[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Ok let me clarify. I noticed it early on and delayed getting it changed. I should've been more proactive about changing it. It's not an issue that crops suddenly from nowhere.

Copy that. As stated above, my main gripe is that RE has not done anything to rectify this issue, despite the fact that it is as conspicuous as can be and I'm sure they must be well aware of it. Not done, RE!

[GandalfTheGrey]

A weekend retreat to Thiruvannamalai

Visited Thiruvannamalai, around 180ish kms from Chennai, along with wife as pillion this weekend. Absolutely pleasant weather with slight drizzles and cool breeze. Visited Javvadu hills, around 80kms, from Thiruvannamalai, and 35km of hill climb. The road from Thiruvannamalai to Javvadu hills via Polur is a bliss, 4 lane roads with very little-low traffic. As it had rained, the surroundings were lush green everywhere. The mountains, when seen from plains, resembled a giant broccoli with lush green trees everywhere.

Now about the bike; I've completely fallen for the bike, if it was not obvious by now. Bike is able to cruise at 90-100 comfortably with pillion and luggage. Bad roads were taken with aplomb and I didn't even slow down on small bad patches. Average fun in the corners of those mountains. All these on a healthy average of 38kmpl for the entire trip. Though I'm all eyes/ears for any new issue cropping up, thankfully none so far. Hope to put more miles on the Himalayan and create some great times in the process.










Thank you for reading.

Cheers!

[shyamg28]

One of my major gripes with the Himalayan is the spoked tubed wheel and the cumbersome process of fixing a puncture.

I went ahead and bought this to keep with me at all times:


Amazon Link

I find the Outex kit to be a bit steep on the wallet. Last I was told 16k for the kit and then add another 8k for the tyre change itself.
Pre-emptive measures like Formula-X and Seelin probably do work but cause a wobbling apparently, no personal experience though.
Now I've seen some videos out there mentioning that the Repair Spray actually works. Any real experience that anyone's had here? Would be grateful if you could share.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

A weekend retreat to Thiruvannamalai

Thank you for reading.

Cheers!

A very neatly and tastefully done up Himalayan Gandalf!

A biker friend of mine in Australia is planning on coming down to India with another biker friend and picking up two Himalayans to tour the country (Kerala loop and Himachal loop being uppermost in their minds).

How are the new Himalayans doing?

How is the engine power?

Do they still break into two like the old ones?

How are the wheels and the tyres doing? I remember seeing videos of a Himalayan with all the spokes of a wheel grenading at speed and the wheel basically collapsing.

Any other issues on the new ones reliability or performance wise?

I came to this thread after ages to learn about the latest lots, because they are thinking of buying two brand new bikes.

Cheers, Doc

[GandalfTheGrey]

Originally Posted by ebonho

A very neatly and tastefully done up Himalayan Gandalf!

Thank you for the wishes, doc. Glad you liked it.

A biker friend of mine in Australia is planning on coming down to India with another biker friend and picking up two Himalayans to tour the country (Kerala loop and Himachal loop being uppermost in their minds).

How are the new Himalayans doing?

How is the engine power?

Do they still break into two like the old ones?

How are the wheels and the tyres doing? I remember seeing videos of a Himalayan with all the spokes of a wheel grenading at speed and the wheel basically collapsing.

Any other issues on the new ones reliability or performance wise?

I came to this thread after ages to learn about the latest lots, because they are thinking of buying two brand new bikes.

Cheers, Doc

The new Himalayans have ironed out most issues, yet not all of them. So the babies still need to be under watchful eyes for issues. So far we haven't had a news of a BS6 bike snapping, also the ones that snapped earlier were probably abused in the Leh regions. I know it's not fair to say a bike made for the Himalayas not able to withstand such terrains, but that's a discussion for some other time until a bike that can handle such terrains and highways equally well is available in the market in the given budget.

Since your friends are going to cover a vast majority of terrains, under 5-6 lakh rupees, I can safely say no other bike can handle good roads and bad roads equally well as the Himalayan does. The bike can cruise at 100kmph, and tackle broken roads easily. Even if the bike causes any issue in middle of nowhere, help will be easier to find for a Himalayan(RE brand) than for other bikes. All these make the Himalayan a very compelling choice for the given requirement. The next choice would be an Adv 390/250. If your friends are going to sell the bikes once the trip completes, then it makes less sense to go for KTMs as they're much costlier, hence have a greater depreciation.

Also Himalayan is doing well in Australia, so I suggest your friends to rent a Himalayan there and get a feel of what the bike can and cannot do.

Cheers!

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by GandalfTheGrey

Thank you for the wishes, doc. Glad you liked it.

Also Himalayan is doing well in Australia, so I suggest your friends to rent a Himalayan there and get a feel of what the bike can and cannot do.

Cheers!

That's exactly what they are planning to do!

Your point on the KTM depreciation is a compelling one.

Thanks bro.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ebonho

A biker friend of mine in Australia is planning on coming down to India with another biker friend and picking up two Himalayans to tour the country (Kerala loop and Himachal loop being uppermost in their minds).

Doc, nice to have you back in this side of the TBHP world. The Himalayan is actually selling pretty well in Kerala. Its well suited for the mixed riding conditions, narrow roads and speed limited highways that we have. So the bike will have no issues in the potential Kerala loop.

Overall, I havent heard any complaints about the BS6 Himalayan from any of my biking circles. Also, the bikes hold their value well and will fetch a fair resale value in the second hand market. I agree with GandalfTheGrey's perspective that the KTMs will be a bigger depreciation hit at the end of the trip. At least in south India, the Adv 390 has sold very poorly and I dont hear of anyone picking it up in the second hand market.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Doc, nice to have you back in this side of the TBHP world. The Himalayan is actually selling pretty well in Kerala. Its well suited for the mixed riding conditions, narrow roads and speed limited highways that we have. So the bike will have no issues in the potential Kerala loop.

Overall, I havent heard any complaints about the BS6 Himalayan from any of my biking circles. Also, the bikes hold their value well and will fetch a fair resale value in the second hand market. I agree with GandalfTheGrey's perspective that the KTMs will be a bigger depreciation hit at the end of the trip. At least in south India, the Adv 390 has sold very poorly and I dont hear of anyone picking it up in the second hand market.

Lol yeah man.

Instead of me coming back here, I've migrated @Redliner there.

The depreciation thing I usually do not factor in (or forget) because very rarely do I sell a motorcycle (or car) that I like. But its a very relevant point if you plan to roll it over in under 3-5 years of use.

Cheers, Doc

[ManasN95]

Hi everyone!

I currently own a pre-owned Honda CBR250R, and she is up for sale, as 1) I'm not able to use her as much as she is supposed to be, 2) I'm craving for a different experience.

I had purchased a RE Classic 350 for my dad in 2016, and it was bowled by the Himalayan standing majestically across the glass panel back then. Not having the budget + Dad's choice of the Classic 350 meant I couldn't get the Himalayan then.

Now after 5 years, I am still intrigued by the Himalayan for the practicality it offers and my dreams of exploring the Himalayas are in line with what she's best at.

Having said that, I'm a fan of pre-owned market, and all my garage queens are pre-owned at fantastic deals (for me).

At first, I was eyeing a BS6 model, as prevalent on the forums, Royal Enfield have supposedly ironed out a lot of niggles of the previous versions.

But then, a higher powered Himalayan started doing the rounds, may it be 650cc or the same cc with additional power, whatever it may be, I am sure I'll be tempted to get my hands on such a Himalayan whenever it gets launched.

So I caught up in two minds now :

1) Go for the 2020/BS6 Himalayan, which will of course offer a better resale value when I decide to go for a different motorcycle down the line, OR

2) Get a 2019 BS4 model, with as less odometer reading as possible, with a lesser resale value when I decide to sell?

As of now, I have no luggage system, so that expense will be constant in either of the scenarios.

Please advise.

[sandeepskarobar]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Hi everyone!



So I caught up in two minds now :

1) Go for the 2020/BS6 Himalayan, which will of course offer a better resale value when I decide to go for a different motorcycle down the line, OR

2) Get a 2019 BS4 model, with as less odometer reading as possible, with a lesser resale value when I decide to sell?

As of now, I have no luggage system, so that expense will be constant in either of the scenarios.

Please advise.

Go with Option 1 many issues / niggles have been sorted out in BS6 + resale will be faster affair as many folks will be leaning towards BS6 compared to BS4 during there purchase for the same reason.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

At first, I was eyeing a BS6 model, as prevalent on the forums, Royal Enfield have supposedly ironed out a lot of niggles of the previous versions.

But then, a higher powered Himalayan started doing the rounds, may it be 650cc or the same cc with additional power, whatever it may be, I am sure I'll be tempted to get my hands on such a Himalayan whenever it gets launched.

Jut wait till Rider Mania and EICMA 2021. If there is going to be any major new upgrade to the Himalayan, the prototypes will be showcased there.

I dont think the Himalayan 650 makes sense as a business proposition since the engine will add a lot of weight. That will defeat the purpose of a light-ish (for global markets), simple all rounder. But RE doesnt have any other engine that they can plonk in to bring in the additional power that the market wants. If I had to speculate, it would be a bigger version of the current engine.

In the worst case that RE doenst have any interesting developments for the Himalayan range by the end of the year, get a preowned BS6 version.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Hi everyone!

I currently own a pre-owned Honda CBR250R, and she is up for sale, as 1) I'm not able to use her as much as she is supposed to be, 2) I'm craving for a different experience.

I had purchased a RE Classic 350 for my dad in 2016, and it was bowled by the Himalayan standing majestically across the glass panel back then. Not having the budget + Dad's choice of the Classic 350 meant I couldn't get the Himalayan then.

Now after 5 years, I am still intrigued by the Himalayan for the practicality it offers and my dreams of exploring the Himalayas are in line with what she's best at.

Having said that, I'm a fan of pre-owned market, and all my garage queens are pre-owned at fantastic deals (for me).

At first, I was eyeing a BS6 model, as prevalent on the forums, Royal Enfield have supposedly ironed out a lot of niggles of the previous versions.

But then, a higher powered Himalayan started doing the rounds, may it be 650cc or the same cc with additional power, whatever it may be, I am sure I'll be tempted to get my hands on such a Himalayan whenever it gets launched.

So I caught up in two minds now :

1) Go for the 2020/BS6 Himalayan, which will of course offer a better resale value when I decide to go for a different motorcycle down the line, OR

2) Get a 2019 BS4 model, with as less odometer reading as possible, with a lesser resale value when I decide to sell?

As of now, I have no luggage system, so that expense will be constant in either of the scenarios.

Please advise.

So, the teenager gets swapped for a middle aged lad. Adding to what Bhpians have stated earlier. With RE's current portfolio expanding at a very rapid pace, right from brand new engines to new design concepts, and the surprisingly good marketing tactics, it's about time "perhaps" they might launch the 650 Hima.

Now, how true this is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Not all that looks majestic performs majestic Manas, that's a fact. ADV rigs are great, and adequately powerful, but they equally have their disadvantages. The Tiger that's out there or the BMW that's out there cannot do everything an xPulse does or vice versa, each serves a purpose that it cannot adhere to in another parallel universe.

So, cutting it short, if you like the current gen Hima and you intend to own it, go for it. The essence is to ride, and enjoy the ride. Don't worry too much about what's there to come. Do a soul pecking as to your purpose and stick to that purpose, small ADVs are much, much, much better than glorified rigs. They can go faster, pretty much that's it.

Good luck on your endeavour.

Cheers!
VJ

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

So I caught up in two minds now

If you have decided on the Himalayan, and a pre-owned one at that, go for the BS6 version as it is much more refined compared to the BS4 version. However, BS6 ones might be tad harder to come by (as these are relatively new) and will obviously come at a higher cost.

Coming to the Himalayan 650, it is all up in the air. As other members said, it is highly unlikely that the current generation Himalayan will get the 650cc engine from the twins - the amount of tweaking warranted to get the combo going would probably lose out to an all new platform. A 650cc adventure tourer from RE sounds mouth-watering indeed BUT who knows when it will come! Keep your hunt on and go for a good example if you come by one. You can always keep eyes and ears open for any new developments on the 650cc ADV from RE.

All the best!

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

ZANA GPS Mount...

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Just check for vibrations, although its a good location, I somehow feel the whole set up vibrates the phone little bit. A bit apprehensive on mounting my phone since the vibrations can screw up the sensor of the phone camera in the long run unless you have a dedicated phone just for navigation.

So...I have decided to remove the GPS mount

I did a decent 100km ride and boy does that thing vibrate. I was careful enough to use an auxiliary phone anyway, which isn't my primary concern to be honest.
Any ditches/speed bumps and the visor bangs against the mount. Along with that, the phone mount is screw type so it starts opening up slowly due to the vibrations
I wish there was a better solution because the alternative is to mount it on handlebar or base of mirror mount, for which I need to look down significantly.

[shyamg28]

I do not know when I'll be able to write a complete log/report of my experiences but this should help keep me motivated to get down to it when I'm back.

Us three on a road trip from Bengaluru. Bike, wife and I. Currently in Solang Valley. Next destination unknown.