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Old 15th May 2019, 22:35   #1
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Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

"If you want to be happy for a day, drink.
If you want to be happy for a year, marry.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, ride a motorcycle."


"You don't stop riding when you get old, you get old when you stop riding."

"I don't really feel like going for a ride today. Said no motorcycle rider ever."

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass: it's about learning how to ride in the rain!"

"You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle"



Starting off my first thread on TeamBHP - Ownership review of my 2018 Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS!

The motorcycle bug bit me a long time ago! Second year of college to be precise. Though I did not own a motorcycle that time, I did spend a lot of time on my friend's Honda Unicorn. However as life would have it, other priorities took front seat in life. The bug bit me again after a decade - in my early thirties. Even though I was fortunate to have cars in my possession throughout, a motorcycle always remained an unfulfilled dream. Being in the medical profession did not do me any favors with respect to free time either. Once I was done with my post graduate studies, I decided the wait had to end - and the search began!


Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-psx_20181225_140814.jpg

Need for a new Motorcycle!

I'm not sure there was a "Need" exactly. It was more of a "Want". However, I had moved in July 2018 to a place 1.5 km away from my work place (Earlier I lived in the hospital campus and walked to work)! So the daily commute was made the "Need" and I set out looking for machines to quench my "Want"!

REQUIREMENTS
  • Something larger than the 150/180 cc crowd
  • Good Highway mile muncher - Touring friendly machine
  • Comfort > Outright performance
  • ABS - Preferably Dual Channel
  • Good local ASS
  • As reliable as possible
CONTENDERS SHORTLISTED

Bajaj Dominar
The "Power Cruiser" from Bajaj had my attention from the time she was launched. Also, I've used a pre-worshipped 10 year old Pulsar 180 previously - so it would have been a natural choice of upgrade within the same family!


+ Good Looks
+ Good numbers on paper: 400 cc + 35 PS



- Not a fan of how the Pulsars age
- Extremely poor local Bajaj service & sales experience: Noted in this thread https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...l-because.html (Had a bad sales experience at a dealer? Please do NOT eliminate the car model because of that!)


Quote:
Let me tell you my story of dealing with the Bajaj dealership in a Tier II city - Vellore in TN.

I own a nine year old Pulsar 180, which I bought used. I took the bike to the Bajaj ASS in my city for a service - routine oil change and stuff. At the time of paying the bill, they insisted on charging me 2% extra, because I was paying by card!! We're talking about INR 12 (Twelve)! Me being a law abiding citizen, argued hard against it, went all the way up to the manager - who argued with me for half an hour over INR 12! I walked to the nearest ATM, withdrew cash and paid.

In spite of this sour experience, I went there for another service. This time they billed me 1400+ for the routine service for a near decade old P 180!! General Service was chrged twice under different codes. Along with polishing, some treatment and even 'waste cloth' used for cleaning!! When questioned, they gave replies which didn't make any sense. Also, the extras were justified saying it's their policy!! Again, spent 30-45 mins arguing all the way up to the manager - with zero result.

This time I shoot a mail to Bajaj - and I get an apology! And a compensation - that I can avail 500 bucks worth of 'extras' at the next service. No refund or revision of the bill I had to pay.

One fine day in September 2018, I decide to upgrade my motorcycle and go to the same showroom (because there's no other showroom in the town) to check the Dominar out. These guys offer me a test ride on a brand new motorcycle with the speedo disconnected!! I even enquire about the 2017 stocks (in the discontinued Plum colour), and they blatantly lie saying it's new stock!

Esteemed members may comment on how I'm supposed to pursue with the same brand and dealership - who has zero ethics when it comes to doing business.

Honda CBR 250R


I've come across people online (TBHP, xBHP, YouTube) who swear by the reliability of their CBRs!

+ Butter smooth engine + gearbox
+ Legendary reliability

- Riding posture a bit too aggressive

Royal Enfield Classic/Bullet
The Royal Enfield stable was one where my heart was looking! The CI Bullets of yesteryears is what I saw and drooled over while growing up!

+ True Classic!
+ Comfortable cruiser

- Age old technology in age old bottles!
- Just too common on the roads


Royal Enfield Thunderbirds
+ Comfortable cruiser
+ The newly launched TBX was a looker

- Age old technology in slightly newer bottles!

Honourable Mentions

KTM Duke 390
- Too orange and aggressive for my liking! I wasn't looking at that kind of pace!
TVS Apache 310 RR - Too new and sporty for my liking
Mahindra Mojo - Far too few on the roads to inspire confidence, along with unsure future of the product
Jawa - Too new and unproven. Glad that I hadn't gone ahead with the booking - I'd have still been waiting for delivery

The Zeroing In process

Even though Himalayan was from the Royal Enfield stable, it was "different"! It was the first time RE developed an All New engine as far back as my memory goes. The off road concept was also new, and probable the RE designers went back to the drawing board after a very long time for the Himalayan. The Himalayan would be an important product for RE in the international market as well - so I expected them to do a decent job with the Himalayan. However we didn't see a very smooth transition from the drawing board to the final product. The initial batches of the Himalayan were plagued with multiple QC and subsequently reliability issues! I remember reading about a Himalayan whose chassis broke in half while being ridden! What gave me confidence in the product is the way Royal Enfield looked into these issues and made necessary amends by the time the BS IV version was launched in August 2017! The media as well as users were all praises for the effort taken by RE. I had closely followed Himalayan user and media reviews as well as long term reports for a year and was happy with what I heard!

I also thought that for my riding preferences, a fully faired sports machine wasn't required. I would be happy with anything which could cruise effortlessly at 100 kmph - performance beyond that speed wouldn't have been a deal breaker for me. I was also particular about ABS! Dual channel being preferred over single channel. Royal Enfield did me a favour by launching the Himalayan with Dual channel ABS as against their Bullet range which was subsequently launched with single channel ABS. There was a media outcry against the non-switchable ABS on an adventure motorcycle, which I decided to ignore. I was not going to do any hardcore off roading in the initial stages - I told myself that if at any point of time I would, I would make the ABS switchable by pulling out the fuses!

So did the Himalayan meet all my requirement criteria??
  • Something larger than the 150/180 cc crowd - 411 cc, Max Power 24.5 bhp @ 6500 rpm, Max Torque 32 Nm @ 4250 rpm
  • Good Highway mile muncher - Touring friendly machine - Check!
  • Comfort > Outright performance - Check!
  • ABS - Preferably Dual Channel - Check!
  • Good local ASS - Established dealer + ASS, 2nd one coming up in my city
  • As reliable as possible - Reliability vastly improved over the initial lot (Fingers always crossed!)
BOOKING & DELIVERY EXPERIENCE

Even though I live in Vellore, I wanted to take delivery of the motorcycle in Kerala, in the presence of my family! Kottayam has only one dealer - Javeen's Motors. I made the initial enquiries over phone and WhatsApp. The sales-person was a lively young lady. There was no test ride involved, and there was no confusion as to which motorcycle to book, which saved both parties a lot of time. Price list was forwarded to me, and I transferred a booking amount of 5000/- immediately. I made the booking for my Himalayan in Granite (black) shade on 21 September 2018, and was very particular then itself that I wanted delivery on November 3. By October 25, the dealership contacted me saying that my machine was in transit and to transfer some more money! I asked my friend in Kottayam (who is also in the automobile dealership field and is an avid petrol-head) to make sure that the machine was actually in transit and that these guys were not conning me. Proper enquiries were made, and on receiving a thumbs up, I transferred 50k more! By October 27, my motorcycle was with the dealership! Once my beloved friend physically made sure that the motorcycle had indeed reached and did a PDI, full funds were transferred and registration procedure was underway! Soft copies of all required documents were forwarded by email.

Price break up:
  • Ex Showroom - 177,664/-
  • Road Tax - 17,766/-
  • Insurance - 19,323/-
  • TOTAL OTR - 214,753/-
No discounts were offered nor asked! That is what happens when you shop with a successful brand. Even though the Himalayan sells around 1000 units a months, I haven't heard of any discounts which have been offered. Insurance included 1 year of comprehensive cover with 5 years of third party cover.

Standard warranty was 2 years or 30,000 km. There were no options for extended warranty.

I did not opt for any accessories from the dealer as I had crash guards and saddle stays from elsewhere already in mind.

Reached the dealership for the First Time in my motorcycle purchase process on the day of delivery! How many of us have actually bought a car/motorcycle with just ONE physical visit to the dealership! Special appreciation to the folk at Javeens Motors, Kottayam for making the entire procedure seamless! The paperwork probable took an hour. Thanked God Almighty and my family, and took delivery of my 2018 Himalayan ABS!!

Last edited by Geo_Ipe : 1st December 2019 at 23:09.
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Old 1st June 2019, 19:56   #2
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

OWNERSHIP REVIEW
What I like:
  • Beautiful styling – She is a looker!
  • Awesome riding position
  • Rides well – On & off the road
  • Enough & more low – mid range performance
  • Feature rich – unlike other Enfields
What I don’t:
  • Poor top end for a 400+ cc machine
  • Fixed headlamp can get tricky in certain situations
  • Gearshift quality is very ordinary
  • Certain niggles – Inaccurate fuel gauge, brake squeals etc.
ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

Royal Enfield has developed an all new engine, after a long time, for the Himalayan. 411 cc, Single cylinder, with 24.5 bhp @ 6500 rpm and 32 Nm @ 4250 rpm. Even though these figures aren’t much on paper, the bottom end is quite usable. Switch on the ignition, followed by the kill switch – Wait for the fuel pump to prime and hit the start button. Cold starts are quite stuttery, you’ll need to use the choke or give slight, steady throttle. In 2 – 3 minutes, the idle sets in nicely.

The exhaust note is unmistakably Enfield, no doubts in that! However, the note is more throaty and less thump-ey! She revs faster than the regular long stroke 350 & 500 cc engines in the Classic/Bullet series. The motor is quite comfortable till about 5000 rpm, after which it starts expressing displeasure. 6500 rpm (where the peak power is delivered) is quite difficult to reach because she feels strained and starts getting a little vibey. Where the engine doesn’t feels comfortable at all is in stop-go traffic. Recently I shifted to somewhere 1.5 km away from work and the Himalayan absolutely loathes that journey! You either have to be in first gear or in second on half-clutch. The heat build up in city traffic is also quite an issue. Unless you’re wearing thick jeans and shoes, the heat can get very uncomfortable. Once on the highway, she gets comfortable. She builds up speed quite well (nowhere in the KTM territory and I like it that way!), and reaches 100 kmph in 5th gear @ 5000 rpm. As I mentioned earlier, she is not very comfortable beyond that (nor am I). Progress is slow and there is just a lot of noise and quite some vibrations. So for my requirement of a cruiser capable of decent speeds, she is perfect!
No review in complete without the fuel efficicency figures! I have calculated accurate tankful to tankful mileage only twice. The Himalayan had returned figures of 33 & 35 kmpl. Please note that these figures were obtained during the run in period with mostly highway runs. I shall update figures after more miles and accurate measurements. The Himalayan is equipped with a 15 litre fuel tank, which translates to 400+ km of touring range which is very good!

RIDE & HANDLING

The seating position on the Himalayan needs a special mention. This is quite a tall motorcycle! I’m 6 foot tall and can plant both my feet flat on the ground once atop. However, getting on the saddle can be quite a chore – especially when she is on the centre stand. I tend to step onto the left side foot peg and swing my right leg over her and settle down. At 190+ kg kerb weight, one needs to be careful while handling her at slow speeds. I had a scare or two during my initial few weeks of ownership! Once in the saddle, she doesn’t feel too heavy. You sit straight, with high set handlebars. There is no business of stooping while riding, which I am not a fan of.

The front seat is sculpted well and is wide enough. However, the standard seats are too soft. Any time more than an hour spent on the seat will really annoy your butt! You feel that you’re sitting on the chassis and not on the seat. This seriously hampers the touring ability of this awesome machine. I had to resort to an Air Suspension Seat – the FEGO FLOAT:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4554352
Quote:
Got myself the Fego Float. Did a 270 km round trip last Sunday evening. The Float definitely helps the butt! I started feeling the pressure only towards the end of the ride. Definitely recommended for Himalayan users.

Now thinking of getting padded shorts as recommended by other BHPians to use along with the Float. I'm planning a 900 km round trip sometime this month - will post another update as to how the Float performs after the ride.
The area under the front seat has a neat ‘box’ which can hold the necessary papers. The basic toolkit sits snug under the rear seat.

Ergonomics are quite well laid out – brake & gear levers are comfortable reached. The slightly front set foot pegs also aid the upright riding posture.

Broken roads are where the Himalayan comes of age! Spoke wheels (21”F – 17”R) set up does its work without any hiccups. The front suspension travels quite a bit, so does the rear monoshock. What is worrisome though are the tube type tyres. How much ever confidence the chassis + shocks inspire, the constant fear of a puncture tends to hold you back and be careful.

Stand & Deliver is the new motto over broken roads! This I believe is a skill every adventure touring motorcycle eventually acquires. Stand up on the pegs – Lean a little forward – Loosen your knees; and you don’t even need to slow down for potholes or speed breakers! It does take a while to attain the confidence to stand up and ride, but once you do – it is absolute bliss! I am 6 foot tall and the handlebar is a tad too low to low to stand and ride comfortably. Handle bar risers are being planned!


Speaking of stand, I must appreciate Royal Enfield for providing a centre stand on the Himalayan, which is missing in quite a few motorcycles in the same price bracket namely the Dominar and CBR 250R. The way she sits on the centre stand amidst other ‘ordinary’ motorcycles in my apartment parking lot is nothing short of majestic. The centre stand makes tasks like cleaning and lubing the chain so easy. With a kerb weight of 190+ kg, she sits rock stable on the centre stand and I’m not very worried about people accidentally knocking her over when I have to park somewhere outside.

Last edited by Geo_Ipe : 30th November 2019 at 20:32.
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Old 18th August 2019, 13:11   #3
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

STYLING, DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

Off road motorcycles have a character of their own! They don’t look beautiful, they look mean. Be it the 1200GS, Multistrada, Africa Twin, Tiger, Versys – they paint their own picture wherever they go. The Himalayan is no different. The large front wheel and high set handlebars give the motorcycle a different stance from any other road bike. The space between the rear wheel and the mud guard is HUGE! Even on tarmac, the Himalayan does not look out of place. As I have mentioned already, I was not looking for an aggressive, knee scraping mad velocity motorcycle. I love the way the rider is seated on the Himalayan – Upright, comfortable, on the top of the world!




Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190813_185404.jpg



Royal Enfield is notorious for their build quality! I had never owned a Royal Enfield before, so there was no way I could know first hand. I knew that I wasn’t going to get Japanese style quality and reliability, but I expected a bare minimum from RE! So after owning the Himalayan for 8 months and 4000 km, I must say that I got way more than I expected. First of all, everything still works the way it did on day 1. There hasn’t been any unscheduled service/repair visit yet. Paint quality has been good. The matte finished tank has held up well. Front and rear mud guards aren’t showing any signs of fade either. Unlike faired motorcycles, there are very few painted bits on the Himalayan, which I think is great. The switchgear works as intended – Nothing fancy here. I love the instrument cluster so much that I’m dedicating an entire paragraph for it! I have not encountered any rust spots yet – touch wood.


The front windshield does a decent job of protecting the rider from the windblast, but the upright riding posture throws aerodynamics out of the window. People keep complaining about the lack of power in the Himalayan. More power would mean more top speed and acceleration, which might not be very comfortable from an aerodynamic point of view. Sincere advice to RE – sort the air flow issue out before you guys plonk the 650 cc on this chassis.


BRAKING

Braking duties are handled by 300 mm disc at front and 240 mm disc at the rear, with Bybre calipers. Dual channel ABS is provided – works flawlessly. There is a mild squeal that has crept into the rear brakes of late, which I have decided to ignore till the next scheduled service.


Proud Proclamation:
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175639.jpg


Front Disc
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175649.jpg


Rear Disc
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175709.jpg






INSTRUMENT CLUSTER

I don’t know if I mentioned it yet, but I’m old school and LOVE an analog instrument cluster. The Himalayan provides me just that! I’m going to let pictures do the talking here.


Cluster consists of:
- Large analog speedometer
- Analog tachometer
- Analog fuel gauge
- Digital compass
- Telltale lights
- Digital clock
- Temperature gauge
- Two buttons for various adjustments


Trip A...

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_173933.jpg
...with average speed
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_173940.jpg

Trip B...

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_173947.jpg
...with average speed
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_173954.jpg


Note on Compass - The 'SW' seen is the direction in which the motorcycle is pointed. The arrow head like pointer shows where North is!
Note on Temperature - The temperature displayed is not exactly atmospheric temperature. The sensor is located somewhere near the engine, hence it can be used more like an engine temperature monitoring. The highest I've seen is 52 deg C.


Fuel gauge accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. The Himalayan can take in 15 +/- 0.5 litres of petrol according to the Owner's Manual. The red region in the fuel gauge is approximately the quarter mark, which should translate to 3.5 lit. Practically, this is hardly ever correct. Also, the trip meter automatically goes to 'Trip F' once the fuel remaining in the tank is < 5 lit.

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190813_185529.jpg
When I filled up with the fuel gauge showing this much, she took in 9.7 lit, while the Trip F was already running for 40+ km. From the discussions I have had with other Himalayan owners, one can safely ride around 150 km after hitting Trip F!

Last edited by Geo_Ipe : 18th August 2019 at 14:49.
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Old 18th August 2019, 15:19   #4
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

SWITCHGEAR & MIRRORS

Royal Enfield loves round mirrors! I’m sure they give a retro aura to the whole setup, but there have been a lot of users who have been unhappy with them. I’ve found them to be practical. In the middle lane on a 6 lane highway, the mirrors give me adequate views of both the lanes on either side. They do stay upright till 110 kmph, above which they fold away from position. A good reminder to stay within sane speeds I would say. Yes, I’m an optimist and see the glass always half full!


Conventional Start button and Engine kill switch on the right side. Advent of AHO leaves a blank space where the headlamp switch used to be.
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175623.jpg


- Horn button
- Indicator switches: No auto cancellation here
- Choke
- High/Low beam toggle switch...
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175601.jpg


...with the Pass switch
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175612.jpg


HEADLAMPS

The Himalayan comes equipped with a 60/55 W Halogen (H4 bulb) setup. Illumination provided is adequate for normal road use. The utility of the fixed headlamp setup is subjective. I’ve found the alright in most situations. However if you’re up in the ghats with a few twisties to tame after sunset, you start missing the conventional setup. I met a Himalayan user who had installed LED auxillary lamps on a custom mount where the front number plate sits – thus negating the cons of a fixed headlamp setup.
Turn signals also use conventional halogen bulbs. LED’s would have been more pleasing to the eye. The tail/brake lamp gets an LED though. Strange!

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_hlmrr.jpg


Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_tail.jpg


ACCESSORIES

Have installed crash guards procured from HDT Customs in Mumbai. The guy does quite a few videos on the Himalayan on YouTube. Contacted him over phone and he was kind enough to ship me a pair, which I got fitted at my RE service centre during the second service. I haven't felt the need for any further accessories yet. Saddle stays are in the pipeline, however my Viaterra Fly tank bag (bought pre worshipped off TBHP Classifieds!) has been sufficient so far for my luggage needs so far. Will maybe add a pair of Aux lights after the warranty runs out. The headlamps have been doing fine for my limited night rides so far.


Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175837.jpgRoyal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190625_175848.jpg


RIDING GEAR

Aspida Centaur Gloves!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190307_205034.jpg


Held Riding Jacket!
Also seen: Viaterra Fly tankbag and Fego Float Air Suspension seat!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img20190315wa0033.jpg

The Lids! MT Thunder 3 SV & Steelbird Air!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190528_213341.jpg

Last edited by Geo_Ipe : 1st December 2019 at 00:52.
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Old 30th November 2019, 20:25   #5
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

ONE YEAR OF BLISSFUL OWNERSHIP

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20191103_151145.jpg


I was lucky to reach the 5000 km milestone the day she turned 1! It was a Saturday afternoon and did a short 150 km round trip to celebrate 1 year of togetherness. The milestone came up on the return leg, stopped at the shoulder of the beautiful NH 48 and clicked the mandatory picture. The target I had kept when I got delivery of the motorcycle was 5000 km of touring in the first year, and it was successfully completed. The target for the 2nd year of ownership is 7000 km - keeping fingers crossed!


MAJOR RIDES SO FAR

Took delivery of the motorcycle in November 2018. I returned to my workplace in a week, leaving her behind with my friend till the first service - done at Javeen's Kottayam, which went uneventful.


January 2019: Kottayam to Vellore


Being a novice long distance rider, didn't want to do the whole 650 km at a stretch. Took a break at Coimbatore and did the ride in 2 days.

No Highway travelling in Kerala without a break @ Indian Coffee House!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190105_153501.jpg


Somewhere along the L&T Bypass near Coimbatore
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190105_170121.jpg


March 2019: Vellore - Yercaud

Yercaud is called Poor Man's Ooty! Nevertheless it is a hill station and around 250 km from Vellore, so decided to do the trip over an extended weekend.

Random shot
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190310_171234.jpg


Hairpins!!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190310_171254.jpg


LOL..!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190310_174054.jpg


Sun!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190310_174134.jpg


Hairpins again
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190310_174500.jpg


Morning tea @ the lake
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190311_082755.jpg


March 2019: REUNION South - Coorg

REunion South was an event conducted by Royal Enfield over 3 days. As soon as I got intimation by email, I registered. Event was conducted at the Club Mahindra property in Virajpet in Coorg. The initial problem was that I didn't have company for the 450 odd km ride. So I contacted the RE guys, who put me through to their Ride Coordinator from Chennai - and I had a gang to ride with.

Event Schedule
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190315_173724.jpg


What every Himalayan wants to become when he grows up!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190315_173806_bokeh.jpg


To making new friends!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190316_101356.jpg


The Chennai - Coorg gang!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190317_101359.jpg


Lots & Lots of RE's...
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img20190317wa0035.jpg

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img20190317wa0062.jpg

Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img20190317wa0066.jpg


Candid shot of Yours Truly! (PS: Helmet was temporarily removed for the shot!)
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img20190317wa0049.jpg


The Lovely NH 48

The beautiful Bangalore - Chennai NH 48 passes right through Vellore. Excuses are always made for a ride along the same, for Dosas, Coffee, Fuel etc. Or even for no particular reason.

Murugan's Idli Shop - Lovely South Indian food!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190521_195837.jpg

Fav Shell bunk @ Mottur
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190813_185434.jpg

Mint Lime Tea @ Ram's Coffee
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190922_183010_bokeh.jpg




PARTING SHOTS

"Boys never grow up. Only their Toys get bigger!"
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20181103_125825.jpg


Respect your elders! With my uncle's 1984 Standard!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20181106_092249.jpg


With her sibling - My 2009 Pulsar 180!
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190106_154356.jpg

Last edited by Geo_Ipe : 1st December 2019 at 01:05.
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Old 2nd December 2019, 07:36   #6
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 2nd December 2019, 09:28   #7
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re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Nice write up, enjoyed reading it.
BTW why you did not considered BMW G310GS among other contenders.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 10:23   #8
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Congrats!

How is your experience with the Fego Float? I somehow felt very weird on that seat - totally disconnected from the bike.

At least once a month, we come down towards that side for breakfast rides - Maybe we should catch up sometime.
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Old 3rd December 2019, 19:26   #9
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

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Originally Posted by Ajaybiz View Post
Nice write up, enjoyed reading it.
BTW why you did not considered BMW G310GS among other contenders.
Exactly my question. I think he did mention considering the RR310 and not liking it in some or the other aspect.
While build quality of the GS310 is definitely better than the first gen Himalayans, I am not sure how well they fare against the newer batch of Himalayans.
IMO the himalayans are much more fun to ride at half the price of the GS. a good VFM product!!
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Old 4th December 2019, 09:32   #10
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

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Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04 View Post
IMO the himalayans are much more fun to ride at half the price of the GS. a good VFM product!!
Seen Himalayan and it's VFM but GS is more fun, I sold my GS for some other reason but I found the quality is far superior than many 600-800 cc bikes leaving aside the RE's.
TVS 310rr is track oriented bike, really cant add among mini adv bikes.
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Old 6th December 2019, 07:55   #11
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Very well written! It shows how well you have spent time with her.

Coincidentally, I bought 2018 Snow White Himalayan ABS on Nov 4th, 18. I love the way it goes over broken roads & shows down to earth attitude (keeping a good traction while cruising sub hundreds) on highways. Together we have covered 22000kms as of today, the cone set & rear tyre have been changed at 17000 kms. The only repetitive problem is tappet clatter after every 4000kms, everything else is going smooth fingers crossed.

I call her Iron head.
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-img_20190908_1752412.jpg
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Old 6th December 2019, 22:54   #12
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

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Originally Posted by Ajaybiz View Post
Nice write up, enjoyed reading it.
BTW why you did not considered BMW G310GS among other contenders.

Thank you!


The BMW was not considered for two main reasons:
- Lack of dealership at my hometown, Kottayam nor my work place, Vellore
- Concerns over service costs

Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
Congrats!

How is your experience with the Fego Float? I somehow felt very weird on that seat - totally disconnected from the bike.

At least once a month, we come down towards that side for breakfast rides - Maybe we should catch up sometime.

Thank you, CD!


The Fego Float has made life much easier on the Himalayan saddle. The stock seat is just too soft. Initially the air suspension seat tends to feel funny, but spending long hours on it will make you appreciate it. The pressure gets more evenly distributed, considerably decreasing butt fatigue. I've been experimenting with different air pressures in the Float. If one inflates it too much, one tends to get the 'floaty' feel which you are talking about. Once the air pressure is right, you feel quite comfortable on it.


Royal Enfield has also launched a special touring seat for the Himalayan - an offiicial accessory:
https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/gma/1990208/



Short review of the seat from a fellow BHPian on the Himalayan thread:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post4677911


Also, should definitely meet up when you ride down this side next time. Dropping a PM as well!



Quote:
Originally Posted by YDS View Post
Very well written! It shows how well you have spent time with her.

Wow! That is a lot of km on a year old Himalayan! Congratulations! Please do pen down a short review of your ownership so far.
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Old 7th January 2020, 22:22   #13
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Very nice and detailed thread on the beautiful Himalayan.

Wishing you many many happy miles on it.
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Old 19th January 2020, 10:54   #14
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

First unscheduled Service Center visit last week! Noticed a new rattle from the exhaust area. On closer inspection, found that one of the screws holding the heat shield was missing.
Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-psx_20200119_104730.jpg

Visited RE Service Center - Sri Kalikambal Autos in Vellore. Service Advisor Mr Vignesh rolled the bike into the service area, and rolled it back out in 5 mins with the new screw! Not even the price of the screw was charged! Impressed!Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!-psx_20200119_104748.jpg

Aesthetics have gone for a toss, but I'm mighty pleased with the attitude showed by a busy service center!
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Old 22nd March 2020, 12:09   #15
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Re: Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS - One year of blissful ownership!

Congratulations on the Motorcycle Geo_lpe, and a brilliant Review undoubtedly. I'm also looking for an adventure motorcycle to purchase, and Himalayan is on my list (quite lucratively).

How is the response of the bike in the twisties? I know it's not a corner carving tool, but is it too unnerving while taking continuous bends considering the higher up seating and on-off road tyres?

Last edited by Jaggu : 22nd March 2020 at 12:13. Reason: Paragraph break for easy readability
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