Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Had heard about a 5k increase only due to BSIV and no ABS or EFI. This is probably about right. Am not sure about the EFI part though. Please check with that FB group if they have any info.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

March 2016
Royal Enfield launches its adventure off roader aka purpose built motorcycle in the form of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. In the days to come, drooling over the huge machine at the showroom next to work, took a few test rides and all apprehensions I had regarding vibrations were laid to rest with the counter balancer doing its job well. I decided to still wait out and see what the owners had to say about it. Complaints poured in on threads however one thing I noticed that none reported any issues with the engine as a unit. ok now .. fast forward to present ...

December 2016
After about 9 months of waiting and watching finally decided to go ahead with the booking for the Himalayan. Booked a granite version and paid the showroom a booking amount of 5K and asked them to delay the delivery till about March 2017 (just wanted to give myself more time for customer feedback review)

March 2017
Got a call from the showroom yesterday to come and collect my machine. Worth mentioning - I changed my booking from Granite to Snow (guess the charm of the snow grew on me since all TD vehicles I rode were white ). Arrived at the showroom at about 3pm and had them clean the bike, did the entire PDI check mysefl too which the showroom guys were more than glad to oblige to. Rest all seemed perfect although I found a nut missing on the windshield for which the guys were apologetic repeatedly and replaced promptly. Once I was satisfied, and did I take my time, did they proceed with the final billing. To cut a long story short - here I am owning a machine which has earned the tag of being a purposeful machine with a go anywhere attitude. Its a Royal Enfield and coming from the Bajaj NS (another brilliant machine wrecked by the nonchalant attitude of the Bajaj svc guys) I must say this machine felt huge but was not intimidating at all. Swung a leg over the saddle and I immediately felt at home with the machine. Finally took delivery at 1900 hrs, tanked the H up and rode back home grinning all the way and taking pride in the new friend I had made, the new companion I had found for all my upcoming rides.





Have ridden my H about 100 kms till now and following is my review (dunno if this even qualifies remotely as one)

1. The machine is huge however not intimidating as all.
2. Loads of torque for sure even in the run in period
3. Superb ergonomics with brilliant front suspension and rear monoshock
4. Personally, I feel that the clutch is lighter than my NS contrary to previous complaints of a hard clutch
5. The gearbox albeit clunky is in contrast to the slick one of the NS however slots well and gives a decent feedback to the rider
6. Shift gears near the 2.5 K range and it works pretty neatly
7. Above all, my pillion is grinning all the way from home to work through the horrible Gurgaon traffic and roads

As the kms pile on I am sure that I will have more matter to put in words.

I also have a few queries, since this is my first RE -

1. Does the run in depend on the RPM or the speed on the ODO. If the RPM is the better way to do it can other owners please advise what rpms to maintain at what gear ?
2. Does replacing the windshield nuts with proper washers and lock nuts reduce vibrations of the shield ?
3. When I slot to first from neutral there is a noticeable thud. Is this normal with an RE or needs some adjustment of the clutch ?
4. I kinda like the popping / backfiring sound the bike makes - hope it does not have a detrimental effect on the machine ?

5. Cant really think of a name for my H - please help my blank mind with something ?

Would appreciate any comments / suggestions you may have for the above. Additional suggestions for well being of my H would be much appreciated.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Bhai,

Mubarak ho. Bohot bohot badhaiyan
Wishing you loads of safe miles!

Coming to your questions
1. Well, I usually looked at both the odo and rpm - 60kmph translates to 3K rpm (In the 5th gear). Hence, 95% of the times, I never took it beyond 3K rpm for the first 500kms. Stretched to 3.5K rpm because I was riding on hills.

2. Yes, it helps to reduce the vibrations if you use lock nuts. [MENTION=35113]tripster[/MENTION] was the person who suggested it on this thread (previous posts). I tried the same. It did reduce vibrations, but not completely. Moreover, if you feel too much buffeting in your helmet, you can raise the rear position (one closer to you when you sit on the bike) of the windshield to the upper hole.

3. The clutch? Initially I faced the same. After 1st service it became smooth and then now my gear shift is hard. Probably you could give it some time and see. By the by, when was your H manufactured?

4. Not sure of the detrimental effects. Experienced riders can help.

5. Black Mamba? - But you got a white one. Probably, Jon Snow?

Peace!

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thank you so much bhai for the wishes

I must say - Damn this machine is hard to keep below 60 - before I know it I am touching 60 on 4th even with normal acceleration and then have to pull back. Does the engine not make kind of a knocking sound at 60 in 5th or is it just me ?

The machine is Dec 2016 manufactured which i am fine with (the RE guy himself decoded the VIN for me proactively which I do appreciate). 2017 models were not available any showroom and the next batch was BS4 not due in before April mid-April end and I could not afford to wait that long. Yeah have already got that noted to shift the notch on the windshield which I would be doing this weekend.

Jon Snow ? hmmmmm... interesting bro ... still hunting for options...

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

For me it knocks when I am below 50 in 5th (at present) But when I had got the bike, I remember clearly that 50-55 it knocks, but at 60 it's okay. But anything below that I had to downshift. There have been talks to rejetting going on, and hearing good reviews about the same. Let me see.

Jon Snow? I was kidding. I named mine Mad Max. Will suggest if something clicks my mind!

Peace.

Edit - The reason why I asked the month of manufacturing was to try to figure whether H may require clutch assembly change. Mine is a Nov one - I am getting the clutch assembly changed, I rode a Jan one - It was butter smooth. Felt like I was riding my good ol' Apache once again.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

First of all, congratulations on the purchase thread-starter. I wish you million miles of happiness and safety.

Now all you need to do is just drop the bike once, very lightly and just kissing the ground, you know for that kala teeka effect. Just kidding!


My answers are in bold.

1. Does the run in depend on the RPM or the speed on the ODO. If the RPM is the better way to do it can other owners please advise what rpms to maintain at what gear?

The run in depends on the engine speed i.e. the RPM. Keep it below 4000 revs and you will be fine. Keep varying the speed and give all the gears a workout. A sprint from standstill to 80kph once every 100kms on the ODO is also nice. Just don't exceed 4000rpm on any gear. I always kept mine below 3500 and rarely touching 4000.

2. Does replacing the windshield nuts with proper washers and lock nuts reduce vibrations of the shield?

Yes it will reduce the vibrations.

3. When I slot to first from neutral there is a noticeable thud. Is this normal with an RE or needs some adjustment of the clutch?

Completely normal on any big bike. You should see how the real big bikes do it. It feels abnormal but it feels kinda satisfying. Maybe that why they say "Made like a gun!"

4. I kinda like the popping / backfiring sound the bike makes - hope it does not have a detrimental effect on the machine?

We all love it. I don't think there should be any such effects as the company made the bike this way. However, everywhere I have read that backfiring is a sign of lack of efficiency. but let's be honest here. Who buys a Royal Enfield for its efficiency?

5. Cant really think of a name for my H - please help my blank mind with something ?

Snowy (Tintin's dog), Shadowfax (Gandalf's Horse), Bones (it is bare-boned, is white and strong A F) or Cokehead (cuz you know, it's high with tons of energy and goes absolutely anywhere)... well, that's all I can think of now.



Cheers and regards,
Safe Riding!

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Sure. This is exactly what Royal Enfield knows about us - we're gullible and will buy anything from them.

Regards.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan


Thanks mate for answering all point by point ...

Shadowfax ... hmmmmmmm sounds really nice and elegant .... just like Gandalf's horse ! I hereby christen my H - Shadowfax !

Guess you are right - Made like a gun hence it cocks before being fired eh... And yeah, I think that the 3.5K rpm thingy would work better with me than cutting back at 60 cause keeping it under 60 is retarded to be honest.

Thanks once again bro ...

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I dint mean knocking as in the literal sense of the word.... What i meant was that it felt as if any lower and it would start literally knocking somewhat .. but I did get your point.
Yeah I am thinking of getting it done in a few months, maybe from the current 125 to maybe a 100 or 110.

Shadowfax is the name of my new beast !

Clutch Assembly - Only the 1st clicks with a slight thud but the rest of the gears are slick. Although, to your point, will keep a check till the 1st service and then update the svc guys for a change if needed. Thanks for the update though.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I beg to differ on this issue, this is not normal. When you start the bike in the morning, Idle it for 1-2 min and press/release the clutch 2-3 time. you will notice that this thud sound is gone.
If it still persist then you need to contact ASC.

Regards
Mandar

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan


Thanks Mandar .. yes I idle it for a couple of minutes whenever I have to ride post a long stand period. IF the clutch thud remains till 1st svc I will make it heard for sure

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I always warm up the bike before riding off into the sunset or sunrise. I usually use the choke if the temperature is low (25 degrees or less).

I read about it on a lot of different forums. They all have one thing to say "it is normal. Someone pointed out the transmission jumping from neutral to the highest ratio gear i.e. the first gear, hence making the "clunk" or "thud" sound.

No wonder the term "Banged it into first and took off" came from motorbiking. [emoji12]

Cheers and regards,
Safe riding![emoji111]

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hahahaha, we Indians are gullible but we won't just buy anything without asking the golden question. [emoji12] [emoji23]

We all know what the golden question is, now don't we?

Cheers and regards,
Safe Riding![emoji111]

50kph at 5th means that you're doing 2500rpm or something close. If you're referring to engine lugging or jerky acceleration then you should downshift to 4th.

I have also noticed that the bike isn't very happy in the 1000 to 2000 rpm range and jerks around a bit.

Like you said, rejetting might be a solution or just get the carburetor tuned. Most likely, a good tuning will sort all that out and make your ride silky smooth, like Zohan's hair. [emoji12]

Cheers and regards,
Safe Riding![emoji111]

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Will name mine 'IamGROOT'.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

I agree, I need to downshift and I do. BUt I don't like that lugging bit. It irritates. And as you said at 1000 to 2000 rpm, it cries. hence, results in more of gear changing.

I have tried tuning the carb, it doesn't help bhai. By default, I feel the H runs rich. Probably will try to rejet and update you guys on the same. From my friends, I have heard that the lugging sounds almost vanishes. But removing and placing the carb back in its place is a herculean task.

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Shadowfax sounds really cool. I get an image of a white wolf.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Please read my post again, Along with idling I have mentioned about clutch action. It will free the clutch plates, and clutch operates correctly.