Royal Enfield Rumbler 500

At first glance itself, the Rumbler 500 impresses you with its bulky stance, which makes it look bigger than similar-spec motorcycles. At the front, the Rumbler 500 gets a chrome bathed round headlamp and turn indicators with the two pods of instrument console above the headlamp, which go well with the cruiser theme.

On moving sideways, the Rumbler 500 gets curvaceous fuel tank and quadrilateral side body cowl with the rounded rectangular chrome-finished panels, which give it a unique identity of its own. The fuel tank receives a 3-D logo of Royal Enfield, while the side body cowls have ‘Rumbler 500 imprinted. Unlike a majority of other Royal Enfields, the Rumbler 500’s engine is finished in black color. The long and simplistic chrome finished exhaust pipe with matte black end look glorious on the motorcycle.

At the rear, the Rumbler 500 has a small elliptical LED tail lamp, first in a Royal Enfield. The bike does get split seats as standard, behind which sits a small backrest with integrated grab rail for pillion riders. However, the pillion saddle is a bit lower, which hampers in the comfort of the rider at the back.

The instrument console of the Rumbler 500 is the most comprehensive unit which a Royal Enfield motorcycle has ever bestowed with, after the Himalayan. The two-pod cluster comes with an analogue speedometer in the left and an analogue tachometer with a small rectangular LCD panel for readouts of odometer and fuel gauge in the right pod.

The Rumbler gets a set of black colored stretched set of mirrors, whereas the hand-operated clutch and brake levers are finished in silver. The handlebar is upswept in a typical cruiser manner, with chrome finish ends. The bike gets updated switchgear too, which includes an engine kill switch.

The 499cc engine of the Rumbler 500 is more than enough for imparting true cruiser credential. Also, the rest of the mechanical hardware does a pretty good job of rounding up the overall package in a practical way. The Rumbler 500 comes with a set of conventional hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and gas-charged adjustable hydraulic coil springs at the rear.

The seat is quite low slung, which makes it pretty accommodating and comfortable for all kinds of heights. However, the limited ground clearance of the Rumbler 500 restricts its cornering abilities, as the underbody gets scraped while turning at leaner angles. It requires caution while turning at sweeping corners.

As understood, the suspension is tuned on the softer side so as to obtain a much more comfortable ride over city streets as well as highway stretches. The Rumbler 500 was also the first motorcycle from Royal Enfield to get disc brakes both at front and rear, which are pretty much effective than before. However, the lack of ABS is a bit of a concern here.

Powering the Royal Enfield Rumbler 500 is a four-stroke, single cylinder, air-cooled, fuel injected, 499 cc engine, which pumps out 27.2 bhp of peak power and 41.3 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox which is shared by all the motorcycles of Royal Enfield.

The engine is by far the best single cylinder powerhouse which Royal Enfield has created. The engine not only feels way more powerful than the one on the Rumbler 350 but is also more refined and stress-free. Clocking triple-digit speeds on the Thunderbird 500 is not at all a tough task, with vibrations pretty much under control in the mid-range. However, it is only in the high end of the rev range where the rider begins to feel the vibrations creeping in. With this, it is quite a comfortable motorcycle to ride.

The Rumbler 500 was also the first motorcycle from Royal Enfield to get disc brakes both at front and rear, which are pretty much effective than before. However, the lack of ABS is a bit of a concern here.

The Royal Enfield Rumbler 500 is a perfect reply for all those motorcyclists who loved the uniqueness of the Rumbler 350 but found the power, refinement, and high-speed manners of the motorcycle below their expectations. Like its 350 cc version, the Rumbler 500 looks smart, is reasonably equipped for the price at which it comes, has an excellent engine, and offers comfortable ergonomics and ride quality.

However, like every other Royal Enfield, this one too has noticeable shortcomings. The fit and finish levels of the motorcycle still have some room for improvement. The Rumbler 500 doesn’t feel vibe-free at the figures near its top speed and is not that pocket-friendly to maintain either. The motorcycle secures full marks because, at this price, there is nothing like the Rumbler 500 in the Malaysian two-wheeler market.