[GlennF]

The US stopped importing the 350 in the 1990s because nobody here wanted them.

I suspect a 1990's 350 on a US freeway would have been seriously underpowered and potentially downright dangerous.  Probably made a great little backroad bike and around town ride though.

[suitcasejefferson]

I have no interest in the twins, because they don't have the "thump" I almost bought a Himalayan as a replacement for my Yamaha XT225, which I can barely get on and off of. The Himalayan wasn't much better, and then the dealer tried to jack up the price by almost $1500. I walked out the door. I have someone wanting to buy my carb converted 2013 B5, and am interested in a 2020 500 classic. But I can't find any information on it. I found a dealer in the next state over who has a couple in stock, but knew nothing about them, not even if the torpedo pipe can be replaced or the ECU can be tuned, or even if replacement parts are available. He did quote me a reasonable OTD price though.

[darmahman]

I just traded my 2018 in at BaxterCycle and they had 2 more Classic 500's on the floor. The 2019 I think is the last of the C-5's.

I have no interest in the twins, because they don't have the "thump" I almost bought a Himalayan as a replacement for my Yamaha XT225, which I can barely get on and off of. The Himalayan wasn't much better, and then the dealer tried to jack up the price by almost $1500. I walked out the door. I have someone wanting to buy my carb converted 2013 B5, and am interested in a 2020 500 classic. But I can't find any information on it. I found a dealer in the next state over who has a couple in stock, but knew nothing about them, not even if the torpedo pipe can be replaced or the ECU can be tuned, or even if replacement parts are available. He did quote me a reasonable OTD price though.

[AmBraCol]

I would love to own a 500 RE Thunderbird. Over the years I have email RENA many times about when they might be available here in the US. Not once have I ever gotten a response of any kind. :-( I would like to have the option of a tack and tubeless tires.

I really like the looks of Jawa and would own the the new Classic and the Bobber if they were to be available here in the US. But their is nothing like a RE 500 single. The character, the sole of this bike, is like nothing else on the market. I love the sound of the values, the beautiful thump that comes out the the back, and the feel of every stroke of the piston going up and down. Yes, I like all that vibration. It’ fun to ride, all of it making me feel alive and apart of the machine. Their many other bikes out their but they are like riding a boring appliances comparison. I will be very sad if RE ever discontinues making this model.

I've got a 2015 model Rumbler 500, which is what the Thunderbird is sold as here in Coffee Country.  I've ridden the Classic 500 and the Himalayan and the 650 Interceptor.  The Rumbler is the best riding of them all, in my opinion.  They were bringing in the 350 TBX, and I was excited that surely the 500 TBX would be next, the tubeless tire rims being a good reason to upgrade along with a couple other technology upgrades.  But a chat with our local dealer last week laid that idea to rest.  The Classic series still is selling here, but the Thunderbird/Rumbler/TBX series is out of the question.  Perhaps they'll bring out a Thunderbird/Rumbler 650 twin. But that's just an Indian rumor at this point, and we know how the Indians like their rumors.

[Ove]

RE have missed an opportunity to sell a special 'final edition' of the 500 single. Not sure what they could have done to it to make it a special?

[swamp2]

I just traded my 2018 in at BaxterCycle and they had 2 more Classic 500's on the floor. The 2019 I think is the last of the C-5's.

I'm vacationing in Florida at the moment and stopped in a Ft Myers dealer that carries RE.  They had 3 Classic 500's on the floor (1 each chrome, stealth black, military) which had Jan 2020 build dates on the frame tag.  So, they may not be making them for long, but it looks like there are definitely some 2020 C5's out there.

[axman88]

a Ft Myers dealer ...   had 3 Classic 500's on the floor .. had Jan 2020 build dates on the frame tag. 

As somebody who has ordered spares from India, I'm amazed that they could be assembled in India in January 2020, and be on a dealer's floor in the US, also in January 2020.  It took six weeks for just a bag of oil filters to get here.

The internet says 2 to 4 weeks, just for the container ship's journey.

[Richard230]

I purchased my second electric motorcycle, an Electric Motorsport GPR-S, assembled in Oakland, CA, in December 2009, using the imported chassis of a 250cc Tiger brand motorcycle. I paid for the bike and it was registered at the DMV that month.  But I decided to wait to pick it up the following Saturday when fair weather was being predicted.  When I went down to pick up my bike, I discovered that the "manufacturer's" CEO had visited the shop (the Electric Green Store located in San Carlos, CA) and taken the bike back to the "factory".  He returned it a few days later and it had a new VIN sticker on the head-stock with a new manufacturing date of January 2010.  That required the sale of the bike to be withdrawn in the DMV records by the retail dealer and re-registered with the new VIN and build date.  I found out a few months later that the vehicle actually had first been assembled sometime during the summer of 2009.      A photo of the bike is attached.

Needless to say Electric Motorsport is no longer manufacturing electric motorcycles. The last I heard they were selling electric motors and other electrical stuff, although I wouldn't be surprised if they were no longer in business.

My point is that I am not sure how reliable VIN sticker build dates on motorcycles are.      I don't believe that there is any law verifying their accuracy.   

[axman88]

My point is that I am not sure how reliable VIN sticker build dates on motorcycles are.      I don't believe that there is any law verifying their accuracy.   

Those Jan 2020 machines in that Florida showroom, and their apparent rapid transport from India to the US, definitely makes me, for one, wonder if perhaps the downtube sticker dates are added at point of sale with the date they came out of the crate.

If this is the practice, that would also explain certain variations that have been found on certain machines, like mine, that has the 18" front wheel that was reported to have been discontinued the year previous.

I wonder if there is another date code anywhere else on the machines?

Also, it makes good business sense that RE would build up their remaining stock of UCE 500s into bikes for US sale.  US bikes don't require Euro 4 certification, and they fetch twice the price that RE asks for the domestic 500s.  Maybe US dealers will even increase their asking price, now that we all know the bikes are being discontinued.

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

So the VIN isn't stamped into the frame these days then?

[axman88]

So the VIN isn't stamped into the frame these days then?

The VIN appears on my 2012, stamped into the head tube and also on the plate which is on the upper down tube.  On my 2012 this is very thin gauge aluminum, and is riveted.  The date stamp appears to have been printed with a dot matrix, and is a different size font than the VIN code.  The 1rst 5 digits of the VIN, are punched with noticeably less disturbance to the metal.

Of course this is all just speculation.
   

[Richard230]

My 2011 Bullet VIN plate looks like that. Both of my BMW motorcycles have the VIN stamped deeply into the head-stock frame tube. (You know how the Germans are.     ) However, my 2018 Zero electric motorcycle uses a thin VIN and date of manufacture plastic sticker.

[Bilgemaster]

Regarding VIN numbers and manufacturing dates, while I cannot speak to current practice, back in the '60s when those amphibious Amphicars were still being sold, dealers would only rivet the fresh VIN tag onto the firewall when the thing was sold. Because many of the things often languished in the showroom or lot for over a year, the dealers were given blank metal VIN/Year of Manufacture tags and a metal punch kit to fill them out. You can still buy those NOS VIN plates even now from our main supplier of parts and gear, Gordon Imports. Fact is, it didn't much matter what was given as the year of manufacture, since nearly all 3,800 or so Amphicars produced were manufactured in two spurts, the first in 1960 and the later ones, like mine, in 1965...though "officially" mine's a '67.