[The_Mad_Hatter]

Has anyone received any concrete news about the 2017 Himalayan? The last I heard when I contacted the showroom a few days ago was that the price has been hiked by Rs. 5,000. Aside from that, I still haven't gotten any solid info about either FI or ABS (which seems unlikely at this point).

Originally Posted by navpreet318

The R1200GS is and was always a FI since its launch in 2004.

My apologies. I thought I had recalled reading that the GS was carburetted, but I was thinking about something else.

[abhishek46]

Motorbeam has published an article on the numerous problems faced by Himalayan owners.

https://www.motorbeam.com/2017/03/bi...-way-too-many/

The list is large, and problems like frame itself breaking have been reported!

Every time we appreciate RE for a good product, it surprises us with pathetic quality.



Pic credits to Motorbeam.

[Hammer & Anvil]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Motorbeam has published an article
Attachment 1622564
Pic credits to Motorbeam.

I cannot but emphasise- that the bike has to undergo about 1L km of riding for ARAI certification itself, let alone getting the engine/chassis etcetra in order.
Riders not talking to engineers and engineers not giving a hoot to riders- can only be the problem- one or the other.
Now they have roped in JP Morgan Chase or some such for a restructuring and - whether true or a rumor- unless at the lowest level people start talking to each other, all will be lost again.
Ill fitting jackets on riders- is like reading on the 'broken window syndrome' and by looking at the letter/image posted above, it seems like the company is now reacting and is finding out the gravity of the situation now.
How could they not have known that the gear shifter was 'notchy' at best, and why did they not aim for a KTM like gearbox- why were their engineers not given competing bikes to figure out whats nice? or not so?
With the onslaught of the W800 (launch today- apparently) and the Rebel 500, RE will get stuck with the Sub-2L category and these others will set quality and performance benchmarks so high that RE faces a real threat to losing that market.
Like HD owners and many superbike owners, RE owners will soon shed the fear that a good ASS network is necessary to ride across India. If you have a good bike- made using good parts, then you dont need ASS every 100km.
Thats the concern that the RE guys will get over soon, and then the company will have real fight for the creamier portion of the pie.

[marcussantiago]

It's simple.

Royal Enfield know that they have probably the most fanatically loyal fanbase in the motoring world, comparable to Harley-Davidson in the US. They know that people WILL buy their bikes, no matter how badly made, poorly-engineered or unreliable. Especially abroad, people buy Enfields purely for the WWII-era looks and heritage, not for any other logical reason.

And how's that strategy working out for them? Record profits, year after year, stellar growth. Rivers of money are pouring into Royal Enfield HQ, not just from India, but from all over the world. The future has never looked brighter.

So, why should Enfield change anything they're doing? As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's their mentality and I've seen no evidence that this has changed recently, or will change anytime in the future.

And now, I'll go hide under my blanket for the inevitable torrent of abuse and outrage from furious loyal Royal Enfield owners who disagree with the obvious truth

[Trojan]

Hi Guys,

I have recently purchased the Snow Himalayan (Dec'16). The bike has done 3000 KMs so far, last week I received the registration certificate and i happened to notice the date of manufacture (my bad i didn't decode the VIN earlier).
The manufacture date is August 2016, which is very surprising since i booked the vehicle in mid November and received the bike only in the 3rd week of December.

And this is in Pune, is this normal? Or am I being overly suspicious, now since the vehicle is from an older lot, are there any specific things which were recalled for some, I would at least stress on them being checked in my second service.

I am enjoying the bike, this is my daily ride and it handles really well. The first 2 months I off-roaded every single day to work and it was a pleasure. Now i am mostly riding on roads but have some opportunity to hit the 5th gear.
Initially I used to find the brakes to be quiet weak and I did manage to lock the wheels on a few occasions, but now I am used to the same and understand it better.

I do have a few gripes though, especially with the gears, coming from 2-1 can be extremely difficult at times. And the other being the heat generated from the engine, its way too hot inspite of a radiator, my electra at 350CC and without a radiator never generated so much heat during similar rides. Has anybody else faced this as well, what should be checked here.

Cheers!
SD

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Motorbeam has published an article on the numerous problems faced by Himalayan owners.

https://www.motorbeam.com/2017/03/bi...-way-too-many/

Eicher, the parent company had a revenue of about 5600 cr for year ending March 2016 and net profit of 960 cr for a very healthy net margin of 17%. This is up from profit of 120cr just 5 years back. The other components of Eicher (Volvo tie up, etc) are barely breaking even - so all growth and profits are driven through RE.
So what explains the piss-poor quality of the motorcycles? Mr. Lal, the CEO, instead of focusing on these problems has shifted base to London to oversee an "international" expansion. And they are trying to build a "lifestyle" brand.
You cannot fool all the people all the time. And especially not the international customers who can already buy a wide range of new and used motorcycles. All these quality problems combined with the entry of other manufacturers in the same space are bound to impact RE. I am hoping they soon set their house in order or we might see their decline as fast as their rise.

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Motorbeam has published an article on the numerous problems faced by Himalayan owners.

https://www.motorbeam.com/2017/03/bi...-way-too-many/

The list is large, and problems like frame itself breaking have been reported!

Every time we appreciate RE for a good product, it surprises us with pathetic quality.

Pic credits to Motorbeam.

If this is the case, what the hell were they doing during testing? Does this mean NO Real World Long Term testing was done? The engine clatter and stubborn gears shouldn't have been present even in the first batch if ANY testing was done. This is nothing but pathetic.

I think we should become less of a "fan" of a brand to teach them any lesson. Till then they know their "fans" will lap up anything they churn out.

-- Torqy

[Randhawa]

Seems like somethings with RE will never change. That what happened with C5 in 2009 and in 2016 things remain same. Just pathetic, feel bad for the faithful buyers and proud owners of RE products.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Seems like somethings with RE will never change. That what happened with C5 in 2009 and in 2016 things remain same. Just pathetic, feel bad for the faithful buyers and proud owners of RE products.

Yes, events like these, prevent aspiring buyers like myself steer clear of REs.

On a side note, felt happy that RE is at least addressing these issues with some activeness.

Waiting to hear from owners of the Himalayan to share their own experiences.

Lastly, RE is not the only one suffering from QC issues.
Here is one such silent recall for Hero maestro.
https://www.motorbeam.com/2017/03/bi...here-is-proof/

Yamaha faced it too for the R3, fuel leakage issues from the tank.

[thedragonreborn]

Originally Posted by tharian

Congrats on the booking!
What is the waiting period now?
Also is there any concrete info on when the efi version will be out?
I hope ABS is introduced with it too.

While the EFI option is now confirmed (more or less. certainly more than less), I am now keen about hanging on a bit till ABS is on offer, even if it is an optional extra.

Post the booking I have had a few goes on several Himalayans and the bike has consistently caught me off with a locked up rear wheel. Good fun on slightly damp roads in the mornings, but not when you are trundling down a highway and need to haul in progress at a rapid clip.

Also, my right calves get cooked fairly consistently. I will potentially have at my disposal an oven to slow roast a juicy leg of lamb over a longish ride. Garlic and rosemary rub. Sea salt and pepper thrown in for good measure.

Anyone else got treated to a tenderly cooked calf?

Cheers!

[Torqy]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

.....feel bad for the faithful buyers and proud owners of RE products.

There lies the problem. "Being faithful and proud" irrespective of the quality sends out the wrong message "Anything goes". It's a downward spiral from there.

How i love the looks of the Himalayan...and how i'd love it NOT to have the usual RE niggles i've only read about. :(

-- Torqy

[Randhawa]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Yes, events like these, prevent aspiring buyers like myself steer clear of REs.

On a side note, felt happy that RE is at least addressing these issues with some activeness.

Waiting to hear from owners of the Himalayan to share their own experiences.

Lastly, RE is not the only one suffering from QC issues.
Here is one such silent recall for Hero maestro.
https://www.motorbeam.com/2017/03/bi...here-is-proof/

Yamaha faced it too for the R3, fuel leakage issues from the tank.

Recalls and secretly manufacturers been changing faulty parts and non admittence to faults has been going on for decades now. Many examples are there. Porsche, landcover, Toyota, Honda and many more but the issues in just one new model of RE is like they just don't want to change the way they do their R&D.

[PraNeel]

Royal Enfield launches Himalayan with FI engine complying with BS IV norms. The same has been updated on their site as well.

[Ry_der]

Rider from mumbai shares the horrible details about the Himalayan.

A rider with youtube name of FAKIRA released a video about the issues face by him on a northeast expedition. During the trip the ignition coil was blown twice and battery dead, in a 20 days old RE HIMALAYAN. Might be an isolated incident but still horrible.

The video

here

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Rider from mumbai shares the horrible details about the Himalayan.
A rider with Youtube name of FAKIRA released a video about the issues face by him on a northeast expedition. During the trip the ignition coil was blown twice and battery dead, in a 20 days old RE HIMALAYAN. Might be an isolated incident but still horrible.

I myself know a close friend who has a Himalayan and suffered coil failure twice, underwent a head replacement, clutch assembly replacement, Oil cooler pipe replacement etc. The Himalayan is such a good concept. I simply cant understand what the hell is wrong with RE using sub standard parts. Am sure when the BMW and KTM ADV bikes hit the market, the Himalayan will be a dead horse.
Dear RE, I was a prospective customer of the Himalayan, sorry but I have ditched the idea of buying one.