[mrohit17]

Originally Posted by torqueunlimited

But I really don't think you should judge the bike/company based on an individual dealership. Are there any other dealerships in town? Call ahead and make a visit.

You must take a test ride of this bike!

+1, true just because of 1 experience don't just call off your plan. Well I took 3 test rides at three different dealerships primarily to ensure I get the true picture of the bike and not be decisive on 1 sample.

Of the 3 at one dealership they insisted to be the pillion, however the other two happily handed over the key to me and even asked me to take a long test drive.

I booked the white. But I think red colour looks too good on the Himalayan. Would like to get my bike colours red down the years sometime ....:sly:



Pic courtesy carblogindia.com

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by amberanand

When the Sales Experience is like that, I wonder how the After-Sales would be like!

I wonder why were they so worried about the bike unless it wasn't insured?



In any case, RE really needs to work on providing a more consistent dealership experience. Before I booked my bike, I went to 2 different showrooms in Pune : Dhone@ yerwada and Kings @ Wakad. Dhone Automobiles being the oldest and the largest dealer in Pune, I was hoping for better reciprocation/experience at their store. On the contrary, the staff was lethargic, not interested, I had to literally beg them for a 200m test ride (no exaggeration). I was so put off by that experience that I had dropped the idea of buying a RE again (own a 2010 electra, bought from the same dealer)



Visit to Kings wasn't planned but i was accompanying a friend who had some work at the adjacent fiat showroom. I decided to walk in, SA was eager, professional, followed the protocols and handed over the helmet/keys for me to test drive, I rode H over tar, gravel and sand, there were no restrictions in terms of the route to be followed or time allotted for the test ride. In fact just after the ride, I requested the SA if I can ride with him as a pillion to check for the comfort (I thought it would be too much to ask but I did). We rode to a nearby open patch of land (offroad), he made sure that I got a full appreciation of the H's capabilities. I had no reason to not book the bike, came out of the showroom with the booking receipt.



I also read somewhere that RE owned stores have a faster delivery time as compared to the franchised ones.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by amberanand

There goes the Himalayan!!]

It was such a humiliating experience! Shame on you Shree Mahadev Agency, Noida. It is people like you who are giving a great brand like RE a bad name. You should at least have people who can spot a hard core rider when they see one. amberanand is a seasoned veteran who already owns a Street Bob and a Suzuki 1200 Bandit. We were nearly ready to book it immediately. But this experience has shaken our trust. Although one of our close friend own a RE store in Meerut but they are yet to get their hands on the Himalayan. We would still give them benefit of doubt and test ride it as and when it reaches Meerut.

But RE management should definitely wake up to such kind of dealership attitude where a sales person has the audacity to insinuate that a customer may walk in on a stolen vehicle just because he wants a solo test ride!! This is damn right obnoxiously insulting. It just takes a few good lost customers with the power of the social media behind them to dampen a good product. Hope RE realises this!

Cheers...

[navin_v8]

Dealerships are of three kind from what I have learned from my experience. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The one mentioned by amberanand is the Ugly one. I have had a good experience everytime I have been to an RE showroom. The Himalayan test ride I took from the showroom was very courteous and welcoming. There was no fuss, the staff just took a photo of my driving license and handed me the keys, that's it. No questions asked.

The highhandedness of dealerships like Shree Mahadev Agency in Noida gives RE a bad name. amberanand mate don't lose heart go to some other dealership and take a test ride. There is no reason for you to reject such a fine motorcycle due to silly dealership behaviour. I taught a lesson to one such dealership by cancelling my booking due to their false promises. When I went to collect my booking amount cheque I told them, "I am getting the delivery of my bike in 3 weeks with two of my other riding buddies. The net loss to your dealership is about Rs. 6.5 lakhs. Have a great day!" The look on the staff's face and the showroom manager was Epic.

[AbelAFC]

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

Dhone Automobiles being the oldest and the largest dealer in Pune, I was hoping for better reciprocation/experience at their store. On the contrary, the staff was lethargic, not interested, I had to literally beg them for a 200m test ride (no exaggeration).

The same is applicable to Teknik Motors, Bangalore. I went to Teknik thrice to get a TD of the Himalayan, since I was really interested in it, and thought it would be a perfect upgrade to my C350.

But no. All three times I've been met with absolute apathy with these guys at the showroom, each time I've asked for a TD, they've done nothing but "ask him there he'll tell you", and they point at another similarly disinterested 'Sales Representative'. I understand that they've probably had loads of inquiries for the Himalayan, but how can you treat a prospective customer in such a horrible fashion?

My third visit there made me find one denominating factor throughout, each time they've had customers taking delivery of a new bike while I was there. So obviously for these guys, one extra sale doesn't really matter. And before I'm told to go to a different dealership, these guys are the closest to my home, and I have a gruelling college/work schedule.

I did take a TD, albeit a TD round the block, from the dealers on Hosur Road, across the road from Forum (I forget their name, forgive me). These guys were nearly as bad, their excuse making me wait for nearly half an hour was that they couldn't find the keys. How can you not find the keys of your newly-launched, highly-demanded product? And its not like I showed up as a casual customer. Each time, at both dealerships, I've ridden up on my RE, with my helmet, and all I've asked for is a TD and the goddamn price list, which I still haven't been given by the way.

Sorry for this rant, and I realize this is probably the wrong thread to vent like this, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

[The Great]

Poor guy had to go through this ordeal for Himalayan. Posting from royal enfield website.

First Dday of Himalayan Ownership Horror Story

I Got The Delivery Of Royal Enfield Himalayan Snow White Colour Today Evening,The Gear Box Had A Serious Issue And The Gears Got Stuck In Some Gear Which Constantly Shifted Out Of Gear Upon Trying To Engage The Gear Just Barely 7 Kms From The Showroom .I Took The Delivery From North Delhi Motors Shalimar Bagh.I Had This Problem At Netaji Subhash Place And I Was Literally Stuck On The Main Road With Bike Constantly Moving Out Of Gears And The Dials Showing A Dash Instead Of The Gear Number. I Called Up People At The Show Room At Around 7:30pm,And By 7:50 Two Guys From The Showroom Had Come To See What Was The Problem. After Half An Hour Of Ordeal And Looking At The Things That The Guys Were Best At Doing -"ANALYSING ",To My Horror I Was Told To Take The Bike And Go Home With This Serious Problem. The Manager Of The Workshop Had Been Called And It Was His Suggestion That I Somehow Take The Bike Home And That Someone Will Pick The Bike In The Morning. Let Me Ask Few Things From You Guys At Royal Enfield:- 1.Things Like This Are Unacceptable From A Bike Of 1.85 Lakhs Although Its A Machine And In Rarity These Things Might Happen To Anyone. 2.Even If Someone Gets Into A Problem ,The Very First Hour Of Owning The Bike-How Can Someone Ask To Take It And Go Home. 3.Why A Proper Roadside Assistance Was Not Given With Someone From The Technical Team Of The Workshop? 4.Who Is To Be Held Responsible For The Faulty Gear Box And Who Takes The Responsibility Of This Bike Which Broke All The High Hopes That I Had With This Bike. 5.Shameful That No One Ever Called Me Up To Discuss What Was My Take And That Will I Be Able To Drive It Home Where The Distance To My Home From The Point Where The Bike Broke Down Was More Than That Towards The Showroom. 6.Pity That You Guys Are Aiming Skies Where The Harsher Ground Realities Still Will Haunt You .Because The Excitement And Elation To Own A Royal Enfield Today Turned Into The Worst Kind Of Pain That I Have Gone Through Tonight, Besides The Agony And Disgust That I Felt When People Asked Me What Is Wrong With This New Bike. Besides All The Laurels I Have Been Spreading For This Bike I Think I Should Rather Warn Possible Customers From Buying This Unpolished Himalayan. Let Me Ask You How Will It Survive The Real Himalayas???? How Will You Provide Assistance To Remote Or Even States Outside Delhi When Nobody Cared Or Got Bothered That A Customer Is Stuck In The Middle Of The Road And The Best Thing For Him Is To Take It With A Pinch Of Salt And Go Home And Sleep ,For His Dreams Have Just Shattered!!!

[Speed Pujari]

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post messages that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further. We request you to post ONLY when you have something substantial to add to a discussion.

[tharian]

Friday the 13th was quite eventful for me, in a lucky way.
Took a break from work and decided to experience the Himalayan.

Thought against the show room test ride mainly because I wanted a long ride and head out of the city to get a feel of the bike on varying roads. I had checked recently and saw WickedRide rentals already had the Himalayan in their list . Must say they update their collection with most of the new launches quite fast.
I had no fixed route after taking the bike and decided to head out of the city from the nearest exit which was Bangerghatta road. Thankfully morning traffic was not much and soon enough I hit a bad stretch of road that connected Kanakapura road to Banerghatta road. I did some stand up riding and immediately was impressed , but speeds were low so it was not the full show yet.
Before going further, this is my second ride on the Himalayan, the first one being a short test ride when the bike was launched , but the experience was as different as night and day.

The rental bike was new, having run a little more than 2k kms and in good condition.
Coming back to the ride, I did a total 160 kms and was lucky to do it on roads that were newly asphalted, pot hole ridden roads, dug up roads and finally a 6 lane expressway and even a road that was being laid which had just a layer of rocks on it. The initial bit was traffic ridden and had some rough patches as well.Overtaking is a breeze, the power delivery is actually good unlike what I felt before, but it is only to a certain speed, but that is good enough because most of the times the speeds were not that high and unless on a fast highway, you are not felt wanting.
Most of the times on my rides, on single lane back roads or state highways, I am not able to keep a good speed mainly because of traffic and rough patches were I have to slow down and most of the times it so happens in the middle of an overtake. The Himalayan, glided over it. Yes, you do feel some shocks and bumps, but they are no way harsh like what I have experienced on other bikes on similar roads. And the cherry on the top , the bike never lost composure. I lost count of the number of potholes and speedbreakers I took without hitting the brakes, instead just shifted down, stood up and didn't feel the road. The way it gulped those nasty pot holes which would have re-arranged mine as well as my bikes internals if I was on my Bullet was impressive. The good part of this, no loosing time on bad roads. I managed to keep the same average as on a well paved road.
At some places, I went off the shoulder onto the dirt on the side to clear jams and there was one occasion when I was following a bus who was doing the same and I was blind to the road condition and as soon as the bus cleared I noticed I was heading straight to a deep slush pit , no problem, went through it.
Later during the ride I hit some real bad roads, almost non existent. This is when I felt what this bike is all about. I stood on the pegs and kept the speed at 60kmh. The only way I knew, apart from seeing how deep some potholes were, was by listening to the varying rpms, although my right hand was steady. Standing and riding is as comfortable as being seated and for bad roads, you can do it all day. At some places I could feel the rear slipping and sliding, but it was never un-controllable, it came back in line as soon as the tyres gripped. Must say, the CEATs did their job on dirt perfectly. On tarmac especially on hard braking, the rear used to get out of line, but never in an out of control way. ABS would be a good addition. Brakes overall I felt was good, just that the back used to skip and jump on hard braking.

Corner carving is fun, some amount of top heaviness is felt , but the bike takes it gracefully. On tarmac which had a layer of dirt, I was able to take turns without braking or reducing speed much, but I would not go flat out like on a Metzeler.
As for the engine and gears. Gears were hard and I wasn't able to slot to neutral unless I turned off the bike in standstill or I needed to shift to neutral when rolling to a stop. Shift was notchy , but not annoying and I am guessing it will get better the more it runs.

Heading back to the city, the ride was for around 60 kms on a 6 lane expressway and the typical Enfield trait was there. 90KMH was peaceful and going above that felt like the engine was being strained. Vibrations were not a concern, but the engine started getting noisy and I didn't feel comfortable cruising more than the said speed. Downshifting was almost minimal, slow down, open the throttle and the bike pulled with its nicely spaced exhaust note. The de-acceleration crackle for me was

Once back in the city in the midst of traffic, I could feel the engine had begun heating up which translated to jerky clutch releases and gear shifts. The were also loud clanking noise from the engine often as well and low rev pinging. There was an annoying character which my 96' 500 had which used to get my goat, on this too. When opening the throttle in higher gears after coasting, there was a gap before the power came through. It gets annoying because the smoothness is lost.

Seat and riding position were spot on. Normally after a 150 kms ride, I end up with sore back side during the ride and it gets worse if the roads are bad.No such problems with the bike in 4 hours of riding.

Overall, I was impressed more with the way the bike handled bad roads, it never kicked back to whatever I threw at it. It makes a novice looks like an expert on rough roads and no roads.
I was bit surprised at the fuel efficiency after 160 kms of mixed condition riding, I was expecting close to 30 kmpl and got 23 kmpl. I am not a mileage conscious person, but on trips , I am.

I would still say it needs that bit extra power to cruise at higher speeds, but not much as I felt before. The power it has now is just apt and more than apt for off road adventures.. But the bike can easily handle the extra power and needs it for relaxed cruising and those high speed overtakes.
5th gear is long which is good, I never searched for a 6th cog and dirt roads can be taken on 4th. I hardly used second and third was only when the revs dropped .

After the ride, it looks like the Himalayan is back in contention for me, maybe if it comes out with the ABS as an option and I would use it for a solo ride, no fun riding this bike with a pillion .

And yes, the bike is a looker.

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by tharian

Friday the 13th was quite eventful for me, in a lucky way.

Tell me about it, got mine delivered today after ~2months of wait. It managed to cast a spell on me in just a few hours of relationship

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

Tell me about it, got mine delivered today after ~2months of wait. It managed to cast a spell on me in just a few hours of relationship

Congrats on the new acquisition.
One thing I realized from my ride yesterday was that this bike is involving to ride and will make you do stuff which you never thought of.

Have a good ownership.

[jay3sh]

Originally Posted by Blazkowicz

None of the current REs leak engine oil. Engine oil leaks have been virtually non existent ever since the UCE engined Enfields were launched.

I beg to differ. Sure they don't leave a mark on the road anymore but it's not 'non-existent'. My 2014 TB500 has always had minor leaks through the engine and gearbox. But that's a non-issue compared to what these bikes offer!

[Gordon]

They've had the Tour of Nepal, the Escapade ride to Bhor and soon the Himalayan Odyssey will begin, but no sign of the accessories and price list. It definitely steals the joy of those who want to have the complete experience.

Any news on the accessories and of the second lot?

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by Gordon

They've had the Tour of Nepal, the Escapade ride to Bhor and soon the Himalayan Odyssey will begin, but no sign of the accessories and price list. It definitely steals the joy of those who want to have the complete experience.

Any news on the accessories and of the second lot?

I got my bike in the second lot. No accessories yet, I saw the latest catalogue at their accessories store yesterday and the only additions I noticed were engine guards (for all other bikes but H) and women specific gear

[blacknebula]

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

I got my bike in the second lot. No accessories yet, I saw the latest catalogue at their accessories store yesterday and the only additions I noticed were engine guards (for all other bikes but H) and women specific gear

Hi Rajiv, how are the welds in the second lot. Same or better?

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by blacknebula

Hi Rajiv, how are the welds in the second lot. Same or better?

Inconsistent at the least, the one I had seen at the showroom had cleaner welds than mine



PS: Using a mobile phone to upload pictures, formatting standards may not meet forum standards. I apologize in advance