[aks_karthik]

Originally Posted by mobike008

That's an interesting shortlist

You have zeroed in on a Z800 (9 Lakhs), Versys 650 (8 Lakhs) and Himalayan (1.8 Lakhs)

Can you share your thought process for zeroing in on the above and why you think Himalayan is a better buy compared to Z800 and Versys 650?

It would be interesting to know your opinion? Hope it's not a straight forward price difference related decision

Hi Mobike008,

Oops, seems my wordings have been misinterpreted.
I have been contemplating to buy Z800 and Versys 650 after selling out KTM 390.
i am not an avid biker and ride almost 5K Kms/year at the max.
Hence it's not wise to shell out a big amount on bikes rather getting Himalayan for 1/4 of money.
It's purely money matter and not a comparo between bikes.
Never ever you could compare Himalayan with Z800 and Versys 650
To me, Himalayan is economical to my usage rather spending a big sum for SBK.

[VishJ]

Hi. Can anyone tell me is there any dips found in suspension due to the bike's self weight? Because all the Thunderbirds had this issue that the suspension dipping because of its own weight thereby taking toll on riding comfort. How about Himalayan jn this case?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by VishJ

Hi. Can anyone tell me is there any dips found in suspension due to the bike's self weight? Because all the Thunderbirds had this issue that the suspension dipping because of its own weight thereby taking toll on riding comfort. How about Himalayan jn this case?

Mate I have been owning Tbird's since past couple of years the old one as well as the new one. I haven't found the phenomenon of dipping suspension as mentioned by you. Do you have any source to confirm this?

The ride comfort of the Tbird is unmatched in RE's stable which is why I bought it in the first place. In fact the newer Tbird500 has a stiffer rear suspension for better handling and No it does not dip under its own weight IMO.

Coming to the Himalayan the suspension is definitely better than the Tbird where the front has longer travel and comfortably eats up the undulations on roads. The rear suspension is a bit soft but has good travel and comfort.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by VishJ

Hi. Can anyone tell me is there any dips found in suspension due to the bike's self weight? Because all the Thunderbirds had this issue that the suspension dipping because of its own weight thereby taking toll on riding comfort. How about Himalayan jn this case?

So you mean to say RE managed to put an exorbitantly heavy engine on some random light welded frame, making all the research and technical guys go for a holiday ?

Kindly substantiate your claim sir because that is a direct pun to the R and D guys at Royal Enfield.

The himalayan has been tested for a good amount of time and I think those guys were paid to do their jobs too.

[VishJ]

No offence meant to the masters of RE-THE GREAT sir. I didn't meant it that way. My friends had this issue in 3 of their Thunderbirds. Though It was not to such a great extent, I was just keen to know about the Himalayan's suspension comfort. Sorry if my question has offended anyone.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by VishJ

My friends had this issue in 3 of their Thunderbirds. Though It was not to such a great extent, I was just keen to know about the Himalayan's suspension comfort. Sorry if my question has offended anyone.

Mate we are all learning so its ok. Well all motorcycles dip a bit which is also the case with cars. Once you lift them on jacks you will know how much they dip but that's the way it is. The suspension is always under tension to make it work the way it is supposed to. Although I don't own the Himalayan as yet but can tell after a couple of rides that its suspension is very good and is tuned well for city as well as off road riding.

[blacknebula]

Hello all. I feel the clutch of my bike is very hard. In stop-go traffic my palm literally starts to hurt. Anyone else facing this? My bike has undergone the "proactive recall" by RE.

[Jude300]

Originally Posted by blacknebula

Hello all. I feel the clutch of my bike is very hard. In stop-go traffic my palm literally starts to hurt. Anyone else facing this? My bike has undergone the "proactive recall" by RE.

Yes. Me too. I have driven 1000 plus Kms now and the clutch is still hard. When I shift gear I hear a pretty loud 'ta dak' sound as if something is breaking especially when shifting from 1st - 2nd gear. Anyone facing the same???

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by blacknebula

I feel the clutch of my bike is very hard.

Originally Posted by Jude300

Yes. Me too. I have driven 1000 plus Kms now and the clutch is still hard.

If you guys have changed to the Classic 350 clutch cable and still having issues then you should definitely get it checked out immediately. I am nearly at a 1000kms and the clutch and gearing has just improved and is now totally butter smooth. Though it's still easier to get to neutral from the 2nd gear than from the 1st.

Cheers...

[blacknebula]

Originally Posted by dkaile

If you guys have changed to the Classic 350 clutch cable and still having issues then you should definitely get it checked out immediately. I am nearly at a 1000kms and the clutch and gearing has just improved and is now totally butter smooth. Though it's still easier to get to neutral from the 2nd gear than from the 1st.

Cheers...

Hey Dkaile, have not changed to the 350 cable yet. I was told by the mechanic that due to night torque engine the clutch is going to stay hard. Is the 350 cable OK for a high torque engine like that of H?

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by blacknebula

Is the 350 cable OK for a high torque engine like that of H?

Going just fine for me. Also there is a new version of Classic 350 cable now being attached to the newer bikes. It is heavier in build just like the Himalayan OE cable, just longer in length. Go for that one if you are unduly worried.

Cheers...

[Darth Sid]

Originally Posted by VishJ

Hi. Can anyone tell me is there any dips found in suspension due to the bike's self weight? Because all the Thunderbirds had this issue that the suspension dipping because of its own weight thereby taking toll on riding comfort. How about Himalayan jn this case?

I wonder if "static sag" is the correct term. All bikes depress their suspensions when you take them off their centre stand. The Himalayan looks very tall on the centre stand but becomes much lower when you take it off it. When I sat on the test ride unit, it sagged even further.

I did manage to bottom out and slam the underside of the bike when riding it over a small kerb with a 50 kg pillion rider on board but I think it was a one-off event.

[arulpeem]

Just returned from my trip to Leh. It will take a while to write about the trip.
But I wanted to give a quick update on the bike's performance during the trip.

We covered a distance of just less than 1600 KMs in eight days of riding with a few days of breaks in between.

The route was Jammu-Mcleod Kunj-Manali-Keylong-Pang-Leh-Pangong Tso-Leh-Nubrah Valley-Leh.

Six of us were riding our Himalayans.

This is a summary of the bike's performance:

- Ride: Superlative. About one third of the roads were bad, just mud and rocks. The bike just glided over them. We could overtake almost every vehicle on the bad sections.

- Ergonomics:None of had any pain. Two of us in the group are over 60. No one had any pain issue at all through out the trip.

- Handling: Extremely Good. It was very easy to negotiate the hairpin bends and the bad roads. No arm or wrist pains.

- Brakes: Good. Sharper brakes could have resulted in a few locked up wheels ending up in more falls.
- Build: Superb. Not a single creak or noise at the end of the journey in any of the bikes

- Power Above 13,000 feet it sucks, literally. At the passes it was gasping for power and one was gasping. Another 7 to 10 bhp would be wonderful to have at those altitudes.

- Things that could be bettered: Two of bikes had broken levers after zero speed falls. Protector would do wonders. The gear lever is mounted on a bracket that is part of the body frame. The bracket has thin section and that broke. That is wrong design. In the event of a fall a replaceable part should break and not a part that can't replaced. Fortunately we could find a workshop with arc welding facility in Leh.
A crash guard also would have ensured better protection to the brake and gear levers.

- Problems faced: One of the bikes instrument cluster failed after a water wash. Pressure washing could be the culprit.

In summary I am extremely happy with my Varaiaadu.

[aks_karthik]

Aha, waiting for it.
as i said in my earlier post, keen to buy Himalayan and TDed multiple times.
your review has helped a lot, but the power is at lower side after riding KTM 390 for 1.5 years.
Indeed this bike is for different utilization.
Hopefully this bike is in my garage asap.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by arulpeem

Six of us were riding our Himalayans.

In summary I am extremely happy with my Varaiaadu.

Great to hear about your safe and sound trip. And also that the bikes performed admirably. This bike has the potential to hit above it's weight and that is what it seems to be doing.

Cheers...