Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

I was glad too see Himalayan showcased as a new adventure motorcycle few weeks ago when RE played the marketing ACE featuring C.S Santosh and way potent it looks ! Its good to see (little sparks though) an attempt stepping into dual-sport motorcycles in India ! (Too much in need).

RE Himalayan will definitely be, though not as the way what the dual-sports adventure motorcycles are but comparatively a better way to travel (to specially the mecca of biking : Ladakh). Instead of carrying 200kg worth of metal on tours, now the way potent avatar of the same will let the Enfield riders go with ease through water crossings, potholes, obstacles and off roads !

Motorcycle travelling in India will get a new taste with the Himalayan and I'll be getting few spares for my Hero Impulse

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

being an RE lover and owner i do have inside passion to say good things about the brand,,,

but i will be here true ,, there is really a salute to RE for rolling out new genre,, it is a beginning ,, a beginning which i pray may become a revolution for those who like to travel on two wheels,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Didn't expect this from RE. Pleasantly surprised, can't wait to get my hands on one for a ride

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Need to take one out for a long ride. Who knows!

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Nice review, with some even nicely clicked pics. The bike looks good in pics and videos. Waiting to see it in flesh and take a TD of it. The main deciding factor would be, its pricing now. If they price it well, I would surely buy one.

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Nice review their Sir, I am happy to see those words coming out of your text, as when the Royal Enfield comes into picture, the reliability factor is a bit of question. But yes with your words I feel happy and confident, and also I see something coming in your garage (thats how I feel ). I am happy that this Bike has come in Indian market, thanks to Royal Enfield for thinking out of the box, this should encourage adventure motorcycles from other OEMs as well. Thanks for the wonderful review Sir.

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Nice review 😊 the pics are just gorgeous!!

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Awesome Snaps. And there will be a lot of enthusiasts who will opt for this for long journey. Hope they will price it right.

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

The bike is looking so tempting in the pictures, I didn't expect this from RE

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Price is out. Rs 1.78 L OTR Mumbai

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Took a very brief test ride of the RE Himalayan, earlier today. First impressions:

1) Looks slightly imposing & macho in person.
2) Looks & feels well-finished & very-well built. The frame, weld-marks & other chassis points look very well done and overall the bike exudes quality & a built-to-last feel. Feels rugged & looks handsome in a minimalist way.
3) Engine is silent (compared to regular thumpers from Enfield).
4) Clutch is a bit hard & gearshift is a little notchy, especially in the lower gears. But, overall, the shift quality is fine.
5) Accelerates briskly & I was able to see 80 in no time (couldn't push beyond, due to approaching U-turn). The best part is the engine felt very calm & unstressed.
6) Feels light & stable on the move and is extremely flickable. A very easy to ride bike. Quick direction / lane changes shouldn't be a problem at all.
7) You'll love taking U-turns on this one! Seems to have a very small turning radius.
8) Progressive brakes; could've had a bit more bite.
9) I'm tall, so for me the riding position was spot on. Nevertheless, the seat height is right for Indian riders.

Couldn't take for a long ride. Also, the TD was only on city roads and it feels more than capable for your regular commute.

The Himalyan test ride (On & Off Road)

Had a chance to test ride the Himalayan yesterday.. Went for a 20km ride on road and around 10kms off roading. I would not say tough off roading but yes good off roading. Some of the inputs are as follows :-

1. Power - 6/10
Lower end power is good but the bike pants as we near triple digits. I could take it to 130kmph but it was (i would not say shaky) but not comfortable and stable. Though the bike picks up speed at a very swift pace. Power supply is very very less. You are always kept wanting for more power on the saddle.

2. Fit and finish - 6/10
Royal enfield needs to wake up and take notice of the stuff the other companies are making. The front visor shakes even at 70kmph. A virtual shout out is required to RE for this. The seat as i said earlier is super comfortable, even during off roading, not once did my ass get displaced. Fit and finish seem to be good for the instrument console which is very exhaustive. The compass kept changing direction according to the change in direction of the bike. But this area still remains an area of concern to highly improve upon.

3. Engine - 7/10
Vibrations have reduced a lot considering the earlier models of RE, but they still need improvement and fine tuning of the engine is required.

4. Gearbox - 5/10
Gearbox is stiff and twice or thrice i had problems engaging the gear(2nd 3rd it was) while offroading. The saw toothed brake pedals are good for offroading though.

5. I did not understand the purpose of double mudguards. For offroading a higher upper mud flap is fine, then why even have a lower mud guard.

6. Seating position 9/10
Very comfortable seating position in the road and off it as well. The height of the seating gives you the confidence to stand and encounter those obstacles while off roading as well.

7. Shock Absorbers 8/10
Best till date for RE and found them good on the roads. Encountered potholes kind of stuff on the roads without any issue. And during offroading suspension both front and rear were awesome.

8. Tyres - 8/10
For what the tyres are meant for, they serve the purpose, they had good grip on tarmac and also during off roading. The only instance of skidding was noticeable at high speed north of 70/80 (while offroading on a totally gravelled patch). On boulders and cross country the tyres had great grip and a sense of confidence seeps in to the rider while off roading. I personally feel that Pirelli dual sport should have been retained from the prototype.

9. Brakes - 7/10
Brakes front 300 mm and rear 220 mm with steel braided brake lines. Still lack the bite during emergency braking. The combination braking is good but emergency is not. The absence of ABS is also sorely missed.

10. Exhaust note is a typical muffled royal enfield at idle position but quietens down while on the run. Also the upswept exhaust is great for fording and off roading, but the catcon in this particular bike made a lot of clinking sound, i dont know if its specific to the test ride bike or all Himalayans.

Overall, Royal Enfield has tried to go away from the so called royal ways of manufacturing bikes, i must say they have succeeded to an extent but the engineering and QA control still has a long way to go. That said, Its a wonderful bike at the price of 172736 OTR Pune and serves the purpose of adventure. Royal enfield will have to watch out because the bikes clientele seems to be more of serious offroaders/tourers than the trademark Guntamantri/macho boys of Bullet.


PS: Yes that's my GSD Dasher in the background 😈.Was lucky to have the bike in the area of my choosing 😊😊

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

[MENTION=10597]Old Fox[/MENTION]
[MENTION=70586]lucifer_abhi[/MENTION]
[MENTION=6858]raja_ghuru[/MENTION]

Thanks for your reviews. Could you please tell me, whats the seat height of the bike?
And from your initial expressions could you comment on these below questions?
How is the pillion seat, is it wide enough and comfortable to accumulate an average Indian all day? Can the bike do 100kmph all day?

Re: The Himalayan Revolution!

Seat height is 800 mm.

Pillion seat is adequate - not superlative but not as bad as the Duke rear perch either. Should not be all that bad for a day long trip since the seat is aided by a good comfortable suspension set up.

Couldn't ride it to that speed since our review ride was in the hills around Shimla. But going by the engine output and the bike's gearing, sustaining 100 kph should not be such a problem though going beyond that will take time. Tall gear ratios and relatively low power output being the reasons. Will update as soon as we get a bike to ride here in Delhi.