[maker_of_things]

Originally Posted by eltoro

Thanks Neel. The on-road cost in Bombay is Rs. 1,79,533 although it was quoted as 1,78,000 odd at the launch event.

Yes, the road tax did increase by 3% if I am not wrong.

Is the bike available with the centre stand?

[Rajiv0909]

I observed that the TD/display bikes have already developed rust on the internal threads (meant for bolt-on accessories). Not sure if this is a reflection on build quality or maintenance? I noticed this on 3 different bikes.

[vishal.joshi]

Originally Posted by eltoro

As it later turned out that I am possibly one of the first customers to book the bike and will be the first customer in Bombay to be given delivery tomorrow morning i.e Monday, 4th April 2016 at 10:30 am.

I hope to get some good miles on the H and plan to post a initial ownership review soon after although I am not sure if I will not be lazy enough to write a complete review.

Hi Eltoro,

Congratulations !!! on the Himalayan. I also booked the bike on 16th Mar when it was launched. Can you please let me know from which dealer did you book. I have made my booking with the dealer at Bandra.

[sandeepmohan]

The Himalayan Experience.

I am stepping in to a Royal Enfield showroom after many years and in one word, WOW. Eicher sure have done a lot for the resurrection of this iconic motorcycle brand. Little has changed with regard to the sales experience though.

I walked in to CVS Motors in Kalyan Nagar on a Saturday afternoon. Guess what, no display bike or test mule. The test mule had apparently gone for 10,000km service. Yeah right! You pick a day when your customer walk in's are probably the highest.

Next stop was Acclaim Motors, Yelahanka. Felt relieved on seeing a Himalayan parked outside the showroom. The ride all the way turned out to be worth it. Spent some time looking at the motorcycle. Walked in, filled in the form and they wanted to hold on to my license. I refused. Am I supposed to ride a motorcycle without a license? No way. Headed over to the motorcycle, got on to the saddle and before I could even slot in the key, I was wowed by the seat. Superb. I have not experienced the seat on a T Bird but this was just amazing comfort.

Slotted in the key and thumbed the starter. I did not like what I heard first. A lazy turn over of the engine and she fires up. Lovely instrument cluster. Has pretty much everything you need in there. I did notice a lag in the gear shift indicator changing based on what gear you were in. Popped first and gently let go of the clutch. Lets get on thing straight, this ain't no road rocket and I doubt if Royal Enfield intended it to be one. Yes; 24 horses ain't much from a 400+ cc block. Power might be a concern when the bike is loaded up with luggage and if you've got a pillion behind. Approached with an open mind, the power should cut it for the Himalayan. The nice thing about the location of Acclaim Motors is that they have the airport road right there. After getting a little familiar with the bike, I opened up. The Himalayan hit the ton without protest. I was not very happy with the engine note at certain engine speeds. The sound reminded me of the piston slapping the cylinder walls. The bike had close to 3000km on the odometer. The engine was spinning at around 5150 rpm at 110kmph. You are not going to pull away quickly beyond the ton though. There is not much in terms of reserve power at this point. You have another 1500 rpm or so left. The engine felt at home even at this engine speed. It did feel like you could sit all day at a shade above the ton. Engine vibrations were in control too.

Rider ergonomics are spot on. The gearbox isn't slick shifting but the shifts are positive in terms of feel. The anchors felt more than adequate for the power that is available.

For me, the highlight of the Himalayan was the chassis and suspension set up. I did not get the opportunity to off road. The Himalayan felt super stable at speed. I have never felt this confident on a Royal Enfield.

The exhaust note was lovely except for the spitting noises when you cut throttle.

To sum things up, I liked the Himalayan. It is left to be seen how the Himalayan holds up over time. Initial impressions felt like the bike was well made, possibly better than any RE out there. I did notice a little oil leaking at the cavity behind the spark plug. Not a good sign for a new motorcycle.

The Himalayan with my 500.



Three generations of Royal Enfield.

[Impreza]

Received my Himalayan in Bangalore today. Nice reception at the dealership. RE guys were there as well. Drove about 50 km today. Waiting to go further.

[eltoro]

Originally Posted by maker_of_things

Yes, the road tax did increase by 3% if I am not wrong.

Is the bike available with the centre stand?

Yes the bike is available with the centre stand as a standard fitment. I must add though that the bike gets super tall to get onto with the centre stand in place and even I had a problem getting on to the bike (I'm 180cms tall BTW). The best way to get on to it is to get it off the stand first and then swing your leg over
it.

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

I observed that the TD/display bikes have already developed rust on the internal threads (meant for bolt-on accessories). Not sure if this is a reflection on build quality or maintenance? I noticed this on 3 different bikes.

Yes even I noticed the rust inside the thread which is supposed to be place where the panniers will be mounted, on my bike while taking the delivery today.

Originally Posted by vishal.joshi

Hi Eltoro,

Congratulations !!! on the Himalayan. I also booked the bike on 16th Mar when it was launched. Can you please let me know from which dealer did you book. I have made my booking with the dealer at Bandra.

I had booked the bike at Voyage Motors, Kandivali. I pursued Sid Lal on Twitter & FB to try and expedite the delivery. I am not sure if that worked in my favour as he did not reply but I got a call from the dealership last week itself that the bike has been allotted and they will send it for registration the moment they receive the full payment. The bike was registered on Thursday itself, however, a diktat from the company did not allow them to deliver before 4th April.

[rahulkodinya]

Congratulation guys !! Did you notice any difference wrt TD vehicles? SE told me that certain things like welding on joints will be better than TD bikes.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by Impreza

Received my Himalayan in Bangalore today. Nice reception at the dealership. RE guys were there as well. Drove about 50 km today. Waiting to go further.

This calls for a pictorial and an ownership thread - compulsory !! .

It could well be the first Himalayan on our forum. Eagerly awaiting sir.

[Impreza]

Originally Posted by The Great

This calls for a pictorial and an ownership thread - compulsory !! .

It could well be the first Himalayan on our forum. Eagerly awaiting sir.

Thanks. I will give it a try. I am still discovering my Himalayan. I bought it without a test drive. A 50 KM drive yesterday left me positively surprised by the suspension - really good.
The welding spots cannot be ignored either. Something you don't see even in commuter bikes.
Overall, I am pretty happy so far. Will try and put a more detailed account.

[deevee]

Originally Posted by deevee

A short first ride observation from a complete novice. I am sure a lot of people such as me would be taking test rides nowadays...

Managed to take a second test ride. All from a novice's point of view.

It was the same bike I road at Manzil Motors Sohna Road Gurgaon.

Observations this time:
1. My wife was a pillion rider this time around. She does not like bikes. She had a horrid time when I took her out on a Duke 390. Her feedback on the comfort was that atleast the seat doesn't slant forward. When I asked her would she be comfortable for a 1000 kms ride. She said please drop the plan of buying a bike if this is the purpose. Lols.
2. There is definitely good torque at the lower end. It will be a very nice bike in the cities certainly.
3. I took the bike over some real bad patches and on slightly dusty tracks too. The suspension is quite good. I did not feel uncomfortable once.
4. The design I am sure is made in such a way that there is some form of weight balancing that even when I lean the bike it feels confident.
5. The brakes felt much better. The front ones have a gradual progressive braking which I feel is good.
6. I floored the bike in a long open road. I don't think this will cruise over maybe 110kmph comfortably. I felt the engine was making a little extra effort. Not sure with this observation though.

The showroom guy told me that there have been 16 bookings mostly black.

All the best to the folks who have got their Himalayan and offcourse ride safe

[GTO]

Mod Note: Enough with the accident discussion, guys. Lets get back to test-drives. Thanks!

[Rajiv0909]

I did a follow up with my dealer on delivery dates, payments etc only to learn that they managed to book over 40 Hs in these 20 days, not bad must say!!

[P.S.]

Originally Posted by Impreza

Thanks. I will give it a try. I am still discovering my Himalayan. I bought it without a test drive. A 50 KM drive yesterday left me positively surprised by the suspension - really good.
The welding spots cannot be ignored either. Something you don't see even in commuter bikes.
Overall, I am pretty happy so far. Will try and put a more detailed account.

Congratulations on your new bike sir.

Do put your ownership thread when possible.
Could you compare to other RE you've ridden please?

[petrolhead_neel]

Hi all,

I created a thread on Himalayan vs the other options available in our market. Thought of sharing the link here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3948878

Mods, please delete the post if you consider it irrelevant to this thread.

Neel

[petrolhead_neel]

Overdrive's road test review is up!

http://overdrive.in/reviews/exclusiv...d-test-review/

Neel