[mh09ad5578]

Did anyone see Yammie Noobs video? his bike was stalling all the time it seems, one of the only one video amongst a ton which sort of had a major negative on the bike/production quality control. He's a Triumph fanboy so taking his critical review with a pinch of salt. But guess waiting for initial batches to roll out and and issues sorted to buy the bike wouldn't be a bad idea. I'm a prospective customer so watching keenly.

https://youtu.be/SUOBiJTSCbk?si=yBbxuDRVZ_qNaHl0

https://youtu.be/476absxfp20?si=HX8vSxcBmo16W9P8

[aviator1101]

I went through most of the reviews, from newbies to seasoned riders and hot shots of the industry including some who haven't ridden a single km on the bike but made hour long pod casts with their cynical/sarcastic opinions

What I could make out from the various reviews and ride experiences, I'll summarise below :-

• The 452 cc liquid cooled engine is a gem. Though the bike might now lack the outright low end punch of a long stroke like the 411, enough grunt still exists and the mid and top end is awesome. The gear-speed figures brought out by Karthikeya are really impressive.
• The most common observation was a discernable buzz (mind you buzz, not vibrations) at certain rpm ranges. But various people have quoted various rpm ranges for the same. So, one can only decide for oneself what it is after a test ride and first hand experience. But all have clearly indicated that it's a buzz one can live with, unlike the tingling sensation the 411 used to give at times.
  
• Sagar Sheldekar had cone set issues. So did Karthikeya (rattling T which had to be tightened). Can only be ascertained with time.
  
• Stalling issue and Check Engine Light with a British gentleman called Yammie Noob. I'd prefer to discount that but not completely. Stalling primarily because his experience in off road riding at these altitudes is limited as he has himself brought out in his previous videos. Serious riders like Sagar Sheldekar and even CS Santosh have ridden this bike and no such issues have been reported. Check engine light issue though needs to be looked into which I'm sure RE would before the bikes are finally delivered. However, it's good that the issue has been brought out and prospective buyers must make it a point to test the bike in similar conditions during the test rides.
  
• Some felt that the throttle twist range was too much. Could have been better calibrated. Check for yourself.
  
• Some felt the rear brake has too much bite and even suggested changing from sintered pads to normal ones. Some felt it was progressive and adequate. So again it's a test ride agenda.
  
• Some praised the ABS, some felt it was over intrusive. Takes a few kms to get used to.
  
• Some felt the handlebar grip was too thick and hard and some even developed blisters. Check for yourself.
  
• Some felt clutch lever was too far placed for people with short fingers and that adjustable levers should have been standard or at least an option. Test ride agenda.
  
• Some felt the integrated brake light cum indicator wasn't a good idea and didn't look good. Some felt the tank rack was thrust upon it to continue the Himalayan legacy. I feel, looks are subjective, some might like it, others not.
  
• Some felt that cruise control and traction control should have been provided. Can't help. It's not there, just too bad.

Overall, if you see, apart from the cone set and stalling issues, no major problem has been brought out by any of the riders/reviewers. Nobody had a single puncture over the worst of roads or even no roads and nobody missed the tubeless spokes much. Though everyone made it a point to comment on them.

Almost everyone has praised the engine, the suspension, the user friendly LED speedo console, the quality levels and overall forgiving nature of the bike despite being a huge leap ahead from the 411. People may say what they feel about paid reviews, influencers etc and what not, but I feel that's a very positive sign.

There is no end to desirability as far as features go, but there also has to be feasibility in the price range that everyone is expecting. Can't expect a bike to have top end features and yet be priced equivalent to the Triumph 400 twins (at the max) which themselves are bare basics.

I'm no RE fanboy and wouldn't mind calling a spade a spade either. I have made up list of things to check specifically during the test ride and these are my inferences, you may add yours.

Regards

[AulusGabinius]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

There is no end to desirability as far as features go, but there also has to be feasibility in the price range that everyone is expecting. Can't expect a bike to have top end features and yet be priced equivalent to the Triumph 400 twins (at the max) which themselves are bare basics.

This is exactly why I think the prices of 2.7L are a tad too optimistic. I think this must be 3L ex-showroom to account for all the features and things. The add-ons will drive it up even further. 3.6L OTR for the base model seems much more realistic to me. Abhinav Bhatt also said he'd be happy to pay 4L OTR for his specced up version and more for the tubeless spoked wheels.

[shabih]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

I went through most of the reviews, from newbies to seasoned riders and hot shots of the industry including some who haven't ridden a single km on the bike but made hour long pod casts with their cynical/sarcastic opinions

Almost everyone has praised the engine, the suspension, the user friendly LED speedo console, the quality levels and overall forgiving nature of the bike despite being a huge leap ahead from the 411. People may say what they feel about paid reviews, influencers etc and what not, but I feel that's a very positive sign.

Regards

Oh man, I'm so glad you also find those hour-long podcasts obnoxious What's with this holier-than-thou attitude.

The downpour of initial positive reviews reminds me of the 650 twins launch, with not one negative aspect pointed out. 6 months later, we had our own findings about what actually worked and what didn't.

Also, I find this level of fanfare quite dubious and frankly, hard selling. I mean yeah, you've made a good bike. Now launch it and give us the price while the curiosity remains. This much of 'look at me, are you looking or not' is annoying. It's like a new cook who adds all the spices available in the cupboard to ensure good taste.

[shyamg28]

Attaching a few more pics.

The accessory crash guard juts out like usual crash guards from RE sold today.


But the unusual thing I noticed with the metal sump guard accessory is that it now comes integrated with engine guards. So it doubles up as a sump guard + an engine guard!


The handlebar pad on the Rally.


The bike comes stock with a plastic sump guard. I don't beleive anyone was able to get it to break, but it's for sure one of those things that I would replace from showroom itself.


The tank guards have these neat little hooks now through which you can loop cords.


The contours on the touring seat.






This is how the Grey Poppy Blue looks under lights.


This is how the Grey Himalayan Salt looks under lights.


Kaza "Brown" Only in person is there any "brownness" to it lol...but there is a distinct glitter on it if you look closely.

[GKU]

Originally Posted by AulusGabinius

This is exactly why I think the prices of 2.7L are a tad too optimistic. I think this must be 3L ex-showroom to account for all the features and things. The add-ons will drive it up even further. 3.6L OTR for the base model seems much more realistic to me. Abhinav Bhatt also said he'd be happy to pay 4L OTR for his specced up version and more for the tubeless spoked wheels.

.

My gut feeling says 90% of buyers(Including myself) use this bike for highways and daily office commute. For this specific purpose Triumph twins have enough. Bulk of the Himalayan's sale will come from above category of users. Though I am fully tilted towards Himalayan, I expect the price to be around 2.5 for base and may go up to 2.65 for top , anything beyond may not be attractive. Abhinav bhatt and few others may be willing to pay 4L OTR, but majority of prospective buyers may not. Previously RE has priced their motorcycles reasonably well, I don't think they will do anything different this time.

Personally I feel cheap android smartphone with good waterproof case and phone holder can do the job instead of maps and other stuff on Himalayan dash. Its purely good to have feature. (I can be completely wrong here , I have not seen new Himalayan and may not know the full usage of 4inch tft display )

See the overall comparison of current set of bikes capable of highway touring , their power to weight ratio and price. Himalyan has lowest power to weight ratio in 40 bhp segment. I have included 250 adventure just for practicality , ( I guess many prospective buyers are ok with little reduced performance and low power to weight ratio is somewhat acceptable in lighter bikes )

[AulusGabinius]

Originally Posted by GKU

Personally I feel cheap android smartphone with waterproof case and phone holder can do the job instead of maps and other stuff on Himalayan dash. Its purely good to have feature. (I can be completely wrong here , I have not seen new Himalayan and may not know the full usage of 4inch tft display )

A phone would certainly do the job, but convenience costs for sure. And for most people who do office and highway, the real dark horse is the Scram 411. I think a lot of people will give that a second look, since highways and cities are it's intended purpose and it will do practically everything the normal Himalayan would, with lower seat height to boot. People looking for that plus more power will go for the Scrambler 400x.

Originally Posted by GKU

See the overall comparison of current set of bikes capable of highway touring , their power to weight ratio and price. Himalyan has lowest power to weight ratio in 40 bhp segment. I have included 250 adventure just for practicality.

I don't think there's much point in comparing this, people I think go mostly for feel at that point and then cost. The 390 Adv will always reign supreme in performance, but the new Himalayan will always be friendly and easier to handle off-road. At this point the engine is less relevant than a lot of other things. Weight is one point, sure, but I don't think a lot of people look at how heavy a bike they'll get or something for the price, and even fewer would base a decision on power-to-weight ratio.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

The bike comes stock with a plastic sump guard. I don't beleive anyone was able to get it to break, but it's for sure one of those things that I would replace from showroom itself.

I wonder what would have worked in their minds while designing the stock guard when they put a metal half for the exhaust which can be replaced easily and a plastic half for the sump which would be a very serious affair if hit.

Maybe the level of the exhaust is lower but I smell (over)confidence somewhere.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

I wonder what would have worked in their minds while designing the stock guard when they put a metal half for the exhaust which can be replaced easily and a plastic half for the sump which would be a very serious affair if hit.

Maybe the level of the exhaust is lower but I smell (over)confidence somewhere.

Hahaha...that is indeed a good point.
Whatever RE's reasoning maybe, here's something I took confidence from -
a certain rider who is known to bash the cr** out of his motorcycles, told me in person at the event, that his bike's bash plate didn't even have scratches despite what he put it through. I found that quite interesting. But also made a mental note that he's a far more capable rider than me and would know how to get the best out of the suspension to avoid obstacles.

Me personally, if I was to get this bike for 2-up touring, with decent luggage and my xx(x) kgs aboard, the accessory bash plate would go on before I even take delivery

[neil.jericho]

A question for all those who have gone ahead with a pre-booking of the Himalayan 450 - are you planning to take delivery of the stock bike? Or will be you be speccing up the motorcycle with some accessories?

While talking to a sales person from Royal Enfield, I got to know what all those who have done the pre-booking are in a queue (MTO / MTS ? Some acronym was used). But the booking is for the stock bike. If these potential customers want to add accessories after the launch, then they get moved to another queue (MTS / MTO?).

Will people who have pre-booked the stock bikes get delivery before people who have customized their bikes after the configuration tool goes live? Right now, the sales people understandably dont know the answer to that question.

[rishi.roger]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

A question for all those who have gone ahead with a pre-booking of the Himalayan 450 - are you planning to take delivery of the stock bike? Or will be you be speccing up the motorcycle with some accessories?

While talking to a sales person from Royal Enfield, I got to know what all those who have done the pre-booking are in a queue (MTO / MTS ? Some acronym was used). But the booking is for the stock bike. If these potential customers want to add accessories after the launch, then they get moved to another queue (MTS / MTO?).

Will people who have pre-booked the stock bikes get delivery before people who have customized their bikes after the configuration tool goes live? Right now, the sales people understandably dont know the answer to that question.

I will go with stock, with the exception of low seat height as I'm 5'7. That being said, I will like to pump up the accessories few months later once I have enjoyed it vanilla!
I have learned my lessons from a quite expensive mistake I did just a while back by pumping all accesories within first few days on a motorbike I didn't intend to keep around for long.

Btw, did you get any news about how long the queue has grown up already ? I'm expecting that because its year end so likely very few people would be accepting deliveries for a 2023 model when Jan 2024 is right around the corner. Perhaps everyone will delay accepting the deliveries so the accessories stock might not deplete that fast. In fact, even I hope that I get queued up for Jan 2024 unit ��. Its helpful during resale.

[aston_martyr]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

A question for all those who have gone ahead with a pre-booking of the Himalayan 450 - are you planning to take delivery of the stock bike? Or will be you be speccing up the motorcycle with some accessories?

While talking to a sales person from Royal Enfield, I got to know what all those who have done the pre-booking are in a queue (MTO / MTS ? Some acronym was used). But the booking is for the stock bike. If these potential customers want to add accessories after the launch, then they get moved to another queue (MTS / MTO?).

Will people who have pre-booked the stock bikes get delivery before people who have customized their bikes after the configuration tool goes live? Right now, the sales people understandably dont know the answer to that question.

This is the case as of now, however the SA did inform me that this would be the case with most new launches and that they would reach out to check on accessories preference for the first few lots for the pre-booked folks during the down-payment formalities etc... I am number 154 in the showroom of my choice as confirmed by the manager there. So not sure if i would be getting it in the first lot.
On another note he did mention that accessories will be available off the shelf within a month as has been the case with other new launches. Not sure if this is True, someone who had bought the Super meteor which was their last launch i think can confirm it?

[SupMeteorStorme]

Originally Posted by aston_martyr

On another note he did mention that accessories will be available off the shelf within a month as has been the case with other new launches. Not sure if this is True, someone who had bought the Super meteor which was their last launch i think can confirm it?

1. If you order a custom bike from their MIY app/site, your order gets delayed unless you opt for the topmost model. That was my experience when buying the Super Meteor 650. It took more than 4 months to be get my bike and even then I had to accept some other person's order (they backed out), and it was a bone stock model sans my requested customization.

2. Waiting for Super Meteor 650's official accesories was painful. Even the company store in Hyderabad couldn't give me a back rest after 5 months of deliveries starting. I did see YouTube videos of bikes in other cities not facing such delays.

So, take their "promises" of "off the shelf availablity" with a bucket full of salt.

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

A question for all those who have gone ahead with a pre-booking of the Himalayan 450 - are you planning to take delivery of the stock bike? Or will be you be speccing up the motorcycle with some accessories?

Everybody would be having different requirements. But I think the taller windshield, metal sump guard and knuckle guards are something I would like to order for my bike but will finalize only after a test ride. Yes, if the tubeless spokes were available, I would have surely got those fitted without a second thought.

While talking to a sales person from Royal Enfield, I got to know what all those who have done the pre-booking are in a queue (MTO / MTS ? Some acronym was used). But the booking is for the stock bike. If these potential customers want to add accessories after the launch, then they get moved to another queue (MTS / MTO?).

Will people who have pre-booked the stock bikes get delivery before people who have customized their bikes after the configuration tool goes live? Right now, the sales people understandably dont know the answer to that question.

MTS is Make to Stock and MTO is Make to Order. These are basically sales model in which MTS is push model which means stocking the dealer with stock bikes and MTO is pull model wherein the bike is produced only on demand.

Though naturally it would mean that a stock bike would be available off the shelf, in this case, with the high demand or at least till the initial backlog is cleared, as I understand, these terms are irrelevant.

Thereafter, obviously those ordering stock bikes would be getting it faster than those getting their bikes customized through the MIY app.

Regards

[CodeEvo]

During the delivery of GT650, the dealership reached out to me after the bike was delivered to them asking if I needed any accessories and they offered a 10% discount for all accessories. I specced it up with everything that I needed the bike was then delivered with all the accessories installed in 2 days. The stock fitment (stock mirrors, stock seat etc) was handed over to me during the delivery.

I hope they can do the same for the Himalayan. If not then I will just take the vanilla bike delivery and buy the accessories later when they are available. For sure I will wait for Jan 2024