[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Lovely review and hats off to your patience with the bike

Would you recommend the Himalayan to someone who is looking for a long distance tourer and not necessarily (recreational) off-road stuff?

If its you, and knowing you from the off-road fraternity some what, I would only recommend a used Versys 650, of which plenty are available in mint condition.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

If its you, and knowing you from the off-road fraternity some what, I would only recommend a used Versys 650, of which plenty are available in mint condition.

Yes, mate. It is me

I'd stay away from the Versys for following reasons:

• Don't need that level of power/performance
• Maintenance costs
• On heavier side
• Would be out of my budget, even if bought pre-owned

Net-net, it seems to be an overkill, given my requirements.

On another note, that was one great ride you had to the North East

[ambarkhan]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Would you recommend the Himalayan to someone who is looking for a long-distance tourer and not necessarily (recreational) off-road stuff?

There can be two types of long-distance touring
1: Free Flowing Higways. You'll find Himalayan boring after some time. Although I have done 800-1000KMs on it a day at least a dozen times. But you'll be better off with the used Versys or KTM 390 ADV. The cruising speed bump you get in these is 20-40kmph. That would translate to saving of approx 1-2 hours on a long fast day. the extra you pay on 390adv is insurance premium which gets you Traction control and cornering abs.

2: If your long-distance touring involves frequent bad Roads, State Highways, 2 Lane roads then go with Himalayan.

In summary, if you like to cruise around 100-120Km/H go for Himalayan.
If more than that look elsewhere. The only reason I am not recommending BMW/Benelli/SWM is just because of their sparse service network.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by ambarkhan

In summary, if you like to cruise around 100-120Km/H go for Himalayan.
If more than that look elsewhere

My cruising speeds will rarely touch triple digits, if at all. I do not intend to do cannonball runs on the bike. Even if I plan cross-country runs, they'd be done at ease, not clocking more than 450-500 km per day.

What draws me to the Himalayan is its unique identity amidst a sea of cruisers and modern classics! From what I've assessed so far, it can tackle highways quite well, while reassuring you of a composed ride once you leave the plains for those hills/mountains. OE provision for luggage mounts/panniers is a bonus.

[PriyanCAR]

Great write-up ��������

Owning a Himalayan had been on my mind since its launch, with the tagline of " built for all roads, built for no roads" being the catch. Though i had owned an avenger 180, yet i was more of a 4 wheels guy. But, finally took the plunge and acquired a brand new Himalayan, in its bs6 2021 avatar, just a couple of months back (already done a 1200km round trip). Though this machine still has its fair share of niggles, yet, it puts a smile on my face everytime i am on the saddle.

Going forward, would really love to acquire some trail- riding skills in order to enjoy this beauty to the brim.

[Logan2007]

Originally Posted by PriyanCAR

Great write-up ��������

...months back (already done a 1200km round trip). Though this machine still has its fair share of niggles, yet, it puts a smile on my face everytime i am on the saddle.

Could you point out some niggles you're seeing given this is a late 2021 bike?

[PriyanCAR]

Originally Posted by Logan2007

Could you point out some niggles you're seeing given this is a late 2021 bike?

1. Frequent engine stalling issue . "Almost" solved after replacement of relays under warranty
2. Faulty display on the digital meter console. Yet to be solved as the service center does not have stock of that item.
3. Rattle from the windshield even at city speeds
4. Faulty front wheel suspension rectified during first service
5. The biggest issue which I faced was the pathetic roadside assistance provided by RE

Inspite of all its drawbacks, this machine never fails to put a smile across my face whenever I twist that throttle. Just wish that RE had made it a tad bit more reliable.

[ambarkhan]

The Himalayan 470


In the 6th year of ownership, I was getting confused between keeping the bike or letting it go, there were spy shots of the Himalayan 450, new KTM 390 Adventure/Enduro and Xpulse 420 floating around. On the launch of any of these my bike's resale surely gonna take a hit. So I had to make the decision to sell the bike now or give it a new life and drop the plan of selling it ever. A carburated dual sport bike is surely gonna be a rare thing in the future. After a lot of thought and discussion with a few bhpians, Rajeev and Shubendra decided it's gonna be a permanent member of the garage. Now time for upgrades.

The Restoration
The first thing I wanted to upgrade was suspension. Luckily in one offroad ride, a fellow rider who was on the new Himalayan wanted to ride my xpulse with the rally kit. We swapped the bikes and I was pleasantly surprised with the suspension on his Himalayan. That moment helped to decide to replace the existing suspensions with the stock ones and then decide on upgrading.

The bike had the battle scars of the years gone by, both rims were bent, the suspension was worn out, T stem was not in the perfect state.
I decided it's gonna be a one-time affair let's swap everything in one go.

I was practically living in my hometown instead of Pune, so I decided to restore the bike in Pune and bring it to my hometown.
I had 45+ days in hand and ordered all the parts in one dealership in Pune and to my surprise when I reached there the order was not even placed.
I was extremely pissed, and decided will get it done in my hometown. In a dealership, my home town preordered all parts and got them there in approx a week's time. This was the first time they were changing all these parts on a non-accidental bike. The owner and manager both are enthusiasts they gave a 5% discount and waived the labour charge for everything except getting spokes on rims which is an external charge.
Also Installed MRF Mocross tyres in front and Ralco motocross tyres in the back. List of all the elements replaced.



The Bigger Heart (Big Bore Kit)
There is not enough power in the world to keep us enthusiasts satisfied. The same happened to me I got bored of the stock Himalayan 411. I figured out about the big bore kit for Himalayan. There was one from NMW Racing which is a trusted name for its rally and racing circle. There were 3 kits; 450cc, 470cc and 500cc respectively. The last one needed the boring in the crankcase and needed a special drill, I couldn't source any trusted guys for the job even in my extended circle. So 470cc kit was ordered it came with forged pistons (83.5mm) and extra gas kits;
and a couple of main jets, eventually the 125mm stock jets turned out to be the best fit even for the bigger bore.

The installation took mere 4 hours at my trusted mechanic's shop.
I wish I had more pics taken while installing. I also installed a big sprocket for the rear.

Just to please my eyes I removed the stock headlight setup and installed led lights on custom bade brackets. Also, a KTM 390 duke fan was as an

How's the performance?
There's a 25kph extra on the top speed even with a bigger rear sprocket. I expect it to be in the order of 165kmph+ with the stock sprocket.
The revs for an extra 1000rpms which is way beyond my expectations. t the setup seems to be reliable

Planned upgrades.
The Himalayan's brakes were never good to start with, now the excess power is too much for them to explore better options. I don't want too much bite as it will end up front-end washing out.
I am planning to upgrade the bike to dyno before doing further upgrades on the engine. The things in mind are High lift cams, and ported head to make out more of the new bigger heart.
Attaching some pics of her in the sand dunes

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by ambarkhan

The Himalayan 470
Attachment 2392476

After a lot of thought and discussion with a few bhpians, Rajeev and Shubendra decided it's gonna be a permanent member of the garage. Now time for upgrades.

Very good decision. Despite of numerous issues, I feel the BS3 is still one of the best versions of the Himalayan. I had a BS4 before, sold it off as i wasn't happy with its performance. I did ride a BS3 and instantly loved the performance.

[VinNam]

Going to be following your thread avidly, as I too have a Himalayan going into it's 6th year, and am thinking of how I can upgrade it.

Please do update regularly, waiting to see what you decide on for the brakes.