CHOOSING A ROYAL ENFIELD


If u r reading this,then in all probabilities u r going through the same dilemma i went through for the last 2 months.i bought a bullet standard 350 a week back,n im proud of the decision i made.while this may make me biased while doing this write up,il try n remain objective while making the comparisons.

i feel that when choosing an enfield, its all about wat the person wants.one person's choice might not be wat the other wants.so the best reviews would be ones that r technical,but they tend to become too confusing and a bit boring.so here is my attempt at making a comparison without going into the technical aspects too much.

i club the royal enfields into 3 categories:
1. the thumpers: standard 350,electra 4s
2. the have-it-all: electra 5s
3. the lookers: machismo,thunderbird

in my opinion,people going for enfields go for bikes in these categories,n someone liking one category would mostly abhor the other.so my comparisons r going to be between bikes in the same category.

category 1: the thumpers- std 350 and electra 4s


on road prices:(delhi)
std 350: Rs. 71000 (rounded)
electra 4s: Rs. 78000(rounded)
these 2 bikes r the bikes that r the truest to the enfield bass thump.if i were to not buy a standard i would have definitely gone in for electra 4s (for me the thump is the most important thing in a bullet)
the differences between these two have to be regarded as being tradition vs modernity.while a std 350 is the traditional bullet look and feel, electra is a more modern version of the bullet.
as far as engine performance goes,the two r almost identical(with the electra giving marginally more mileage). the standard has a heavier crank whereas electra has a lighter crank. a heavier crank is more useful if u want to cruise at lower gears at higher speeds,whereas a lighter crank gives u better pickup.
the biggest difference is the CG point engine of the std against the TCI engine of electra.i cant explain wat this difference is,but as far as i knw a tci is more technically advanced version.but this is wat makes the thump of electra different from std.to me std's thump was better..
also the reliability of an electra is much better than std.if u r going for a std,do remember that it needs a lot more care and maintainence than electra.
one more difference is the handle position n seat.i felt electra has better comfort in this aspect.but this is something u can easily change if u r going for std(as u r anyway saving 7000 bucks approx)
the biggest advantage though is that u can add disc breaks to electra,whereas it is not possible in std.
otherwise not too many differences,both have right side gears,4 gears and cast iron engine.
my verdict is:
go for std 350,if u want the best thump,n the traditional feel.also u get the second world war all black look.
go for electra,if u want hassle free enfield experience,n u r willing to compromise on the thump a bit(just a bit ;) ) .in this case u get a lot of chrome look on ur bike!

category 2: the 'have it alls' -electra 5s

on road price(delhi): 84k (approx)

hmm.a sort of very different cast iron engine bike from RE. a bike with 5 gears,on the left side!
this bike seems to me,is a hash between the thumpers and the lookers.RE tried to keep the category 1 thump,along with the looks of the category 3 bikes.
i feel its ended up nowhere though..it does not exactly have the thump,and it does not look as good as the machismo.though the thump is definitely better than the category 3 bikes,the gears on the left side take away the enfield charm..
it has the electra 4s engine,only difference being the 5 gears.
my take is
comfort:good
pickup:better than all others
thump:would rate it as the third best
looks:decent
reliability:no idea(though i guess it should be at least as good as electra 4s)

category 3: the lookers- machismo and thunderbird

i was never really interested in this category,so my review might be harsher than they deserve..so i think i wont do it,only will mention why i was interested in these.

machismo: i think it is the best looking enfield,when all its optional accesories r added.so much chrome on its body has to make u fall in love with its looks.but my only grouse with this bike is the engine.the avl engine does not have the roar of an enfield..if the thump of std is the roar of a lion,that of machismo is the purr of a kitten.
latest i heard,machismo is off the roads,and RE is planning to launch a 500 cc version with machismo looks and a cast iron engine.that would be some bike!!!

thunderbird: the only RE bike that i like nothing about.its supposed to have great looks,but im sorry,doesnt do anything for me.also the same engine as machismo,which makes this one feel like a bike out of some other stable,definitely not RE.
but hey dont take my word on this,if u look on the roads,TB sells a lot!!

best of luck for whichever u decide!
have a great time riding!!(and ya ride safe.)