Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Visited the HSR Services service centre today. Looks like They do not have any idea about the solution for overheating. Will consult the RE representative and update regarding this.
The engine noise issue was resolved. The gear indicator response issue is not resolved yet. Got to know some 3-4 other bikes are facing this issue and has been updated to the Technical team of RE. Till then need to wait. The caps have not arrived yet and not sure when they will get the stock. The gear shift is smooth now. The rear brake used to make a squeaking noise. That has been set right. And yes most of the spares of Himalayan is not available as of now. Not even the clutch lever(If any of you facing issue with clutch lever de-coloration then you need to order & wait).
And one more good news is they are coming up with Road Side Assistance program for an annual fee of ₹800. They will cover a radius of 100km. They will come & try to rectify the problem. If its not rectified they will be towing the bike to the nearest authorized service centre. Hope they do it pan India.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks for the updates.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks. Keep such reviews coming.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Got the first service done today post 570km, and here are the observations,

1. Annoying little noise used to come from the engine has completely stopped.

2. Gears are butter smooth.

3. Never overheated.

4. Breaks seems better, rear wheel stopped locking with normal pressure.

5. Overall engine and exhaust note has changed, sounds lovelier than before. Felt like some twin cylinder bike roaring while vrooming.

6. Counting on the mileage.

Service centre guys told essential parts are available but some specific parts r yet to come and no information on that, a customer lost his chain adjuster and told to wait for 2 weeks apprx, that's terribly sad.

So others keep ur girl as safe as possible, try not to loose or break any parts until all the spares are available.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Post first service I went for a Drag race event which is happening around 60km away, so up and down 120km completed today.

Everybody looked at Himalayan as if its a super bike, am so happy that its always been an eye catcher wherever i go.

Got opportunity to do some off roading, unfortunately i hv no photos of that.

But here are some photos taken at the aerospace

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

One incident of a Himalayan somebody i know came across during a small off-roading session, the saree guard and chain cover seems to have fallen off.
Are the parts so loosely bolted.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

May be, but definitely that's not a common issue with all the bikes.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

These two parts are loose on my bike too, but not so much that they fall off.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

So, here's my overall experience with the Himalayan so far and from the ride to Jim Corbett.

We left home a little after 5am on Saturday hoping to beat the rush of Delhiites escaping to the mountains for a weekend away from the scorching heat, but we were already too late. A 10 km long gridlock at Brijghat was waiting for us. The hard throttle had already started making its effect on my wrist and I was petrified at the thought of using the heavy clutch in this traffic, with temperature always on the rise. To my surprise, crossing the long stretch of traffic was comfortably easier. The easy handling and manoeuvrability came to the rescue, and we were back on the open highway in no time.

Since the bikes were still running in, we didn't push them beyond 80. Himalayan stays at that speed with ease, but with those dual purpose CEAT tyres, the ride is a tad bumpy. The stiff suspension doesn't help either. It does take bad roads extremely well though.

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We reached Ramnagar at around 1 pm with the fuel gauge on my bike in red zone, which is where the Trip F indication starts blinking. This tells you the distance you cover with your bike in the red zone. I don't know how that is helpful when you have no idea how much farther you can go with the remaining fuel. Anyway, to my horror, the petrol pumps were on strike, and the next available station was miles up the hill. Luckily, one station agreed to give us fuel for our journey and we crossed Jim Corbett soon.

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This is where the fun begins. My friend Vikas, who had visited the place we were going to in the past, forgot the way. So instead of going to the normal route, we took a road that was under repair.

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This is where the bike shines. It makes you forget you don't have a road under the wheels. It just glides over the potholes and the gravel. The Himalayan performed really well in the twisties despite its long wheelbase. The only concern was the brakes. while the front refuses to react to you inputs on the lever, the rear loves to lock up at its wish and needs a little getting used to. After riding a good 2 hours on this track, we reached our destination, and although we were tired to the bone, we had to clean the house since it was locked for a long time. And there was no electricity. This was going to be interesting.

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After throwing away all the riding gear, we went to the nearest market which was 10 kms away to grab some snacks and a few candles.

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It was dark by the time we returned and went straight to the rooftop and sat down to enjoy the weather and the view, but only after looking around to ensure there was no tiger waiting to prey on us. Yes, tigers roam around freely here. So, after a candle light dinner at the only dhaba nearby, we went off into a deep sleep. But that didn't last long as Vikas started snoring like a.... I don't think anything snores that loud.

We woke up at 4 the next morning and left early, but not before having Maggie and tea at the dhaba. The descent was much quicker and the bike felt a lot smoother. But the already weird backfire sound had changed to a sharper, much tinnier note on my bike.

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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Sorry for the long post, but I couldn't help pouring it all in. I'll wrap it up now.

After crossing Jim Corbett on our way back, we were soon on the highway after Moradabad. It was also my first time riding with the Rhynox tank bag. It worked beautifully, tucked nicely behind the tall wind shield.

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One major problem was the inaccurate fuel gauge. It moves normally until the half mark and then suddenly gravity comes into play and the needle drops like clothes in Monica Belluchi movies.
After hitting the red zone, it takes no time to drop dead at Empty, but the bike keeps going in the main. It went all of 94 kms in the red before it hit reserve.

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Look at the two pictures here. They were clicked only 22kms apart, but look at the fuel level.

Also notice the temperatures.

And we were soon home at around 2. Even in this heat, the engine didn't feel overheated, although I could feel the heat on my legs every time we stopped in traffic. Overall, the bike outperformed our expectations.

Pros:
- Handling and manoeuvrability
- Riding posture
- Acceleration
- Exhaust note
- Off road manners
- Suspension
- Wind protection

Cons:
- Engine clatter
- Hard throttle
- Gear shift (It's next to impossible to find neutral after the bike stops moving)
- Brakes (read spongy front brake feel)
- Bumpy ride from the tyres
- Seat is too soft for comfort after a while
- Fuel economy (Even at low speeds on open highway, we got less than 30)
- Faulty fuel gauge

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

{update}: I've now completed the run-in; 2200 kms to be exact. Hit 110 kmph on the Faridabad Gurgaon road. The bike reaches triple digit speeds with ease but is not too happy there, with engine screaming very loud. 80-90 kmph is where the bike wants to stay at a notch under 4000 RPM. Although the bike is stable at these speeds, I did feel the bike do shimmy on a couple of occasions and it was scary. Will have to check that again.

The engine is a little quieter now and gear shift is a lot smoother. There's still these vibrations after 60kmph that get a little annoying after a while. Will visit the service centre tomorrow for sure.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

That's a good review, i agree with the fuel indication & brakes. Rest are working fine for me... Bumpy ride is because of a dual purpose tires, we can't ask more for this price. Engine clatter is not there for me. Gear shift issue happens once in a while. I felt the seats remaining good.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Can anybody suggest me what kind of saddle bags work well for Himalayan??? I assume all the upswept exhaust saddles suits. I have two models in my mind
1. Komine
2. Any ktm saddles
3. Not sure if Rynox nomad 2.1 works well

Please suggest me guys.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks for your video review. It looks like you work in the same building as mine. Infinity.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I have booked the granite color Himalayan yesterday. The waiting period is of 4 months as quoted by dealer.