Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks brother

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hi to all you proud Himalayan owners... I currently roll on a 200NS and am planning for an upgrade to the Himalayan, well not because of the bike per say but because of the Bajaj attitude towards our machines. Anyhow, I have been reading this thread and have a few questions which I could not find the answers to -

1. Have the initial issues with the bike been rectified like overheating issues, clutch issues etc

2. I normally tour with my better half and have planned to return to Leh next year, well just got back again and am already looking forward to next year. Will the Himalayan be able to handle that much load on the inclines and in thin air ?

3. Somehow have not been able to develop a liking for the tin can noise of the Himalayan and have heard of a showroom in Gurgaon where they have a customised exhaust. Anyone here about that ?

These are the only questions bothering me. I would really appreciate insights.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

1. Overheating reduces with running in and becomes manageable. Clutch is a bit hard but shift at around 2.5k and you will get perfect shifts. Don't bother the gear indicator its useless.

2. Well its named Himalayan for a reason. I did Ladakh in July-August with fellow bulleteers. It was marvellous. Worst case you might have to remove the air filter at some passes but I guess the H will manage. Take wifey for a longish TR and then you both can compare it to NS. You can read my experience here https://bhokaaltripster.wordpress.com

3. Have heard the Offroad exhaust and if you remember the spy pics it sported the same black exhaust. I too am thinking of upgrading to it.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks for the info bro... and yes I have already read your blog before while scanning this thread and I must say it did swing me quite a lot in the favour of the H... I wanna buy it primarily for touring so just was concerned about the load carrying capacity of the bike however, comparing it to the other RE stable 350s this is what I saw and concluded -

1. TB 350
2. Classic 350
19.8bhp at 5250 rpm
28Nm at 4000 rpm

3. Bullet 350
19.8bhp at 5250 rpm
28Nm at 4000 rpm

4. Electra 350
19.8bhp at 5250 rpm
28Nm at 4000 rpm

Considering the above specs, the H -
24.5bhp at 6500 rpm
32Nm at 4500 rpm

Assuming a hypothetical linear power increase,
The Himalayan generates 0.0037bhp per rotation and 0.0071 Nm per rotation. So that basically comes out to be equal to the all the 350s shown above at the 5250 rpm. I know its max power 24.5 at 6500 rpm however I would not look at that since there are not many places up there where you could do those kind of rpms hence, comparing to the lower ones. The H would definitely benefit from the 10kg weight difference plus a minute 50cc engine difference.

Conclusion - If the TB 350 can do it with luggage and pillion, the H can do too. Case closed - the H it is for me.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Anyone here from Jamshedpur? who is awaiting his reg. Number or has just got it?

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hi fellow xBHPians and Himalayan owners!

I got my RE Himalayan 3 weeks back and wanted to share a really weird experience I faced during the vehicle registration process. Also, I'd like to know if anyone else have faced a similar issue. I got my Himalayan delivered from the RE brand store, Edapally, Kochi. Since I didn't have a permenant address in Kochi, I informed the showroom that I'd do the vehicle registration myself. When I got the vehicle, they had done all the necessary paperwork and explained every bit in detail which is something I think is to be appreciated because I've had experience otherwise from another dealership with my previous vehicle.

Anyways, I went to the nearest RTO in my hometown, got the rest of the paperwork done(which is a pain in the ass in the first place) on a saturday because I'm working on the weekdays. I had a couple of weeks left in the validity of my temporary registration and so I thought I'd get the vehicle inspected and complete the registration process on the next Saturday which was yesterday. But if there was any screw ups, I'd be doomed because my temporary registration expires in a few days. But, I had taken precaution and checked with the local dealership here for any loopholes in my documentation and vehicle and was confident enough nothing would go wrong unless I fail to take my motorcycle to the registration office. I got my vehicle serviced and washed the previous day and went straight to the registration office.

There were around 10-15 vehicles in queue for inspection and I was one of the firsts to reach. But the difference was that only me and another guy had done the paperwork by ourselves. Everyone else were with the dealer or an agent. What happened next infuriated both of us. The agents jumped the entire queue of vehicles to get all their vehicles checked before us and the Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector(AMV) was cool with it. Since we see this very often during vehicle inspection or any other process in the RTO, we didn't even think of reacting much. But then more vehicles came in, they all jumped the queue and were all from these same agents. It was an open ground, some 12-ish in the day and was very sunny. We were feeling tired and ignored. I went towards him, a few meters away in front(2 vehicles in front) where he was checking the registration of another motorcycle and handed out my documents to him requesting him to check my bike since I've been there before the rest of the vehicles that were in queue ahead of me. He then asked to get my bike in the front of the queue. I rushed back and got my bike to the front only to notice he went to the back of the queue to check other vehicles which came through another agent. I took a deep breath and thought to myself this would be over soon but no. After a while, he finally decides to check my vehicle. One glance at it, a quick look at my documents and "No, your vehicle can't be registered." and gave me back my documents. I asked if I had missed some document so I could get it before afternoon and get the registration done. He was kind of looking for a reason to make up and said, my vehicle doesn't have a pillion foot peg(which was there). When I showed him, he was like "There should be foot rest on the saree guard." I tried explaining him how we are not supposed to seat the pillion sidewise on such a tall bike and that RE doesn't have accessories for this bike as of now. All the Himalayans that are registered from the same RTO had no footrest on the saree guard nor any crash guard. I followed him while he checked every single vehicle left at that time. Interestingly, he rejected the other guy who had independently did the documentation for his bike too for some vague reason.

The people gathered around very well knew he was not going to listen me and tried to calm me down. He was finished with the batch and went to his cabin where he and another subordinate was sitting. I was literally begging him to get a logical reason as to why he was behaving rude with me. He went on about safety of the people, vehicles, how long he has been serving here, etc. And then it slipped out of his tongue when I repeatedly mentioned I have all the documentation in tact with me and that I don't have an agent. He said, "Everything here gets done through an agent. It has been like that here. If you want to get it registered, get it through someone." I was dubmstruck. Literally dumbstruck. There might be some sort of adjustments like these in every department of the government and even though everyone know it exists, not a single official outrightly say it out loud. Or at least, I have not come accross. He added to say I had to find some solution for the saree guard foot rest and only then he would take a second look at it. I knew it was not the saree guard or the footrest which was his issue but still rushed to the market to find something to weld on the saree guard. It was hopeless. It would make me look stupid if I welded a strong and thick footrest on the narrow frame of the saree guard. Also, when I explained the case to my dealer and the shopkeeper, they adviced me to hold the registration for a couple of days till another AMV takes charge.

I started getting very bad feedback from some of the agents and people who were waiting at the registration office about this AMV. I went back for begging him one last time to listen to what I had to say but he started behaving very rude to me saying things like "Your problem is that you are overeducated" and that I should have registered my vehicle wherever I bought it from. Meanwhile, a new batch of vehicles had come for inspection and surprisingly, he had rejected every single person who had come for registration directly(without an agent). He was behaving very rudely with everyone of us. I took it as my bad luck and stood there, frozen. Just then, a Pulsar RS200 which had no "saree guard footrest" got through because he came with an agent. When I asked him the reason, he said that vehicle is an exception. You can imagine the rollercoaster of emotions going through my head.

Firstly, I had faced a lot of opposition while I was going to buy the Himalayan. My family was against it asking me not to waste so much money, my friends started trying to back me, it was negativity everywhere about this bike. Its like marrying your girlfriend. You have to convince your family, you have to ignore all the people who had asked you not to get the bike, etc. So I already have that bond with my Himalayan already. And when I get rejected for registration because I did not pay an agent and did all the work in paperwork got me infuriated.

I took another deep breath, noted his name, went straight to the RTO which was a few kilometers away and met the Joint RTO. I explained the case to him. He was just about to go for his lunch and if you have experience trying to talk to a government official leaving for lunch, you would know the pain. But he came with me, checked my papers, asked me to read out my Chassis and Engine no., and assured me my vehicle would be registered on that day itself. He asked me to come at a later time to identify the AMV who had created all this unnecessary trouble.

I came back at the time he asked me, took me to the RTO's office, closed the doors and requested the AMV to come inside. Thats when it all poured out. he already had a bad reputation in the department and there were a number of complaints. My case was presented and he was found guilty. The RTO then handed my papers and asked him to get things done.

I don't usually try to go against the flow and try to change things around. If something bad happens, I accept it as my fate but this one was certainly unreasonable. I had nothing to lose and so I wanted something to be done.

I'm not a mature rider nor do I know the intricate laws of the Motor Vehicles Act. So, I request any of you who has read the entire story to throw some light on this issue. Is saree guard foot rest a necessary thing on all two wheelers? Does this happen elsewhere in India? Could you share your personal experience or thoughts on it?

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Good thing you fought for it. Corruption is present everywhere in India. Give a written complaint with name and other details. If the department does not recieve by hand send it by registered post. If you fight then many Govt officers do the job.

Saree guard is compulsory but that foot step thing is imaginary. All the RTO compliances are to be done by the company i.e. Saree guard, proper sized number plates mirrors etc.

Enjoy your bike. Its a wonderful thing. People oppose to anything which they don't understand.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I'm glad that you really had it to escalate the issue to the Joint RTO, and the redtape that's usually the case is what draws most people back away, they just can't take the process.

Regarding saree guard, yes saree guard is required for registration, but the foot rest welded on the saree guard isn't mandatory per se. As long as the saree guard is in place, there is no reason the RTO can stop the registration process. It is indeed, money that's making the difference.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Guess the a***le AMV gets commission from the agents. That could be the reason why he was not willing to register your bike.

P.S. DO NOT quote the entire picture set. Edit big replies and remove photos whenever quoting.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Yes it has to be the case.. nothing moves in this country. Gandhi ji aint Father of the Nation for nothing.. lol ... 😏😏😏

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

^^^Gandhi ji isn't the father of the nation in any case, but it's our own wrongdoing. In order to save a few hours and some running around, we are ready to pay extra money to some tout to get our work done.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Good job mate. Really commendable. Doing that, that too in some other state. Woww.[emoji106] [emoji106] I would've taken an agent. Man u've guts.[emoji12]

Hmmm. So, we give the registration work to agents not for nothing. Otherwise, it might be impossible. But, this is wrong. There should be two ways to it. One, via agents for those who don't have time and the other by self-documentation for those who are willing to take the pain and put in the effort. This is wrong. Such kind of practice should be banned.[emoji16] [emoji16]

P.S. DO NOT quote the entire picture set. Edit big replies and remove photos whenever quoting.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hey mzeeshan,

Its everywhere the same but lot depends on the government too and I am not directing my guns to PMO, but the state Govt. cause if the CM and his team is good then none of this things happen.

I mean I too went to a agent for my lost license and RC in Vizag and I though that I would face lots of unnecessary harassment from RTO if I go directly.

The agent quoted me 4500 for both to be done, just to try my luck I went purely just to give it a try and everything was done with in two days by me and no help by agents.

The surprise part is the total cost I incurred was 1300, so almost 3200 the agent would have taken.

Through the process I saw lots of helpful officers and team at the RTO and the govt has taken lots of steps to stop these agents.

for example the agent are not allowed any where near the RTO compound and now even the permanent registration is completely done online by the showroom.

Yes you need some patience like standing in lines and visiting twice or thrice.

But if the Govt feels for the common man it can change all that. cleansing starts at home. Vote for the right person next time.

I am really interested in Himalayan, I previously owned a RS200 can anyone point out is the pillion seat too high, I mean just for occasional pillion ride and emergency.

Also how is the heat in traffic, can it serve the purpose of daily rides compared to liquid cooled bigger and air cooled smaller CC engines.

And how is the suspension and ride quality compared. I am asking to long term owners.

Thanks In Advance

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I think I missed a gap there. I didn't try to get it register in another state. Same state, different district, my hometown. Usually I don't have the guts to do anything like this but I had nothing to lose here and everything was in my favor.

And FYI everyone, since tripster mentioned that sari guard and all the safety checks on the vehicle is to be checked during temporary registration, I did a little research and got hold on a CMVR document explaining the safety requirements for two wheeler and nowhere does it say there should be a separate footrest designed for pillion on the sari guard. I'm going to get a print out of this just to show the AMV although it was not what he argued about.

amarme001, I may not be a long term owner (Only 800km done so far) but the heating issue in bumper-to-bumper traffic is a more than other REs. I was advised by guys at RE dealer (a brand store of Eicher Motors) not to continuously ride it for more than 100km at a time. May be other owners could add their opinion about this.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Good job in escalating the issue to the higher authorities.