[Linea]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Thanks for sharing this. This is very helpful.

Does this waiting period apply for pre-booked bikes? Shows 117 days according to your excel sheet but hoping to get the bike home sooner. I doubt it will happen anytime this month though.

No, the tentative days mentioned in the XLS file is only for new bookings as on 07-12-2023.

[Hammer & Anvil]

Before the 452 completes it's run in and first service, I have taken the Vstrom 650 for a 400km ride to Dahej. This will be the ride for the comparo later in Jan when I come back here again.

Two points I should have included--

There is angine resonance in the 4000-4400rpm band which you will learn to ride over or under or reach your destination with numb fingers. Nothing you can do about it except learn to over/under that rangem

In my brief review I forgot to literally flambe RE for one absolutely whacked out design flaw.The side stand.

What were they thinking man? Who approved this?

As with ANY globally sold adv bike, you would be able to mount it ' like you would do on a horse' but when this bike is on the side stand, it's literally keeled over.

You cannot reach the riders left foot peg, it's that leaned over. Being short, I feel the design flaw immediately. If you load luggage on the bike, I don't know how to get onboard. Saddle bags or pillion sear carry bags. You are stumped.

This HAS to be fixed.

More when we return to the city and take out the bike on the weekend.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by Hammer & Anvil

... one absolutely whacked out design flaw.The side stand.

This HAS to be fixed.

Does the bike tip over and tumble with the angle of lean when parked on an incline and/or especially with luggage strapped to the rear seat / base plate area?

If so, only option I guess is to get the stand bent in a way to reduce the lean angle.

Also, I checked with a source of mine from one of the company showrooms and he confirmed that there will be NO price protection after 31-Dec-23 even if bikes were pre-booked. So I guess that settles it.

The dealership where I have booked my Kaza Brown also said they have heard these rumors but there is no official statement from RE and final price at the time of delivery will apply.

At least in KA, I believe road taxes are set to increase and I was told it could be around the 10k mark. Add another 15-20k (my guess) to the price of the bike post 31st Dec. That's quite a packet and all this hoohaah about special pricing from Sid Lal was IMHO only to attract bookings from those still sitting on the fence.

[Sebring]

As per few reviews, exposed ignition wiring could be a cause for worry. Better have it all covered outside.

[hikozaru]

Has anyone been able to grip these side panels for standing up and riding. I assume it should be huggable with your calves considering it has been developed with pro dirt riders in mind (there was a video by Big Bear customs? where an engineer says the frame was designed specifically to thin that area, which is what creates this issue for me) but I just cannot seem to get my legs close enough, with jeans+shoes, jeans+boots. The salesperson said it works only with 'real riding pants', but I am not overly thrilled about not being able to use one of the main features of this bike on our broken city roads. Or am I mistaken about the ideal posture for standing up and riding?


Me trying it out with RE's E39 mid boots (does not work with E39 high boots either). Tried all positions, ball on the levers, ball on the pegs, heel on the pegs, toe on the pegs.

[CodeEvo]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Also, I checked with a source of mine from one of the company showrooms and he confirmed that there will be NO price protection after 31-Dec-23 even if bikes were pre-booked. So I guess that settles it.

The dealership where I have booked my Kaza Brown also said they have heard these rumors but there is no official statement from RE and final price at the time of delivery will apply.

At least in KA, I believe road taxes are set to increase and I was told it could be around the 10k mark. Add another 15-20k (my guess) to the price of the bike post 31st Dec. That's quite a packet and all this hoohaah about special pricing from Sid Lal was IMHO only to attract bookings from those still sitting on the fence.

The communication from RE themselves confirms that the price will not change for those who pre booked. Someone had posted that the dealer later apologised for the confusion and confirmed that the pre booking price will be given. Let’s see what’s in store, if they really do a 360 and start charging more even for pre bookings then I will happily cancel and wait for the tubeless spokes to come out and then make the purchase

[Sebring]

With the first bikes landing up for service, pictures of the air filter under the tank are emerging. It is not a user serviceable part anymore owing to the complexities.

[caveman969]

I'm very conflicted regarding this bike. On one hand I love the engine, the ergonomics and I think this would be amazing for touring which I aspire to do a lot of.

However, being a short man, the weight and some design considerations have me worried. I found it fairly comfortable in traffic however it's manoeuvring the bike in parkings, inclines and declines that worry me.

Any fellow short riders with unwieldy bikes here to ease my concerns?

[nasirkaka]

Did a short test ride on the Himalayan 450.

It was NOT a "love at first ride".

Disclaimer:
1. I have been seriously considering this bike as one of the main contenders for my next bike.
2. I currently ride an Xpulse 200, a 310GS and an Interceptor 650, so my takeaways from the ride would be in-relation to these bikes.

I was passing by the RE showroom and saw the new Himalayan displayed inside. Thought to go inside and have a quick look at the bike as I had not seen it in person. It was around 8PM and almost closing time. This was also the same showroom where I had bought my Interceptor 650 from, so was sort of known entity to some folks there. After exchanging a few pleasantries, I was asked if I wanted a test ride to which I happily agreed.

Took the bike for a short spin of around 15-20 mins, in mostly traffic filled roads. Some observations as below:

* Bike leans a bit too much on the side stand. Weight was not a factor lifting the bike front side stand, as I am used to lifting interceptor, which also leans a bit extra due to taller profile tyre I have. As pointed earlier, its not very inviting to put one leg on the foot-peg, and horse-mount the bike like how we do on a typical adventure bikes.

* Once astride on the bike, the cockpit view from captain's seat looks incomplete/empty, mainly due to just a small round console and a small visor beyond that. All we see if a large fuel tank, handlebar, and emptiness beyond that. It was a bit unsettling as in adventure bikes (actually most bikes) there is more stuff visible around the front area, giving a sense of (false?) protection. It was something similar to sitting in a Maruti Omni vs other cars with front bonnet. Think this may take some time to get used to.

* Ergonomics: The seat height felt normal and seat position/slope very natural. My other bikes are also on taller side (with some mods etc), so no real issue with seat height.

* Footpeg position was normal and inline with torso, easy to put pressure and raise the bum. We should learn to keep the foot a bit wide while paddling the bike, to prevent footrest hitting the shin. This is something we get used to.

* Handlebar position felt much low for an adventure bike. We have to really lean / bend to manage the bike while standing on the pegs. The handle bar position did not feel commanding. An attacking position where the body is bent forward, elbows are slightly pushed upwards and outwards, and the resultant "commanding" position was missing. Even Stock X Pulse's upper body ergonomics feels more commanding. Would require some tweaking/riser/ pivoting of handlebar, to personalize the posture.

* The gear box is very smooth and slick, felt even better than on interceptors.

* The engine is moderately high revving, with medium vibes if we keep the bike at higher rpm (power band) and in lower gears (1 & 2). It feels eager to go if pushed hard, however, I could not experience open roads to get a good feel of the engine in various gears and RPM.

* Suspension is a gem. Went over some side gravel roads and it felt surefooted and supple. Again, need to test this properly over some trails.

Overall, the test ride was inconclusive. With all the hype around the long launch process, and all reviewers praising the bike so much, had raised my expectations. The bike is good for sure, but somehow it did not match the expectation I woven around my mind over last couple of months. Need to ride more and for longer time to evaluate better and see which side it all falls.

I remember I was blown by the interceptor test ride. But this short Himalayan 450 test ride felt short of that feeling by some distance.

[skviknaraj]

Originally Posted by caveman969

.....

Any fellow short riders with unwieldy bikes here to ease my concerns?...

There is nothing you cannot learn or get used to. I am 165 cm with 29 inch inseam but I ride the 390 ADV.

Yes it is hard to reverse the bike sitting on it at times. But if I find sitting and moving risky, I just get down and move it around.

If you connect with the bike for the riding experience, go ahead and get it. You will learn to handle it in a few days / weeks.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by caveman969

Any fellow short riders with unwieldy bikes here to ease my concerns?

I had booked it and was eagerly waiting for this bike to check if I can handle it.
I am of 165cm height and weight 67Kg. Tried my hand today on it and was not even able to lift it off from the stand myself. I was tiptoeing and didn't feel confident at all about handling this monster. Returned with all dreams broken.
On the other hand I found Meteor and Hunter quite easy to handle. Previously found it easy to handle X440 and CB350 also.

Don't go by all the hype and try it yourself before putting your money on any of the bikes.

[jaganm]

Has RE given an indication of the variants that will have this 450 engine?

I'm more inclined towards a roadster similar to the Interceptor as an upgrade to my Highness.

[kushkacowboy]

Originally Posted by jaganm

Has RE given an indication of the variants that will have this 450 engine?

I'm more inclined towards a roadster similar to the Interceptor as an upgrade to my Highness.

This was posted here earlier, and you can see that there's a roadster, a scrambler and a faired cafe racer in the pipeline under the sherpa 450 umbrella. The roadster(?) 450 (silhouette to the right of the lead model himalayan) was estimated to be launching a few months after the shotgun 650, so if the leaks and rumours are anything to go by it's just a waiting game now.

[AulusGabinius]

Originally Posted by kushkacowboy

This was posted here earlier, and you can see that there's a roadster, a scrambler and a faired cafe racer in the pipeline under the sherpa 450 umbrella. The roadster(?) 450 (silhouette to the right of the lead model himalayan) was estimated to be launching a few months after the shotgun 650, so if the leaks and rumours are anything to go by it's just a waiting game now.

It's actually mildly annoying to me that the scrambler version will be based on a roadster using the Sherpa 450 rather than the Himalayan. The Scram 411 was epic for that very reason, that it was probably one of the most capable scramblers off-road, and still manageable and fun on the road. That said, I would have to expect a sharper tune on the engine rather than the more lazy one right now.

[hikozaru]

Scramblers are so passe. They are the raised hatches and other fake SUVs of the bike world. RE should make a supermoto from the Himalayan instead and beat KTM to the punch with a SMT450 (supermoto touring).