[rahul4321]

So COVID has done what had never happened to me before. My motorcycle is dead because of lack of usage.

After 45 days of fatigue and walking around inside my house while I slowly inched to recovery, I tried starting the Himalayan today and while the dashboard lit up - pressing the starter button does two things

(A) the dashboard lights go out
(B) the cranking sound isn't heard

My question - I bought the bike in August 2019 and it was manufactured just a couple of months before I bought it. The bike has done 7500 kilometers till now. Should I get the battery recharged (I don't know the correct expression) from the people who have automotive battery shops or should I buy a new battery outright?

PS - strangely (but thankfully) the D390 started without any problems at all

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

My question - I bought the bike in August 2019 and it was manufactured just a couple of months before I bought it. The bike has done 7500 kilometers till now. Should I get the battery recharged (I don't know the correct expression) from the people who have automotive battery shops or should I buy a new battery outright?

Mine is an August 2018 bike, still running on the same battery at 31k kms. I faced a similar issue last year.
I push started it in 1st gear and let it run for 10-15 minutes and all was good. Regular usage is required to keep it charged looks like.
I'm not fully aware of the wiring on mine (got aux lights installed with extremely shabby wiring) but it went out after a 30-40 days of no usage.

So my suggestion, either get it charged or push start and let it idle for some duration and re-try starting the next day.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

My question - I bought the bike in August 2019 and it was manufactured just a couple of months before I bought it. The bike has done 7500 kilometers till now. Should I get the battery recharged (I don't know the correct expression) from the people who have automotive battery shops or should I buy a new battery outright?

Try to jumpstart if possible else get your battery charged and then use it. I faced the similar issue with my first gen Himalayan but thankfully was able to push start on a slope (you can try this as well). Strangely my Himalayan batteries never lasted more than 2 years.

[ArizonaJim]

New Lead/Acid batteries will discharge at a rate of about 4% per week if they are just sitting there unused. Based on this, 45 days/7 days = 6.4 weeks of sitting there waiting for you to ride your motorcycle would discharge the battery about 26%.

While that doesn't sound like much, if the battery was already partially run down due to short rides that aren't long enough to recharge the battery the battery may have been starting its 45 day rest period with less than half of it's original power. That could have easily run your battery down to almost zero power which from the description is exactly what happened.

I suggest, if possible, getting a battery charger so you can recharge the battery.
If you do get a battery charger, make sure it is NOT capable of charging at a rate of over 2 amps.
While more powerful chargers are all right for the batteries in cars and trucks, anything over 2 amps will damage your motorcycle battery.

One of the "trickle chargers" like "Battery Tender" is ideal although there are other brands available that also work well. These trickle chargers usually put out a current of less than 2 amps so they are well suited for motorcycle batteries but because of the low output, they do take some time to fully recharge a battery. Plan on giving it at least 24 hours and 36 hours is even better.
They have circuits in them to recognize the amount of charge in the battery and automatically reduce the current when the battery is nearing a full charge. That's good because overcharging a battery is one of the quickest ways to ruin it.

The only word of caution about using a battery charger is, it is possible to hook it up backwards. The instructions that come with the charger should point this out but, always hook the negative (usually black) wire to the negative (-) battery terminal and the positive (usually red) to the positive (+) battery terminal.

[setuniket]

See if you can remove and take the battery to one of the battery stores in your city for a bench charge. IIRC it costed me around Rs 100 for an overnight charge.

Also if the place can check for battery health, it should be able to give you a clear indication if the issue relates to battery quality(OEM quality is not consistent) and thereafter to check if there is parasitic draw.

Although I don't recommend without proper experience, I have used home inverter for charging the battery enough to take the vehicle to amaron store for health test and replacement.

Originally Posted by rahul4321

My question - I bought the bike in August 2019 and it was manufactured just a couple of months before I bought it. The bike has done 7500 kilometers till now. Should I get the battery recharged (I don't know the correct expression) from the people who have automotive battery shops or should I buy a new battery outright?

[GandalfTheGrey]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

I recently picked up a Meteor. I always loved the Hima, and I almost booked one in 2017. Then after reading all the scary stories, I decided to skip it and picked a FZ25. Then come Jan 2020, Himalayan BS6 was launched and "most" of the issues were ironed out in as per the reviews and reports. I wanted to buy a Himalayan BS6 in Feb, then Covid happened, again the itch to buy one started in September 2020. Decided to wait for a month or two to see the offering from Honda and RE. Then Meteor happened, and here I am with my Meteor. My riding is 70% city, and 30% highways, so Meteor made more sense to me from brain. But even now every time I see a Himalayan, I just can't help but go weak for her. I also get these strange thoughts to get a pre-owned Himalayan sometime later, or even worse, to sell my Meteor and pick up a BS6 Himalayan. All these are worsened by KarthiK's recent wonderful ownership thread on Himalayan. If I disclose my thoughts to my family, my family will loose the already little hopes they have on me, and brand me a complete mad man, but I'm sure people here would've been in same boat and would understand me, so decided to pour my heart out here.

All my thinking is clouded now, so I take the liberty to ask fellow Bhpians to help me currently, probably even talk some sense into me. What does one do in my situation? Have I made the mistake of picking up the Meteor, going against my heart?

Cheers!

Originally Posted by bblost

Yes.

Sorry brother but I have no other answer. This is an itch that no one can make go away.
Because like love, its not rooted in logic.

The love found me after all. Quoting myself from earlier thread.

The story so far: I was a happy Meteor owner, until I started to go on long rides. In my first long ride, I was told by fellow rider that I don't "look" comfortable on the bike. I did get some discomfort in my legs, specifically where my legs join hips on the sides, after riding for 70kms, but I ignored it thinking I'm getting accustomed to the seating posture. Then the usage of bike increased a lot, and I was doing almost daily leisure rides at nights with wife of around 50-80 kms. The first 20kms used to be very comfortable, then I used to get the same discomfort post 20-30kms. I had to take a short break before I can get back on the saddle. The same story happened during all breakfast rides of 250-300kms. Then finally went for a 400km ride, and it became very evident that the posture isn't suiting me at all. I'm a tall guy, 185cms, and it seemed I was crouching on my bike. The rider's triangle formed was awkward for my height. Also the bike was little cumbersome to handle in traffic because of the leg's position, but I had decided to live with it as it didn't seem like a deal breaker. Pillion comfort too was taking a hit on long rides. Meanwhile I also rode the Himalayan and a FZ for 150kms, and I didn't get any such discomfort. So I confirmed the Meteor's stance isn't suiting me for long rides.

So after a lot of sleepless nights, constant battle between mind and heart, and explaining my situation to family members, I decided to part ways with my Meteor. Put up an ad and bike was sold in 5 days to a good gentleman. Needless to say, the waiting period of Meteor from RE made the sale an easy job as I was contacted by many people who've booked a Meteor and were waiting for more than 2 months for delivery.

Now: By this time, I had clocked close to 5k Kms on the Meteor in a span of 2.5 months so I had a good idea of what I wanted from a bike at this point of time. Fellow bhpian riders suggested to look at the adv category.

My requirements:

• An adv that can be used 50% on city and 50% on highways.
• Something that's light on the pocket.
• Something that can be easily fixed if broken.
• Something that's as powerful/more powerful than my Meteor.
• +1 tourer

I didn't want to spend a substantial amount to upgrade, as I'm not very sure of my riding requirements as of now owing to personal and professional commitments. The only other bike I seriously considered was the KTM adv390, but I decided not to spend anything extra, also the bike would be used 60% in the city and 40% in the highway, so the adv390 made less sense to me now. The only choice was the Himalayan, a bike that always pulled a string or two in my heart, so it became was the obvious choice. I had to shell 50k more for the new 2021 model, so was eyeing the pre owned market meanwhile. One fine day, an ad for a BS6, 2020 Himalayan, Snow White popped up. Went to see the bike, and my heart skipped a beat as the bike was maintained so well. Rode the bike for a good 10kms and knew that bike was for me. Came home and called up few folks at RE to make sure there's no issue with the bike's history. Once I got a green signal, I started negotiating and deal was finalized at the price what I sold my Meteor for. So there was no loss in the entire process.

Please allow me to introduce you my humble Himalayan.




Experience so far:

Although enough has been said about the bike, and we have our KarthiK's stupendous review, I would still like to add few cents on my experience. Have ridden close to 200 kms in both city and highway conditions.

Pros

• Bike has almost zero vibes at 90kmph. Meteor was sweet between 80-90 but Himalayan is sweet between 90-100.
• I didn't feel the braking to be bad so far.
• Ride quality is absolutely brilliant.
• The tall and neutral riding stance has been comfortable for me, and no more discomfort/pains anywhere.

Cons

• Bike tends to heat up in traffic. The temp reached 44 degs once, but I'm beginning to ignore the heat as I always ride with jeans on.
• Stock rear view mirrors are very poor. Swapped with Avenger's mirrors, and has made a world of difference, and now it's no more a con but a pro as I've never had such a great view from the RVMs.
• Fuel guage has a mind of its own. Suddenly trip 'F' begins and remains on even after filling up the tank.

Overall I'm very satisfied with what the bike's offering for me. Himalayan is the bike that I ended up almost buying twice, but went for different one each time. It's a bike which I'm following from 2017, and has/still manages to stir my heart. May be my love for it is not rooted deeply in logic, but I've come to terms with what the bike is, and willing to happily live with it for whatever tantrums it may throw and maintenance it may require. So I'm happily beginning an exciting chapter on the bike that's close to my heart. Thank you for reading!

Cheers!

[humblenovice]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

[*] Stock rear view mirrors are very poor. Swapped with Avenger's mirrors, and has made a world of difference, and now it's no more a con but a pro as I've never had such a great view from the RVMs.
Cheers!

First of all many congratulations on your bike! Would it be too much if I asked for a photo of the Avenger's RVMs? I've ordered a RE Himalayan GB model and would love to know if the new set of mirrors don't interfere with the looks of the bike.

[GandalfTheGrey]

Originally Posted by humblenovice

First of all many congratulations on your bike! Would it be too much if I asked for a photo of the Avenger's RVMs? I've ordered a RE Himalayan GB model and would love to know if the new set of mirrors don't interfere with the looks of the bike.

Thank you for your wishes, humblenovice. Congratulations on your purchase. I'm sure the mirrors won't interfere with the looks of a Granite black for sure. But hey, to each his own, so I'll let you be the judge. Please find some pics that I took during one of the rides with the Avenger's mirrors.





Look at the FOV. I can assure you that from the visibility department, the mirrors score a solid 10/10.



Took the below pics today in parking lot to show how the mirrors look from the riders seat and front. So please excuse the poor quality.



Couldn't take one from front as the background was too noisy to show the mirrors properly.



Hope the pics gave you some idea.

Cheers!

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

Hope the pics gave you some idea.

Cheers!

Oh boy! The mirrors look quite good in fact! Gives the vibes of the V-Strom mirrors, especially the close up image.

I didn't like the other mirrors different users have tried on, and many complain about the stock mirrors vibration + visibility.

How do these fare in the vibration department?

[GandalfTheGrey]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Oh boy! The mirrors look quite good in fact! Gives the vibes of the V-Strom mirrors, especially the close up image.

I didn't like the other mirrors different users have tried on, and many complain about the stock mirrors vibration + visibility.

How do these fare in the vibration department?

Thank you! I would say there's a reduction of 30-50% in the vibration department over the stock mirrors. The stalks of the Avenger's mirrors are of similar thickness to those of stock mirrors, so no huge improvement. I was told the KTM mirrors have thicker stalks and result in greater vibration reduction, but then these Avenger mirrors were recommended by someone who was using KTM mirrors for 2 years on his Hima and moved to Avenger's mirrors, and he told he's happy with the move. His words were, the greater visibility on the Avenger's mirrors make up for the marginally lesser vibrations the KTM ones offer.

Cheers!

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

So my suggestion, either get it charged or push start and let it idle for some duration and re-try starting the next day.

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

Try to jumpstart if possible else get your battery charged and then use it. I faced the similar issue with my first gen Himalayan but thankfully was able to push start on a slope (you can try this as well). Strangely my Himalayan batteries never lasted more than 2 years.

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

New Lead/Acid batteries will discharge at a rate of about 4% per week if they are just sitting there unused.

Originally Posted by setuniket

See if you can remove and take the battery to one of the battery stores in your city for a bench charge. IIRC it costed me around Rs 100 for an overnight charge.
.

Thank you so much for your assistance everybody. I have done 50 percent of the job. Will take it over to a battery shop and ask for the battery to be charged if the overall condition is satisfactory. Or else, will have to buy a new one

A picture of my weekend

[humblenovice]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

Thank you! I would say there's a reduction of 30-50% in the vibration department over the stock mirrors. The stalks of the Avenger's mirrors are of similar thickness to those of stock mirrors, so no huge improvement. I was told the KTM mirrors have thicker stalks and result in greater vibration reduction, but then these Avenger mirrors were recommended by someone who was using KTM mirrors for 2 years on his Hima and moved to Avenger's mirrors, and he told he's happy with the move. His words were, the greater visibility on the Avenger's mirrors make up for the marginally lesser vibrations the KTM ones offer.

Cheers!

Thanks a bunch for your photos and comments. I might try out the following mirror sets once I get the opportunity.
1. Avenger 220
2. KTM Adventure 390/250

However I've also heard that the DoubleTake mirrors - Enduro/Adventure tailor made for the RE Himalayan could also be an option. Would have to look at the logistical challenges during these times though.

I wish the mirrors along with the Fuel Gauge could be something that RE could fix. But hey!

[GandalfTheGrey]

As the thread is idle and times are gloomy, just thought of add some colours here. Had an unavoidable situation to take the bike out last weekend, when the lockdown was lifted for a day here in Chennai. Just saw these beautiful bougainvillea or paper rose as we call it along the way and clicked some pics. Bike has run just 4.7k in last on year. 3.5k was when I got the bike in April, and managed to run 1.2k in span of 15-20 days before state was locked down. Absolutely love everything about the bike as it's been doing just what I wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. I'm comfortably able to cruise on Highways at 90-100Kmph, and ride on bad roads without much worry. Bike's been returning me around 34kmpl on mixed riding conditions, and I'm very happy with the mileage too.







Stay safe!

Cheers!

[cool_dube]

Apologies in advance for a couple of noob queries:

• How good is the grip of those knobby looking tyres that the Himalayan comes with, on wet highways?
• I presume those tyres are tubed. If so, isn't that kind of weird for a dual-purpose bike, meant for rough roads? Wouldn't tubeless tyres be better suited?
• Are there any significant changes to the 2021 Himalayan, compared to the 2020 model?

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Apologies in advance for a couple of noob queries:

• How good is the grip of those knobby looking tyres that the Himalayan comes with, on wet highways?
• I presume those tyres are tubed. If so, isn't that kind of weird for a dual-purpose bike, meant for rough roads? Wouldn't tubeless tyres be better suited?
• Are there any significant changes to the 2021 Himalayan, compared to the 2020 model?

As the owner of a 2018 BS 4 Himalayan, let me answer these queries.

- Knobby tyres are perfectly ok on highways, though I don't have too much experience in the wet. Also, I'm not sure tyres with 'road' pattern are available for the Himalayan at all.

- Yes, the Himalayan comes with tube type tyres. RE is offering the Himalayan only with spoke wheels, and not alloys for the same reason you mentioned - it being a dual purpose bike. Accommodating tubeless tyres on spoke wheels is difficult.

- No significant changes except colour schemes. And yeah, the Tripper navigation gimmick which debuted on the Meteor. I don't see it providing any value as one will definitely end up using the phone for proper navigation if required.