Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Money wise it's a great deal but if u compare with a safety tag , u lost a much much more important feature, ABS. No matter how much experience we have in riding we can't act as fast as the device works during panic situation.
Please ride with care in monsoons.
Engine+ chassis reliability still under question mark.
I don't know why you went for a off road bike when u had a highway requiments.(u must have tried test ride of jawa).
I agree it comes with most comfortable pillion seat as well as rider's.
Please confirm engine and chassis's no are matching (hopefully it ll be fine).
Check run out of both the spoke wheels( if service centre is very near to showroom some mechanics don't hesitate to swap the parts).
Rusting on engine parts.
Don't feel bad for pointing out some supposed negatives.
Mainly ask them for extended warranty and bumper to bumper insurance.
I Hope you are the first customer in RC.
Worries apart, if u love the off roading or covered by bad highways patches. U choosen the best bike.
Happy riding. Ride safe.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

For the price you paid, and the inclusions provided, it's a sweet package, where we're looking north of 2.4L with these accessories for a new one. Though the red flags you've mentioned are the usual deal breaker, it's good that you took in the PDI check as a mandatory one. Usually, a bike that goes at a sale for discount is either a test drive bike or a new bike that was transit damaged which are then sold by the dealer at a discount. There's nothing wrong with the bike as such, it's decently reliable for what its worth, and now that you've sorted most of the red flags such as fuel tank, handlebar, battery (very important). Also, since the KM has not exceeded 100 kays and all the paraphernalia replaced, it's a sweet deal.

Do observe for the following.
1. Engine temperature.
2. Oil leaks.
3. Too much vibrations
4. Loose nuts and bolts, here and there are a high probability with this bike, so it's always better to take heed.

The gearbox was re-worked by RE, as the first batches of RE that came out when launched had a horrible gearbox. Grinding and extremely hard gear issue was proactively rectified by Royal Enfield and other petty issues reported by first adopters, and then came the 2017-2018 FI Himalayan.

This bike does need a little extra care than usual, do that and it rewards the user well.



Hi Prasad. When compared to the Dominar, the rider triangle is far better in the Himalayan. And it's a common misnomer that the Himlayan is a specific off-road bike, which is not the case. The bike is a dual-sport. The bike is primarily designed for street and long distance comfortable cruising in mind with the ability to take on roads-no-roads with ease, and staying true to the tag, it does everything well. The fact that a user needs to keep in mind is not to push the bike too much in off-road, as its weight can in fact be a bummer, but take it easy and this bike will go places, as easily as a specific street bike.

The big 21 inch wheels, and the 200 mm travel front forks are a boon for off roads and slushy roads and pot hole ridden roads. The tires do have their drawback with poor grip on gravel, and too much lean angle isn't their forte.

The pillion comfort is far better than the Dominar, the rider triangle and shock absorption capabilities are far, far better than Dominar, and maintenance too is not as costly as the newer Dominar.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I never mentioned dominar as a choice. (I mentioned jawa). My concern was ABS and poor metallurgy and engine life.
As u told it's a off road oriented bike which also usable in road.
His requirement was a highway cruising which in terms require good power, lightweight, good brakes, best headlights, good FE etc. There are other good value for money bikes in market considering above points. Ground clearance and long travel front shocks are good in off roading but a stiffer suspension and low GC profile always returns good stability and control which is very much essential in higher speeds( safer speed is 40-60kmph as per GCAP). Slipper clutch is another feature which enables rider to not wory about rear wheel lock during sudden engine breaking. also quick shift also possible ( if knows how to do it and when to do it).
For bad highways spoke wheels are enough to absorb the impacts IMHO.

I agree new 2019 dominar is costly compared to his present deal but comparison should be done upon same year of make right. So if any 2018 dominar was available as in such condition, I bet dominar was the right choice.
I still admire the road presence of Himalayan and nice exhaust note.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

True indeed Prasad. The summation was purely based on the nearest sports tourer, the Dominar 400, hence the comparison. The JAWA is indeed a pure street fighter and a decent tourer, but not a dedicated tourer such as the Domi or the Himalayan, but the preference varies per individual, his build and ergonomic factors so on and so forth.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks Prasad for the comment and your concerns. They are genuine and I share some of them, below is my rationale for some of the points you raised:

1. I do understand the importance of ABS, especially on highways, and yes i do have a doubt in my mind whether going with Non- ABS was a stupid decision. What I told myself was that I have never ridden a bike with ABS, all 3 of my previous bikes didn't have any ABS, so maybe I won't need it anytime soon. I know this is not much of an argument but club that with the discount and it might just make sense.

2. Yes my use case is mostly highway rides, however as I look at it, Himalaya provides a more versatile package than a Jawa (or 2018 Dominar). While on a Jawa I might be able to cruise the highways, but its seat is just as hard as a Duke's and its pillion seat is practically non-existent. So long distance rides on Jawa needs some modification with the seats. Further, if we talk about Jawa's capability on bad roads/no roads. I believe you'll have agree that Himalayan is better there. Plus news like these - https://www.rushlane.com/jawa-motorc...-12321152.html or the fact that my Jawa will be delivered by January 2020 (as per their updated delivery estimator) wasn't really giving me any confidence in the bike or in CLPL.

3. Engine + Chassis reliability may not be at par with the Japanese machines, but its up there with the likes of other home brewed machines we get here in India. Also, I try and take extreme care of my rides. Never have I ever passed 600 kilometers without a chain cleaning and oiling. So I believe if there are any issues with this RE as well (like my 2017 TB500), it should come to light in a timely fashion.

4. For the run out of spoke wheels, I have been ridden the bike for about 200 kilometer, haven yet felt any wobbles or other anomalies. However, if there is anything more technical i should be doing to check this, please let me know and i will be happy to do so.

5. Will definitely be extending my warranty for the maximum amount possible. Thanks for the suggestion.

6. Very first customer on RC

To be honest, I would've not gone with RE again if there was a better choice. But as we know, no bike is perfect both Dominar and Jawa on paper might seem like a better deal than Himalayan but they all have their shortcomings. We always take a chance when getting a new bike under 7 lakh in India, so I took mine, let's see how long this lasts, cheers!!

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Thanks VJ, appreciate the comment.

For the points you have mentioned, here's my view on them after the initial 200kms.

1. Engine temperature - currently it runs hotter than expected, but I believe this is something which will be fixed after the first service (happened with my friend's Himalayan as well.
2. Oil leaks - Trust me, after my previous TB500, I literally take a flashlight and magnifying lens to check for these. During these sessions, i hate the fact that the engine is painted black.
3. Too much vibrations - I was pleasantly surprised with mellowed down vibrations even at high RPMs. Finally the rear view mirrors can be used like they were supposed to. I believe this is because of the introduction of counterbalance in the engine. Lets see how this ages overtime.
4. Loose nuts and bolts - always had trouble with these, but I try to keep up with all that should be in its place and all that is missing

I try and stay away from comparing bikes, because as i mentioned in my previous post, No bike is perfect. It all depends on what fits best to my use case. I know it is a gamble, not knowing so would've been foolish of me. But it's a gamble where I get to tilt the probability towards my side by running through PDI checks and precautionary take on maintenance.

rest, lets see how it rolls.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

As u said all other points can be taken care by keeping eye on them and it's all depends on how we treat the bike.
ABS is other thing which we can't retrofit (may be possible but will not work like factory fitted one).
Importance: I personally felt it's presence during last leh trip(also during city rides initially)) with my wife,. We encountered many situations which would have ended in fatality but thanks to ABS which allowed me to manuover in that panic situation. Most of the people think that ABS is just for faster breaking. No, actually it breaks slow(initially) compared to traditional one. But in panic or in emergency situations it ll allow us to break hard and manuover without worrying about wheels getting locked.
No matter how conscious we are, we can't avoid people who come in wrong way, crossing highway suddenly from other planet, animal crossing etc.
After riding ABS MODEL when ride my old pulsar I feel very nervous during sudden breaking and while applying front breaks sometimes I end up with front wheel lock for a split of second.
I agree breaking efficiency also depends on tire grip ,caliper type, Sealing of fluid, rotor size etc mean while ABS is designed keeping all above parts wear and tear. so it ll work wonderfully if tyre is in better condition (may be ABS will kick in too early if tire is out of thread).
When it comes to hazards or accident prevention is better than cure.
Hope this helps.
Happy riding and touring.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hi gus
Here is the next project
Around 20000 km on himmie, will be 2 ;
Some more difficult borders.
We will try to stay under 15 kg for personal stuff, that imeans under 100 for the whole, plus 200 for the bike with enough gas for 500 +
ride on

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Can any of you please suggest me a good handguard (knucklegaurd) for Himalayan and also share the link if possible.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

RE provides one for Himalayan. Is for about 2000. Check with your local dealer

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hi All, This is going to be my very first and long post in this thread so please ignore mistakes/error.
I was in search for bike for daily commute 60km to and fro and occasional long ride to Konkan and Goa and wanted pillion comfort as my wife doesn't like street sporty bikes most of which has forward leaning seat so I didn't have much options other than ( Jawa, Dominar, Himalyan and interceptor 650 )

I test rode jawa and himalyan back in May 2019 and booked it instantly and thought to wait as dealer said this has long waiting period and I had a bike which I thought would go for few more month beside I liked jawa as well due to body to weight ration and other features, fast forward to August 2019
Recently avenger started to give lot of problems and I started to lose my patience because jawa is not gonna get delivered before 2020 or later so I started my lookout again for new bike and after digging internet and research found out there are few ( Dominar 2019, Himalyan 2019 and brand new Re Int 650 from Enfield )

Being 5.3 I was pretty sceptical about taking test ride of these bikes as these are bigger bikes, stands taller and heavy. I have been using friends avenger street 150 for almost an year so had zero exp with big bikes but anyway I decided to try and test ride these bikes, so I visited ( RE showroom Soniya motors at Bhandup ) and asked for test ride they gave me Himalayan, I took my wife as pillion and test rode for 1-2km as we were late and it was peak traffic hours so couldn't test rode properly but my wife felt comfortable as a pillion and we decided to come back early another day and asked if I could get long test ride for which they agreed so decided to come back on off day but while returning my wife noticed Int 650 there and liked it alot.
So I thought to test ride that as well and I did it next day for almost 5-6 km in traffic, open stretch and oh boy that bike roared being shorter I didn't find it difficult to ride at all even in traffic and I was completely sold but I knew this is not the bike for me because parking and putting on main stand won't be cakewalk as well as a friend ( proud int 650 and GT 535 owner ) suggested to not get int650 if my priority is pillion comfort, so I dropped that plan and continued to stick to Himalayan in between I test rode Domi 2019 but my wife completely decline to test ride that as a pillion so dropped that plan and I took another test ride of himalyan and rode for almost few kms didn't find it difficult to handle/maneuver but gear was hard to shift Maybe due to TR vehicle but anyway I went ahead and booked ( Himalyan Sleet Abs 2019 ) it with lot of confusion whether to go for it or not and honestly I'm still confused even after making 80% payment.
But anyway nothing can be done since payment made so I thought learn to ride and live with it and hope to not regret my decision. Anyway, I decided to not buy insurance from dealer and buy it separately but here's the catch dealer said I'll have to handover insurance copy to them before registeration then they will be able to go for registration but every insurance website I have been checking for insurance is asking for registration date few of insurance provider doesn't even have option for " himalyan abs 411cc" most of them just shows STD Petrol 411CC so not sure if I chose STD Petrol 411CC then my worry is, would it cover my bike because it's ABS, as well as insurance is bought after registration or before and which insurance should I pick between ( comprehensive and zero dep ) and do zero dep covers TP ( sorry for Noob questions ) beside which insurance provider should I go with. It would be great help if answered and provided the amount you all paid for Insurance ( comprehensive and zero dep ) not sure if it's the right thing to ask.

one more thing I noticed other 2 Himalayan were there in their godown because they said Sleet color has arrived for the previously booked customer and I want to have a look at them but after checking both I noticed both had 2km run on tripmeter when enquired they said it's tested before getting delivered to dealer, is this true.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

How much are you going to save by getting insurance done by self. For first year I usually negotiate hard but get insurance done from dealer to avoid the hassle unless the difference is worth the hassle. Insurer will accept the temp registration number , engine and chassis number. For temp registration IMO, insurance isn't compulsory, From 2nd year get it done from wherever you feel like.

Dont fuss over 2km reading. It can be at factory or can be at dealer. Maybe they ride it from the truck offloading point to showroom.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thank you Kunwar G from another Kunwar [emoji14] much appreciated

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Dear friends,

Today i came across this article.



I am already a proud owner of Himmie.

Article like this makes me worry during long rides.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Rider survived such a horrific accident, thanks to his safety gear. It isn't clear in the video which year's model does that Himalayan belong to, but if it's 2018/19, then its really scary.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Just to add on to what fellow Bhpian mentioned. It's better to go for a bundled package. For motorcycles it's compulsory 5 year third party insurance and optional own damage insurance. So, showrooms usually make it a bundled package covering both OD and TP insurance, which is a one-time upfront payment. Being a new bike, I'd strongly recommend OD insurance cover taken, as anything can go wrong and god forbid if you happen to have a crash or something, then you have to pay every single paise from your pocket to get the damages sorted, which is "expensive" by all means. You have the option of increasing or "nil" the OD damage cover. But, a nil OD damage cover is dangerous. Pick at least two years OD damage. And zero depreciation is another add on cover over these existing policies, so that will be a few hundreds to thousands more depending on the CC of the vehicle. Make sure you ask a separate quotation for insurance and the options, this will give you a clear idea as to what can be considered and you can save some money during upfront payment.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ