A quick review of the Himalayan 450 from a Suzuki VStrom 650 owner

In preparation of the arrival of this bike we sold the 411 in early 2023 and it had done about 23,000 in 4 years.

BHPian Hammer & Anvil recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Gone is the old 411 and in with the new 452.

It has been some time since we gave an update of my riding activities on this forum and here we are again with what is possibly the first 452 north of Bangalore (20) and TN (1?).

In preparation for the arrival of this bike, we sold the 411 in early 2023 and it had done about 23,000 in 4 years. Fortunately, it never had any of the niggles that plagued many of my friends from blown rectifiers, broken chassis' and over-greased fuses. None of that.

The RE experience was further enhanced with the two 650 Interceptors that I had which put on a collective 55,000 km before both were sold again in late 2022 and one in 2023. #DesaisonGQ is the tag for the epic ride on those bikes.

The 452 bike was revealed to the media about 2 months ago, and I did do some followup with the vloggers and a few RE employees on the aesthetics and the performance envelope of the bike. From various discussions, it started to look like a midway fit between the 411 (absolute trash power), and the 650 (absolutely the worst ride for a pillion) and it was a long wait for the 24th Nov public unveil at Rider Mania (Oops! MotoVerse 2023) in Goa.

Here is a brief report on how the bike rides, without the slightest taint of free holidays in Manali signatures on NDAs, or the possibility of being excluded from future RE factory invites.

It was a little amazing to watch at least 5 riders in the batches prior to my, wheel spin and crash in the gravel of the parking lot. It was even more puzzling to hear dozens of riders complain of bent handlebars, even before the ride started. So when my number came, I was sure that there couldn’t be so many bad riders at MotoVerse - and I thought to myself, you better be prepared for anything and everything.

The first time, rolling out of the paddock, was gentle more throttle + easy clutch, like you would do on the older carburettor 350, unsure of where the stall point was.

Once you got rolling past the 50-75m gravel onto the tarmac, the bike was already up 2500 rpm and you were comfortable and ready to roll and find out what it was about, when the speed breaker outside Anjuna Police station, had everyone approach in 2nd and stall, and more stalls. Coming up last in the line of my group, I realised this was the 'low rpm + low-speed Stall Cocktail.' I just had the sheer luck of being prepared to dunk it into first as we went over the breaker and then easy throttle to get past this hurdle.

The wiser of the few riders then got on this 'fault/shortcoming' really quick and then the short ride over the back roads and the gravel patches, bumps, and everything was just a super ride.

The reason to dwell on this 'lo-lo' issue is that when fellow Team BHP riders take a wonderful bike out to test, they are fully aware of this issue and go prepared for the same and are able to absolutely crank it and enjoy the bike and not come back and crib about this issue if one may call it.

So the next morning, we managed to lay our hands on a bike and wing it through to Mapusa and then the Mapusa bypass towards Mopa Airport, here is the review of the long-distance part of the ride:

1. Brilliant Chassis
2. Absolutely brilliant suspension
3. Wide handlebars, and super stance
4. 805, 825, 830, and 845 mm seat heights, which means they have covered many many people who were 6' (in India and overseas) and this is a fantastic plus for widening their target audience.
5. 17L fuel tank x 30kmpl/, would give you a 400+ range to refuel
6. The top speed I managed was about 130, with many journos and vloggers affirming 155-159 as the top speed
7. I felt that the 110-120 speed bracket was good, my bike did not have the windshield, so I was unable to sustain anything more than my helmet would allow comfortably - 120, was my happy speed. 100-110 I think was the golden zone.

Why should one look at this bike?

It will eat miles, and you will reach your destination an hour earlier at the end of a 700km day. This makes it easier to have a slightly higher average speed on highways, which means your stops can be more leisurely and if you have no hurry to reach the end of the day's ride, then you can have easy breaks. This means this is a bike, which is a pillion, (the Mrs, in my case) a happy camper.

The instant recall of the PLUS POINTS: Power to overtake the odd sugarcane cart, the Volvos, and the suspension making it a breeze to ride. Anyone who has ridden a 21" wheel will relish the safety on the edges of concrete and poor tar patchwork and there is just so much mental ease.

My present steed the VStrom 650 feels the pressure of a younger sibling in the garage, and probably in the coming 3 months, I will decide on what role both would play.

The 452 is not a replacement for the 411. It is a brand-new machine and it's simply amazing to ride. I just would want readers to go out and test-ride it and see if their daily commute kind of traffic is what they can handle. If you can handle this in traffic, don’t even waste your time on the open road! Just buy the bike.

ARAI is sitting on tubeless rims. So no comments on that.

Matt, Glossy and Metallic paint schemes are the main reason for the price difference.

About those waiting for the 'v2.0' can also wait a little longer for the Xpulse 250 which will be participating in most bike rallies this year in India.

If there is one thing that puzzles me, if RE has Dakar aspirations then why this 452, 2cc over the Dakar cut-off?

We will be back in a few months with an update on the first few thousand KM.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.