Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

That part I gotta agree, San who slows down for the breaker eh! But guess what it does take a toll on the bearings Sanjeev. The fact that you mentioned the bearings don't take the radial thrust (perpendicular to is motion) is one fact that has lots of whats and ifs. Faulty bearing from company? Possible. Possibly, SVC ruining the bike? Again, very very highly possible. Just wear and tear? Duh! The possibilities are endless.

In case, I open the bearings, I'd for sure have it inspected and et al shared for sure Sanjeev. Another reason you know why, I am honestly in love with the R series.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Yes, my friend..initially I too had thought the bearings don’t suffer any axial loads but then while discussing with a certain aeronautical engineer I know (Ahem! You might’ve guessed who) I was corrected.

There’s a certain amount of thrust that gets transferred to the bearings in the form of impact stresses & what’s more, the location of the bearings also tend cause angular strain too. Hmmm...

Anyways my replacement under warranty is going under again..the handlebar is stiff to one side. So I’m going to go join the numerous others in using Koyo or some good brands as you’d suggested earlier - through a good mechanic outside the purvey of the RE SVC.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Absolutley! I know who that gentleman is. Bless him. The main reason any bearing has play, any play with respect to its orientation is due to age, poor lubrication and as any AE would swear, the way they are torqued, which plays a BIG role, too loose and too tight and a goner for sure. Top it up with load factor, as you rightly mentioned, well..

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hi Friends. Reading the thread for a long time and finally feels great to share that I received by Himalayan this weekend!

I am a proud owner of Duke 390 (2017) since last 1.5 years and I am extremely satisfied with that piece of beauty!

Then why buy Himalayan you might ask –

1. Me and wifey tour together, with either her or me as a pillion!
2. Roads in Maharashtra and especially in Western ghats – these are barely roads!
3. Duke 390 has to be kept in 1^st or 2^nd gear in bad roads its hell for the pillion but okay for the rider!
4. We are okay till 150-200 kms but after that the pillions needs rest.
5. So I needed something which can be comfortable for the pillion, take on the bad roads and also something which my wife can ride solo!

Welcome the mighty Himalayan!

Took delivery on this weekend and going through the run in period now!

Few initial impressions/observations (I know it’s still before the 1^st service…):

1. Love the instrument cluster, its beautiful! It makes you feel like you are in command!
2. Stance of the bike is authoritative! That massive front wheel…just wow!
3. I had people ask, multiple times, if the bike is made like this or did I modify some other RE bike. While I answer, I am all grinning inside…
4. Absolutely great suspension
5. Power comes lazily and I love it… (Duke satisfies my itch for shooting through the traffic)

I Need experts advise on the following things:

1. What’s the best way to break in? Speed and rpm?
2. Gears are not as smooth to shift. In rapid downshifting, 5^th to 1^st, I need to release the clutch slight to slot into 2^nd
3. No vibes will I reach 3000 rpm mark, then they increase quickly. Will this reduce after 1^st servicing?
4. The left side frame cap near the footpeg fell off L
5. ABS interferes quite early than expected, especially comparing this to Duke 390
6. I want to apply rust free spray to the frame and net bolts from the start so I wouldn’t face the issue later. Will WD40 work here?
7. Who provides the best crash guards? HDTCustoms? Zana?
8. PDI guy at the show room told me not to completely fill the tank. Only put 10-11 liters. He was of the opinion that fumes will get trapped inside the tank and bike might stall. Is this still an issue?
9. What are the steps you have taken to maintain the bike?

Sorry for all the questions…just too excited I guess….

And lastly…thanks for all the information and discussions.

Feels great to be a part of the brotherhood! I will upload the pics soon!

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hello CM, welcome to the boards, happy to have you and your Hima here.

In the chronological order.

1. Best way to break in is follow the manual, but make sure the bike isn't pampered. You can easily touch till 80 to 90. Vary your RPMs up and down, this will bed in parts more easily and cleanly as opposed to the passive low RPM method mentioned in the manual. It isn't to diss the manual recommendation completely. Variations help engine bed properly. High heat is common during the bed in period, the bike will take a minimum of 6k to get smoother.

2. Check your clutch adjusted. Too high a clutch can mean clunky gear shifts. Make sure the clutch lever has enough free play and the clutch is light. Your shifts will become smoother.

3. Yes, during the running-in period, the vibes creep in at varying RPMs. Oil replacement at your scheduled interval, will deliver the difference in smoothness. Navigating to point one, the bedding process.

4. Bad luck. Get new one. But still shouldn't happen.

5. Yes, the ABS is quick to cut off and abrupt. Getting used to the braking of the bike, helps keep the rubber side up.

6. WD 40 works great, but is a dust magnet for the most part. If you don't see a rust spot, don't bother using it. Moreover, WD 40 isn't a paint where spraying it solves the rust issue. Don't worry about it. For now, ride. If you see rusing somewhere, clean it WD 40.

7. Zana, my personal preference. HDT customs look cool with those nylon bumps. A personal choice, purely. Both do their job.

8. Yes. The reason they say not to fill the tank to the brim is to have some gap for the tank, basically breathing space. Make sure you read your manual, and there is something called anti-splash plate on the neck of the filler, it's here where the fuel level is full. Post this is not recommended. Filling to the brim will waste fuel causing overflow. Stalling have not been reported by many, but some face, and some don't. Keep a habit of not filling it to the brim, and your bike should be okay, considering everything else is okay.

9. I follow the above steps, simple.

10. BONUS. You've said it right, it's just the honeymoon phase kicking in, and the adrenaline rush. Take it easy, ride it for now. And don't forget to adorn this thread with some pictures up, down, left and right.


Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hey guys, I have the chance to ride a RE Himalayan around Arunachal for a few weeks. Just a few questions since its a rental bike

Should I go with a BS4 or BS3 for reliability? I'm leaning towards the BS3 with a carburetor for simplicity

What are the common bolt sizes I should pack tools for? Are there any tools not in the toolkit I should try buy/find out?

The list of spares I am carrying

-spare clutch/brake lever
-spare tubes and patch kit
-spare clutch/throttle cable
-spare spark plug
-JB weld, zip ties
-20 AMP fuses

Anything else I've missed I should consider?

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thank VJ as always for the excellent guidance.

Recently got the first servicing done.
Few issues:
1. there is some rattling sound coming from the engine. Not sure if its a serious issue or something common in REH. Pointed it to the service guys, they said it will reduce a bit after first service but did not.
2. Gear shifting at the foot lever takes some efforts and force. it not as smooth as some of the threads describe
3. I feel more heat on the right side of the engine while riding.

are these issues common? or something i should be worried about?

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Recently mine also first service done bro

1) i didnt face any rattling sound bro, infact bike is much smoother for me after 1st service
2) At times i feel gear shift on 1st nd 2nd gear is little bit hard,dont know if its common ,v'll wait for some expert reply here
3) Before 1st service i felt like heat was almost from everywhere on right side of engine,but after 1st service 80% heat reduced for me even in bumper to bumper traffic, change of engine oil should reduce the heat,i stayed with the bike till my bike got serviced, so far my bike is serving me good

5000 and more

Hi folks
Some news from your far away cousin (my father was indian ( Reunion Island) , his parents were from south: Varuna and north: Sanassy)
Now it is time for the last service before going to the east of EU and a little track in Georgia and Turkey :
How do i feel on the himme ?
SO easy on tracks, with a much more applicable suspension than a DR/XT/XR/KLR generation. The engine is almost like my former XT I rode from Paris to Dar es Salaam in 80 .
It means
you can hear it
it is going smoother with km and time
be cool on commands : gears braking, bending

abs : a joke on tracks
modification :
a new plugging for the exhaust on low part close to the engine
a wired gps support
a USB support as well
two little bacgq on front racks
a GLoop fot all the gear at the back seat
and
wabroooo my friends

Re: 5000 and more

Hello Varuna. To sum it up in one word, WE ARE WAITING.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Hey everyone,

I've been following this thread from quite sometime. Ever since the BS3 was out, to be precise. I've been thinking of buying the REH from the time it's been out. I had booked it on the day of release and then cancelled it due to the issues and then again booked and cancelled it cause the BS4 was coming out and now finally I've made up my mind on buying the machine.

This would be my 2nd bike. My first and the current one is a Honda CB Trigger which is almost 4-5 years old. The bike is a gem, except for its vibes after 55 kmph. It's the smoothest when it's between 40-45 kmph.

I've been thinking of asking some questions from a while about the REH. I would really appreciate it, if one could share their experiences about the BS4 ABS version.

1. Does the fuel guage still have issues like the BS3? (As in, it used to not show the accurate values)

2. I'll mostly sell the Trigger or move it to my native. Since I'll be doing that, the REH will be used for my daily commute and weekend long rides. How will REH be if I take it out for daily commuted in Bangalore traffic? (Based on the maneuverability and comfort)

3. Are there still issues of the gears not falling in its slot?

4. Is it still a bit difficult to put the gear in neutral?

5. I heard that, being from the RE stable, it's bound to have issues. If so, how much does it take to maintain the bike, on an average basis?

Thank in advance.

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

1. Fuel guage issue is persistent in BS4 too, but it isn't bizarre, it just functions differently and you need to be cautious when it crossed the half mark. On the safer side it will never show more fuel than is there in the tank, so you wouldn't be stranded anywhere due to it. Its the same in the much more expensive Interceptor. Its worse in the twins as the entire tank is show in 4-5 graphs only. In REH the analog

2. Manoeuvrability and comfort isnt the issue in city. The only issue is heat in crawling city traffic

3. Happens but rarely

4. Neutral is never a problem

5. Fill it , Shut it , Forget it, unless you become too paranoid for every small detail. Very less maintenance as its look attractive even when its dirty

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Has anyone painted the exhaust black. I am planning to do so, but not sure, how it will look

Will do it with Rustoleum High Heat Primer and then Rustoleum High Heat Paint. Will be around Rs 1300 for the 2 cans of paint

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Adding to this, yes the fuel gauge is erratic for the most part, but once you get the knack of it, it's pretty much easy. It isn't extremely erroneous. The bike can be used as a daily workhorse without any problem, timely maintenance and a little extra care is all that's required. This bike isn't all fill it, shut it, forget it types. It does need little extra care, but pretty much that's it. Any problem the bike will clearly let you know.

The gears shifting department been taken care of by RE and the shifts are smooth and positive. Though during run-in, one might feel gears jumping out, happens but very rarely, so that's nothing to worry about. Make sure the gears are pressed nice and with a positive click if you encounter such scenario.

REs have come a long way, but is it 100% niggle free? I'd say no. I'd say 90% niggle free, rest depends on one's luck. Nonetheless, an extremely capable machine, barring the weight factor.

Ride safe! Invest in a proper set of riding gears.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Thanks for the input. Very much appreciated.

Yep, planning on investing on some gears too! Riding safe is the utmost priority.

Cheers!

Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan

hi mates
The bike is bien née as we say here , means good and accurate since the beginning .
For the neutral , it is always easier to put it JUST before stopping, on the inertia of the engine . Old trick of an old ride ( first 125 in 70 )
the engine is now ( 4500 k ) running smoother and taking rpm easier, like my old time' XT .
a question for tires as i am going to ride 10kkm ? ideas ? tests ? it will be parts of the TET as well in Serbia and Bulgaria