I had a Royal Enfield
classic 350 from December 2012 to December 2016.
My love for long
travels was disturbed when I left Pollachi, Coimbatore. I moved to Bangalore
and I sold my Classic 350. Although I planned to have many long trips, time and
situation did not permit me to do so. The only trip I had was to Valparai, a
hill station in the Western Ghats. I took few insignificant trips to Thrissur a
temple city in Kerala and many trips to Coimbatore. This was my Royal Enfield
experience in short, less than 25,000 kilometers. Though I enjoyed my weekly
Pollachi-Coimbatore trips in the bike, though rural roads - via Negamam -
Vadasithur - Podanur - and it remains one of the fondest memories of my bike
riding, I decided to sell the bike due to some reasons.
The reason to sell
my motorcycle was manifold.
1) The bike had an
unending oil leak. Well, it is not a big leakage rather a small dripping when
you park the bike for a longer period. I used to place a piece of old cloth to
avoid the cement floor being spoiled. Whenever I take the vehicle for service,
I tell the service centre to do something for that but nothing worked. So it
was an eyesore to see the place where the bike is parked looks like a garage.
2) The second
reason to sell the bike was my desire to buy a 500cc bike. Sometimes I felt
that the feel of driving 350cc is not sufficient for my trips. My driving style
when I see an empty road is different. Although I try to be a law-abiding
driver, empty roads tempt me to drive fast. Since my normal cruising in the
empty roads ranges from 100 to 120 kmph, I found it difficult to drive in 80-90
range. Also, beyond 80, 90 kmph speed, the vehicle vibrates, shakes, rattles,
etc.. etc..
3) I moved to
Bangalore and using a TN registered bike would be feeding the hungry, corrupt
policemen. Changing the registration is a big headache and I often wonder why
we need to change the registration in India when we move the residence to other
states.
While pondering
over buying a new bike in Bangalore, I moved to Nagaland. Though I took my car
here thinking that the car would help me to see the beauty of this area, the
non-existent roads force me not to drive the car outside the city. As such, I
have not visited any places and thought of having a bike to roam around rather
than a car to beat the non-existent - oversize pothole roads.
So far so good ...
The new Thunderbird
x500 is catching my eyes; the tubeless tyre option and modified look and
colours are interesting for me. But the price is a sour juice. The on-road
price is 2.47 lakh. Should I buy a rattlesnake for 2.47 lakh, is a million
dollar unanswered question.
I paid 1.2 lakh in
2011 to buy the 350cc and the current price of Royal Enfield 350cc on-road
price in 2019 (with ABS) is 1.75 lakh. Bike prices are skyrocketing.
Modern bikes are
there, Bajaj Dominar 400 is there with almost 40 HP, however, Royal Enfield has
a charm. It is more than a charm, the inner feeling... Bajaj Avenger comes
as a competitor; however, having a 220cc engine is not a competitor to even the
RE 350cc bikes. Jawa bikes are not a competition either with a 300cc engine.
When many people love
to have some nostalgia experience, Jawa too is reaping the money with its
skyrocketing prices, the on-road price is almost 1.7 lakh...
If Bajaj Avenger
comes with 400cc engine, that would be a good choice in a lower price tag. It
is so funny to see the WebPages since 2017 writing about Avenger 400 as if it
is already released. Real funny world we are living, I wonder Bajaj Company
ever thought about it???
Benelli Leoncino 500 is a great tempter. The Italian beauty, the
speed, the look and it is mesmerizing. But it goes one step higher with 5 lakh
rupees price-tag. on my god...
My dilemma still remains a dilemma ...
January 2020
Update...
After days of confusion and temptations finally I settled for Imperiale 400
Maroon. I booked the motorcycle on 11.11.2019 and requested for a delivery in
February 2020.
My decision came
after reading a lot of reviews. Still my mind is pulling towards Lioncino 500
My reasons to choose
Benelli Imperiale 400 is its lower price tag and the classic looks, the
nonexistent vibrations (as against Royal Enfield). I am a bit worried about the
tube tyres and puncture issue. Otherwise, I am happy and satisfied, waiting for
the delivery.
