[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Yes my hunch is the same, and it was me who was hinting at that. But I shall confirm by this weekend when I visit them.

The oil mentioned in my invoice is HP Racer 4 Plus 15W-50. Two litres, totalling Rs 700 including VAT. The website of HP mentions these two as the recommended oils for the RE bikes, RE Liquid Gun 15W 50 and
HP Racer 4 15W 50. So I presume that these are the same ones. May be the plus has some more additives to cope up with the slightly higher rpm of Himalayan

[Blazkowicz]

I have done 400km on my Himalayan now. One peculiar thing which I have noticed is that the idling RPM varies from 900 to about 1700 rpm depending on engine and ambient temperature. Is this true for all Himalayans? At what rpm should I set the idling with the engine heated up?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by arulpeem

The oil mentioned in my invoice is HP Racer 4 Plus 15W-50. Two litres, totalling Rs 700 including VAT.

Arul,
Yes its Semi-Synthetic oil which goes into the HIMALAYAN (15W50) whereas the UCE Engine is with 15W50 mineral oil.

Originally Posted by Blazkowicz

I have done 400km on my Himalayan now. One peculiar thing which I have noticed is that the idling RPM varies from 900 to about 1700 rpm depending on engine and ambient temperature.

Idling should be set when the engine has heated up and must be maintained at 1150 +/- 50RPM. When the Idling is set, cold engines will run at a bit lower RPM without the choke being engaged.

Also I would suggest you to engage the choke when you due a cold start and remember to put it back in its original place.

[hollywoodhogan]

Took delivery of my Himalayan snow today!
Rode about 40 km today before heading home and wow! The bike impresses with its simplicity and no nonsense design.
True to Sid Lal's word, 'honest' design, ground up.
This is a machine that fits bang in the slot in terms of value and design that the touring community has been waiting for.
Planning to do a long run on Sunday and shall share first impressions.
And ku69rd, your permission to share my experiences in your thread.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by hollywoodhogan

Took delivery of my Himalayan snow today!

And ku69rd, your permission to share my experiences in your thread.

Congratulations on getting your Himalayan snow... All the people are buying it in snow white and not sure who all are buying in granite black.

Feel free to share your experiences in this thread.

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by hollywoodhogan

Took delivery of my Himalayan snow today!
The bike impresses with its simplicity and no nonsense design.
True to Sid Lal's word, 'honest' design, ground up.
This is a machine that fits bang in the slot in terms of value and design that the touring community has been waiting for.

Congratulations on your acquisition. I think you are spot on about your surmise of the bike. Enjoy your rides and I wish you a safe riding. Look like more people have opted for snow white than Granite black.

[Jude300]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

not sure who all are buying in granite black.

The lone one in the group may be, I just made my payment for my Granite Himalayan. Should get it by Wednesday. The wait is getting too long.

Also the latest lots seem to have more of Snow than Granite.

[torqueunlimited]

@arulpeem and @ku69rd your ownership threads have been an absolute pleasure to read in the days leading up to the delivery of my bike. I booked early April and should get mine by mid-June. Mine too is white, which is much more in demand by the looks of it. At the dealership I booked, nearly 75% are white!

Due to your experiences till now (alongwith some feedback from a Facebook group) I've been able to make a checklist of issues to watch out for while taking delivery and through the running in period.

The wait has been absolutely excruciating! And these ownership thread have been the primary source of taking me through these difficult times! Please keep the feedback, it's an absolute pleasure to read.

[hollywoodhogan]

Originally Posted by arulpeem

Congratulations on your acquisition......

Thanks! Wish you too!

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Congratulations on getting your Himalayan snow...
Feel free to share your experiences in this thread.

Thanks and thanks for allowing me share my experiences here!

Took the bike out on a 300km ride on Sunday around rural Bangalore outskirts. And I have not had so much fun on a motorcycle in a long time!
The handling, the poise, the confidence it inspires is something to behold and experience.

Initial experience overall I would rate a 4.5 star.

I care for running in in a limited way and that's how I have been treating my machines always. Held under 3k rpm for the first 200km then took it up to 4K rpm till 400km and plan to go to 5k rpm after 500 km and the first service.

In short thus far, what I love:
- handling & poise
- seating posture & ergonomics
- reach and position of controls
- purposeful & uncluttered design overall
- throttle response
- crisp exhaust note

Now, what I did not like:
- narrow seat (need a wider seat for my wide bottom)
- clunky and inconsistent feel of gear shifts
- random combustion noise from engine under acceleration
- front brake lacks feel though effective

I believe most things would improve over time, usage and kms. I just need to get a fix for the seat!

Will post my 1000 km report next. Thanks!

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Jude300

Also the latest lots seem to have more of Snow than Granite.

Cheers for your Granite do post your photos, the only reason why i went for the SNOW White because of its road presence. Somehow the bike feels slightly bigger in white when compared to Granite.

Originally Posted by torqueunlimited

Please keep the feedback, it's an absolute pleasure to read.

Congratulations and in the meantime, do pose your questions and shall be more than happy to fill them for you, else will find them.

Originally Posted by hollywoodhogan

Thanks! Wish you too!

Will post my 1000 km report next. Thanks!

Neat, that's exactly what I did but gave the machine a longer rope.
Was at the 3K till 500 km mark, stretch it to 4K for 1000 Kms and now 4.5K till 2000. My bike has done 1700 Odd kms and the engine is opening up smooth. Engine clatter is still the same.

[ku69rd]

Hi All,
Yesterday I complete exactly a month of ownership with the Himalayan.
When I look back to it, must admit it has been a smooth affair so far. Covered 1800 kms so far and probably the only thing I need to complain about the bike would be two missing two plastic caps which had a mind of their own during my highway rides.



Need to visit the service station to have them fitted.

During this one month I have done 3 highway rides and all of them have been good. What started out as a simple breakfast ride went on to be a good 370 Odd km ride. Body was not tired and more importantly I was back home by 130 after stopping in Halagur to meet a good old friend.

The bike was amazing to ride on all three occasions. The windscreen does its job but somehow I feel it should have been at least a couple of inches taller. Right now the top of my head gets the wind blast and I would want to crank it up by a notch to check in high speed cruising. Would 100 qualify to be called as high speed?

The bike effortlessly hits the 100 mark with not much of fuss and stays there all day long. The speed carrying ability in the Himalayan is very good and thus is able to maintain higher average speeds rather than just outright top speed and then brake for a corner.

First Ride:

Suppose many are aware of the Shark Dhaba off Solur on the NH48 leading to Mangalore. This is a nice place excepting the weird name it has. Those yummy idlys and crispy masala dosas are really good. The plus point in this restaurant is, you can park the bike next to your table and need not be bothered about people making a nuisance with it.

Once the idly went in, brain went a bit haywire due to lack of blood flow into it. Immediately it raked up a plan to do 360 instead of returning back home. While my fellow riders felt that I was losing the plot somewhere; I quickly exchanged courtesies and was on my way. Till Bellur cross it was a very boring one. The bike does a crisp 100 and stays at that speeds all day long but on the four laners it makes you look pedestrian. Off the Bellur Cross, took a left and I was welcomed with new tarmac which led me to Nagamandala, Melukote, Pandavapura, Srirangapatna & Mysore. The bike handled all the twisties with aplomb. This road has lot of long sweeping corners but not short corners.

It was a very reassuring ride and I could notice that my right hand was very steady with not much of action. As stated earlier...the ability to carry speeds through corners, highway traffic is simply amazing. Power delivery is not peppy as in my famed twin (RD) but what the hell; I was in no hurry myself. Got off the seat to circulate the stale air at Srirangapatna and realized that my fellow riders had just got home. Post Caffeine & Nicotine intake, took the left off Mysore ORR and headed towards Bannur. Roads upto Bannur are a bit okayish but it did not deter me from maintaining an easy 80-90. Post that the roads are good and I was able to maintain steady speeds. Liquid levels spruced after tender coconut I was nearing Malavalli. Took another deviation around 10 Kms before Malavalli and headed towards the interiors. After a few unknown villages I was back on the NH 209 and made my way back home. All in all I would say the first ride was very reassuring to me and I knew the bike is capable to comfortable cruising. It might not have the sudden surge of power like my RD but is a very relaxing machine to ride. Vibes was not felt since during the first ride it was still in its run-in and RPM was maintained at 3500.

The map…



Second Ride:
A very good friend who also picked up a Himalayan put up a ride for the Anchetty loop. This was one ride that I wanted to do since it was many years ago I had done this 360. With the bike having crossed 1500 Kms, right hand was more liberal. The performance of the bike was now as per expected lines. The bike does take its own sweet time to hit good speeds and post 110 it does not like to be pushed hard. The speeds will steadily increase but you need to be patient with the bike. Hi-Speed overtaking needs to be planned and that’s where you feel if the engine could have had a lil bit of oomph to reach those 130 or 140 Kays effortlessly.
A few snaps from the Anchetty ride






Must say my friend’s bike has had its share of mods, rims have been changed to alloy wheels thereby reducing the weight. He has gone tubeless with this setup an option I would definitely want to explore over the days/months to come. Renthal handlebars can be found on his bike which gives a slightly chest forward position when I rode it along with a tail box which looks very good on the bike. Am exploring an option for a tail bag but more concerned about the wind cutting ability especially during cross winds. Need to do a bit more research on it before I put it up. He has also applied a couple of clear coats of Lacquer for better maintenance. The bike has some gloss instead of matt finish.

[Tsixty1]

Congrats Mahesh; Great post.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

probably the only thing I need to complain about the bike would be two missing two plastic caps which had a mind of their own during my highway rides.

Congratulations Mahesh Ji,
next time when you fix those plastic caps, please add some glue while sticking them back, they are so lose that anyone can flick it easily or they may fall off.

Regards,
Shubhendra Singh

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Tsixty1

Congrats Mahesh; Great post.

Thanks Santanuji, am still waiting for you to join us astride a motorcycle.

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

they are so lose that anyone can flick it easily or they may fall off.

Thanks Shubhendraji, yes that's the plan. String it with a few turns of thread, apply quality glue and put it back. They should stay in place post that.
Will share the WIP photos.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Must say my friend’s bike has had its share of mods, rims have been changed to alloy wheels thereby reducing the weight. He has gone tubeless with this setup an option I would definitely want to explore over the days/months to come. Renthal handlebars can be found on his bike which gives a slightly chest forward position when I rode it along with a tail box which looks very good on the bike. Am exploring an option for a tail bag but more concerned about the wind cutting ability especially during cross winds. Need to do a bit more research on it before I put it up. He has also applied a couple of clear coats of Lacquer for better maintenance. The bike has some gloss instead of matt finish.

Would really appreciate if you could put in the details and the price break up of the handlebar and the alloy tubeless rims.From where did he source them?
Regarding the windshield, did you experience any flapping because of the crosswinds?