[Darkcloud]

The Himalayan is such a disappointment! Especially after I had such high hopes from it.

-I got a chance to ride a friend’s new Himalayan in the city and on the highway and here are my observations-

-It isn’t meant for city rides at all. If you live in Mumbai you can’t escape riding in the city traffic and the bike is just a hassle to ride in the city.

-The high level of vibrations, even at idle, were not to my liking. On the highways too as it picks up speed the vibrations increased.

-Third day of ownership and the lower half of the console was already frozen in one mode where all is showed was the date of manufacture.

-The switches, especially the joystick, have a very poor tactile feel and feel flimsy.

-The suspension is great and it glides over everything and anything. It gives a big bike feel and is easily flickable.

All in all, I came back highly disappointed. After seeing all the reviews online My expectations were very high I suppose and I was regretting not booking it. Now I’m sure I would not want one.

Sometimes it’s so much better to get a chance to ride the bike without seeing those online reviews first. They just hype up things for you and then even a good bike may fall short of expectations. Especially most of these YouTube influencers, who will say good things about almost all bikes as they need to keep talking about something in the name of content and without actually paying for it.

[vj_v3]

Originally Posted by Linea

The prices for Himalayan 450 across all variants has been revised and updated in the configuration webpage https://makeityours.royalenfield.com...ator/Himalayan.

Do we know if old price is locked for booking before 31st or is the new price applicable for all new invoices starting today?

[ManneAtWheelz]

Originally Posted by vj_v3

Do we know if old price is locked for booking before 31st or is the new price applicable for all new invoices starting today?

If your booking is on or before 31st December, introductory prices are applicable, same thing confirmed to me by my dealership where I made my booking.

Quotation I got for Hanley Black variant:

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by Darkcloud

The Himalayan is such a disappointment! Especially after I had such high hopes from it.

-It isn’t meant for city rides at all. If you live in Mumbai you can’t escape riding in the city traffic and the bike is just a hassle to ride in the city.

-The high level of vibrations, even at idle, were not to my liking. On the highways too as it picks up speed the vibrations increased.
...

Could you elaborate on these 2 points?

What is your biking background - do you own a small capacity single cylinder, large single or a multi cylinder large capacity?

Thanks

[vj_v3]

Has anyone managed to get insurance on the himalayan from outside instead of the dealer. the dealer quoted price seems to be pretty high. any luck with lower insurance cost for zero dep insurance from outside?

[blue_wizard_v12]

I was contemplating whether to get Himalayan 450 or the scrambler400x and I have been waiting patiently since the launch of Himalayan for RE to introduce the Cross spoke wheels.

The prices for Himalayan450 2024 has been increased by 16k,15k and 14k from base to top.

But what I feel is that RE is playing a pretty smart game here by not introducing the Cross spoke and throwing us the stupid reason of BIS certification delay. The Himalayan project is under-development for quite some years now. If RE wanted they could have easily certified the Cross spokes before hand and should have kept them ready for launch with the bike.

Now after the updated prices of Himalayan, comparing Scrambler with the Himalayan and saying both the bikes are priced pretty similarly would be foolish.

I am quite sure the Cross spokes will be priced upwards of 35k and adding some essential accessories from the RE catalogue(Which RE should have given by default in an adv bike) will skyrocket it's price well above 4lakhs.
At that price it's nowhere close to exceptional value that RE fanboys and most of the journalists are saying.

Now Let's see the sales if Himalayan450 at the end of the year and then weigh whether the hype is converted into success or not!

[Sebring]

Picked up a fantastic 'Metal Top Box' from SHAD. Started touring already, but wary of nails on the way. OUTEX is taking time

[masterChief007]

The current hike in prices along with tubeless spokes will uncomfortably be close to 390 Adv prices. At that range it will be a 50-50 decision for many of us non hardcore off roaders. I will personally gravitate to the 390 Adv in its current form. I want a tubeless tyre, however easy it maybe to fix a tube, I just don't want to during my trip And heaven forbid if ktm manages to get the new adv within 20k of the existing one, himalayan will have a lot to deal with. Let's wait and watch.

[rishi.roger]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Picked up a fantastic 'Metal Top Box' from SHAD. Started touring already, but wary of nails on the way. OUTEX is taking time

Very practical Side Mirrors. I'd ve removing the stock mirrors soon after delivery (I rely a lot on side mirrors and stock doesn't offer enough view to me), and this type of mirror looks very practical - could you please share some details about it ?

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Picked up a fantastic 'Metal Top Box' from SHAD. Started touring already, but wary of nails on the way. OUTEX is taking time

The handlebar grips look nice. Grip puppies or the some other brand?

I use grip puppies on my CBR 250 and happy with it. Thanks

[Sebring]

This mirror set from RAM and the Grip Puppies are from the US

Originally Posted by rishi.roger

Very practical Side Mirrors. I'd ve removing the stock mirrors soon after delivery (I rely a lot on side mirrors and stock doesn't offer enough view to me), and this type of mirror looks very practical - could you please share some details about it ?

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I encountered the 'second gear stall issue'. Bike just dies and doesn't fire back up. I didn't face this in the TD vehicle, so I'm wondering what this is!

Sir can you share some more details please?

• How much have you run the new bike till now?
  
• Is the first servicing over as yet?
  
• Is the stalling issue happening while upshifting or downshifting or both cases?
  
• Did you try to shift to second while stationary to check whether the issue persists?
  
• Were you also added to a WhatsApp group by the RE service personnel? And if yes, did you report the matter on the group and what was their response?

Now I go quick to third gear without giving second any time.

This method is not easy because you're actually shifting through N, 2 and then 3. It's quite a tedious task.

Regards

[Sebring]

To answer -

• How much have you run the new bike till now? - 200-300 KMS
• Is the first servicing over as yet? - Hopefully in a day
• Is the stalling issue happening while upshifting or downshifting or both cases? - Upshifting. Happened once, and I'm quickly getting to 3rd now so no problem as such
• Did you try to shift to second while stationary to check whether the issue persists? - Bike was normal post that. But it is exactly how that reviewer posted in his video
• Were you also added to a WhatsApp group by the RE service personnel? And if yes, did you report the matter on the group and what was their response? - No, not yet added

[dodge3p]

After about four years of search, and test riding numerous bikes, I have finally brought in a new bike. I got my Hanley black Himalayan 450 delivered last week. Following are the quick impressions of the major contenders and RE Himalayan 450.


KTM 390 Adv - First Test drove back in 2020 and the bike felt wonderful in all aspects. Decided to go for it, but the pandemic had different plans

Honda Highness - Test rode this bike in 2021, bike felt super refined compared to the classic 350 I was owning then. However, adv 390 was still the top choice. Personal and work commitments kept me away from riding during 2021 and sold my classic 350 in early 2022.

Suzuki Vstrom 250 SX - The riding bug caught up with me again in late 2023 and since October I have restarted the test rides. After learning about the baby Vstrom through various threads in this forum, decided to check it out. The bike is an excellent machine, the only grouse I had with is, it felt out of breath post 85 kmph and vibrations start to creep in too. Also, Suzuki's lack of enthusiasm in Indian bike market , did sow seeds of doubt to go for this bike

KTM 250 adv - Felt very similar to 390 adv and wanted to really go for it. However, when thought about it from a value perspective, it didn’t make sense since it was cutting very close to Triumph Scrambler 400x in terms of pricing

Triumph Scrambler 400x - Early November, had a shortish TD for this bike in 5 km rage with the sales rep from showroom going pilot on a speed 400. The bike felt butter smooth through the gears and braking was reassuring, wind buffeting was an issue though. The bike was also beautifully put together in terms of built quality. On the same day, a fresh lot of bikes have arrived at the showroom and the sales guy promised delivery in a weeks’ time. I was almost on the verge of paying full for the bike on that day, but somehow better sense prevailed and decided to give it a day or two before making final decision. Triumphs scarce dealerships and spare parts availability issues was a major contributor in deciding against this bike. Also, by this time RE Himalayan 450's launch was getting imminent, so decided to wait for it.

Harley x440 - Wasn’t keen on this one, however a colleague had booked this bike and had very good feedback about his ride experience. Took a test ride and this bike had a beautiful engine. It had lots of torque at which ever rev range it was needed, coupled with a beautiful exhaust note made my test ride a pleasure. The bike really impressed. Lack of space for a rider and a pillion, poor wiring management, and an exorbitant waiting period for top model kind of killed any hopes of proceeding with this on the same day. Later the colleague who had referred this bike, got his bike and he mentioned the heating issue is significant and was badly affecting his ride experience.

RE Himalayan 450 - Decided to book the bike after seeing all those wonderfully crafted shoots by influencers and RE's own Himalayan story series. Went to the showroom on the unveiling day and the first impressions were good. The TD vehicle was available during December 2nd week and got a shortish test ride of 5km, the engine felt rough - engine and exhaust notes felt more like a clatter, gearshift was smooth, too heavy, braking was good. The bike had only 200 odd kms on the odo, came back and provided the feedback to the sales rep and asked for a longer test ride. Upon inquiry, earliest delivery was proposed in late Jan or early Feb, but I have started to go back through all the test rides of different bikes, weighing in pros and cons and see if any of them could make the cut.
Two days later got a call from the company store that my bike has arrived and allotted. If payment can be made, delivery can be made in few days. This put me in a difficult situation and wasn’t ready to let go off the bike yet, asked them for a longer test ride. Took the longer test ride couple of days after. This time the sales rep mentioned that the bike has completed its first service.

Went out for the test, the bike felt a lot smoother, As I spend more time on the bike the heaviness issue wasn’t felt at least while riding it, suspension was awesome - felt like the bike is purpose made for Kerala roads. City riding was okay with the radiator turning on quite often, but the heat was manageable. The highway riding experience was great, and the bike really impressed there. Spend about an hour with the bike and all the negative thoughts I had with the earlier test ride kind of dwindled down. Did the PDI of my allotted bike at their yard and everything looked good, bike had 3kms on the Odo. Decided to proceed with the payment and delivery

The bike got delivered last Wednesday and since then I have rode about 450 kms.

Following are the quick observations, mind that, as part of run in, the max rpm reached was only about 4K.

- An Excellent tourer, even with a pillion this bike can comfortably munch miles
- Phenomenal suspension, probably the best I have ridden
- Braking is good and precise
- Mileage obtained was well above expectation, was getting consistently over 35 kmpl and one ride of 100+ km yesterday gave a mileage of 42 kmpl as per MID. 90% of the distance covered are on Kerala two laned highways.
- The riding position and the view out of the bike felt very comfortable and commanding. The bike is quite large and have a significant road presence
- The MID is great with lot of information provided and navigation with google maps integration worked almost perfectly, albeit some minor bugs
- The engine is getting smoother, and the clatter is decreasing as the bike accumulates miles
- Overall, the bike feels more like a KTM rather than a RE
- Haven’t seen any discerning build quality issues yet
- The gear shifts are smooth and precise - couple of times faced false neutral when shifting from first to second

- The bike requires much more frequent gear shifts than other REs, again much more like a KTM
- The seats are spacious, but cushion compound could have been a tad bid softer, Perhaps the touring seat accessory will be a good alternative
- The horn and headlight could have been bit more powerful
- The handlebar controls are ergonomically okay with bare hands, with gloves it has been quite difficult to use them.
- The handlebar grips are also on harder side
- The right-side mirror gives good view of what’s behind, quite opposite for left mirror
- The front brake lever is well made, the clutch lever just wag's like a dogs tail - cant understand how these levers are polar opposite
- The fuel gauge has its own mind, with full tank, it barely moves during the first 100 kms, but the last two bars could drop on a drop of a hat. DTE also felt sketchy
- The windshield didn’t provide much protection beyond 70 kmph on open highway

Deciding to go for Himalayan 450 has been a tough one, considering this is a brand new engine and new bike from RE. So far, the experience has been great and should be able to enjoy the bike a lot more post first service.

[Sebring]

RE wishes 'Happy New Year, Riders'! Nice to see some innovation