Kalidasa's Meghaduta

 

15K Kms on my Royal Enfield classic Chrome 500

     It has been a long time since I wrote about my motorcycle drive, The Royal Enfield Classic 500. The last thing I wrote was about the feeling after riding 500Kms. The thing is it took very little time to reach that mile stone. However, the present mile stone of 15K Kms has taken a very, very long time considering the amount of distances and places bikers cover in their journey. But, the drive still feels fresh and every day the drive is new. The adrenaline rush is still the same. The grunt on the bike is still the same. 

     The lockdown gave me the opportunity to drive the bike like I would have dreamt of driving in the Himalayas. Working for a company which cannot afford a lockdown, gave me the opportunity of taking the beast to the sea, and boy, did I take him to the sea, I took him to the ocean. It was like I wasted 20 odd years by waiting on the bike. Waiting on the reason that the bike is so bulky, so heavy. What a journey it has been. I never felt so comfortable on any bike I have driven to date. Even on bikes which are supposed to be comfortable, I have been the opposite. There is a joy when I drive the bike which cannot be expressed, explained. 

     In my (very) younger days, I always thought that going "fast" is what is biking about. Oh, boy, was I wrong. Cruising at a constant speed is what is biking about. It is more about the journey than the destination. Yes, I can hear you, the bottom line is all it matters. But, whenever anybody wants to reason out the causes for the bottom line, then you always try to remember the journey, However, alas, you dont remember much, because all your efforts were on the destination. 

     Newton's laws of motions have been now constrained to the things visible to the naked eye and comprehensible to the naked eye. And when that man told that "Eveybody moves(likes to move) in a straight line and in uniform motion", he knew what he was talking about. There is a certain joy in cruising, There is a certain joy in constant velocity. There is a certain joy in not creating an opposing force, there is a joy in blending. The joy of driving.... 

     The bike is as good as it was bought. It has the same sheen in its chrome finish. In fact the company has now brought the same chrome finish for its 350cc lines of bikes, which was exclusive to the 500cc for all these years. A fresh wash and the bike starts gleaming. It is like it is grinning with its mouth wide open, ear to ear. It is like an invitation to start a new journey. It is like there is no end. It is like you can make the same journey, provided you decide that what matters is the journey and not the destination. It is like.....

First 500 Kms on a Royal Enfield Classic chrome 500

1. The weight is well balanced with a very low CG
2. The seat height is OK. Can be reduced, if  possible with foot rests placed a little ahead, Might be a design disaster but can be tried?
3. The handle bar should be rotated a bit towards the driver's side to allow a little slack in the arms. On sitting at the sweet position on the front seat, the arms are fully stretched out.
4. Vehicle steering lock on the side adds to the retro feel of the bike. I remember the same setup on my old bicycle.
5. The look of the tires is good and road grip is good on asphalted roads(Not yet driven on any muddy roads)
6. The cables positioning and routing can be looked into. They are too naked to my liking. Yes it does add to the retro look, but this is one aspect which can be given a modern touch
7. The front brakes are good. The rear brake's travel is too high(To be reduce by adjusting). The seat height, the front foot rest pedal and the brake lever travel and positioning do not match. The sitting posture is totally disturbed when I try to brake hard as I have to move forward on my seat.
8. Waiting for fuel pump to start, on every ignition switch off and start, is a negative in heavy traffic. Be ready for a lot of honking if you wait for the last second before turning on the ignition key.
9. The feel you get the moment you turn the throttle to put the traffic behind you is in-expressible.
10. The sound of he horn is appropriate though I have used it only once in the first 500 Kms.
11. Mileage is approx 30 Km/litre driven only in city conditions(smooth rides in the morning with heavy traffic driving in the evening)
12. Have a good watch with vibration resistance. Be careful with your smart watches.
13. Nothing can beat the comfort of an open face helmet on a bullet. Yes lots of dust attack your face, but, a pair of aviators can be the ultimate style statement, which will also protect your eyes(Go for glasses which can be used both in the day and night). Couple these two accessories with a good cotton jacket(Not the ones they sell at RE with all the nylon nets and all, you are not a formula 1 racer, well if you are then you are on the wrong blog...he he...) and of course good pair of boots(Again don't overdo it), Liberation.........
14. The petrol reserve indicator is finicky. It gets switched on at occasional intervals when you brake all of a sudden which makes all the fuel in the tank to move to one side. It is a good indicator when your bike is exactly on a horizontal surface. Whatever be careful with the quantity of fuel and the distance you have travelled. Better to keep a record.
15. The default lengthy muffler is good, but, I am a fan of the swept back silencer(Which is still the photo of the classic 500 on the official website)
16. The rear view mirrors, my God, are a tragedy. They vibrate like crazy. In the night, a two wheeler behind you will appear like a four wheeler.
17. The engine and the muffler heats up quite quick. Be careful with your leg wear.
18. PLEASE dont change the default mufflers. The city is already polluted with sound and exhaust, please don't add to it. RIDE the bullet, don't SHOW it.
19. No grip bar on the right. Very bad design considering Indian women's pillion etiquette.
20. No hook for hanging a cover or a bag. It is criminal to not provide one. All the bikes have one.
21. Remember the tires are not tubeless ones.
22. Don't give it for a wash to your local cleaning fellow, There is a great possibility that you might damage few wires.

First drive on a Royal enfield Bullet classic 500 chrome graphite

The odometer reading on my bike was 8.3Km when the bike was handed over to me at the warehouse. The distance to my home was approximately 5 Km and it had to be done in thick traffic. I still had to get to the petrol bunk to fill up. Sonny was in the pillion seat. I had not driven a bike in the last 8-10 years. That too, now, I get to ride a bike so heavy, I was afraid I would be mocked all over the road. Anyhow, maintaining composure, started the bike with sonny on the pillion and made my way towards the petrol bunk. Reached the bunk and gave the 2 litres coupon received from the showroom and then told the boy to fill another 10 litres. Knowing that the fuel capacity was 12.5 litres. It has been my style that I would top up my vehicle well before reserve situation. But better sense prevailed and then asked him to top up with only 5 litres.

The drive home was very tiresome. Plenty of traffic. Reached home did the quintessential ode to God and asking his best wishes for a safe journey the entire life of the vehicle for the rider, pillion and all the other people and living things on the road. Here the priest was about to apply vermilion on the engine casing. I stopped him on time. The crank case and the cylinder were already so hot, one touch and the priest would have summoned the worst demons on to me and to my bike. While taking a turn, I really struggled to get the bike moving to turn 180 degrees. It was now time to rest the heavy slugger and its driver.

Woke up the next day and was still in two minds as to whether take the bike to work or not. Lot of work had to be done. The car had to be moved from its original position. There is one more bike which also had to be moved which unfortunately will be locked. At the last moment decided to bite the bullet and did all the above things to bring out the 500cc. Pulled up the choke lever and hit the electric start button. The engine chugged to life immediately. Waited for a minute or so and then off I went on my first real drive of the 500cc. The morning drive was awesome. The cold breeze, a rare vehicle here and there. Maintained a consistent 40-50 Kmph to maintain the ride in. The bike vibrates like crazy. The mirrors only tell you that you have a vehicle at your back. It is difficult to find out which vehicle is it.

The seating position is awesome. Sitting upright gives a princely air about the bike. It is difficult to drive at 60 Kmph in the 5th gear. The vehicle Will be nudging you to rev the engine but I remembered the limitations of the ride in and maintained the designated speed. The handle could have been bent a little towards the rider. The front disc brakes are excellent. The suspension is good enough. I did not feel the potholes much. It handles bad roads with aplomb. The major problem I faced is the rear brake lever. The foot has to go a long way down to use the brake. I think I should have raised the lever a notch and also reduced the total throw of the foot lever. This I will take up when I am free in the day. But, the rear brake pedal is a pain in the A*&. The driving position is completely destroyed when using the rear brake. I despise the total rear brake package.

The drive, is unique, one of a kind. The torque is available to you in all the gears. Perfect city bike once you get the hang of the bike and optimized the location and travel of the rear brake, of course. Reaching the neutral gear is something to be practised. Just in one day's drive my accuracy is nearly 60%. That is good going(patting myself). Don't change the gears when the bike is in stationary condition. hold on the clutch lever or switch of the engine in the same condition. Don't worry, you cannot move the bike that easily to change the gears all by yourself and also in the busy traffic where there will not be any place to do so. The thump, the vibration, I never knew that shortcomings in technology also could be used as USP and this bike is a mirror to this. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive in the mornings as well as traffic in the evening. The glances you get as you rev your engine, priceless and add to it the chrome. Now I know why people are so keen in going to Valhalla. Now I know the relation between chrome Valhalla. Now I know why chrome is sprayed on half lifes. Now I know why George miller is so adamant that he will not feature an electric car in his Mad Max series. Now...... I ............Know.........

Part 4: Ownership experience of Royal Enfield Bullet classic chrome 500

So, waited for five days and called the evening of the fifth day. The sales rep hangs me up for a minute and then tells me that everything is in order. All the documents are ready. The registration number is already stickered on the bike and it is ready to be delivered. Now, if everything was ready why was I not informed. What will the showroom do with a bike which has already been sold? I don't know. Anyhow told him that I would be taking my delivery the next day.

Reached the showroom the next day evening. Not a single smile from anybody. No smile from the front desk lady, No smile from the sales rep, Nothing, Nada. Went to the sales rep he showed me to one more guy who is to show me the warehouse. I did not know anything about a warehouse all these days. I had to travel to Jayanagar to see the different shades of bikes and here right next to the show room is a warehouse. Was led to the warehouse where a short tube cylinder was being fitted on a standard bullet. Had to wait for 15-20 minutes for the job to complete. The sales guy left me there to fend for myself and went back to the showroom. The warehouse guy started cleaning my bike with some polish which made the chrome glow. He gave me a quick intro to the bike. It was so quick, I don't remember anything. He was in no mood to stay in the warehouse. He just wanted to rush out for something else. He handed over the keys to me and wished me happy biking. A coupon was given for 2 litres of petrol at a specified petrol bunk.

The bike is so heavy, even a small tilt to either side, you will be on the ground in no time with the bike over you and let me tell you, you will need at least 3-4 people to save you from that position. I sat on  the bike and pushed the bike out of its centre stand position and i felt a slight swerve to the left and thought that definitely it is going to fall down. But held on to the bike and pressed the self start button, the engine came roaring to life. It vibrates like crazy. RE should be definitely looking at twin cylinders and reduce the vibrations. The rear brake pedal positioning is not one of the best. It has to be depressed a bit more than normal bikes. The front disks are alright. The torque, the pull, the adrenaline rush is incomparable. Sitting and driving your dream bike, un-paralleled. People tell dream big. My thing would be dream real.

Part 3: Ownership experience of Royal Enfield Bullet classic chrome 500

Got a call from dealer telling that the bike is ready for delivery and that I have to reach before 5.30 PM for taking delivery. Rushed from work and by the time I reached the house wifey was ready and sonny super excited. Went to the showroom where I was led to the ground floor of the office which doubled up as a store room for spares. I though now, we would be discussing the spare required for the bike. I was taken to a lady crouched over a CRT monitor with its display so washed out, I was unable to see anything. Now the lady at the counter asked my previous bills. Without seeing them she asked my mobile number(which was already mentioned in the bill). It was told to her, but she was not hearing and started rummaging through a pile of papers. She then got agitated and told me that she would tell the phone number from the pile and I have to tell her if any of them belonged to me. So, now, the customer's name is not required. You are just a number. A coupon for fuel worth INR 200/- and some other documents were given and was asked to sign and the lady did not explain what they are but just indicated the place where I was supposed to sign. Then she told my vehicle still doesn't have a number. The insurance copy is in the "Head office". There I lost my cool. The first day I met the sales rep I had very clearly told that I would not take the delivery of my vehicle until all the formalities are completed. In this time of Information technology, I am being told that the insurance hard copy is in the "Head office", totally government office terminology. Thank god, RE is not a government operated unit, otherwise god save the customer. She got agitated with my argument and told that I am unable to understand the things going on. We both had an argument, in the mean time I realized I am arguing with a lady, which is wrong on my part.

Went to the first floor furious and asked the sales rep, what really is happening. My voice pitch is a little on the higher side and even little above normal talk would sound quite loud. The sales rep was silent to all the things I was asking. In the midst of it, there was a middle aged lady, who appears to run the place or is the wife of the man running the place. She wanted to show who is the boss. Customer is just a beggar standing at her door and asking for food in exchange for money, but still a beggar, This is exactly her attitude towards the customer. You open your mouth to talk, you will be shut down with a flurry of words related or un-related, the same with everybody in the showroom. I don't know how, but everybody is the same. All men and women are equal here. There is no disparity with respect to the mental thinking, a rare occurrence in this individualistic society. Now she started asking questions and I started to answer all the things mentioned in the previous posts were asked and replied for. Then, the most startling revelation. She told that it will take 4 days to get a registration number form RTO. I have purchased and have been a party to other purchases of vehicles, but never did I feel so puny as a customer. Your total helplessness is bought to the fore in a magnified manner. All this while you are worried about your bike. You are worried whether there would be any sabotage on your bike. You, Now I, should be very very worried................

Part 2: Ownership experience of Royal Enfield Bullet classic chrome 500

Please read the previouse post. This is a continutation of that one. A week passed without any information from the dealer. I then called the dealer regarding the status of my order. He told me that I have to come and pay the cash. The countdown to me getting my bike would start from the day I made the complete payment. The next sunday we went to the showroom for making payment. I also bought up the exchange of my old bike. Last week we had given the complete details of my old bike, but, the sales rep starts asking information from scratch. They dont remember anything. In the digital age all information is still on paper. You tell your order Number(Here there are two order numbers. One for internal usage with the dealer and one from Royal enfield. The dealer is not concerned with teh RE order number.). You want to know something, keep the dealer's order number ready and ofcourse, the date also. Otherwise they will make you wait on your phone for infinity. This applies for physical visits also. He asked when will be ready to exchange the bike. We told now. Then again a flurry of calls and couldnt tell the information about my old bike which he had noted down and handed over the phone to me. I asked the buyer when can he come? He told he will be at the showroom in 1/2 hour. I told I will be waiting for him here, at the showroom. Now the buyer changed his timing to two hours from now. The sale did take place on that very day. Please ask when will the actual transfer take place and take all the information regarding the buyer. He confirmed that the transfer of ownership will happen within 15 days. But, anyhow, you should be following him regarding the transfer of ownership.

As this was happening, I couldnt help myself but observe lot of comments on my order copy. I requested the sales person to let me have a look. He handed it over to me with a lot of regret. The previous week, i told the sales rep to take it cool and dont do it in a hurried manner. He didnt understand my intent and scribbled on the order "Customer wants to buy the vehicle slowly". That clears why I did not get any call in the previous week. Once the old bike was sold, I left the showroom and walked to my home. But, I left my helmet in the showroom. I found it out the next day and I was surprised that nobody from the showroom called to inform me regarding my helmet. Totally cheap. Wifey called the showroom the next day and luckily, they agreed that they indeed have a unclaimed helmet.

Another week, nothing happens. Then I start getting enormous number of calls while at work. The second day, the person calls me in the evening and I pickup the call. It is a verfication call from  a third party regarding the details provided for bike insurance. While he was explaining me the terms and conditions, I came to know that the insurance offered to me by the showroom chap is not the comprehensive one(Bumper to bumper). He told that he would call the dealer and the deaeler would in turn call me within 10 minutes. Nothing happened. The third party called me to ask whether I recieved any call from the dealer. That full day I did not recieve any call. Then, worried that I would be the owner of the bike, I went to the showroom for clarification. I did not see any repentance from any of the staff for not informing me regarding the type of insurance being given to me. Paid the little extra money to get comprehensive coverage and as instructed by wifey got my helmet. I saw my bike standing in the showroom being used as an exhibit and the sales person is not telling me that this is my bike. He told me that my bike would be of the same color and that it will take another 3 days for the delivery of my bike. Next day again a plethora of calls from the insurance third party during working hours.

Part 1: Ownership experience of Royal Enfield Bullet classic chrome 500

It has always been a dream to own a Bullet. Since the first time I rode a bullet while I was around 20 years of age, the feel stuck with me. It has been with me ever since. I always turned around on hearing the thump. For various people it is just awe or a longing. For me it has been a long wait to own my very own bullet. And then there came an opportunity to to buy one at my work place itself. One of the colleagues wanted to sell his classic 500 black. Was given a test drive at the end of the day. Looked at the bike and was very clear that it was not maintained well. Lots of loose wires taped all along and I did not like the look on my colleague's face while he was showing it to me. I just saw it in his eyes. It is like snatching away a kid's favorite toy by wringing it out of his hands. Immediately gave up the idea of buying it. But the other people around were forcing me to buy it. Then I understood that he owed money and he was in urgent need of it. I just told every body of them that the bike would definitely be sold and truly, within that week, the bike was sold.

Discussion was going on in the home with wifey and my son about owning one. I already owned a Bajaj pulsar 150 Dtsi and I definitely loved it. My son, as is obvious is a KTM kinda bike fanboy. But, everybody agreed on one thing, that is a new bike is to be bought. After a lot of discussion and convincing it was decided unanimously to go for a bullet. But the biggest question was which style.

Next day visited HSR enterprises on Dr. Rajkumar road. For bike enthusiasts, This road plays host to all the bike manufacturers in India. If you start from one end of the road and reach the end of it, you would have visited the showrooms of all the manufacturers of bikes in India. This road also has all the service centers of their respective brands. So, now you know.

After entering into the showroom, there was not a single smiling face. It was as though royal enfield motors had gone bankrupt and all the people working in the showroom will be relieved of their duties that very day. There was one color of every variant on display. Wifey initially liked the Thunderbird, but seeing the amount of time I spent at the classic version, she also changed her mind. Now, we asked whether we could see the other color variants. And, you know what we were shown, Lo and Behold, the website of Royal enfield on a 15" Laptop. We wanted bike that big and we are being shown the variants on a puny laptop. Maybe this worked out before the present Internet generation, but at this time, this strategy, is totally lacklustre.

Wifey insisted that we have to see how the classic chrome looks in other color variants. So we went to the jayanagar showroom. Here the staff were a lot better. The sales rep took us to a cellar where plenty of bullets were stocked and explained the pros and cons of all the variants and the properties of various paints being used. Here we decided that the graphite variant was less flashy and was subdued though there was a generous amount of chrome.

Decided on the Bullet classic 500 chrome edition, the graphite variant. Was asked to pay an advance of INR 5,000/- which was done immediately. Now, the sales tech asked me when would i like to buy the bike and what would be the mode of payment I clearly told him I would pay by cash/cheque. Then immediately he started to make a flurry of phone calls to various people regarding the availability of the bike in that color. I interrupted him after about 3 calls and told him that I am not having the time to listen to all this enquiry thingy and requested him to call me once he found out that a bike is available. I told him to take his own time and not continue the flurry of calls. Here, I would like to make a note. There is no concept of checking up the inventory at various showrooms. They don't have a centralized inventory. Bikes are hand made, that doesn't mean that sales also have to be done the old fashioned way, that too, after royal enfield gave profit among all the endeavours of Eicher. The more interesting thing would be what the sales rep wrote on his copy of my advance receipt. This will be revealed, if you still have the time and patience. All this happened on 23/10


And I am not alone. See a post on Team BHP regarding the same.