[Sridhar K]

I sold mine after 5K kms and 1.5 years of ownership to the dealership because i ended up using it as a commuter bike due to my tight work, personal schedule. and a fracture in my left foot. Selling price: 1.05 lakhs.

In the meantime, the vehicle underwent the T-Stem replacement, clutch replacement and a battery replacement.

Was a joy to ride on open roads and bad roads. It had excellent road presence, an engine much smoother than the RE350s, smooth gear shift especially after the clutch was replaced under warranty. Unfit for city commute due to the tall gearing and excess heat (which is never felt when cruising).

[ninjatalli]

I was completely sold on the Himalayan; and with the ABS added; the decision was even more solidified.

However a day at the showroom with a test drive of the bike (older version) vs the Classic kind of made it clear which bike I was leaning towards. One thing was very clear with the Himalayan - the bike ate up bad roads effortlessly! Aggressive upright stance - coming from a decade of Pulsars and Unicorns; I kinda felt at home. However multiple runs of the Classic made it more clear.

Booked the Classic 500 ABS version instead. Will be waiting for a month as I have to finish some office work overseas. I'm just wondering if any kind soul who owns the newer Himalayan (ABS version) in Mumbai would be happy to give me a test drive once I'm back

[bblost]

A nice review of the bike:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQwA5t8cnkE

@Ninja: The classic 500 Stealth Black look very beautiful and was literally my first choice.
But since I love to ride on bad roads, the Himalayan made a lot more sense.

My bike crosses 5000 kms today. Six months since I picked her up.
The service center was fully jammed up and the Himalayan technician was on leave. So I will have to go back tomorrow for its service.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by bblost

A nice review of the bike:


@Ninja: The classic 500 Stealth Black look very beautiful and was literally my first choice.
But since I love to ride on bad roads, the Himalayan made a lot more sense.

Had seen the review prior to the showroom visit - absolutely no-nonsense review objectively giving the viewpoint on the bike.

Stealth Black is the one I have gone for. However Dil nahi maan raha hai - there's a nagging feeling I'm doing something wrong; the next one month is going to be a blessing or a pain in the ###

God help me on post-purchase dissonance!!

[TaurusAl]

I took a short test ride of about 3 Kms over the weekend. I am planning to sell my Thunderbird 350 and buy a Himalayan. My observations and questions to the owners during the short test ride as under -

1) The front suspension is amazing. Soaks up the small speed breakers as they don't exist. Loved it.

2) Rear suspension on the test ride bike was a bit stiff as compared to front, at least that's what i felt. Does it come with softening option ? The only grouse I had is that the front glides very easily and at the same speed the rear gets bumpy. Does it get better with pillion on board ?

3) Bike feels much much faster and smoother than my current TB 350.

4) I did not feel the engine heat during a short test ride. Ill be using the bike in city 70% of the time. Should this be a point of concern ? How much is the heat as compared to Duke 390 2018?

5) Is it a good upgrade coming from Thunderbird 350 ? My budget is anything under 2.5 lacs.

Looking forward to your responses.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

God help me on post-purchase dissonance!!

Well you are buying an RE. A little extra time in prayer is always a good idea.

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

1) The front suspension is amazing. Soaks up the small speed breakers as they don't exist. Loved it.

This is the best part of the bike.

2) Rear suspension on the test ride bike was a bit stiff as compared to front, at least that's what i felt. Does it come with softening option ? The only grouse I had is that the front glides very easily and at the same speed the rear gets bumpy. Does it get better with pillion on board ?

Not that I know off.

3) Bike feels much much faster and smoother than my current TB 350.

Of course. But the TB 500 is going to be faster and turn smoother.

4) I did not feel the engine heat during a short test ride. Ill be using the bike in city 70% of the time. Should this be a point of concern ? How much is the heat as compared to Duke 390 2018?

My bike used to heat up for the first 1000 kms. Now its no longer an issue.

5) Is it a good upgrade coming from Thunderbird 350 ? My budget is anything under 2.5 lacs.

Do try a long test ride.
My old Tb 350 feels like a super comfortable sofa compared to the very different ergonomics of the Himalayan.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

I took a short test ride of about 3 Kms over the weekend. I am planning to sell my Thunderbird 350 and buy a Himalayan. My observations and questions to the owners during the short test ride as under -


Looking forward to your responses.

@TaurusAl - Your observations and your future situation are on spot with what I experienced. Just to add - I usually hate the bikes with the fixed headlights (Karizma, Pulsar 220, etc). But weirdly I didn't even notice that for the Himalayan.

Btw which showroom did you do your test drive? Was it on the new ABS model or the older version? I did mine at the Synergy outlet; they unfortunately had the older version; I badly wish they were placed on the highways!

@bblost, currently in Kathmandu; I'm actually contemplating taking a Himalayan for rent for the weekend and figure it out

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Btw which showroom did you do your test drive? Was it on the new ABS model or the older version? I did mine at the Synergy outlet; they unfortunately had the older version; I badly wish they were placed on the highways!

I test drove at Voyage Motors Goregaon on Highway. So I did 3 km highway run hence it was not possible to understand the engine heat. The test drive bike was a dusty older version with carb and no ABS.

I saw few youtube videos where the reviewer mentioned the latest EFI version has better and smoother acceleration.

Dominar looks like the better upgrade in terms of features after thunderbird, But the lovely suspension of Himalayan on our horrible roads has won my heart.

The sleet with panniers is best looking bike on Indian in my opinion. I doubt the ease of riding with panniers in Mumbai traffic though. Any experience on this ? Anyone ?

[jackerhack]

I bought a Himalayan Granite with panniers earlier this year. Riding in heavy traffic is not a problem. Everyone gets out of your way. However, parking is a major pain as you need extra width and there's no culture of reserving space for two wheeler parking in India. After a couple months, I removed the panniers and installed a top box.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

I doubt the ease of riding with panniers in Mumbai traffic though

Why would you want to ride locally with the panniers on? You plan to haul a lot of stuff?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Why would you want to ride locally with the panniers on? You plan to haul a lot of stuff?

Onions, wheat, potatoes, rice, sanitary pads, coffee, milk, eggs, continuum transfunctioner...and so on.

The life of a city dweller who has the same bike for the highway and daily commute.

Just kidding but I think he will have the same issue as most of us.
No space inside the apartment for bike stuff.
So its simpler to just keep it on the bike in the garage.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by bblost

No space inside the apartment for bike stuff.
So its simpler to just keep it on the bike in the garage.

That's true. No space in apartment to keep huge panniers.

Also, I do carry a separate gym stuff when I ride to work which I need to store when I go for meetings etc.

Hope it answers your query.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by bblost

Well you are buying an RE. A little extra time in prayer is always a good idea.

...
My old Tb 350 feels like a super comfortable sofa compared to the very different ergonomics of the Himalayan.

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

I took a short test ride of about 3 Kms over the weekend. I am planning to sell my Thunderbird 350 and buy a Himalayan. 5) Is it a good upgrade coming from Thunderbird 350 ? My budget is anything under 2.5 lacs.

Looking forward to your responses.

So here's me putting the little birds in my head to rest

+ I loved the suspension of the bike; took it on really bad roads and the bike handled it beautifully
+ The gears although a bit clunky (for the older version) did not really affect me. The fact that the new model has improvised only makes it better
+ My driving will be 80-20; most of it on city roads. But the 20% I want to be free as much as possible. For e.g. I take my Colnago (road bike/cycle) in rains and on hills where sensible folks don't even take their hybrids or think twice for their MTBs. Of course I have really good Schwalbe tires that are puncture proof (atleast so far)
- The straight handle didn't pose to be a problem; but the bike was slightly tough to maneuver at signal stops during peak traffic (which is more of a norm for Bombay streets)
- I hate to be a follower just because so and so said it (both of my friends who accompanied were completely against the Himalayan). Granted the Classic felt much better and much much easier to drive compared to the Himalayan. But inside out I feel that's not an apples to apples comparison; not even a highway ride would be the ideal way to figure out; rather a drive on rural steets across the villages and the hills would be the only way to validate
- My future situation is going to be similar to my current setup; a few weeks overseas at client locations followed by a few weeks at home; and repeat. Will that make a difference on which bike I should opt for?

Man, the next few weeks are going to be tough.

@TaurusAl, @bblost - I take it both of you are/have moved from T350 to the Himalayan (or are planning to). What's your take?

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Why would you want to ride locally with the panniers on? You plan to haul a lot of stuff?

What better way to take advantage of the displacement!

Jokes apart, running with storage option has helped me save a lot on fuel costs as I now need not take the car out for grocery runs.





I had removed the side boxes due to parking and maneuverability being a concern for grocery runs, which I guess would be the same for Himalayan users as they're not suited for our cramped parking's plus mounting and dismounting in cramped spaces would be an issue with the side boxes on.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

@TaurusAl, @bblost - I take it both of you are/have moved from T350 to the Himalayan (or are planning to). What's your take?

Almost. I have also uploaded the pictures of my Thunderbird on OLX and Quikr.

Things which are bothering me about Himalayan are

1) I just got to know the paint of Sleet is not actually a paint but a sticker job which comes out after a while. I don't like black or white colors, appears too dull for my liking.

2) Im wondering 2.20 lacs is really worth the Himalayan + 30k for panniers. The price is getting dangerously close to KTM Duke 390 which is more fun to ride. Worried about heat in the city though. Need to test ride a 2018 version yet. Any inputs on it ?

3) While test riding I felt the bike is not as flickable as I want it to be in emergency situations. Typical Enfield trait.

Totally confused. But, I am currently sold on Himalayan more than another motorbike available.