[cool_dube]

Thanks a ton for these valuable inputs, mate! Very helpful indeed

Originally Posted by shyamg28

If you are genuinely satisfied with 80-90kph cruising speeds, this is definitely THE bike to have. Ride comfort unmatched.

That's exactly what is making me lean towards the Himalayan, more so because all reviews I've seen so far claim that it is a much more refined motorcycle in its 2021 avatar, compared to earlier (BS3, BS4) versions! I've ridden a '99 model RE 500 for almost a decade all over South/Central India in my heydays, and my ride quotient is tuned to the relaxed and enjoyable experience that bike offered. I doubt if that will change for me now, at this age (not to say that I am growing old, mind you)

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Correct me if I'm wrong, your primary requirement seems to be touring, which implies a mix of good and bad roads.

Correct!

Originally Posted by shyamg28

The itch to have more power bites a lot of us and if you are indeed one among that crop, might as well go for something that keeps you happy for longer.

I am one of the few who do not necessarily believe in "more power is always better". I'd rather drive/ride a car/bike with more "character", one that offers a more enjoyable experience as opposed to a tarmac-scorcher.

Moreover, the bike will not be used within city limits at all. It will NOT be a commuter, but purely an element of joy, used for short weekend rides as well as intermittent solo tours.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Moreover, the bike will not be used within city limits at all. It will NOT be a commuter, but purely an element of joy, used for short weekend rides as well as intermittent solo tours.

Interesting. I don't think anyone would pick a himalayan for this use case.

All what you say screams Triumph Bonneville.

Or the interceptor.

The himmie is a workhorse.

But That's just me.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by bblost

So redo the entire jumper cable game and this time let the bike idle for almost 20 mins and also rode for about 3 kilometers.

Then again checked the bike after 4 hours. Its battery had held the charge so I took it outside for a short 5-6 km spin.

I would just like to say. I HATE the battery placement even more. Trying to connect the jumper cables is so damn difficult because of how tightly placed the things are.

Hear you on this one. The placement of the battery is weird, coupled with an afterthought positive terminal cover is a himalayan task indeed to undo and redo the battery. What's concerning is the proximity of the dreaded positive terminal almost rubbing close the chassis tube. Jump it wrong, and fry a fuse or worse. Incidentally the negative is completely free of encumbrance. Design language, executed in a more "see, the tolerances yo - close "

Nevertheless the stock battery is garbage, replace it ASAP once the battery loses its charge to crank the vehicle, it almost is fathomless how many you times you recharge. It's a ticking time bomb and will eventually give up. One more blunder is the headlight automatically getting switched on with the ignition. I presume someone approved this method while the electronics engineer was out for a smoke; a himalayan blunder again. This headlight draws so much amp that whatever reserve charge the battery held to crank the starter just get drained by this headlight blunder. How much is a relay going to cost RE to make sure the HL switches on post the engine start up! Only Lal knows. Some silly tech blunders on this machine are equally a himalayan task that attests its name to the bike itself.

Luckily, the engineer came back after a fag, so that they've solved that issue in BS6.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

To all the RE Himalayan owners out there - would you recommend the Himalayan to someone who is looking for a long distance tourer (invariably involving bad roads, twisties, et al) and not necessarily (recreational) off-road stuff? How does it compare to the recently launched RE Meteor 350, given the requirements cited above?

Thanks in advance...

Meteor to the Himalayan. Hmm.. Simply put, both are chalk and cheese in a very different way. The Himalayan would any day trump the Meteor in almost most of the departments, styling, power, capability (as per your requirement). The Meteor is a glorified TB 350 albeit with a compliant suspension and on OHC engine just as the Himalayan. The Meteor is based off the Himalayan engine, albeit tuned and designed in a more appeasing manner. I would recommend the Meteor only if you do city rides. If you're planning to indulge to what you've stated, look no further than the Himalayan.

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

[GandalfTheGrey]

Completed the third/1 year service of my recently acquired Himalayan. There was a strong 'kat' sound coming from the front suspension if ridden over very bad bumps. This was traced to some improper torque setting of some screw. Thankfully didn't have any other issues. Desperately waiting for things to settle down to take the bike out for a longer duration.

Originally Posted by cool_dube

To all the RE Himalayan owners out there - would you recommend the Himalayan to someone who is looking for a long distance tourer (invariably involving bad roads, twisties, et al) and not necessarily (recreational) off-road stuff? How does it compare to the recently launched RE Meteor 350, given the requirements cited above?

Thanks in advance...

I think I might be able to help you as I've owned a Meteor and have ridden it for 5k Kms before selling it, and now owning a Himalayan. If you're looking for something mainly for highways, then Himalayan wins hands down. I read your requirements on the other Himalayan ownership thread, and I was in same boat as yours with same requirements as yours. I strongly considered only the Adv390, then jotting my requirements/finances gave me a clear idea that Himalayan would check all of my requirements at half of the cost. So I'm sure you cannot go wrong with the Himalayan for your requirements.

Cheers!

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

To all the RE Himalayan owners out there - would you recommend the Himalayan to someone who is looking for a long distance tourer (invariably involving bad roads, twisties, et al) and not necessarily (recreational) off-road stuff? How does it compare to the recently launched RE Meteor 350, given the requirements cited above?

Thanks in advance...

I have ridden a couple of himalayans in leh/ ladakh for a couple of weeks, not the recent BS6 version. It is a delight in bad roads, off roads, climbs, mountain road etc. But it misses on the top end performance for straight line highways. If your usage is primarily straight line good highway roads, i would recommend something faster - interceptor, ktm adventure 390 etc.

[cool_dube]

Love the inputs, guys! Please let them keep coming

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I don't think anyone would pick a himalayan for this use case

Would love to hear more on this, please. In fact, this brings me to a more generic question that has been playing in my mind for a while now - How good of a tourer is an adventure/dual-purpose (or whatever else one wants to call it) bike like the Himalayan, more so for a country like ours, where road conditions get uncertain as soon as one leaves the safe haven of GQ and National Highways? And by touring I am not necessarily referring to a 30-40 days ride across the length and breadth of the country. For me, even a 5-7 days ride within my state is a tour.

Another way to put forth my dilemma - if I choose a Himalayan for the ride comfort and peace of mind it offers on bad roads and hills, would I be compromising too much on tarmac riding front, keeping in mind my relatively sedate riding quotient? If the answer is "no" then I don't see a reason to not go for the Himalayan.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

The Himalayan would any day trump the Meteor in almost most of the departments, styling, power, capability (as per your requirement)

Thanks! This aligns with most of the feedback I have received till date.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

The Meteor is based off the Himalayan engine, albeit tuned and designed in a more appeasing manner

This is news to me. I thought it was an all-new motor, built from ground-up.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

I would recommend the Meteor only if you do city rides. If you're planning to indulge to what you've stated, look no further than the Himalayan.

Strictly no city rides. The bike will be used for leisure outstation rides and tours only.

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

If you're looking for something mainly for highways, then Himalayan wins hands down

Thanks! I did read through your experiences on the Meteor thread. In fact, the Himalayan tugs my heartstrings for some unknown reason. I've been watching it since its launch but the horror stories of earlier iterations kept me away. From what I understand of the 2021 version, it is a much more "evolved" product with almost all niggles sorted out. Interestingly, while looking for video reviews of the 2021 Himalayan, I got to know that it is a very popular motorcycle in other countries as well, especially the US and the UK. The only area which has been highlighted as needing improvement is the braking - owners here might want to shed some light on the same.

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

It is a delight in bad roads, off roads, climbs, mountain road etc. But it misses on the top end performance for straight line highways.

Thanks, mate! I understand that the definition of "top end" varies a lot from person to person, and is quite subjective. For me, if the bike is able to cruise in the range of 80-90 km/h with an unstressed engine, I am good.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Love the inputs, guys! Please let them keep coming


Would love to hear more on this, please. In fact, this brings me to a more generic question that has been playing in my mind for a while now - How good of a tourer is an adventure/dual-purpose (or whatever else one wants to call it) bike like the Himalayan, more so for a country like ours, where road conditions get uncertain as soon as one leaves the safe haven of GQ and National Highways? And by touring I am not necessarily referring to a 30-40 days ride across the length and breadth of the country. For me, even a 5-7 days ride within my state is a tour.

Another way to put forth my dilemma - if I choose a Himalayan for the ride comfort and peace of mind it offers on bad roads and hills, would I be compromising too much on tarmac riding front, keeping in mind my relatively sedate riding quotient? If the answer is "no" then I don't see a reason to not go for the Himalayan.


.

An adventure bike is a very good tourer. 390 Adventure, Himalayan, G310 GS etc.

A dual sport bike is not a very good tourer, but a great off-road bike. Xpulse 200, CRF 250L.

I also ride about 90-100 on my 390 Adventure. Sure it can go faster, but I don't want to. I like the slick gears, clutchless shifting, traction control safety, 19 inch front for sweeping corners, beautiful looking colour TFT panel, cast alloy wheels so I don't care about punctures in the middle of no where etc. You see, these things might not be discussed a lot, but it makes a massive difference to riding the bike every single day and being in love with it. And at 90-100 the bike is very relaxed, to the point that I switched up the sprockets, fixed the low end grunt, and also have top end as and when i need it - for overtakes on the highway, and from getting away from annoying bad drivers in their SUV's.

Unless you consider the bike a "tool", a work horse, and really don't give a damn about these little big things. Like a postie bike (a bike used by postmen). You get the drift?

I faced a similar dilemma in the bicycles thread, knowing nothing about bicycles, like you probably are starting from zero with motorcycles. Finally, i gave in to what people in the know knew about these things, and upped my budget to something I would actually like to continue using for the next 5 years every single day. At the end of the day, I love my machines, whether 2 wheels or 4, and want the best for my money for the long term.

Looking back at your requirements. Maybe the BMW is actually a good fit. Great supple suspension. Cast wheels. 19 inch front. Modern electronics. Looks great. New engine is far more refined. Definitely better powered than the Himalayan. Works well on and off road. Service interval of 10,000 kms/once a year. Very well built by TVS.I wouldn't worry too much about spares and service network. You'll be in Bangalore for the most part, and bikes these days are well engineered.

Get out over next week and test ride these bikes back to back. Ask for a 30 minute long one.

Then come back and tell us what you think. I daresay your mind has gone over to the Himalayan, but give it a deeper thought.

[cool_dube]

Chanced upon this video of an epic world tour by a lady on RE Himalayan, while surfing the internet for reviews on the bike. While the adventure is epic in itself, it is heartening to see the warmth and hospitality offered to her around the world. Please do watch, if not already done so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Dpwc1y3ZU

My apologies if this video has been discussed about/posted earlier on this thread.

[cool_dube]

All right, gents! Took some time off from work and headed to the nearest RE showroom/store today. Not having ridden a motorcycle for close to a decade, I entered the showroom with a feeling of glee and excitement akin to a kid entering a toy store

The intent of this visit was to test-ride the Himalayan, Meteor 350, and (so as to not leave any stone unturned) the Interceptor!

First up was the Himalayan. There was a handsome Gravel Grey 2021 model on display, which I fiddled around with for a good 15 minutes. The overall build quality seemed to be very good for that price point.

The moment I sat on the bike, I knew this was it and everything else from that point onwards would be a mere formality, to convince my brain that I have done due diligence to the process of evaluating all the three options. The riding posture was spot on, which the right amount of weight distribution across the wrists and the bum. The bike had a very unique air about it, clearly declaring that it meant business without being too snobbish about it.

Took the test-ride bike for a 30-min spin on varied terrain - highway, some city traffic, and mild off-road. The engine, though not a scorcher, has more than enough grunt for my kind of riding. Loved the composure on highways as well as bad roads. Road undulations were ironed out without a fuss and it felt really planted at 100 km/h, with the engine chugging along at a relaxed ~4500 rpm in 5th gear. Contrary to what I have been hearing, found the brakes to be quite good for sedate speeds. Came back quite impressed.

Next up was the new kid on the block, the Meteor 350. At first glance, to be honest, it looked like a refreshed Thunderbird, surprisingly not seeming as impressive in flesh as in pictures and videos. The riding posture was typical cruiser style, with legs positioned tad further ahead compared to the Himalayan. The switchgear felt more modern but I found it to be a little flimsy compared to that on the Himalayan. And how could they miss the tachometer on a motorcycle?!

Fired her up and the engine did sound relatively more refined compared to the Himalayan. Took it on the same route as the Himalayan and honestly, was slightly disappointed. While the engine was certainly smoother and gear-shifts slicker, the overall feel was nothing special. I felt I was riding a slightly modified and refined Thunderbird, and that's about it. Don't get me wrong - it is a lovely bike, quite supple and smooth. Just that there was nothing special about it. It felt like any other "good" bike out there, which will do its job of ferrying you around day in an day out, without breaking a sweat. But will it put a smile on your face every time you ride her out of your garage... maybe not!

By this time, I could see myself booking the Himalayan but for the sake of it, took the Interceptor for a spin too. I must admit that I was blown over by the sweet exhaust note of the twin! The moment I sat on the bike, I knew it was not for me - the riding stance it offered was not up to my taste at all.

I must admit, though, that the power was addictive. That said, I found it a tad too heavy for my liking. Will it make a good tourer, maybe yes, as long as you stick to good tarmac. However, did not feel it to be confidence-inspiring at all, on bad roads. For those looking forward to a 650 twin Himalayan, I just cannot imagine the Himalayan's frame/chassis with this engine - they just don't gel at all.

Anyways, having handed the keys of the Interceptor back to the SA, requested for another shorter test ride of the Himalayan, to cement my decision, and cement I did, as I fell in love with the bike all the more with the second ride. I was riding a motorcycle after almost a decade and get this - the bike that I felt immediately at home with, was the Himalayan!

My overall experience at the showroom was quite good, much better than I had expected. RE has definitely upped its game when it comes to sales. The SA had no qualms whatsoever when I told him that I intend to book the motorcycle online and not via the showroom.

With all those test rides done, I have more or less decided to book the Himalayan. While I know that there are more contemporary motorcycles out there in the same price bracket, I am a self-confessed RE fanboy. Moreover, the Himalayan seems to be just the right package for me - a motorcycle that will not only ride well on highways (for my speeds) but also rise to the occasion when I do intend to take her on bad roads. Will sleep over it for a few days before taking the plunge.

Above all, I felt a decade younger while on 2-wheels As they say "You don't stop riding when you get old, you get old when you stop riding"!!

Thanks for reading through...

[Red Liner]

Congrats buddy and look forward to reading about your adventures on the himmie himalayan soon!

[Geo_Ipe]

Waiting for the second wave to die down before taking the Himalayan out on longer rides. Till then exploring the local flavour!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

My overall experience at the showroom was quite good, much better than I had expected. RE has definitely upped its game when it comes to sales. The SA had no qualms whatsoever when I told him that I intend to book the motorcycle online and not via the showroom.

Congratulations on your upcoming Himalayan! Royal Enfield is making a concentrated push towards getting the majority of their bookings online. Even if you go to the showroom to make a booking, the sales advisors will do it for you online through one of their tablets.

The dealerships are happy with the current online booking process. The company is happy with the current online booking process. And most importantly, customers are happy with the current online booking process.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations on your upcoming Himalayan! Royal Enfield is making a concentrated push towards getting the majority of their bookings online.

Thanks for the advance wishes, Neil. I have not made a booking yet, though. Interestingly, the waiting period is quoted as 4 months by the SA!

Has anyone here booked/taken delivery of a 2021 Himalayan recently? If so, what was the quoted/actual waiting period?

[GandalfTheGrey]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Thanks for the advance wishes, Neil. I have not made a booking yet, though. Interestingly, the waiting period is quoted as 4 months by the SA!

Has anyone here booked/taken delivery of a 2021 Himalayan recently? If so, what was the quoted/actual waiting period?

When I was scouting for a new Himalayan in the month of April, the waiting period committed to me was was 4-6 months. Luckily I was able to find a low mileage, 2020 BS6 pre owned one for almost 50k cheaper. Bought it, slapped on a 2 year extended warranty, and was all set to go. So if you're fine with the pre-owned route, please do consider the BS6 2020 models as there are majorly only cosmetic changes in the 2021 model(I consider the tripper a cosmetic too). You can also book a new one, and keep scouting for pre-owned ones. If you find a compelling deal, you can always cancel the booking and buy the pre-owned one.

Cheers!

[cool_dube]

Took the plunge and booked the Himalayan in Granite Black today. Tentative delivery date has been given as 23rd October. Hope I get it sooner than that. The wait begins!!