[rahulcmoulee]

Finally got a test ride of the New Himmy albeit a very short one in city roads. Here are some observations from a Meteor 350 owner's perspective:

- Seat and Ergos: Being used to the 765mm seat height of the Meteor, I expected to face some difficulty getting my feet down. But surprisingly even with the seat set to the tallest height, I could easily get both my feet flat on the ground. The seat itself is very comfortable and I could see it remaining that way for long durations. The Ergos were also very comfortable. Spacious seat with room to move around, legs didn't feel cramped, Body was nice and upright, bar was nice and wide with good leverage. The standing ergos were pretty good too. The only thing I would change would be to get some handlebar raisers as I felt the bars were just a tad bit too low for my personal preference.

- Engine: This was the aspect where the bike felt most un RE like. The bottom end is quite dull and I even ended up stalling the first time I tried setting off. Being used to the tractor like torque from the J series engine, this was the area that needed me to retune the way I ride. But once I got used to it, it was a pleasant engine to ride at city speeds under the 4000rpm mark. Go past the 4k mark and the bike comes alive and pulls in one clean sweep till the redline. Performance is super strong and this will be more than adequate for touring in India. I managed to get upto 90kmph in 5th gear and there was only a mild buzz in the pegs and bar. Nothing that would be cause for concern.

- Suspension: The absolute highlight of the bike for me. This suspension is just set up to perfection for Indian conditions. Small-Medium size bumps are barely felt and the bike just glides over them effortlessly without any need to even think of slowing down. The larger potholes are also dealt with utmost composure and confidence. Barely felt the need to stand up over Bangalore’s potholed roads.


- Weight: On paper the Himalayan seems like a heavy bike compared to its chief rivals but apart from when I had to put it on the center stand, I really couldn’t tell this was a 196kg bike at any point. The weight is distributed well and the bike is very well balanced. Once on the move, the weight is excellently masked and I could thread through traffic surprisingly easily.

So to sum up, in my opinion the Himalayan makes for a very very good one bike garage option. Priced well for what it offers, I think this is the perfect bike for Indian conditions. As per Teknik Motors Bellandur, some colours (I think Slate Poppy Blue and Slate Himalayan Salt) are readily available. Other colours will take upto 4 months to deliver. I can definitely see one of these in Slate Himalayan Salt making its way into my garage in the future. For now, I still have some memories to make with my Meteor.

[Proxima]

I got a call from the dealer that my Kamet White is ready to be delivered. Was worried about quality issues but am leaning towards getting it because of RE honouring the booking price. It's a 2024 manufactured version.

Should I get it or should I want for a few months for RE to iron out their issues?

[tech_rider]

Originally Posted by Proxima

I got a call from the dealer that my Kamet White is ready to be delivered.

When dis you book? I am also waiting for same color from Dec 16. Glad to see 2024 models started coming in.

[heinrici]

Originally Posted by Proxima

I got a call from the dealer that my Kamet White is ready to be delivered.

How much insurance is the dealer quoting? Mine is quoting about 28K zero dep, however I can see online quotes (e.g. Acko) at around 16K. Lets see if the dealer agrees to doing insurance from outside. Will have to haggle.

[tech_rider]

Originally Posted by heinrici

How much insurance is the dealer quoting? Mine is quoting about 28K zero dep, however I can see online quotes (e.g. Acko) at around 16K. Lets see if the dealer agrees to doing insurance from outside. Will have to haggle.

Online quote would be showing without GST (18%) in quote screen. Acko will come around 20k including zero dep. From Dealer quote, I see they are asking for 21,105₹ without zero dep. From what I am seeing in some online quotes zero dep might add another 1000 Max.

[nsbhagavath]

Originally Posted by tech_rider

When dis you book? I am also waiting for same color from Dec 16. Glad to see 2024 models started coming in.

Got my Hanle Black 2024 model delivered yesterday. RE company store had both 23 / 24 models and was allocated a 30 Dec 23 manufactured one initially. Insisted on PDI before invoicing and found this out, then changed the vehicle to 10 Jan 24 manufactured one after multiple discussions. My booking date was 27th Nov 23.

[nsbhagavath]

Originally Posted by heinrici

How much insurance is the dealer quoting? Mine is quoting about 28K zero dep, however I can see online quotes (e.g. Acko) at around 16K. Lets see if the dealer agrees to doing insurance from outside. Will have to haggle.

RE company store was charging 24.5K for a zero dep insurance (go digit) and Acko was quoting 19.5K. Checked with RE if they could match the price or to do something close. They didn't agree and were ok to take external insurance. Opted for Acko and sent the copy for RTO formalities.

[SingerWhoRides]

Originally Posted by heinrici

How much insurance is the dealer quoting? Mine is quoting about 28K zero dep, however I can see online quotes (e.g. Acko) at around 16K. Lets see if the dealer agrees to doing insurance from outside. Will have to haggle.

Which dealer in Pune? Also, has he said anything about availability of accessories inventory?

[SingerWhoRides]

Originally Posted by Sam9293

Regarding the tubeless tyres, RE is having production issues with the gold colour tubeless rims in Handle Black model for the UK market and is offering tubeless tyres only with black rims.

The gold colour is facing issues of chipping and pressure loss. As per the dealers there, RE has quoted them around 1 year as the timeline for the golden tubeless rims to be available.

Taking that into account, Hanle Black lovers who are waiting for tubeless tyre version, your wait might just get even longer.

Thanks for the info. I wish RE would give a rough timeline (even if approximate) about when India buyers can expect the tubeless rims to be available.
But I suspect that will never happen, since it could backfire - a longer wait period could very well drive certain prospective buyers towards other brand motorcycles.

[rishi.roger]

Do RE Dealership create city/zonal Rider Group on platforms like WhatsApp ? Can't see to find one for NCR/Delhi.
Also, do we have happen to have any Groups for Himalayan 450 in NCR ?

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by rishi.roger

Do RE Dealership create city/zonal Rider Group on platforms like WhatsApp ? Can't see to find one for NCR/Delhi.
Also, do we have happen to have any Groups for Himalayan 450 in NCR ?

I too have the same question, where did you get the bike from? I got mine from Uma Riders in Noida and they invited me for a ride to Haveli near Hapur on Republic Day, the sales manager was the coordinator.

There is a FB group which I joined but could not locate people from Delhi-NCR. Let's start one..

[rishi.roger]

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

I too have the same question, where did you get the bike from? I got mine from Uma Riders in Noida and they invited me for a ride to Haveli near Hapur on Republic Day, the sales manager was the coordinator.

There is a FB group which I joined but could not locate people from Delhi-NCR. Let's start one..

I got mine from Kaytee RE in Mahipalpur earlier this month. Haven't received any invite/ride updates though.
Happy to start one on TG/WhatsApp for NCR folks (for group rides/meetup).
If anyone interested, please keep us posted/PM.

[nasirkaka]

To all the Himalayan 450 owners, i have a few questions:

* Did you find the handlebar position low for standing and riding?
* Anyone tried installing a tall (2") handlebar riser? if yes, are the stock cable length sufficient for handle bar risers?
* What is the diameter of the handlebar, where it gets clamped?
* Does the seat slope slowly pushes the rider in front over time? Or is neutral like old Himalayan?
* Has anyone tried PPF to cover the tank? Is it possible to neatly cover the organic shaped tank?
* Has anyone converted the wheels to tubeless with Way2Speed, or similar kits?
* Any news/ speculations on the rally version with tubeless spokes availability?
* List of niggles / teething issues if any? i have read coneset related and some engine noise related.
TIA.

[heinrici]

Originally Posted by SingerWhoRides

Which dealer in Pune? Also, has he said anything about availability of accessories inventory?

Kings royal riders baner. The dealer doesn't have any accessories at the moment. He did mention the got few crash guards but it sold out quickly.

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

To all the Himalayan 450 owners, i have a few questions:

I am 5'10":
* Did you find the handlebar position low for standing and riding? - No
* Anyone tried installing a tall (2") handlebar riser? if yes, are the stock cable length sufficient for handle bar risers? - stock one is sufficient for me, did some off road bits but nothing major
* What is the diameter of the handlebar, where it gets clamped? - fonud the dia to be a bit less esp with riding gloves, will use the leather tape kit to increase it a bit
* Does the seat slope slowly pushes the rider in front over time? Or is neutral like old Himalayan? - it does slightly, leans forward
* Has anyone tried PPF to cover the tank? Is it possible to neatly cover the organic shaped tank? - planning to and yes should cover the tank neatly if done through a decent vendor
* Has anyone converted the wheels to tubeless with Way2Speed, or similar kits? - will suggest not to go for jugaad solutions, mine is the Hanle Black so won't experiment with this (will go for it only when RE comes up with it)
* Any news/ speculations on the rally version with tubeless spokes availability? - should def come first in the black wheel variants, not sure about timelines
* List of niggles / teething issues if any? i have read coneset related and some engine noise related. - engine seemed fine, vibes ok for a single cyl motor, the only issue is lack of torque below 3k in 2/3 gears for heavy traffic puttering