KTM 390 ADV owner rides the new RE Himalayan 450: 14 observations

The weight is easier to manage than the older Himalayan 411, but not as easy as the KTM ADV.

BHPian PreethamNag recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

So finally got a chance to ride the new 450 Himalayan over a small dirt patch with an incline and some small boulders as well as tarmac.

A brief summary of my impressions being an Adventure 390 owner with around 15,000 on the odo. Have also ridden the old Himalayan in the mountains for about 4000-5000 kms.

1. The size of the bike is larger than 390, especially the wheelbase it looks very long
2. The tank looks better than it looks in photos, fit and finish are better than older Himalayan
3. Thought the front headlight mounting portion of ADV 390 was ugly Himalayan beats it, too messy with many brackets etc
4. Accessible seat and comfortable to sit but I kept sliding towards the tank while riding
5. The handlebar looks wide but it isn't, at least compared to ADV 390
6. Sitting posture with the stock handlebar made my elbows straight not the wide open elbow position that's comfortable for long haul (height 174cm for reference). But I could saddle with great confidence in-stock position, gripping the tank was a bit cumbersome though
7. Once on the bike, the weight is easier to manage than the older Himalayan but not as easy as the KTM ADV
8. Weight is felt at low speeds and roundabouts the long wheelbase doesn't help here
9. At idle and while moving engine is smooth and refined
10. As mentioned by a few now end torque isn't as great as the previous Himalayan but feels better than the KTM Adv 390, felt it more due to gearing than the engine itself making more torque at low rpm. Why I think so is that the rpm was at 3000 when the bike got to move a bit and 4000 is where the actual torque was felt a bit almost in the same territory as the KTM. But the bike can be ridden at 25 ish km/h in 3rd gear without complaints but it won't accelerate immediately given some juice. If I try the same with adv it rattles and stalls.
11. The linear torque masks the speeds I was doing 80+ in 3rd without noticing. But this also masks the excitement and pull that ADV gives at high engine speeds
12. The best part SUSPENSION just soaks everything and doesn't squat or dive like the BMW GS does. I have modified my ADV's rear suspension (mentioned in another thread) and rode both back to back offroad while the rear of ADV felt comparable, the front end was bad. It was transferring all impact to me felt this first time as I rode it after the Himalayan. Need to find a fix
13. While the wheelbase looks large it doesn't hamper cornering or turning, it's better than old Himalayan but not as sharp as the ADV
14. Overall very impressed, if the front end is cleaned up by removing the metal brackets it's a good looker too. The brake pedal was hot after some time think that's one thing to be looked into.

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