[apachelongbow]

This thread is supposed to be a Himalayan test ride and review thread. I am not sure why certain members are bringing in their biases and irrational thoughts concerning the company, it's previous offerings or unrelated things like dukes or mojos into this?
By all means review the product, critic its faults, short comings, price point etc, but don't start a meaningless comparison war with everything two wheels.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

This thread is supposed to be a Himalayan test ride and review thread. I am not sure why certain members are bringing in their biases and irrational thoughts concerning the company, it's previous offerings or unrelated things like dukes or mojos into this?
By all means review the product, critic its faults, short comings, price point etc, but don't start a meaningless comparison war with everything two wheels.

Meaningless comparison? We are comparing shortcomings (along with price point) of the motorcycle to another motorcycle of around the same price.

To summarize,
Comparing the Himalayan to other Enfield offerings, makes it a very good deal.
Comparing the Himalayan to other makes, still makes it a good deal but not in terms of quality.

[nasirkaka]

This thread is supposed to be a Himalayan test ride and review thread. I am not sure why certain members are bringing in their biases and irrational thoughts concerning the company, it's previous offerings or unrelated things like dukes or mojos into this?
By all means review the product, critic its faults, short comings, price point etc, but don't start a meaningless comparison war with everything two wheels.

The whole idea of this thread is to share test ride experience which will help decide the prospective customers to make or break a purchase decision. All purchases involve money, so it is natural that cost of product and some amount of comparison will come into consideration. Living with a bike will also involve service and spares, hence sharing experiences and expressions about those also would be helpful to those interested in the product. Dont think there is been posts with any major biases or irrational thoughts. and if you were referring to my cost comparison with 390, i was just trying to share my experience as i have been riding bullets since 2007, also ride a 390 and have taken a decent test ride of the mojo. Lets discuss all the factors (positives and negatives) which may help get a better understanding of the product and parent until we have an ownership review thread.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

have taken a decent test ride of the mojo.

OT, Kaka, any reason you are not considering the mojo instead as a COMMUTER over the himalayan ? Have you posted a review of your test ride on the mojo somewhere?

Let's leave aside the absence of abs... If there's anything else would love to hear you.

[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

By all means review the product, critic its faults, short comings, price point etc, but don't start a meaningless comparison war with everything two wheels.

To review a product, comparison has to be drawn with others that fall under the same category or price point. Only then will one understand the advantages and the short comings of the product.
If this is not allowed then I'll say Himalayan is the best motorcycle in the world!
Please note that I am in no way bashing the Himalayan. In fact I'm very interested to know how it fares in the long run. I am actually rooting for this RE, keeping the short comings aside.

[anurag.somani]

Hi Folks,

Is the Himalayan good for city ride, considering that it'll be spending ~90% of the time on city roads?

I am looking towards it as an all-rounder for everyday office-commute, highways, western-ghats and Himalayas.

[r.K]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Moderators,

I think we are not far from a team-bhp official bike reviews section!

We have capable riders in this forum. Please give it a thought.

+1

Would love to see official T-BHP reviews on motorcycles. At least something akin to:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...de-review.html

And I would love to be a part of this.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by Gordon

Meaningless comparison? We are comparing shortcomings (along with price point) of the motorcycle to another motorcycle of around the same price.

To summarize,
Comparing the Himalayan to other Enfield offerings, makes it a very good deal.
Comparing the Himalayan to other makes, still makes it a good deal but not in terms of quality.

It's still meaningless. Comparison makes sense among equals or atleast two things at par. Is there any adventure/off-roader in the same engine capacity, price bracket? Has the bike been test ridden on trails or off-road before making inane claims on perceived lack of power, refinement, how things may fall off etc etc. A few post back someone compared the smoothness with his Versys. Are they even in the same range? Do we speak about say a bmw 5 series on a Thar thread?
The 390 is a different kettle of fish. It is an agressive City bike built to a cost. It's a different matter that people tour long distances on it's rock hard suspension or take it off-road.
The Himalayan is built for a purpose. Take it out on weekends hit any trail you see and enjoy. It does that well. Can it cruise high speed? May not. Can it commute like a mojo... May not...

[nasirkaka]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

It's still meaningless. Comparison makes sense among equals or atleast two things at par. Is there any adventure/off-roader in the same engine capacity, price bracket? Has the bike been test ridden on trails or off-road before making inane claims on perceived lack of power, refinement, how things may fall off etc etc. A few post back someone compared the smoothness with his Versys. Are they even in the same range? Do we speak about say a bmw 5 series on a Thar thread?
The 390 is a different kettle of fish. It is an agressive City bike built to a cost. It's a different matter that people tour long distances on it's rock hard suspension or take it off-road.
The Himalayan is built for a purpose. Take it out on weekends hit any trail you see and enjoy. It does that well. Can it cruise high speed? May not. Can it commute like a mojo... May not...

In black and white, yes. Himalayan is a purpose built bike and we should not compare it to others unless we have something in similar class and price bracket.

But reality is a bit complex and there are some grey areas. Not everyone buying Himalayan will be using it exclusively for off-roading, but a mix of usage which is daily rides, highway rides, ghats and trails.I myself have been considering it for daily commuting to work mainly cos of comfortable suspension, upright ergonomics, and good GC. Most of the himalayan target customers would be the guys who currently tour on other royal enfield models, karizmas, etc. Now these same guys also use the same bike for daily commute, for eg, i know may riders from various bullet riding groups who take the same bike for rides on weekends and ride the same bike in Bangalore city to commute. i too belong to this group. Cant afford/manage to keep a fleet of motorcycles purpose built for different tasks. So while making a purchase decision, off road capabilities would be one of the points where we all know himalayan scores very high in addition so many other points where other bikes which may not belong to same class does come into consideration. For eg, someone who is considering himalayan mainly for touring in southern india will obviously consider a mojo or another motorcylce. Not sure if i am able to communicate what i am trying to.

coming back to the himalayan:

Sharing information a FB post by prashant, who is well known in the biking circle in Bangalore. Pretty interesting and raised some valid points to ponder:

"A lots of debate has been happening on the newly launched Royal Enfield Himalayan, a motorcycle purpose built for the enthusiast .As an enthusiast here is what I am missing on the bike
• A lighter weight motorcycle
• Aluminium rims. Spokes and alloy Prolink on the suspension to reduce some un-sprung weight –The world has changed drastically since RE was born and wrought iron has been replaced by much lighter and stronger alloys
• Alloy swing arm (Even the “not so expensive” KTM has one )
• Nuts/Bolts/axles etc.. made of some non-corrosive materials (Stainless steel or Alloys)
• Need better Fit and finish than the current tacky setup (unfinished edges on tank, the multiple nuts welded on the front headlight frame etc.)
• A better design integration of all the bits including exhaust( the impulse can be a good reference)
• An ABS option -safety does help
• Better and a lighter power plant(don’t see a reason why the engine needs to be so big for a 410,if it was just for a larger the oil sump, there are various other ways of achieving the same )
• Closed loop Fuel injection ,not the open loop one on the classic please( It would help a touring motorcycle to go places with FI which can automatically adjust the mixture and hopefully better power
• A gearbox with better shifts
• Some consistency (time to move away from the “Hand Made” speciality)-There were three test bikes I saw ,one which had the left side of the lever hitting the wind shield as the handle bar was turning too much on one side and one screw fallen off , the second bike had an oil film from the clutch case and the third one had a carrier on which the bars were not parallel !!
The bits which I like
• Well sprung suspension setup
• Good seat and seating position and riding posture
• Tires and handling
Overall a motorcycle developed within the backyard ,by cutting corners to save costs ..made to be sold cheap and i think its quite successful at that .would i buy one ...yes as a donor bike for my next project !!
pics of some more Backyard built "Himalayan types" from 2007
Carrier Pic-credits -Aditya Kumar"

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

slightly OT, and Intention is not really to compare these two bike, but from the COST point of view, i have always felt RE bikes are over priced and even service and spares cost is comparatively higher. 390 offers much better equipment for the price its being sold at, and if a similar configuration was offered by RE, they would have definitely priced it much higher then current 390s price.

I think we are going a bit OT.
The 390 is no doubt VFM. However, It is built for only one thing - Speed.
However, in isolation also, It lacks in other crucial areas like ride comfort, refinement, exhaust note and has some issues also (some instances of cracked rims, heat etc).

Mojo is unknown territory. We are yet to understand how Mahindra 2 wheelers fare over long term usage.

Having said all this, I did not find the Himalayan's pricing to be high, considering the fact that it has a seriously good suspension, and very well tuned chassis with honest mechanicals. In fact, i found it to be the perfect bike for Bangalore's horrible roads.
Also, Let us not forget, this is an Adventure Tourer! We have seen people paying 5-10 times more for these kind of things. (Agreed, they are much more powerful also, but the essence is the same)

Finally, let us remember that different bikes have different purpose.
Ride KTMs to increase your pulse.
Ride REs to reduce it.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

In black and white, yes. Himalayan is a purpose built bike and we should not compare it to others unless we have something in similar class and price bracket.

But reality is a bit complex and there are some grey areas. Not everyone buying Himalayan will be using it exclusively for off-roading, but a mix of usage which is daily rides, highway rides, ghats and trails.

The pictures of the home built dirt bikes are superb. I see some great work there!!!
Let's consider a enduro bike to be like a off-roader, say a jeep. Now will I take a jeep to work each day? To the mall? Vegetable shopping? Mostly not, unless I am a hardcore jeeper.
Likewise the Himalayan in its current form cannot be used everyday. It will slip and skid on expansion joints, slight gravel, cobblestones and smooth cemented roads. It will not have a great top end to cruise the highways.
Similarly let's consider fit and finish. Does a off-road capable 4x4 have form over function or the other way around. I have not yet seen a pretty off-roader, having mirror finish paint, no seam welds, aligned wipers, streamlined body, they are left to the mall going SUVs . In a dirt bike based Himalayan the welded threads would last longer in the wild than a threaded screw. Let's consider function over form here as well. I am only defending the asthetics of the bike, not the overall build quality of RE, which on this bike is much improved compared to say a classic. People make the same mistake on the thar thread, calling the vehicle crude and unrefined. But it's built and sold for people who want to enjoy the wilds, not someone who expects a car like comfort inside a jeep shell.
Regarding power plant RE will stay loyal to its core customers, people who love thumpers, they can't plonk a KTM auto rickshaw sounding engine and expect any sales. I do agree they should have offered a switchable abs, but it seems they are working on it.

[Urban_Nomad]

I've got 2 words for you - Cross shopping. Basically, what can my big / small pile of cash get me? It is as applicable to the bike world as it is to a car. Before anything else, most people start with a budget in mind for their purchase and hence it is very apt to compare bikes at a given price point, irrespective of the intended purpose as outlined in the company brochure - especially when we are talking about "lifestyle" purchases

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

It's still meaningless. Comparison makes sense among equals or atleast two things at par

Absolutely not! I can compare something even if there is one significant point. Who set the minimum 2 limit?

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Is there any adventure/off-roader in the same engine capacity, price bracket?

Are you implying that Himalayan should not be compared to anything in the Indian bike market???? I hope not

Adventure motorcycle is a rather broad term. You need to step back and see a bike's versatility. For instance, for similar cash I could buy the Duke 200, have more power, add some knobbies and take it out on some mild trails. Or get the Mojo as I will be doing a lot of highway miles and that big tank with a more powerful engine will be better

The advent of Himalayan does not take away anything from the other bikes' capabilities. They still remain

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

A few post back someone compared the smoothness with his Versys. Are they even in the same range? Do we speak about say a bmw 5 series on a Thar thread?

Agree on the Versys comment. But lets not extend the "off topic" moniker to everything else here

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

The 390 is a different kettle of fish. It is an agressive City bike built to a cost. It's a different matter that people tour long distances on it's rock hard suspension or take it off-road.

The Himalayan is built for a purpose. Take it out on weekends hit any trail you see and enjoy

The purpose is defined by the user. Bikes like these, including the 390 you mentioned earlier are extremely versatile and its sacrilege to pigeon-hole them as weekend only / city only / no touring / no commuting etc etc bikes

However, if you still have strong feelings about some of the posts here being off topic; use the "report posts" feature and let the mods do the needful. Simples!

[Urban_Nomad]

Powerdrift 's review of the Himalayan is out. Do check it out gents!

http://youtu.be/yaqnO2RVfiw

[arulpeem]

Took a test ride yesterdayat 12 noon. The ride was about 8K trip. From the OMR showroom to Madhya Kailash and back. The ride was done with two up. On the way back from Madhya Kailash I took the service road until Tidel Park signal.
Ergonomics was spot on. The feet positioning was right for me. The handlebar positioning was good.My pillion also was comfortable.
Ride on the uneven service road was very good. Compared to my GT this was miles ahead on the broken road
Gear shifting:: I couldn't get into neutral, other wise it was okay but not as smooth as my GT
Brakes: With two up it was good but not as good as the GT. A notch or two below GT
Engine Noise: Way noisier than my GT. I would have expected it to be quieter than my GT.
Handling: Good. From the show room until the Tidel park signal it was crawling speed. Then I could open up. It was easier than GT at slow speeds. I reached the triple digit speed easily and bike was very well planted. Couldn't try quick direction changes because of the traffic.
Windscreen: At speed it was buffeting. The blast was coming onto my face directly and only when I bent I could avoid it. Not good for me.

I also didn't feel any engine heat as reported by a few. With two up and 12 noon in crawling speed there was no issue for me.

Now I will wait for the delivery of this machine. I have booked it on the first day itself without a test ride. Will open a ownership thread as soon as I get it. I plan to take it to the Himalayas in July if all goes well. That is the reason for the early booking and willingness to take a chance with the teething problems. If I get it in a couple of months riding time before July I can do enough riding to sort out the initial niggles.

[rohitz]

Did anyone in Indore took the test drive? Currently am in Indore so any info about which showroom has H on display and for test drive will be helpful.