[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

It is not necessary that all tubeless tires have spokes that are not in the center. Many tubeless wheels have spokes in the center - like KTM 1290. You see that fat ridge in the center of the rim, it could be raised because spoke is not going all the way through.

You are right. But RE is not having the latter variant. The spoked tubeless wheels the REH is going to sport is of the cross spoked type. And the bike is going to be available with both type of wheels. Hence, it is safe to assume that Noraly's bike was shod with tubed type tyres.

[Miel]

Everyone is going gaga about "tubeless tyres and spoked wheels" and how puncture resistant they are!!

But, hey, isn't this the same Royal Enfield that gave us spoked wheel Interceptor and Continental GT 650s, having tubeless Pirelli tyres - with tubes inside - on spoked wheels? What's to say this ain't any different? What am I missing?

[skarface]

Originally Posted by Miel

Everyone is going gaga about "tubeless tyres and spoked wheels" and how puncture resistant they are!!

But, hey, isn't this the same Royal Enfield that gave us spoked wheel Interceptor and Continental GT 650s, having tubeless Pirelli tyres - with tubes inside - on spoked wheels? What's to say this ain't any different? What am I missing?

My understanding is that the new Himalayan will come in with spoked wheels and tubeless tyres with no tube inside , so fixing a puncture will be easy, as it is a truly tubeless set up.

On a side note, I’m really liking the black and yellow one with the gold wheels!

[ostrish]

Originally Posted by Miel

Everyone is going gaga about "tubeless tyres and spoked wheels" and how puncture resistant they are!!

But, hey, isn't this the same Royal Enfield that gave us spoked wheel Interceptor and Continental GT 650s, having tubeless Pirelli tyres - with tubes inside - on spoked wheels? What's to say this ain't any different? What am I missing?

I think the confusion is that the discussion has nothing to do with tyres, but to do with the wheels.

650 twins: tube type wheels, cannot seat a tubeless tyre without tubes because the rim shoulder does not lock the bead of the tyre (theoretically) and the spoke nipple-rim interface is not sealed against air leakage. Latter is a bigger problem than former, which is why there are TL conversion kits which seal the rim bed.

Himalayan 450: tubeless wheels, so you can fit a tubeless tyre without tubes.

[kaushalswarup]

Originally Posted by Miel

But, hey, isn't this the same Royal Enfield that gave us spoked wheel Interceptor and Continental GT 650s, having tubeless Pirelli tyres - with tubes inside - on spoked wheels? What's to say this ain't any different? What am I missing?

The 650 twins hav traditional/normal spoke wheels that prevented the use of tubeless tyres.

The new Himalayan 452 has cross-spoke wheels that allows the use of tubeless tyres, thus the excitement. Cross-spoke wheels provide the best of both worlds: the strength & flexibility of spokes, as well as the comfort and convenience of tubeless tyres.

On a side note, even the current KTM 390adv SW version provides normal spoked wheels shod in ‘tubeless’ tyres with tubes inside.

[a_chelat]

I really like the look of the new Himalayan; to me it looks much better than the current version.

The instrument pod is definitely a winner. My 2020 Adv390 has a turn-by-turn navigation (which is often erratic) and I don't like mounting my phone on the bike - always left me wishing for a proper navigation experience. The integrated brake lights look cool as well. Tubeless tyres, if available, will save a lot of hassle and be definitely worth it.

Pragmatically, I don't think the spoked wheels will be a USP over the competition as I don't think alloys are that bad for off-roading. I have seen many Adv 390 riders tackle pretty bad terrains on their alloy wheels without breaking a sweat. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that RE is offering this option but not sure if there is that much of a difference between alloys and spokes when it comes to durability; the new age alloys seem pretty durable and, IMHO, sufficient for most customers' need.

Originally Posted by Miel

Everyone is going gaga about "tubeless tyres and spoked wheels" and how puncture resistant they are!!

What am I missing?

The spoke design; it looks like the spokes run to both sides of the rim which is usually the case for tubeless tyres.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by a_chelat

Pragmatically, I don't think the spoked wheels will be a USP over the competition as I don't think alloys are that bad for off-roading. I have seen many Adv 390 riders tackle pretty bad terrains on their alloy wheels without breaking a sweat. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that RE is offering this option but not sure if there is that much of a difference between alloys and spokes when it comes to durability; the new age alloys seem pretty durable and, IMHO, sufficient for most customers' need.

Durability of alloy wheels is not the concern as most people are going to use it for touring or mild off roading. Even if the alloy wheel is midly bent, the chance of full air loss is remote. The concern is fixing punctures, especially in remote areas; which is not a pleasant experience with tubed tires as you have to remove the wheel/ tube to fix it and remount the wheel.

Even bangalore city roads like outer ring road are notorious for punctures with puncture mafia. A TPMS with tubeless tires will be boon for even office going guy as he can go to the nearest puncture shop when low pressure warning comes, if he does not want to fix it by himself on the road side. A puncture on tube does not give that leeway.

[Majumdarda]

I follow Noraly and she has uploaded her experience riding "Basantu" in the Leh-Ladakh region. Thought of sharing her experience amongst us. Few noteworthy mentions which caught my attention

1. Petrol tank is meant for effortless saddling.
2. The odometer doubles up as a navigation unit and captures excellent detail.
3. H450 seems to be having decent torque as it climbed up the passes, effortlessly

.

I am sure you guys would be able to capture more technical detail from her video and share with us all.

https://youtu.be/XKibLgw6JJ4?si=XDn1N_bVlUNdokp2

Youtube handle: Itchy Boots

Moderator: If sharing this link is inappropriate, feel free to delete the same.

[a_chelat]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Durability of alloy wheels is not the concern as most people are going to use it for touring or mild off roading. Even if the alloy wheel is midly bent, the chance of full air loss is remote. The concern is fixing punctures, especially in remote areas; which is not a pleasant experience with tubed tires as you have to remove the wheel/ tube to fix it and remount the wheel.

Even bangalore city roads like outer ring road are notorious for punctures with puncture mafia. A TPMS with tubeless tires will be boon for even office going guy as he can go to the nearest puncture shop when low pressure warning comes, if he does not want to fix it by himself on the road side. A puncture on tube does not give that leeway.

I completely agree. Tubeless tyres would be at the top of my list of priorities when looking to buy a motorcycle.

I was responding to the general discussion in this thread that we are getting the best of both worlds, the convenience of a tubeless tyre and the durability of spoked wheels. I don't think a tubeless spoke would have a significant advantage over tubeless alloy for most users.

[Guru_Shikhar]

can anyone pl share if the tubeless wheels of H450 can be retrofitted to current gen Himalayan?

I have a 2018 model and would like to replace if get a chance.

I have not got any trouble with current set up though; there will be an itch to do it

[nasirkaka]

650 twins: tube type wheels, cannot seat a tubeless Tyre without tubes because the rim shoulder does not lock the bead of the Tyre (theoretically) and the spoke nipple-rim interface is not sealed against air leakage. Latter is a bigger problem than former, which is why there are TL conversion kits which seal the rim bed.

That is not entirely true. The 650 twins have a rim which is not traditional sheet metal rim,(formed and bent to a circle and welded and grinded) but a pressure die casted alloy rim. Its just that the spokes are not casted as a single unit (like a typical alloy wheel) and instead they are using separate wire spokes to go with the classic aesthetics.

Now this stock interceptor RIM is formed in a way where there is an added collar to seat and seal the tyre bead, even without a tube. So if we can seal the nipples, we can easily convert the stock tubed setup of interceptor to tubeless type.
I have done the same and using it without issues for a couple of years.

Coming back to the new Himalayan 450, from all the information we have so far, this appears to be a true upgrade to the Himalayan 410. A lot of new offerings are purely basis what a typical off road enthusiast would look for, means RE is done their groundwork / research thoroughly before conceiving the vitals of the H450.

Power, or lack of it and quick acceleration / pickup, was an issue making the older Himalayan a bit of bother on the highway which seems to have been taken care of here. Engine Smoothness was another issue with previous gen Himalayan and hopefully the relatively higher revving engine with liquid cooling should have taken care of harshness and vibes. RE is known for torque, which i am sure they would not compromise on, esp on an adventure motorcycle. I am certain the H450 will have a torquier feel to the ride.

Other features like a link based suspension, new stronger frame, good suspension travel, good ground clearance, promising console, etc are all very exciting. Hope they have Ride by wire, good headlight throw, decently powerful horn (like the interceptor), and a center stand (even as an accessory). An adjustable front suspension would be the cherry on the cake, even as an optional upgrade.

I also wish RE gives as option to customize our bikes through their app, so i can choose the base color, the alloy color, alloy type (tube type or tubeless type) and front suspension (adjustable or not).

Underlined all this, hope RE surprises us with an even lesser kerb weight than the speculated 196 kgs.

Looking forward to the final launch, although not much is left to reveal. Not too bothered about pricing, as given the market segment crowd, RE will price is competitively for the equipments on offer. A test ride would seal the deal.

[gaurav_3000ad]

I have a strong feeling that the Himalayan 452 will come in two/three variants. This will help them to keep the pricing in check especially for the base variant.

I feel the top variant will get the following additional features :-
1. Tubeless spoke wheels
2. Centre stand
3. Possibly additional functionalities in the instrument console
4. Some optional accessories as standard.
5. Exclusive paint scheme

[ostrish]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Now this stock interceptor RIM is formed in a way where there is an added collar to seat and seal the tyre bead, even without a tube. So if we can seal the nipples, we can easily convert the stock tubed setup of interceptor to tubeless type.
I have done the same and using it without issues for a couple of years.

Yes agreed, thus (theoretically) in brackets as it is not manufacturer approved.

All systems in our market copy what MTBers have been doing for years under the banner of ghetto tubeless. I have many sets of ghetto TL wheels that have held air from Nandi DH to Nepal.

What I could not find in our market are TUbliss style or insert style conversions.

[kaushalswarup]

Originally Posted by a_chelat

I was responding to the general discussion in this thread that we are getting the best of both worlds, the convenience of a tubeless tyre and the durability of spoked wheels. I don't think a tubeless spoke would have a significant advantage over tubeless alloy for most users.

Correct, the alloys on offer on today’s bikes are quite durable, as seen on the 390adv. The excitement was for the tubeless spokes being offered in place of traditional spoke wheels, as has been the case for the previous Himalayan, and on most of the test-bikes of the new 452 Himalayan.
The scram 450, whenever it is launched, should hopefully come with a set of alloys.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by kaushalswarup

Correct, the alloys on offer on today’s bikes are quite durable, as seen on the 390adv. The excitement was for the tubeless spokes being offered in place of traditional spoke wheels, as has been the case for the previous Himalayan, and on most of the test-bikes of the new 452 Himalayan.
The scram 450, whenever it is launched, should hopefully come with a set of alloys.

The hue and cry about spoked tubeless tyres IMHO is what is called much ado about nothing

You obviously won't buy a bike to travel only in Ladakh, Spiti and Arunachal. 90% of the balance distance one would be using these bikes in and around cities where even if you encounter a puncture, repair shops are available almost every one km.

It is good to be cautious but one does not always ride a bike thinking of punctures at the back of the mind. If so be the case, Scram is the way, 19 inch front and 17 inch rear alloys are good enough.

Anybody paranoid about spoked tubed wheels should look only the Scram way.