Blackbird, as I call it fondly – has been more than a two-wheeler for me and my family. In fact, it has become a part of my family. Even when I’m not around, my parents take care of it – My neighbors love it and it has been my pride where ever I ride it to. I have covered about 12,000 fun filled kilometres on my bike till now which I bought it on 31-January-2009. There were both Ups & Downs owning the Bike, but overall it has been more of smiles than sad endings. I will take this moment to review the interesting 10,000 Km’s on my ThunderBird TwinSpark. The review is solely in my perspective of how I see things and what I feel about my Bike – It is bound to vary for others.
Looks (9/10): The Bike looks Sturdy, Macho and makes head turn where ever you go. Keep it shining, and it will shine up your day! The Nice Big Fuel tank, comfy sofa’ like seats, bigger tyres, relaxed high lift chopper style handle bars make the bike look the best. The Bike comes in three colours, I personally liked & favoured Black colour all the time – Also Silver and Red are other two wonderful variants for the ThunderBird.
The Instrument cluster is that of a Twin Pod comprising of Speedometer and Trip meter in one side and The RPM meter and Fuel Gauge on the right end. I’m content with the odometer designing, it looks classic, not too flashy and that it gives required details clearly.
The Rear-View-Mirrors (RVMs) are of immense use, But the view ability is not top-notch. It happens so that you end up bending up to get a clear view of who is behind or sometimes, you just won’t get proper view of who is behind you. If you are a regular Highway rider, I suggest you change it to that of Bajaj Avenger, Which not only adds better looks to the Bike, but also gets you more view of what’s behind you!
Engine, Power & Refinement (8/10): The Bike has a 350cc Engine, powered with Twin Spark feature which enhances quicker starts and better pickup / acceleration. It has Automatic Hydraulic Tappets, which helps in efficient combustion, optimal valve timings and not to forget the noise free engine!! Also, The Engine is fitted with an Automatic De-Compressor, which enables us to start the engine without any fuss.
Overall, the engine is stress free, relaxed and pulls away like a wild bull. I have personally ridden 250+ Kilometres / 4 – 5 hours non-stop. There were no signs of engine getting very much over heated or breaking down. Though, the engine does get heated up – That’s normal for a Bullet and once you got used to it – It will never fail you!
The power delivery is crisp; Throttle response is quick and was never sluggish – Not even when I rode a 12 hour ride in rain from Chennai to Coorg last Monsoon. The vibrations are plenty after you hit 4000 RPM and till then it just eases away! Also, try to run in your bike during every long trip – do not just hop on and start milting 100+Kmph. Run in gradually increasing the speed and change the gears at proper RPM levels. Vibrations are normally less once you run the bike constantly increasing the speed from 60 to 80 to 90 than hitting 90 right away.
Top speed was never in my thought and it just vanished away after buying ThunderBird TwinSpark. I bought the bike for relaxed touring and not for high speed runs. I always try to keep it around 4000 – 4500 RPM and the maximum speed I was able to obtain was 115 KMPH on the Speedo @ 5000 RPM, Not to mention the vibrations that you would have to incur speeding away at 5000 RPM.
About the technical details: The Bike powers a 350c Engine, Cranking out a nice 19.8 BHP @ 5250 RPM. And for the torque, which always is a backbone of bullets – The TBTS has 28Nm @ 4000 RPM. The engine Gear-Box is equipped with five speed transmission (One Down – Four Up) favourable for mid-range torque!
Main Advantages & Features:
- 350cc Unit Construction Engine with Twin spark
- Engine: Single cylinder, 4 Stroke, OHV, Dual spark ignition engine, air – cooled
- Power: 19.8 BHP @ 5250 RPM and Torque: 28 Nm @ 4000 RPM
- 280mm disc-front brake and 150mm drum-rear brake for instant stop
- Rear gas filled shock absorber
- Fatigue Free Riding
- Comfortable Sofa’ like seats
- Chopper like Handle Bars
- Front Disk Breaks
- Powerful Halogen 55W Bulb offering better visibility at Night
- 19” Tyres –Useful for both off-roading / touring
- Higher Mileage because of UCE Engine – More than 40 KMPL
Disadvantages & Problems:
- Breaks aren’t effective as they could have been.
- Oil Leakage is a Big issue for all New TBTS Bikes.
- At least for the first 1000 kilometres, the engine gets heated up pretty quickly and engine gets a bit noisy.
- The Bike is heavy, and for those thinner ones like me – It takes two to lift up a fallen Bike!
- Not so very easy to manure in the dense traffic.
- Rear-View-Mirrors could have been designed for better view ability
- The price seems a little costly, But for the dominance of Technology – which again holds good for both advantages / disadvantages!
My Verdict (8/10): The ThunderBird TwinSpark is overall an amazing bike. It covers almost all of the newer technological aspects, has stricter emission norms, gives you incredible mileage and has less or very much little maintenance issues comparing to the older Bullets. For a touring freak like me, there is no other bike which gives me a comprehensive package like that of a ThunderBird TwinSpark and happy that I bought one and will always recommend for my friends to buy one. Why wait? Leave Home, on a ThunderBird TwinSpark!
- Ananth
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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Whenever I see a passionate review of a bike, I feel like buying it. A few weeks back I felt like buying Fazer, now I think TBTS is made for me…
Great review. Good Luck with your tours!
Whenever I see Thunderbird, it always seems to me a half heartedly done cruiser design by Royal Enfield, it could have been designed much better then its existing looks, typically a beast with 350cc(or more) mill should have been designed from scratch rather then using the good old Bullet chassis with a cheap petrol tank elevation.
Imagine Thunderbird specially with new fabulous looking UCE Engine if coupled with “tear drop” petrol tank like Harley Davidson, inclined front fork like any other true cruiser and extended foot pegs would fit the bill perfectly.
Gr8 review Ananth!!!
Even i am getting tempted to buy this after seeing this review….
BTW what bike do you have Deepak?
@Seeni: I have a HH Karizma 2004 Model. Done 20,000km so far. I still love it too much to get it replaced.
@Deepak: Thanks for your comments, I do love my ride and waiting for just holidays to start off with my tours
@BikeBhp.com: I agree with your point, But the design & engine itself has been under scrutiny / under a lot of R&D for many years – Its not so easy just to plonk a different chassis / inclined front forks – I agree it will look a killer – but what about the handling? It will be so difficult to move the beast within city – So if you want the looks and comfort on a highway, can you just discount the handling part within city? I’m not saying its IMPOSSIBLE, It is POSSIBLE – but with a lot of R&D and the help from a like-minded bikers like us
A very good review indeed. Does the new classic tempt you.
@ Deepak – Just 20,000kms till now? :S
@Seeni : Thanks and Good Luck in advance, if you are to book the beast
@CarAdvice: Thanks, and yes – The classic does tempt me – But i would still go with the TBTS for the cruiser looks and the comfortable fatigue free handlebars. If at all a new ThunderBird comes with the 500 EFI engine – I would definitely go for it
Fantastic review Ananth. The fact that you covered 12K Kms in just about 11 months suggests you are one hell of a rider. Excellent pros and cons listed. Im not a very huge bullet fan but loved reading the review.
Thanks ATS – I had actually covered the 12k Kilometers in 9 months and was in Canada for the last two months – giving me ample time to relax and write a review about my BlackBird
guys today i got my thunderbird the same day i ordered.
man what a bike people stare at you and believe me it makes you so proud that nothing can make be compared to that.
the very same day i rode it for almost 50 kms and it was just amazing.
you know what was my experience in the showroom .
i didnt told my dad the real price of the bike because i knew he would never agree in the showroom he was told the price he suggested to go for pulsar220 instead but i just told him to take a test drive and believe driving it for 10 mins he told the salesman to finish up the formalities i just couldnt believe on my eyes he agreed and in almost 1 hrs i was driving this macho machine.
just dont think guys go for it
hey man loved ur comments. was planning to buy this bike. love the cruiser feel it has. but the only problem i feel in all the bullets is the oil leaks. was bit confused betw avenger & TBTS. obviously we ccant compare the two. but only thought abt avenger was bcoz it was priced at 75k. still i wud convince my dad for this. a mileage of over 40 is gr8 for 350cc bike man truly. even avenger cant give more than 32. overall i just wantd to ask whether there are other maintenance problems in the bike?? thanks
Nice review.. Well listed pros and cons. I am a proud owner of a TBTS too. Just a few points- for long drives carry extra tyre tube, clutch wire and spark plug with you. In case of a break down, it would be very helpful if you know some bike repairing. The spares are not easily available at remote places.
I disagree with BikeBHP, a tear drop design etc. would have made the bike a copy of Harley Davidson and would have taken away the originality from the bike. I personally feel that the bike looks smart and macho because it is different from HD. A HD though macho isn’t a smart looking bike. Although never had a chance to ride it, but I am sure it is more like Avenger making it a very comfortable but not a very good handling bike.
I have been able to bend the bike beautifully at curves only because of the great handling.
@Deepak, I didn’t face any problems with my rear view mirrors, but what I feel is that they are very ergonomically placed. You needn’t bend your head if you want to look behind, which is usually the case with other bikes.
@siddhant: Very true! Though i had to wait for 30 days to get the dream machine!
@Vinit : Thanks! But i personally did not opt for Avenger as it has the same Pulsar 200′s engine plonked. May be personal opinions differ, but i guess TBTS wins the bid everywhere, except for the higher price which again gets you the exclusivity!
@Anant: Thanks so much for reading my review
And by the way, My saddle bag just has almost every spare required on a long ride – Clutch cable, tyre tube , puncture repair kit – You name it , I carry it 
Really good decent review. Well appriciated ananth. Keep posting such reviews.
Also photo quality is really great.
Thanks for your comments Sachin
Hi Guys, I am plaaning to become a proud owner of TBTS this week. I have checked on each and every thing about this bike & am quite satisfied. The only thing I am not sure is the oil leakage problems. Are they really there or are we just comparing it with the old RE’s? Can somebody elaborate on this part please? Cheers…
Nilesh, Please go a head with your purchase. Oil leak problem is there, but can be solved out after riding 1000 kms on the bike. Just ask your mechanic to tighten all screws / gaskets and seal the area with oil leak.
The service center guys should be well versed with Oil leaks, so dont worry – listen to your heart – roar out and get the thumper
folks, is it true that the pick-up of TBTS is not good?
also, does the color of silver and red tbts fade in course of time..
Thanks for your comments Ananth and a great review indeed… Cheers
Teja, The pick up is amazing on the TBTS. You will never know that you are on a Bullet! Go for it, you will never look back.
Also, The colours do not fade unless you ride it in extreme conditions all the time. see to that you clean up the bike / give a polishing (200 bucks) every service – it will stay intact for long! Happy riding.
Nilesh – Thanks!
i like thunderbird when it was comes in 2003 the look of this bike is very attractive chrome work in the bike is very beautiful to attract i ask that it was right to replace the rim to alloy wheels
Hey great review man… I really enjoyed reading it. I wud like 2 get a little help from u guys. Am planning to buy my 1st bike and am really confused. I am not sure which bike i should buy. I’ve been reading a lot of reviews and now i am even more confused. A few of my friends suggested P220 and a couple of others suggested me to go for the Bullet family. I want my ride to be the center of attraction to my friends as well as my cousins. Somebody pleeeaasse help me.
I am looking for a good looking, fast, solid bike with 40+ fuel efficiency and of course reliable after sales services.
Oh, and i am just a 20 years old and i would love to boast a little to my peers about my new ride…
Please HELP me….
Go for a Bullet classic model….fit it with alloy wheels a classic 500cc silencer and rear back rest….and off corse HD mirrors..believe me u ll get a very good attraction….!!
hi folks, i bought a thunderbird (tbts) on this 19th .i need some advice as to how i should drive it in the initial days.have already covered 172 kms and didn’t exceed the 50km/h mark . looking forward to ur suggestions.
Ananth has given us so much confidence to go n buy !! thanks.
(CC : Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark Review article)
Most probably I’m to book TBTS by this monday,(de say month after that to deliver)this showroom is in other town 1hour to us, so m gonna fit in the accessories once n for all, d day i get delivery.
ANY SUGGESTIONS??
de don’t give sideGuard as standard accs, which no doubt must buy but apart from that i think SareeGuard is very useful to me, does it kill the look?
P.S. classic didn really appeal me personally but showroom guy insists to give a serious thought wen I come on Monday( as350comes in same price n engine)
hope that won’t put me in dillema again.
Any advise in this regard??
Yogesh
@Ananth
hey u say,
“At least for the first 1000 kilometres, the engine gets heated up pretty quickly and engine gets a bit noisy.”
so does it go/lessen after more ruuning??
just yest I encountered 1000past bike of a distant frn n it has tappet noise its really annoying.(the owner guy is wishing it to sell for just the noise) but more serious prob is there is considerable difference in pick-up for this bike. The bike I test ride 4 months back in showroom, had good initial pick-up.
Makes me re-think bout my booking of new one.
@ Deepak… 2004 Karizma 20,000 kilometers???????? I have a 2007 Sep CBZ Xtreme, 49,000 kilometers now..
@ Ananth.. superb review of TBTS and ZMR.. I need to get my extreme replaced.. I love the cbz pickup, and I want a racing style bike.. not much of a tourer.. mostly inside the city.. and occassional trips to Pondy.. thats all.. honestly, what do you suggest? ZMR or R 15?? like I said, I want superior pickup and top speeds.. I am used to that with the xtreme.. bitchy pickup.. and good top speed too.. bike does vibrate and wobble and all that, but who cares.. fear is fun
Also, all bike lovers, if anyone has any information about a trusted yezdi mechanic, please pass it on.. my dad’s good old yezdi is lying idle in the garage, and I want to bring that monster to life.. so if you know any trusted Yezdi mechanics in or around Chennai, please contact me @ 9841448282.. the bike is in running condition, but has some issues with the gearbox.. need to get it fixed and running again..
Very good review Ananth. It gives lot of insights for a new biker like me on a cruiser model. Planning to go for TBTS but jus thinking that whether will it suits to a city ride as i drive for about 100 kms per day in the city. Currently i am using Apache RTR 160.
Now in english…
Hello friends
A month ago I have this model and I really was pleasantly surprised. It is a unique motorcycle and versatility in town. In Santiago de Chile, there is a complex in rush hour traffic and my trusty Royal Enfield 350 TB is spectacular.
Unfortunately it seems I’m an adventurer in respect of owners of these models and I could not get a service manual or repair. Take to leave my email if anyone can help me.
Greetings.
Guys,,,,I just got my TBTS 2 weeks back 1000 kms done, first service done…..my group plans to go nainital from delhi 300+km ride one side…what shud i do…some say you can go no problem…some say piston damage, ring damage, etc.etc…..I am confused…help…
i booked tbts before a week but i am strictly not a highway rider. i was confused before a minute weather to buy a electra ts or tbts. This review has given me a big sigh of relief and am gonna buy it whole heartedly. But still is electra better than a thunderbird pls advice????????????
Hi,
Ananth awesome review. I have almost set my mind to buy a TB TS.
My present working conditions demands for a bike. But then when i asked the RE chennai showrooms as to how much time it will take to deliver they said 6 months. Anyone in chennai know any show room wr i can get it a bit fast?
Because i need it kinda urgently.
And when i asked for black color they said 7 months.
Also are all the TB TS owners here getting a mileage of 40+ or is it only exceptional few?
please respond
Hi friends,
Bullet is what I got from my father.I have Standerd 350,Machismo 500 and then I bought TBTS on 22/5/2009.Bike is good looking very comfortable on long rides (travelled 2200km in four days).but the millage I not more than 35 KMPL.Company has not taken care of the product seriously bad crome work,cheap products as in total this machine is not like what older model were (U cannot buy and and think ur son will ride as I have from my father and grand-fathers)
Correct vinay…very correct…i am a Bull fan….an i gt a TBTS only 7000kms now…but after i completd 1500kms i feel tht thrs something missing..something that is not what i expected..and now i feel so strange abt it..!!
Hi friends,
Which is the best comfortable bike for long tour?
Thunder bird / classic 350
tbts .. c3 cause back pain … tbts position is good fr long
i bought tbts in aug 2010,have gone for 4 long rides,each one is around 800 km.fully satisfy .
thump up
Hi,
I saw your comments. It is really good. I am planning to buy this bike. Is there any problem that we may face wiht the engine? How oftent he engine oil to be replace. what are the basic maintenance criterias that are to carried out once after buying Thunderbird. i really love the bike.
Can i go for Thunderbird or the Clssic 350. Let me know which one will be the good one. When it comes to look its the thunderbird i think.How about the engine.Is there any problem that you faced with the engine noise or something.The look of 350 classic is not that much good when caompared to TBTS.
Kindly let me know on this.
I had a plan of going for Thunderbird and Karizma. Now planning for TBTS. IS that a good thing.
Its awesome. go ahead get it … Bikes that are coming UCE II .. which has no oil leaks .. 45+ mileage … only thing i hate is weak headlight / small rear tyre compared to c350 or c5 …
h
I am now a proud owner of RE Thunderbird TwinSpark…I finished 500kms in two weeks, now everyone tells me to be patient for 1500 more Kms. i ride between 45-50Kmph but i tend to put my bike in 5th gear as i cross speed of 40, its sound after that is not very pleasing and i have to really control myself from accelerating any further thn 50kmph(lost control 2-3 times though). am i doing it right??? please tell me everything that a new memeber in RE family needs to know, i really wanna take good care of her n i expect the same from her. + am cocerned about how to save my ‘grlfrnd’ from rust. how often shall i give it a shampoo wash…. plz rply
@kd
“dont put money in fire”,”Youngsters could go upto the level of YIELD(in agri terms),but it wont come to the forefronts” (!) respectively
hi guys, actually i was planning to put alloy wheels in my thunderbird but I have heard that its mileage reduces drasticaly and bike starts whobbeling …….please suggest……..thank you….
When was the last change/modifications done in the current selling model of TBTS? By changes I mean UCE, graphics n all. Need to know if there is something like 2010 model with something different than that of current 2011 year model.
I read somewhere that TBTS when introduced had older UCE that spilled oil and now it has newer UCE which does not spill oil. Any inputs from actual TBTS owners would help. Thanks.
My experience with the TBTS has not been smooth at all. Have had tons of problems with the bike right from the start with Oil leaks, fuel pump leakages, main stand failures,etc.
As recommended by other owners, had taken extra care during the first 1000 kms so much so that I never took it above 60kmph for the first 2500 kms. And even after that had continued problems with engine oil leaks and loads of vibrations. Have been getting the services done at the authorised service centre but the problems with the bike have not been corrected properly even once.
Please suggest me a good mechanic in Ahmedabad for my TBTS.