My first review on Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500.Purchased my new Thunderbird Twinspark(TBTS) 500 on 02/11/2017 It is Lightning Brown. I had previously owned Royal Enfield Standard 350 1995 model for 11 years. Sold old bullet to My first review on Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500k Sold old bullet to opt for one of the new 150 cc bikes available in the market. In my search for a new bike, I test drove the following -
Yamaha FZ the carburettor model.
Yamaha FZ version 2.0 fuel injection.
Royal Enfield Classic 500(Desert Storm).
Royal Enfield Standard 350.
Royal Enfield Standard 500.
Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500.
Bajaj Pulsar 180.
The old bullet I owned was a good vehicle so long as the speed was kept between 35 - 55 kms. Try riding above 55 kms and the vehicle really strains. Compared to this, the new generation 150 cc bikes did achieve speeds above 60 without much ado. What I looked for in a new bike was(a) looks(b) riding comfort(c) good power and accelaration(d) vehicle suitable for daily commuting(e) Thrill every time the bike is taken out on road.
It is to be mentioned that mileage was not at all my criteria when selecting a bike. My old bullet fulfilled criteria(a), (b) and(d) to a great extent. However, after riding 11 years, I sort of became bored with the performance and after long thought, decided to part ways with it. I thought that I am done with Royal Enfield bikes. This feeling was confirmed when I road the Classic 500 and standard 350 once again, which did not give the comfort or ease of handling that my old bullet 350 provided, thus feeling smug about my idea of buying one of the 150 cc version bikes. But I was totally taken aback by the ride quality of Standard 500 and Thunderbird 500. Both bikes have opt for one of the new 150 cc bikes available in the market.