[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Update: Third Service and One Year of Ownership

Hey All, it's been one amazing year since I got the Himmy, and 9.2k Kms later; I'm still in love with the bike, as I was earlier. My usage over the past month has been very minimal, due to which I couldn't hit the 10k km mark, but the service was due on the 5th, plus I could feel that the bike was running slightly rough, i.e. the feeling you get when the oil is due for a change. The last oil change was the one I did myself at 4110 km. I don't know what RE thinks of their Liquid Gun oil, claiming that it lasts for 10k kms. Most oils don't last beyond the 4-5k km mark at best. Nevertheless. I decided to try out a different service station this time. I chose Maverick Motors LLP, located near Lalbagh, as it was pretty highly rated.




I made an appointment with them a week prior via the app. I always book the first slot, i.e. 9 a.m., and usually get there a little before that. They were just opening the store at the time and had the Job Card prepared once open. They began service at around 9:20 a.m.


On the Service Bay

The service quality was pretty good, nothing extraordinary, but not bad either. Due to the lesser number of bikes at the time, they were able to get to my bike early, but they were short-staffed because it was a Sunday, so it took quite a bit of time. I was able to take delivery only at 12:00 ish pm. It took almost 45mins for the bike to come back from the washing area. Because SVCs cannot have a water wash done on their premises, they outsource it to small private washing centres outside, hence the delay. (This is something I observed that the BTM SVC also does).

The following tasks were carried out on the bike:

1. Oil Change (w/Filter and Internal Strainer Replacement)
2. Front and Rear Brake Pad Replacement, Caliper Cleaning
3. Chain Cleaning, Lubing and Adjustment
4. Moving Parts Greasing
5. Water Wash w/o Polishing (I had asked them not to polish)



The Bill came up to 1946 Rs, which is decent, IMO. I think that the brake pads were replaced prematurely, but I don't mind it just because they are super cheap (250 Rs a set).

Overall, good experience at this SVC (Compared to other RE SVCs I've visited)

1 Year Update

Overall, pleasant experience with the bike. Super happy with its performance (Meets what I expected, at least). In toto, here are the relevant details IMO that one might want to know from a 1-year ownership review.

Total Distance Covered: 9235 kms
Total Fuel Consumed (Kept track via Fuelio): 326.24 L
Total Average Fuel Consumption: 29.2 Kmpl
Best Fuel Consumption: 40.82 Kmpl
Worst Fuel Consumption: 25.32 Kmpl
My Normal City Fuel Consumption: 30 Kmpl
My Normal Highway Fuel Consumption: 30-35 Kmpl
First Service Cost: Rs 1347
Second Service Cost: Rs 416
Motul Oil Change Cost (Did this myself after the Second Service): Rs 1260
Third Service Cost: Rs 1946
Total Fuel Cost for One Year Kms: 33,909 Rs
Total Maintenance Cost for One Year: 4969 Rs
Cost per Km (Only Fuel): 3.67Rs/Km
Cost per Km (Fuel+Maintenance): 4.27 Rs/Km

Do note that the recorded mileage on my Fuelio app right now is 9107 km, and the calculations above are based on that.


Positives Observed:
1. Can take the bike to pretty much any place without any worry about bad roads
2. Adequate Ground Clearance for most roads you would encounter (220mm)
3. Great low-end torque, forgiving towards rider mistakes
4. Linear Power Delivery
5. Minimal Vibrations on the Handlebar and Pegs
6. Good Ergonomics (Better Still with Risers/Raised Handlebar)
7. Good Fuel Efficiency for its class
8. A Blank Canvas to make the bike your own with accessories/upgrades

Negatives Observed:
1. Not the best brakes in the world. I mean, it'll stop, but it lacks the feel
2. Stock Headlight performance was poor. Is good only after an upgrade (All upgrades are detailed on this thread)
3. Mirrors Vibrate slightly post 80kmph
4. RE SVCs aren't the greatest

Issues Faced:
1. Tubed Tyres and Punctures. Only had one puncture so far, but it is still a major pain if it occurs
2. Had the stalling issue initially, but it seems to have fixed itself somehow




Front Brake Pads after 9237 Kms



Rear Brake Pads after 9237 Kms



Front Tyre after 9237 Kms




Rear Tyre after 9237 Kms


Overall, its been a pleasant ownership experience, and I'm looking forward to munching more miles on the bike! Cheers

[pcpranav]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

....

Negatives Observed:
3. Mirrors Vibrate slightly post 80kmph
....

If you still have the original RE-Himalayan mirrors, then do replace them with original Bajaj Avenger, costs about 550 for pair. The benefit is far better/wider view, and much stabilized even at high speeds.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by pcpranav

If you still have the original RE-Himalayan mirrors, then do replace them with original Bajaj Avenger, costs about 550 for pair. The benefit is far better/wider view, and much stabilized even at high speeds.

Thanks for your suggestion! But I do have the Avenger Mirrors installed, and while I do agree about the much better field of view, the vibes still do tend to kick in after 80kmph or on hard acceleration

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

I picked up a Size M for my Size L jacket (slightly smaller, doesn't really move around too much, but I would recommend you get the Size L protector). I left the EVA Foam Pad inside while installing it to keep it secure, hardly feel it while wearing the jacket because the EVA foam pad is ridiculously thin anyway

Update to this, my friend who wears a Size small Jacket (Also RE Explorer V3) was planning on buying the same armour so I asked him to order the Size L Protector for me, whilst he took the Size M protector (Win-Win). Fits perfectly now, no need to keep the foam pad in. The Armour, being flexible is extremely comfortable and you barely notice that it's there. Definitely would recommend it.

[NTab]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Thanks for your suggestion! But I do have the Avenger Mirrors installed, and while I do agree about the much better field of view, the vibes still do tend to kick in after 80kmph or on hard acceleration

If you can compromise a little on field of view, Suzuki VStorm 250 mirrors are more stable than the avengers one. They are way less vibey.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by NTab

If you can compromise a little on field of view, Suzuki VStorm 250 mirrors are more stable than the avengers one. They are way less vibey.

That's great! But again, IMO it doesn't flow with the design of the Himalayan IMO. Anyway, the vibes are minimal and are only an issue when its dark, and I don't do any night highway riding anyway. So I think it should be alright

[rakesh_r]

Himalayan is famous for the stalling issues, the main issue is the EVAP circuit, where the rubber hoses get pinched somewhere, hereby choking the circuit. I used to own a Himalyan which i sold off last year, in that the canister got choked, I got so frustrated that i simply yanked off the EVAP circuit, post which the bike ran way better.
Couple of videos on Youtube as below:

https://youtu.be/yuFzstcdkuQ

https://youtu.be/KJ9Hvckgwcc

One more factor which causes stalling:

https://youtu.be/EMJKsR1ALfM

https://youtu.be/EhTU7oloN3M

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Himalayan is famous for the stalling issues, the main issue is the EVAP circuit, where the rubber hoses get pinched somewhere, hereby choking the circuit. I used to own a Himalyan which i sold off last year, in that the canister got choked, I got so frustrated that i simply yanked off the EVAP circuit, post which the bike ran way better.

Thanks! I did consider this as well, but as I mentioned earlier, the bike has magically fixed itself on that front. I no longer have any stalling issues I've been an ardent follower of Ben and learnt a lot from his videos (Oil Change, Chain Adjustment etc). Could you please elaborate more on how the bike ran better post the EVAP Delete? Did it affect your emissions results when you went to get the PUC? What about mileage and other factors?

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Trip to Kolli Hills

For quite some time now, I've wanted to increase my ability to ride longer on the saddle. Something about endurance riding really fascinates me. Hence, a couple of friends and I decided to do BLR- Kolli Hills & Back in a day

I never knew too much about Kolli Hills until I happened to glance at Viaterra's T-shirts and saw that this place was fairly close by and showcased 70 beautiful Hairpin Bends totalling 47 Kms of pure joy.


Credits to Omanorama for the Image


The total distance was approximately 546 Km, out of which most of it was on open highway Roads.

Nevertheless, we decided to begin at 4:30 a.m.; ended up starting at 5:30 a.m. The lineup consisted of The Himmy, My friend with a Continental GT, and another friend with a rented Yezdi Scrambler.

Leaving Early in the morning gave me a chance to see what the reflectives on the Explorer V3 looked like, and I must say, it looks pretty sick IMO. I absolutely love the way the RE Logo looks on the back.



The first stop for breakfast was at Murugan Idli at Krishnagiri. I wasn't particularly happy about the service there. The staff were very unorganized and rude. This is despite me being from the state and speaking the language. An example of this is when they took too long to give us the bill and I asked a waitress if she could remind the counter to provide us the same, to which she replied "I don't know what you ate so I cannot give you a bill." Absolutely ridiculous. I would suggest you head to Saravana Bhavan at Hotel Surya Complex or any Andyar Anandha Bhavan for better service. I also spotted an Ola Hypercharger at this place, but wasn't sure if it was working.


Credits to this image to Tripadvisor, i forgot to click a picture there

Anyway, we continued onwards and took the next short break at Salem.


Post this, we continued to Kolli Hills, where I quickly topped up the fuel on the bike at the base, not because the bike went into reserve but just because I wasn't sure about the fuel situation on the hill itself. Filled up a little over 8 Litres, meaning there was still around 7 Litres in the tank.

Before the bends, we had to make an entry into a register at a Checkpost, where we spotted some Peacocks chilling at the side of the road. This was a fairly common sight, as we saw many more during the journey.


Entrance to the hills


Peacock/Peahen?

The Hairpin bends were pure bliss, the tarmac was smooth with no undulations and the weather was great. While it may not look like it, the Himalayan is pure fun on the bends. It does take a little more effort to plan and execute your turn, which IMO is a different type of fun altogether

Took a break on Hairpin 42 as there was a wide spot to park comfortably.



Anti-Stig?

After the short break, we continued to our first destination, Seeku Parai View Point. There was a 20rs Entry Fee per person. The view was beautiful, but there wasn't anything else there per see.


Hairpin 70




It was around 12:45 p.m, and we were famished, so we headed to Hotel Varunan to fill up our tanks XD


The food was reasonably priced and pretty good too! There, however, wasn't a proper and safe place to keep our helmets and whatnot. We had to place them on the floor and clean it later on.

We spent a good amount of time at lunch and initially planned to go to Agaya Gangai Falls, but then decided that we didn't want to walk up 1000 steps with helmets and gear, so we decided to go to Namma Falls instead, but when we got there, we realised that there was pretty much no water flowing. Well, at least there was a nice view.



We headed back down the hills, and my friends stopped to fuel up. Do keep in mind that there is only one Fuel Station in Kolli Hills, and UPI may not always work due to intermittent network loss, so carry some cash with you.



Quick photo at the base. Please ignore the terrible colours, I had to heavily compress this image to meet the file size requirement.

We took a couple breaks in between due to the Booty Pain but its all part of the game XD


Took our Final Stop at Krishnagiri where I refuelled once more.

Unfortunately due to heavy traffic while coming back, the journey took longer than anticipated. I reached my place at around 10:20 p.m. In total, we covered 604 km on this trip and completed it in 17 Hours, out of which our total riding time was around 12 Hours. Most of the Journey, except for the bends was done keeping the bikes locked at 90-100kmph. My friend told me that the Continental gave him a Mileage of 24kmpl, whereas the Mighty Himmy retuned an average of 32 Kmpl, despite having a Pillion No clue about the Yezdi though.


I did have a chance to try out the Ride on Air Seat on this journey, and it does help me prolong the onset of fatigue, particularly booty pain as I like to call it xD However, if you have an RE, I'd probably recommend the Touring Seats they sell as everyone in my friend circle who has those is extremely happy with it. I did feel the need for more hydration, so will probably pick up a hydration pack next. Since the bike was back on Liquid Gun post the recent service, I did feel a stark difference in refinement and heating wherein Motul was way better. I probably will try out Motul's 7100 or Motorex Oil next time.

As I was pretty pleased with myself for completing this ride, setting a new one-day distance personal record, I rewarded myself with the Viaterra T shirt I was talking about



That's all for today folks, Cheers!

[NTab]

Those hairpins look tempting. Looks like it was an enjoyable ride.
Even though people question the cornering ability of Himmy due to 21” front, I have never find it difficult or scary. It corners well.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by NTab

Those hairpins look tempting. Looks like it was an enjoyable ride.
Even though people question the cornering ability of Himmy due to 21” front, I have never find it difficult or scary. It corners well.

Haha it definitely was, an absolute blast of a time.

Also wanted to update the thread with this other milestone that Uno hit today! XD

[NTab]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Haha it definitely was, an absolute blast of a time.

Also wanted to update the thread with this other milestone that Uno hit today! XD

Attachment 2472180

Congrats. My Himmy has covered 9200kms, and completed one year today.

Got done with 3rd free servicing. Switched to Amsoil Metric 10W50, and the initial impression is great. The bike is running smoother, and crisp. Also, changed the fork oil to Maxima 10W.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Gear Update: Hydration Bag

In my previous ride to Kolli Hills, I quickly realised that dehydration whilst riding a bike is very real, and it gets pretty hot under all the gear in hot weather. Hence, after consulting with a couple of friends, I picked up a hydration backpack. From the Discussions we had, let me give you a gist of the reasons behind why I think a Hydration Pack is fairly useful.

1. Comfortable Weight Distribution - Most Hydration Packs have multiple buckles and straps that help you evenly distribute weight across your torso so that you don't have too much strain on your body. This was one of my primary concerns and is something I am yet to test out for myself on a long ride.

2. Large Water Carrying Capacity - When you are going on shorter rides, where you have only a tank bag for the most part, it is much easier to carry a hydration pack than a water bottle. Imagine carrying a 2.5L Water Bottle as opposed to carrying the Same quantity in a hydration pack.

3. Less Storage Space - In furtherance of the previous point, on my previous ride, I faced an issue wherein, with my Rain Gear and First Aid Kit in my Tank Bag, I couldn't easily fit in my water bottle, wallet etc. and had to stuff them in. If you have a larger tank bag/top box, sure, you could get away with it, but it made sense for me to remove the necessity of carrying a water bottle and hydration pack instead.


4. Added Advantage of a Backpack - Most Hydration packs also have storage compartments for small knick-knacks you would want to carry on your person.

5. Added Convenience - Now, this is split into two categories. One is if you use a full-face balaclava and, the other if you don't. If you do use one, then you will have to stop the motorcycle and slide it under your balaclava to drink water. You don't have to take off your helmet, chin curtain or your balaclava, however, it is simply not possible and isn't safe to do it on the go.

If you don't wear a full-face balaclava, you can easily use the pack even on the go; however, I would recommend that you practice first before attempting this at speed. It is always recommended to stop and take a breather, but this is also an option.

In both scenarios, you won't have to take off your helmet, gloves, balaclava etc making it much more convenient than a water bottle.


Keeping all of the above in mind, I perused the internet for the various options, and despite the bestsellers being offerings from Raida or Decathlon, I didn't want to spend nearly 3,000 Rs on a tiny backpack. Hence I decided to pick up Olive Planet's Hydration Pack (Link Below).

https://oliveplanet.in/products/old-...41596966535352

Olive Planet is a military surplus store, and I have purchased items from them before and was pretty happy with the quality. The bag cost Rs 2350 Including Shipping and I received it in about a week (Mhow to BLR).

The key features of this backpack are as follows:

- Hydration pack made of heavy-duty 500D with PU coating
- Inner polyester lining
- YKK Zippers
- Buckles on the chest and waist for weight distribution
- Includes a 2.5L EVA bladder
- Bite Valve with Dust Cap
- Molle and Velcro Lining on the back



Multiple Straps and doo-hickeys to adjust the backpack comfortably. The Straps and the insides are also padded and ventilated



The top Flap opens up to reveal the Filling Cap. The Bladder can also be completely removed, and the bag can be used as a regular backpack.



The Bladder can accommodate 2.5L of water, and the tube also is Covered with a Fabric Sleeve to prevent the overheating of residual water.


It also has neat markings indicating quantity



The Upper and Lower Flaps also have small storage compartments, enough to carry a wallet, a swiss knife and maybe some other small items. It also has molle webbing and velcro for other attachments


The Upper Buckle is adjustable in height and each strap has a single D Ring to hook on items (Sanitizer/ Carabiner etc.)



All the straps have either this Velcro Loop or Elastic Loops to keep the excess in place, as opposed to flapping around.

The only disadvantage I noticed is that it doesn't have any reflective panelling or lining and covers up my jacket's super cool reflective lining . Anyhoo, I'll pick up some reflective patches from Amazon and whack them on. Otherwise, it seems like a really nice product. Cheers!

[Chhanda Das]

I got an even larger 3 litre one for my son for long-distance endurance drives and car-camping trips. It is mounted on the back of the driver's seat for my son. I got this from Aliexpress for around INR 600 in early 2018. I chose to get this for a wide variety of reasons. Unless he sits very low, it is nearly impossible to drink approximately more than half of the water in a bottle because the lower end of the bottle would keep getting obstructed by the roof of the car. He can only stretch his neck to an extent and adjusting the driver's seat while driving is absolutely not an option. On bumpy roads, a bottle can damage the teeth, gums and lips. I do know quite a few people who have faced this, especially on bad roads in Eastern and North-Eastern India. A bottle can slip from the hands (especially on bad roads) and land in the driver's footwell area causing an accident by getting stuck under the brake pedal which is not exactly rare according to survivor accounts. There is always a chance of water spillage causing a mess to our clothes as well as to the car's electrical/electronic systems not to mention the increased chances of rust/corrosion issues. Transparent water bottles have been known to start fires in the car's cabin by acting like a magnifying lens for the sun's rays. On trips, we often do not stop our car due to various reasons like security concerns, shortage of time, fuel efficiency concerns, slow-moving highway traffic, etc. But staying hydrated while driving is very important. As some of you may know, sipping small sips of water regularly instead of drinking in one go from a bottle allows the body to stay hydrated without having to answer nature's calls frequently and this technique is often used by endurance athletes, special forces, mountaineers, rock climbers, hikers, etc. Hence, the choice of a water bladder seemed obvious. Moreover, it is way easier to drink from the attached pipe in a state of sleep-induced near-stupor at night without causing any water spillage, unlike a bottle while car-camping.

Pro Tips : You might want to consider covering this with a heat-reflective material or a lighter-coloured cloth if you intend to drive in hotter areas since the black colour is known to absorb the most heat. Also, the end of the pipe that is supposed to be put in our mouth gets contaminated really fast. So make sure to clean it with some toothpaste whenever you brush your teeth.

Wish you happy and safe rides ahead

[aviator1101]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Hey All, it's been one amazing year since I got the Himmy, and 9.2k Kms later; I'm still in love with the bike, as I was earlier.

Issues Faced:
1. Tubed Tyres and Punctures. Only had one puncture so far, but it is still a major pain if it occurs

Congrats on your prized possession, a little late albeit.

The Himalayan is a wonderful machine both on and off road. One of the main handicaps of this bike, however, is the spoked wheels with tubed tyres.

What are the options of tubeless spoked wheels for the Himalayan? or any Indian ADV for that matter, say the Xpulse. Something akin to what we have in the Suzuki V Storm or the high end BMW GS series.

Few of the "jugaads" are the tubeless conversion kits from Outex and Way2ubeless. but then the satisfaction levels amongst existing customers is less than 30-40% which is unacceptable and which is why I called them jugaad without any prejudice towards any brand. Recurrent leakage issues make them look like hit and trial methods.

Hence looking for some permanent or reliable method like spoked tubeless wheels. In between, heard some rumour that the new Himalayan 450 would be shod with those but the accident pics of the bike revealed that they too are normal tubed tyres on spoked wheels.

Kindly advice.