[nitro.1000bhp]

Originally Posted by adrian

As a matter of fact, the older bullets and the UCEs had this tried and tested reinforced design.

Attachment 1905059

It is from here that RE went on to weld the square extrusions without any reinforcement for the frame of their adventure motorcycle.

Attachment 1905071

Ask any aircraft engineer and they'd tell you a round tube is a lot stronger than a square section. I wonder why RE chose square sections ? Cost cutting? Ease of welding for quick turn around? We'd never know.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've only seen square sections on an aluminium frame (as they cannot be rolled into tubes ) and never in a steel frame and specially not at the neck which is a vulnerable area prone to a lot of stress.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by adrian

As a matter of fact, the older bullets and the UCEs had this tried and tested reinforced design.

Reinforcements on all sides(top, bottom and sides) seem to be present on my P220 as well.



Went to meet a friend and he insisted on taking the motorcycle apart to buff a few parts so in the meanwhile thought I'd have a closer look at my weld joint.

It seems reinforcing is more of a common practice which for some reason have been skipped on the initial batches of the Himalayan.

[VijayAnand1]

As scary as it sounds, it's also one that's cliched, and RE has the right to get the drums here. Why? First it can be of poor material choice, secondly, it can be a combination of excess stress concentrated at a particular point, and with all the stress test analysis and testing in the Himalayas and chassis design from Harris UK. If they should have tested this chassis for what it's worth, and this being a clear dual-sport, they cannot make a fundamental flaw knowing what it will be put through, that's one.

Secondly, I feel the weld or design is not an issue, I feel the amount of metal that square hollow tube has in itself is a fundamental flaw. If you look closely, the tube isn't "THICK" enough, it's as if a square cardboard that's been butt or tack welded on to the frame, just like how kids make their cardboard designs. Totally, totally a poor job by RE.

If you observe the downtube and the engine cradle joints on the REH, they are reinforced and have the some real clean welds, though some points elsewhere on the chassis leave a lot to be desired, but some parts are indeed reinforced. I am surprised how RE cannot at least add a reinforcement plate on what is the most and important part of a bike, the headstock.

Truth be told, any REH bike, given the right circumstances and bad luck, will crack the headstock just like a Britannia Wafer BS3 or BS4, it doesn't matter. Now, it can be due to improper QC at the factory or poor metal grade from the foundry, which we can debate on and on and on.

But, yes is it a flaw? 101% without a doubt. And it can happen to any RE out there, irrespective of Noraly or Nithin ji who owns the machine.

Cheers!
VJ

[Red Liner]

I have watched a few of Noraly's videos and she is extremely nice to her himalayan, who she has fondly named Basanti.

I wonder what Nathan Millward is thinking, since he has one and defends it quite vehemently on shows on youtube during you vs me debates. He is quite hard on his bikes from what i have seen.

Guess time will tell.

For me, this is a great lesson on never trusting this company with my money on motorcycles. The share market? Well.

[marcussantiago]

I've been hearing loyal RE defenders all over the internet argue that you're not supposed to ride the Himalayan "hard."

Now, I'm confused here, this needs some explanation. How exactly does one ride a proper adventure bike "gently" off-road? I grant you that if you all-out abuse a bike on a regular basis, you shouldn't be too surprised when something fails.

But what's the argument here? Don't ride the Himalayan off-road? Or you can ride it off road, but without a pilion or any luggage and only in first gear, anything more would break the bike? Do you check the frame for cracks after hitting every dozen or so potholes? Should one dismount the bike and physically carry it over speed bumps to avoid frame cracks? Where exactly is it "too much" for the bike to take?

This is at the level of Apple telling iPhone users that they were getting poor reception because they were holding the phone wrong. Remember that? Good times.

Just imagine, if you will, this kind of excuse being offered by the adherents of any other brand:

• "Yes, this KTM RC looks crazy fast and sleek and powerful. But please don't ride it fast on a race track or the engine will explode if you take it over 65 kph."

• "Yes, this Harley is a big, comfy highway cruiser, fostering an image of spending all day long cruising the highways for adventure. But don't actually ride it all day on the highway, it gets super uncomfortable and bad for your back after about half an hour."

• "Yes, I know this big, beefy Ford pick-up truck looks like it can carry, you know, cargo and stuff. But really if you put any more cargo than you can fit into the back of an Alto, the suspension will collapse. Yes, it's a pick up truck but don't 'overdo' it."

I mean, honestly, this is just embarrassing. Literally any other brand would consider this a PR disaster that would threaten to kill the brand. Yet RE does something this stupid at least twice a year. Last time it was that whole Pegasus fiasco. And yet, somehow, the brand remains completely unsullied in their sales reports and delusional, rabid fan base that is more like a brainwashed cult than anything else, defending the brand to the ends of the earth. Even die-hard Apple users will admit Apple goofs up sometimes.



Finally, this is not a rhetorical question, I'm honestly asking: Does RE have no shame?

[Suresh Stephen]

There is nothing wrong in using a rectangular section for a frame, provided it is engineered right. In fact they are costlier compared to a circular pipe. This is a very critical joint and definitely calls for extra stiffening like done in old bullets, pulsers etc. BS 4 himalyan bikes have stiffened joints. Unless they are abused very badly which some people(not all) tend to do with rented bikes, chances are that they will not fail.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by marcussantiago

I've been hearing loyal RE defenders all over the internet argue that you're not supposed to ride the Himalayan "hard."

Now, I'm confused here, this needs some explanation. How exactly does one ride a proper adventure bike "gently" off-road? I grant you that if you all-out abuse a bike on a regular basis, you shouldn't be too surprised when something fails.

But what's the argument here? Don't ride the Himalayan off-road? Or you can ride it off road, but without a pilion or any luggage and only in first gear, anything more would break the bike? Do you check the frame for cracks after hitting every dozen or so potholes? Should one dismount the bike and physically carry it over speed bumps to avoid frame cracks? Where exactly is it "too much" for the bike to take?

...
Finally, this is not a rhetorical question, I'm honestly asking: Does RE have no shame?

Same story being discussed on advrider.com
In the interest of fairness I would like to point to this particular post:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/royal...#post-38197305

However, if I owned a Himalayan, my confidence in it would be seriously dented. It really is time for RE to issue a public statement on this issue and commit to replacing all defective frames.

As for shame, which company has any? Individuals can and do feel shame but companies are just soulless machines aiming only for profit.

[Geo_Ipe]

Guys, what is the general accuracy of your fuel gauges? This week I filled up when the gauge was showing this much, and she took in 9.7 lit. By the time, Trip F had already covered 40+ km. That is quite inaccurate with 5+ lit left in the tank, isn't it?

[bblost]

It's not very accurate. It is very slow till it reaches the half way mark and then suddenly drops to the red part.

I rarely bother looking at it as it's practically useless.

Today was a lucky day as I picked up the touring seat from a showroom in Chennai.
Can't wait to get back to Hyderabad to install it.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Guys, what is the general accuracy of your fuel gauges? This week I filled up when the gauge was showing this much, and she took in 9.7 lit. By the time, Trip F had already covered 40+ km. That is quite inaccurate with 5+ lit left in the tank, isn't it?

When the needle touches the redline of the Fuel Gauge, the trip automatically goes to F mode and the amount of fuel left in the tank is approximately 5 liters, as per manual. The fuel gauge is a tacky one. It kinda shows the right reading till the half mark, and once it touches the red zone the reading is extremely wonky. But I've made sure I remember that, I can ride approximately 150+ from the start of Trip F, and I haven't tried my luck beyond that, and it took it in 11 odd liters after covering 150+ on Trip F

Secondly, this being a FI, I don't want to run this totally dry and then end up screwing up the fuel pump. There is a certain point to which the pump can suck fuel, post which it can't suck in, even though the tank will have some fuel, so on Trip F, a realistic KM should be around 150 to 170 max.

Cheers!
VJ

[Ameya Janvekar]

Originally Posted by bblost

It's not very accurate. It is very slow till it reaches the half way mark and then suddenly drops to the red part.

I rarely bother looking at it as it's practically useless.

Today was a lucky day as I picked up the touring seat from a showroom in Chennai.
Can't wait to get back to Hyderabad to install it.
Attachment 1906098

Hi

Can you please share some more photos & the part number of this Touring Seat? When I enquired here in Navi Mumbai, they said nothing like that exists for the Himalayan.

If I want, I will have to get it made.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Ameya Janvekar

Hi

Can you please share some more photos & the part number of this Touring Seat? When I enquired here in Navi Mumbai, they said nothing like that exists for the Himalayan.

If I want, I will have to get it made.

I got the same run around in Hyderabad.

https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/g...talog/1990208/

Visiting my parents at Chennai and I suddenly decided to call the nearest RE show room and ask.
When they confirmed it's available, I rushed and picked it up within 30 minutes.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by bblost

https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/g...talog/1990208/

When they confirmed it's available, I rushed and picked it up within 30 minutes.

Thank you Bblost! Yes, the stock seats are a royal pain for even 100km rides, constant hip-levitation efforts are needed to continue riding

Please share feedback on these touring seats, hope they work as advertised.

Can't help but comment, so basically RE is selling an Adventure Tourer without touring seats!!


P.s: I have raised the height of my stock handlebars now, using a double brace on which the handle is locked.

Cheers!

[Ketan]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Thank you Bblost! Yes, the stock seats are a royal pain for even 100km rides, constant hip-levitation efforts are needed to continue riding

Please share feedback on these touring seats, hope they work as advertised.

Can't help but comment, so basically RE is selling an Adventure Tourer without touring seats!!


P.s: I have raised the height of my stock handlebars now, using a double brace on which the handle is locked.

Cheers!

Yes, I'll be waiting to hear about the reviews on touring seat as well and would love to pick it up if its worth spending. It'd have been a good idea to see a long term review though to see if the stiffness is lost over a period of time!
I've had my handle bar raised to accommodate the knuckle guards and later realized that it's a better height for handle bars for longish rides, I can relax the shoulders over a long period of time with the height and liking it for now.

[Haroon]

If any of you have been following the wonderful lady adventure solo rider Noraly from Netherlands (Youtube Name- Itchy Boots) who bought a Himalayan in Delhi, named the bike Basanti and rode off into the sunset traversing thru 25 countries over 8 months and finally reaching her home in Netherlands. Here she is giving her opinions on the bike after clocking 36,000 kms on her beloved Basanti!

Fortunately, her bike has remained in one piece unlike the recent frame episodes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6sPF1PYPW8