[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by gigatech2006

Conundrum: I won't be doing off-roading at all. But I want the tourer to take on bad roads, no roads situation in Bangalore, and also cope up with the elements on long straight highways when doing the speeds. I considered the Himalayan, but for the engine. Not sure if 24hp will suffice for the highway runs. Pillion comfort a must as well.

The Himalayan can tour all day at 100 kmph as good as any other motorcycle. If you're looking at higher speeds, look at the 650s.

Where the Himalayan scores over the Interceptor:
- Riding posture
- Pillion comfort
- Bad roads

Try renting both machines over back to back weekends! Showroom test rides might not suffice for your particular needs.

[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

I will be getting delivery of the Himalayan this week.I do remember that BS3 owners used to replace their clutch cables with the one from the classic 350 for a lighter clutch. Has BS4 solved this problem or should I request for this during delivery ?

Also there are no reports or sightings of a BS6 Himalayan. Should I wait? Would there be substantial improvements? Not interested in the 650cc option.

Can Himalayan owners advice?

[jackerhack]

BS4 owner. I haven't felt the need to change my clutch cable.

I've also ridden Bangalore to Chennai. Achieved an average of 80 kmph outbound. On the return I used noise cancelling earphones inside the helmet and my average speed went up to 100 kmph.

I thought top speed was determined by the bike's vibrations. I was surprised to find it was actually from noise proofing. My MT Thunder 3 is above average at shutting out noise, but there's even more quiet to be attained using Active NC earphones.

[navin_v8]

I dearly miss RE Himalayan everytime monsoon season sets in. The road conditions in Bombay during monsoon season can give a serious competition to some of the best off-road trails.

My Thunderbird 500 although good is no match when compared to Himalayan for its handling of off-road conditions. Himalayan is the ideal motorcycle for a country like India where monsoon lasts for a good 4 months.

Eagerly waiting for Himalayan 650.

[sam_babushka]

I own a Himalayan, and prefer it over my car while traversing through the daily floods that Mumbai monsoons are synonymous with. It is a delight - munches up potholes without any fuss, is happy to ride over the sludge, and I rode it through a feet of accumulated water in Milan subway yesterday, passing by some other bikes that gave up. The three features that the Himalayan possesses to make it ideal for Mumbai roads are the riding position, suspension play and ground clearance. Of course, the salinity and humidity in Mumbai make it rust like crazy, which is incredibly frustrating, but the boys at the service centre are very good, and take care of it during the servicing

[bblost]

A different experience with Royal Enfield.

Bike went in for service and as part of it, I wanted to get my left indicator replaced. It had broken a couple of days back in a minor traffic accident.

They were out of stock. When picking up the bike, I told the service guys that it was quite disappointing that such a small part is not available.
To my surprise they called me back the very next day and said they had located the part and I can come over anytime to fix it.

Quite a pleasant surprise for me that they actually resolved this issue so fast.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by sam_babushka

I own a Himalayan, and prefer it over my car while traversing through the daily floods that Mumbai monsoons are synonymous with. It is a delight - munches up potholes without any fuss, is happy to ride over the sludge, and I rode it through a feet of accumulated water in Milan subway yesterday, passing by some other bikes that gave up. The three features that the Himalayan possesses to make it ideal for Mumbai roads are the riding position, suspension play and ground clearance. Of course, the salinity and humidity in Mumbai make it rust like crazy, which is incredibly frustrating, but the boys at the service centre are very good, and take care of it during the servicing

Except for the bolts and spokes, what parts on the Himalayan are prone to rust?

[sam_babushka]

Originally Posted by Gordon

Except for the bolts and spokes, what parts on the Himalayan are prone to rust?

Mate, all of it. Disclaimer - I stay right next to the ocean, and that is definitely a contributing factor. My poor Bolero had rusted pieces of most doors falling off after four years of ownership!

On my Himalayan, I have had rusting at the mouth of the tank, the metal bracket around the headlamp glass, and just yesterday, the bottom 'L' of my central stand broke off as it was rusted on the inside! The funny thing though, there is a Ninja and a Z800 in my complex, amongst others, and I did not see any rusting on either

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by bblost

There is no replacement for displacement.

Buy the 650 twin. It makes a lot of sense for your travel needs.

In replying to a query on another forum I thought to cross check gearing commander and got to notice that the gearing info for the Himalayan as well as the Interceptor has been added to the database, hence decided to see the difference in cruising speeds of both motorcycle i.e cruising speed computed at peak torque RPM in final drive due to the obvious, the results are quite amusing;

UCE350: 94.1 kmph
UCE500: 107.8 kmph
UCE535: 112.1 kmph
Himalayan: 90.8 kmph
Interceptor: 96.5 kmph

Funny isn't it.

[Urban_Nomad]

^^ Does it also compute which bike will rattle the bones beyond repair and make you want to spit your teeth out at these “cruising” speeds

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

^^ Does it also compute which bike will rattle the bones beyond repair and make you want to spit your teeth out at these “cruising” speeds

True that.

These are just values derived from data provided by the manufacturer, without taking into consideration many other factors including engine configuration.

Same goes for the Interceptor doing a true speed of 174.9 kmph at peak power which comes in at 7250RPM's.

Though I do believe this can be used as a guideline for potential buyers;

https://www.gearingcommander.com/

At least to avoid any confusion post purchase as the original query I was responding to on another forum was of an individual who was unsatisfied of how the Mojo does 150+kmph speeds, when in reality the motorcycle hits peak power at 145kmph on the speedo.

[psmenon]

Originally Posted by gigatech2006

Guys,


Need some practical guidance from you all. I do Chennai-Bangalore trips almost every weekend and I'm looking for a good tourer. The Himalayan and Interceptor are in consideration.


Conundrum: I won't be doing off-roading at all. But I want the tourer to take on bad roads, no roads situation in Bangalore, and also cope up with the elements on long straight highways when doing the speeds. I considered the Himalayan, but for the engine. Not sure if 24hp will suffice for the highway runs. Pillion comfort a must as well.



Considering the above, should I go ahead with the Himalayan, or consider the following:
1. Interceptor
2. Upcoming/rumoured Himalayan with 650 twin engine
3. Upcoming updates to the classics (hopefully if they have the new engine)


Thanks much!

I am the person you are looking for

I had a himalayan sleet for about three months and now moved to interceptor.

Why would you want the himalayan?

1. Unbeatable seat comfort
2. Undeniably the best bike to take on bad roads
3. Pillion comfort is great
4. Great posture and seat height
5. Take it anywhere attitude of the bike.

Why would you want the Interceptor?

1. The 650 heart is excellent
2. Better made than himalayan
3. Eats highways like a piece of cake
4. Twin cylinder sounds great
5. If maintained well, will age like wine

Why would you want to avoid the Interceptor?

1. If you are married or have a girlfriend who likes to tag along on long trips- seats are really a pain in the wrong place
2. Its made for the highways or cities not friendly on bad roads
3. Its heavy
4. As any RE, you want to personalise it to make it yours.

Why would you want to avoid the Himalayan?

1. Low power on highway rides makes it feel tad boring
2. Issues with fuel tank fume build up causing bike to stall often
3. Heats up badly in stop and go traffic
4. Vibrations - lesser than other REs but higher than interceptor

If you are a person who is ok with calling 100 a three digit speed, please go with the himalayan. The presence and riding comfort on the bike is something is I sorely miss on the interceptor.

I do miss my himalayan when I see a pothole, on an interceptor I know that if I hit it hard the damages can be bad to me and the bike.

[gigatech2006]

Originally Posted by psmenon

I am the person you are looking for

If you are a person who is ok with calling 100 a three digit speed, please go with the himalayan. The presence and riding comfort on the bike is something is I sorely miss on the interceptor.

I do miss my himalayan when I see a pothole, on an interceptor I know that if I hit it hard the damages can be bad to me and the bike.

Well put across. I must say I'm greedy (anyone else?) and I want to best of both worlds -- the 650 engine on the himalayan. Kinda' like I can have the cake and eat it too. At least, if RE can make some official statement that it's in the works, I'll put my case to rest and book the H650 when it becomes available. Heck, the wait in the uncertain period.

[howler]

Originally Posted by sam_babushka

Mate, all of it. Disclaimer - I stay right next to the ocean, and that is definitely a contributing factor. My poor Bolero had rusted pieces of most doors falling off after four years of ownership!

On my Himalayan, I have had rusting at the mouth of the tank, the metal bracket around the headlamp glass, and just yesterday, the bottom 'L' of my central stand broke off as it was rusted on the inside! The funny thing though, there is a Ninja and a Z800 in my complex, amongst others, and I did not see any rusting on either

Interesting, how often do you wash the bike and how do you do it ? Curious , since I just moved out of Bombay a year ago and I never had a spot of rust on my himalayan. It is a first batch bike btw. I don’t wash my bikes , just wipe them down but that’s about it.
Bombay service centres and wash places are almost maniacal about using high pressure water to clean vehicles and that is the biggest enemy.

[sam_babushka]

Originally Posted by howler

Interesting, how often do you wash the bike and how do you do it ? Curious , since I just moved out of Bombay a year ago and I never had a spot of rust on my himalayan. It is a first batch bike btw. I don’t wash my bikes , just wipe them down but that’s about it.
Bombay service centres and wash places are almost maniacal about using high pressure water to clean vehicles and that is the biggest enemy.

I agree. The water-wash daily, which is a norm here in Bombay, is detrimental in the long run. My guy used to wash the bike with water daily, but that has been stopped six months into the ownership of the bike. The service station guys themselves advised against it, and that's how I put an end to it. I will be completing three years with the bike this November. The primary issue is the salinity and humidity that comes with being next to the ocean. I have a 1992 Standard Bullet which is at my parents' place in Andheri, that does not rust, and neither do the cars we have there.

All good for now