Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 User Reviews

As the header says, i'm not writing the review as a "fanboy". I read countless reviews of the re bikes before i went for a tbts last year and have been reading them steadily. I always believe that re bikes are shortchanged by reviewers -- the main problem is that the expectations of the reviewers from the bike are often entirely different and sometimes not at all what the bike is supposed to meet in the first place !!

for example, people say that re bikes are "unreliable" -- well, i have a tbts for 18 months now -- and i have taken it on various solo trips . Not once has it failed on me. The key is to give the bike a look-over every now and then and if anything doesn't look right, get it tightened, adjusted or fixed straightaway -- a stitch in time folks , it's not an old saying for no reason. You cannot simply accuse your bike of being unreliable if you allow things to go bad. If you say that a bike is no good if it requires such frequent maintenance checks -- then unfortunately, the re is not the bike for you, but don't accuse it of being unreliable.

Another thing that i'd like to mention is that a re bike requires a very good mechanic to make it work perfectly. Not many mechanics -- not many in the authorised service centers either -- have that touch. In fact, i believe so many people complain about re bikes simply becaue the its a fault on the part of re themselves that their service center staff is often not good enough. So, for an re you need to find a good mechanic in your area -- one with reputation and experience and this little thing can make a lot of difference in how your bike behaves. Secondly : fuel -efficiency -- one of the most common complaints of reviewers. My bike gives a steady mileage of around 46kmpl on the highway and around 40-42 kmpl in city conditions -- i think it is a very good fuel efficiency for an engine that size. Yes, it could be improved, but it isn't bad either. Those who accuse an re of bad fuel efficiency -- again, your expectations are not in sync with reality -- you need to go for the lighter bikes that claim to give 60+ kmpl. To conclude the preamble -- before buying a re bike, and definitely before calling it worthless or unreliable, you need to ask yourself what do you need a bike for -- if you need a bike that can be neglected for months and will still perform perfectly, giving a fuel efficiency of 60kmpl or more at the same time -- then a re is not what you need to buy.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox engine runs smoothly without many hiccups. Self-start is a boon, but is a bit tricky to catch on to than most other bikes. Power output, given the size of the engine, is a little less -- but not that much. The torque, too, is a bit low for an engine this size but provides enough acceleration to leave traffic behind. Fuel economy is fair. Gear shifting is a bit crude with false neutrals occassionally -- one area that has scope of improvement.

Ride quality & handling balance is very good, the bike (tbts) doesn't feel heavy at all while riding. Best feel of the ride is between 60 and 80 kmph. Beyond 90kmph the ride becomes shaky, esp if there are strong crosswinds. (Not that i recommend riding a bike at more than 90kmph on any indian road).

Final words despite of all the negative reviews, i consider a re tbts to be a very well balanced bike that will take care of you if you give it a little attention. The bike's price-tag is a bit on the higher side considering all it's pros and cons. I'd be happier if the bike was priced at 1.1Lakh or whereabouts. Also, the re company need to have better servicing staff at their outlets and workshops.

Pros

styling, comfort, fuel economy.

Cons

cost, non-homogeneous service

Style good.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox engine is good. Good milege and gear is bit hard, but ok.

Ride quality & handling comfortable ride and handling won't be an issue once you get used to.

Final words totally satisfied with a bike. Before getting it, i prepared myself because that was my first experience with the bike before that i was using pulser 150cc. I already aware that it is not a normal japanese kind bike so whatever issues i had faced after getting it, it was not surprised me. I have learn few safety and riding tricks by experience. So when i realizes someone is complaining about these machines i always count these people in that japanese kind bike rider class. They are not matured enough for these machines. I am not saying that i am perfect here, but i always try to be. Few tricks may be it helps new comers,

i) always first start in a day with kick not using button start.

Ii) keep a bike start in an ideal rpm (700-100 rpm) for atleast 2 mins.

Iii) before taking it in first gear gives some acceleration (about 1.5K-2k rpm).

Iv) ride smoothly, try to up-shift gear when engine rpm reaches upto 2.5K-3k rpm.

V) try to ride bike in proper gear. (Many times i do not able to shift it in fifth gear due to road conditions).

Vi) use proper engine oil (i use motul 3000 4t plus 15w50) and replace it after certain intervals (5k-6k).

Vii) try to keep your bike clean. Do it by yourself, because it gives you better understanding of your bike.

Viii) learn little maintenance by reading user manual.

Ix) feel your bike. It will respond you.

I have completed almost 35k in 2 years, including some long trips.

Yes! totally satisfied.

Areas of improvement need some basic training to new riders.

Pros

good engine, good mileage

cons

few negligible manufacturing defects

If you are serious about going for weekend rides . Do not buy any royal enfileds

royal enfield sucks big time.

"Leave home" - but with a fear that it might stop anywhere .

Dont get me wrong , but royal enfields are the most unreliable bikes on indian roads.. Just because they have 350cc and 500cc engine doenst mean they are good .

I have a royal enfield thunderbird 2010 at home and i always get scared to go for long rides .

Its almost 3 years old now and run 45000+ km.

Speedometer cable keeps breaking , throttle cable keeps breaking very often 500-1000km , clutch cable keeps breaking every 100 -200 km ,oil leaks ,

tappet sounds ,

once my self start got jammed while riding from mangalore-bangalore . And it jammed the kicker too . I had to hire a tempo to get it across . I dont know if the designer was stoned or had a fight with his wife before he designed the system !!! .

Cant handle rains . The bike doesnt start once its drenched .

I can go on with the problems ..

Add all this and the amount of time you spend with a half knowledged "royal enfiled" mechanics . Well. Lets just say that this bike is just bull-shit! .

This bike is just not practical .

May be a good timepass , trying to fix it half of the year to go for a 100km ride, while you are getting retired and have a huge amount of money in your bank account to drain it on crappy parts for this bull-shit! .

Trust me .. I had better experince with my old yamaha rx-100 and old hero honda cbz .

Pros

only 350 cc engine which u get for this price

cons

most unreliable bike in india.

Style- it's a true blue cruiser. Led tail lamp and projector headlamp set you apart from crowd. The instrumentation cluster looks very good with its blue backlight and is very informative. Overall road presence is awesome.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox

engine feels a bit underpowered while cruising and overtaking. Otherwise for city rides its very good. Most suited for cruising @80-90kmph above that it feels a bit strained. Most comfortable between 2000-3500rpm. It has a red line at 5500rpm so 3000rpm means 80-85kmph in 5th gear. No overheating issues.

Fuel economy re says anywhere between 22-42kmpl. I get 44kmpl in the city and 47 on highway.

Gearbox clunky. Hits false nuetral sometimes.

Ride quality & handling

ride quality ride quality is exceptionally good for the rider thanks to exceptionally good ergonomics. Seats uses a generous amount of foam for long ride comfort. Although the same cannot be said for pillion rider as pillion seat is tiny.

Handling well cruisers and handling do not go together but i think while designing new thunderbird designers at re had handling as top priority. It leans into corners very comfortably and will inspire confidence in riders. City ride is also easy but in heavy traffic maneuvering this bike is difficult due to its heavy weight.

Final words if a cruiser is what you are looking for then thunderbird is the best option available in the price range of below 2lacs.

Areas of improvement

1. The brakes could do with a bit more bite.

2. Vibes extremely high above 4000rpm.

3. Gearbox refinement and shift feel.

4. The fuel gauge has a mind of its own.

Pros

style, comfort, 20l fuel tank, thump!!

cons

vibes, gearbox

Style good but not great,i guess they shortened its length now which is not looking cool

engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox

i have used this bike, gearbox is improved

yes definetively its wire breaks frequently and average of this bike is 30 kmpl

ride quality & handling

i purchased it in 2007 and that felt like cruiser but this one i did feel like comfortable bike not a cruiser

final words

i left it to wait for a better cruiser in market

areas of improvement

wire quality has been very poor, too much expensive after sale service, rarely we finds a good mechanic, in service center its service is costly and mechanic are not that good in all india i guess people seeks for a expert outside of service center

please improve, i wanted a new thunderbird but left it.

Pros

stylish look and projector light

cons

poor average and short length for a cruiser

Style

in the indian cruiser section this bike has got a dominating style, it certainly seems to have a bold look on the road compared to other bikes.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox

the performance with this bike was a bit disappointing as it lacked approppriate pick up considering the power it has. Gear box definitely need to be smoother as you may tend to get ambiguous as to which gear you may be riding in.

Ride quality & handling

ride quality is excellent for a cruiser and has the best handling capabilty among all the other enfields.

Final words

worth buying if you know your in for long distance jaunts or don't mind investing in petrol atleast twice a month for a full tank. Still its dominating image can't be ignored and definitely worth the buy if you want to make an impression on city roads. Still nothing beats a long test drive.

Areas of improvement

handling can be a bit more smooth.

Pros

comfort, new styling, features, handling

cons

fuel economy.

Style simply great in style when i compare with other models of royal enfield. The day when i got my thunder, since then atleast 100 people have asked about thunderbird.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox engine performance is awesome. Till date i am getting mileage of 40 km/l on highway. Little discomfort is there with gearbox as its tougher then other bikes.

Ride quality & handling handling is awesome, have rode bike 250 km at strech (took 10 mts break) and did not feel any pain, as i used to feel in other bike. Have touch the speed of 120 km/h without any discomfort.

Final words finally, this bike is awesome for any age group people and this is the bike meant for indian roads.

Areas of improvement i could not find any areas of improvement in the bike, but royal enfield should do something about service centres.

Pros

style, power, mileage & handling

cons

vibration

Style awesome.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox super good but problem in getting neutral.

Ride quality & handling superb

final words the bike is not at all meant for racing. It is meant for comfort, easyness, power. It is a beast and not a rabbit . You never expect beast to run. But beast has raw power.

Areas of improvement show room staff needs to be more learned. The sales girl started arguing once i asked for the bill of the accesories. They openly claim extra money for bill . The accessories are of the lowest and cheapest quality.

Pros

power, comfort, looks, stability , easy

cons

ill mannered, un professional staff at show rooms.

Style looks like real bull only.

Engine performance, fuel economy and gearbox perfomance is good,fuel economy and gear box need to improve.

Ride quality & handling comfort is really superb while comparing to classic 350.

Final words in my one month experience i think my bull was right choice for me.

Areas of improvement gear box and clutch.

Pros

i bought my bull last month,i have only driven 750km.I am really impressed with the perfomance.

Cons

clutch and gear box need to be improve.