[rakesh_r]

Congratulations on the Himalayan, excellent and in depth review.
Regarding the hard clutch, i faced severe issues and in some instances ended up with a painful wrist (I have a BS4), replaced the stock clutch cable with one from Pro Spec when I visited RM 2018 and what a difference. Now I don't face any issues while riding in the city.
Regarding the mirrors, i replaced the stock mirrors with the one from Avenger which are not only wide but also vibrate less. The RE touring ones are no doubt, very good but found to be a tad expensive with the risk of it getting flicked.
Happy riding and do update the thread.

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Thanks for reading. Until my next update, ciao!

That was a great write-up KarthikK.
But then it was expected from you (considering your previous reviews)
If anyone is stuck with Himalayan BS6, he/she should head over here and rest assured all their doubts would be clarified.

On hard clutch and braking performance - I am sure you would be able to sort them out with after market fitments.

Thank you for taking out time and sharing this with us. Mighty congratulations on the new steed and hope it takes you & missus safely across known and unknown territories safely !!

[PatienceWins]

Congrats for the himalayan. It is a great bike, I used it for 2 weeks last year during the manalai - leh - kashmir tour. The low end torque and ride quality makes it great for hilly terrains.

Great review, gives tough competition to the official team-bhp reviews. I envy prospective himalayan owners as your thread will serve them well.

I like the way you have compared the bikes and selected Himalayan, which meets most of your core requirements, for a garage with multiple bikes.

You have covered the negatives of the KTM adventure for "adventure" purpose very well. How the bike performed in the hands of media during the launch event gave a hint of the drawbacks (low end torque, suspension travel compared to competitors etc). I think KTM adventure would do well for someone doing touring solo mostly on highways, but you already have other bikes for that.

Looking forward to updates on the thread with more usage. All the best.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The Need for Bike #3

And thus, the overall winner on all parameters turned out to be the Himalayan.

This is insane, you're buying bikes like shoes for every occasion! Mods, how can I block updates from this user?


Congratulations!
I guessed you would get the Xpulse + much lighter Motocross (MX) gear. But pillion comfort is far better on the Himalayan.
Just remove those rubber inserts from the footpegs.

Enjoy your new ride and we will cherish your ownership review!

Thanks for sharing,
surjaonwheelz

[Balaji31582]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Regarding the mirrors, i replaced the stock mirrors with the one from Avenger which are not only wide but also vibrate less.

Yes, even I have avenger rear view mirrors in my thunderbird and three years back when I restored my bike, I replaced the stock handlebar with the RD handlebar. The mirrors are certainly an improvement compared to stock RE round shaped ones.

[Nilesh5417]

Great review - I think you have covered everything and its very unbiased / balanced. I really enjoyed reading it E2E. Wish you many miles of happy riding!

2 questions -
1. Does the fuel gauge work accurately esp. the range you get when the Trip F gets activated? With no physical reserve apparatus, it better be. You have an Inty too and I heard the fuel gauge on Inty is way off the mark.
2. Is there a way to shave off some weight? Its a spartan / purpose built bike so from the looks of it, not much to get rid off in terms of panels etc.

[GrandTourer]

Amazing review Karthik. I knew it was going to be amazing the moment I saw who's written it. Your Interceptor thread was one of the major reason why I decided on it. Rated both 5 stars.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Accessories
With high beam (low + high beam) and aux lights fired up, there is nothing more needed really in the lights department. ~11,000+ lumens blasting away!

QQ: Where did you get the Maddog light (both headlight and Aux) fitted from? I met a chap during my service visit this weekend who runs a workshop in Electronic City called Dash Motor Works, who had a similar setup on his INT650.

Also, does this fitment void the warranty? The BTM RE Store manager has led me to believe that if I don't mess about the wiring (shave or cut it), warranty shouldn't be an issue.

[kondath]

Hi Karthik,

Superb review very detailed and nicely done. I too own a Himalayan but the BS 4 version. Wanted to understand if you would have any idea if the Maddog FR 70 LED lamp can be put on the BS4 Himalayan? if yes where is it readily available, would be of grrat help if you could reply, Thanks

Kailash

[ahaltore]

An excellent review. You have covered all aspects including the decision making process to buy the Himalayan. No doubt on new paradigm in reviews. Thanks a ton.

[ebmrajesh]

Excellent review and writeup Karthik. You have outdone your other reviews. I like the way you maintained the flow in the narration and clearly highlighting not just the good but the bad part too without any bias. Congrats again!

[deepfreak15]

Amazing review of a very logical choice. I still remember those pre launch A390 days where you were so enamoured by a yet to be launched bike and I was the only one rooting for the Himalayan. I have always been an RE fanboy and felt the Himalayan was very similar to the Africa Twin - Purposeful. Its built to perform a certain role and makes no pretences. Wishing you many lovely journeys on this.
I enjoyed our photo shoot sessions and had as much fun as you did or maybe more. Spamming your thread with some pictures just to prove a point - All bikes are capable of one thing irrespective of the class or category, to keep you entertained and thrilled, no matter what your choice. Its up to the rider to decide if he/she wants to go out and have fun or to sit at home with a technical sheet in front and argue on social media (I like to do both by the way )

[aghate]

What a stonker of an Intro Karthik! It was for me like 'Read the intro = SOLD!!'

Congratulations on the Himalayan and needless to say you have got a great garage. I was hooked on this read and I believe I have read almost 80% of it if not all.

Top notch with every nook and cranny covered in a exhaustive detailed review. Rated a full fat 5 Stars.

[bblost]

Awesome review and rated a well deserved 5*.

The bike is beautiful and I love the Red color. The headlight upgrade looks very interesting. I will think about this for my bike for some future upgrade when that itch starts.

Thanks a lot for this thread.

[neil.jericho]

My goodness, what an utterly comprehensive review! In terms of breadth and depth of content covered for a new motorcycle ownership thread, this is easily number 1 anywhere in the country. And it beats the previous best thread which was, (checks notes), your Interceptor thread on the forum. Which in turn, beat the previous best (checks notes again), your Ninja 1000 thread on the forum.

This thread is the one stop shop for anyone looking at the BS6 Himalayan or an adventure tourer in the Indian market. Your feedback on the Xpulse and Adv 390 was interesting, for your usage you certainly did pick the right motorcycle and you have spruced it up with some interesting accessories. Do keep this thread updated continuously so that we can all enjoy your adventures on and off the road in the years to come.

I liked the fact that RE provides 4 keys for the panniers, had they provided only 2, I am sure that I would have complained that 3 or 4 would have been more appropriate!

Special mention to your ace photographer and director for all the fantastic shots that accompanied the written text. Whenever I do plan a Bangalore visit next, I must ask them to take some flattering shots of me on my Continental GT 535!

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The instrument console seems to get fogged up on cold morning rides especially on cloudy mornings. The problem seems to be reducing by itself, whatever moisture had got trapped inside seems to be coming out on its own! I don’t have a picture of the fogging at the moment, but this is a common issue with Himalayans from what I have heard and read on the internet.

I believe that this is due to a slight gap in the back of the console. I remember someone from Royal Enfield telling me that this is the reason that the console on the Continental GT 535 also fogs up rarely. I am surprised that they havent eliminated this problem completely by now.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The handlebar is finished in a weird, grey-ish white color which looks bizarre and ruins the color symphony on the front profile. It should have been black . The funny part is RE offers an OE accessory for a black handlebar retrofit but that one has no support for their own OE hand guards!

Royal Enfield doing Royal Enfield things! You will only find such nuggets of information on the forum.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Moving to the hand lever ergonomics, I do wish this bike had adjustable levers for the clutch and brake levers though. Considering the heavy clutch feel, maybe it would have helped matters.

Speedmonks in Delhi has recently become the official importer of TEC parts and you should be able to get a pair of adjustable levers from them soon. Pricing might be premium but I feel it is worth it for sure. I have plans to get them on my Continental GT 535. On your bike, since you have the Royal Enfield hand guards, maybe even affordable imitation ones should be fine as they offer the same functionality.

TEC Link.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I still wasn’t in favour of having two Royal Enfields in the garage, but I didn’t see anything to dislike the Himalayan given it did tick most of our core requirements and exceeded expectations where I least expected it to.

I almost stopped reading the thread after coming across such blasphemy, but I am a forgiving man!

P.S - I notice that you dont own an easy going, laid back cruiser to take you and your wife to Goa or Coorg or Kodaikanal or Munnar and back. I think there is space in your garage for a Meteor 350. Ginger looks like she will certainly approve of it, as will we!

[ku69rd]

Hi Karthik,
Fantastic thread, fully agree with your thoughts and happy that I could spend some time during your process. Am sure you will make good use of this ride.

However I felt that the headlight was one of the best in stock trim, during my seven sisters ride was able to manage without any need for additional lights. But understandably the road conditions never let us ride above 30 at the maximum. Even in the highway rides, was happy but then you know how good the headlights were on the Yamaha RD with the points ignition setup.

Rekindled memories of my Himalayan, posting the picture of its last glance. Had put up an additional cable for the clutch possibly something that you can do to save the hassle. In extreme conditions you will use the clutch a bit more than normal riding.