightly more forward
position and the handlebars swoop high and back making for a comfortable and
upright riding stance. Nestled between the beefy 41 mm front forks is a
distinctive projection type headlight with twin 55w lamps, a cat’s eye light
guide surrounding the lower bulb—a shame really then for the ugly brackets that
hold the headlight in place. The bazooka-sized silencer is not going to find
many fans and hopefully Royal Enfield will offer an optional silencer as they
did with the upswept exhaust on the Desert Storm. For the first time Royal
Enfields comes with a 240 mm rear disc brake and an oval section braced
swingarm, both very welcome additions.
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Photograph by Harsh Man Rai |
Slip into the thickly padded saddle and the
Thunderbird 500 feels comfortable for an average-sized rider even though it
feels short front-to-back and might not be the most accommodating for longer-legged
folks. The Thunderbird 500 weighs in at 195 kg but in spite of its added girth,
it is still easy to manoeuvre at parking lot speeds. Once on the highway the
bike really sings. The handlebar placement and slightly forward placed foot pegs put you in a comfortable upright
position. Rock solid at triple digit speeds, the TB500 displays none of the
rear end waggle that plagued the Classic 500 variants at high speeds.
Comprehensive instrumentation provides data like average speed, two trip
meters, besides the usual speedo and tach displays. The display is difficult to
read in bright sunlight as it is deeply recessed into the twin pods and the
blue on black numbers don’t provide enough contrast. Another first for Royal
Enfield motorcycles is vibration-free mirrors at all speeds!
In the short 30-km ghat section just before
our destination of Ooty, the TB500 feels remarkably adroit. The chassis feels
much stiffer it feels much solid when ridden aggressively and the wide
handlebars ensure quick responses as the bike dives into corners with
remarkable composure. The Thunderbird 500 is definitely the best handling new
generation motorcycle from Royal Enfield so far.
Like any motorcycle, there are some things I’d
like to see changed or improved. More compliant rear shocks with better rebound
damping, a power point to charge electronics while on the move, a more
accessible place for the hazard light switch and of course a more reliable fuel
gauge.
Styling preferences notwithstanding, the
Thunderbird 500 is a ‘many roads’ bike that can competently tackle city
streets, highway slog and a little dose of dirt with a proficiency that can’t
be found on any other motorcycle in Royal Enfield’s stable. - HARSH MAN RAI
Thunderbird 500, Rs 1,83,000, Mumbai
If we talk about the cruisers in India,there is not any direct competitor of Royal Enfield Thunderbird.Its made for highway hunters and those who just want to live for bikes.
ReplyDeleteLiked the style of your prose. It was a good read. The Thunderbird 500 does seem to be RE's best cruiser so far. How are the gear shifts? Notchy?
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