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Choosing between a Royal Enfield Thunderbird and UM Renegade Commando

Deciding between the Royal Enfield Thunderbird and UM Renegade Commando.
1 min read5 Dec '17
Autocar India News DeskAutocar India News Desk
35K+ views

I’m confused between the RE Thunderbird and the UM Renegade Commando. Please tell me about the Renegade’s performance. Which one should I go for?
Devendra Kumar, Bhopal

AAA Although both these motorcycles fall in the same cruiser genre, they have very different characters. With the Royal Enfield Thunderbird, you get the pleasure of that large, single-cylinder 350/500cc motor that is abundant with torque, and has a lot of character that comes with the vintage cruiser styling. RE has also been steadily ironing out reliability issues on its motorcycles. With the UM Renegade Commando, you get the benefit of slightly more refinement and a liquid-cooled 280cc motor. You also get traditional American cruiser styling that really gives the bike a commanding road presence. UM Motorcycles too has been working on fixing its finishing and reliability issues. So it all boils down to a personal choice. Both bikes have extremely comfortable ergonomics that’s expected from cruiser motorcycles. It’s better you test-ride both and see which one suits your riding style and body type better. In terms of performance, the Thunderbird 350 and Commando are similar, but with the RE, you get that added grunt from the extra displacement.

India Bike Week 2017 - Highlights

The fifth-edition of IBW lived up to the hype with more participants, more events, biker groups, accessory shops and many, many revving engines.
2 min read30 Nov '17
Firoze IraniFiroze Irani

Freddie Spencer and Leslie Porterfield at IBW.

The greatest bikes of yesteryear

Four motorcycles that India loved and lost in time. A ride down memory lane.
7 min read16 Nov '17
Joy ChaudhuriJoy Chaudhuri

During Mumbai’s monsoons, Vinay Gurav’s immaculately restored GTS 175 is housed in his fourth-floor apartment.

Alok Balsekar astride his pride and joy.

The front disc was given the axe in the Indian RD350 to save costs.

The BMW F650 did not come with the famous Boxer engine, but used an Austrian Rotax instead.

Sriram Iyer with his Funduro.

An early advertising pamphlet of the very first Yezdi Model B.

Rajesh Khedekar owns five Yezdis.

India's best track bikes 2017

We brought a varied selection of motorcycles to the track this year and while some impressed as expected, others pulled a surprise.
7 min read29 Oct '17
Sherman Hale Nazareth Sherman Hale Nazareth

Getting the tyre pressure right for the track is vital.

Masking tape seems crucial for data collection.

Immediate processing of data eliminates errors.

Although 3.55sec off the fastest time, the GSX-R1000R is a potent machine.

Setting lap times while the track temperature was at 47deg mark was no easy feat.

A crash from an earlier race and an injured finger – not enough to stop a world-class racer, though.

Scuffed toe sliders indicate just how hard Rajini was pushing to set these lap times.

1975 BMW R75/6 ride experience

We go back into the ’70s to experience some of the most marvellous German motorcycle engineering of the time, the 1975 BMW R75/6.
5 min read1 Oct '17
Sherman Hale Nazareth Sherman Hale Nazareth

The original BMW MotoMeter works perfectly.

Electric start works like on any modern bike.

Bing carburettors upsized for performance.

Original BMW seat is very comfortable.

The 200mm disc brake at the front sets the /6 series apart.

Original BMW R75/6 badging sourced from Germany.

Even the foldable, circular key is original.

Purazar Fouzdar, the proud owner of this brilliant machine.

Buying my first bike for daily commutes

No riding experience but need a daily commuter within a Rs 1 lakh budget.
1 min read28 Sep '17
Autocar India News DeskAutocar India News Desk