Wild Boar - a BASSY Thump

Feels like the craving for the thump shall never end, this is the 3rd exhaust and I know this won't be the last ;)

• The stock exhaust is sturdy, free flow and mellow on its beat, rode on it for an year :)
• Changed to Goldstar type exhaust in December 2012, free flow, an option to fill the glass wool, a little louder than mellow stock exhaust, and thumps only when revved up :)
• February 2013, removed the reflective indicator below the tail lamp and fitted a rubber flap, the thump is now sharp, clear beats when revving up, and not so pleasant on high speeds because the flap flies too with the wind :)  :(
• Having read the reviews on the new Wild Boar exhaust manufactured by X-Torque, wanted to give that a shot. Hence now I ride on Wild Boar, free flow, bassy thump, not too loud nor mellow, clean transition at higher speeds (more like a vroooom). I do notice in the rear mirror that folks standing behind feel the gush of wind from the WB

WILD BOAR (WB) Exhaust

With every change to the exhaust you have to tune the carburetor so that the efficiency is not compromised.

Cost of WB 2750 INR & fitting Charges with Carb upjetting 200 INR

Isolating the tightness in front wheel

During a regular washing exercise, I noticed that the front wheel was not rotating freely. There was a slight rubbing noise and the movement stopped abruptly. It was difficult to isolate the exact reason as there could have been many.

The reasons that I thought might be causing the issue:

• Speedometer Cable
• Front Disc rubbing against the shoes
• The front shaft nut tightened too much
• Bearings gone bad

Determined to resolve the incident before it turns to be a problem, followed the following steps:

Step 1: Disconnected the speedometer cable. Did not make any difference.
Step 2: Disconnected the front disc hub. Did not make any difference.
Step 3:Loosened and tightened the shaft nut. Did not make any difference.
Step 4: Hence it had to be the bearings and so it was

Since I haven't changed the bearings before, wanted to see how it is done. Asked My regular Mechanic to fetch the bearings and  he too agreed that it was the bearings. Closely observed how he changes the bearings - good learning.

What I thought would happen if this incident was not resolved at the earliest:

- The bearings would have gone even bad, may be damaging the shaft on longer run

- Noise would have increased further
- Drop in mileage since the load transfer was not smooth

Issue resolved by changing the bearings and now I'm a happy camper! Cost of new bearings 260 INR

Head Light Peak

The stock RE Classic 350 headlight peak is plain, made of stainless steel. Had nothing to complain about the looks, but it can be made better to suit your style.

There are a lot of choices available in the market:

• Peak with RE embossed in chrome
• Peak in Brass
• Peak with RE embossed in Brass
• Peak with the RE Gun
• Peak with engraved RE & Gun

I chose the Chrome Peak with RE embossed. Cost me 225 INR buying it online. Got it fixed through My Mechanic free of cost. No modification (holes) to the peak required.

Handle Bar Change

The stock handle bar for the RE Classic 350 is no doubt good with which I did a 12000kms, some being long distance stretches covering 150kms. There was slight discomfort riding in the traffic within the city. You have to sit close to the tank and extend your arms to be able to maneuver. With continuous clutch and front brake applications, the elbow and wrist took all the pressure.

Having researched on what type of a handle bar causes less pressure on the elbow and wrists, decided on the RD350 type handle bar. The fitting is easy with no new cables to buy. Just the accelerator cable has to be moved from right to the left underneath the petrol tank.

The feel is really comfortable, you can sit back straight and with a slight bend that the handle bar naturally provides, you find the maneuvering much smoother.In terms of the looks, I feel the Bullet looks more majestic with the wider handle (but not too wide).

The cost of the RD350 type handle bar is 350 INR and the installation is easy. So if anyone else riding the RE Classic 350 is feeling that discomfort in the arms, this is the handle bar you need!