Royal Enfield has done a great job with the weight distribution. I really couldn’t tell this was a 196 kg motorcycle at any point.

BHPian rahulcmoulee recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally got a test ride of the new Himalayan 450 albeit a very short one on 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 up to 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.

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Royal Enfield will open its first flagship store in Istanbul later this year.

Royal Enfield has announced its entry into the Turkish market. The bike maker has partnered with K-Rides Motosiklet ve Bisiklet San. Ve Tic. A. S., a subsidiary of Kibar Holding.

Royal Enfield will offer a range of bikes in Turkey, starting with the 350cc models, all the way up to its 650cc range. These include the Classic, Bullet, Hunter, Meteor, Super Meteor, Interceptor, and Continental GT, as well as the new Himalayan 450 and the Shotgun 650.

With the help of its Turkish partner, Royal Enfield will open its first flagship store in Istanbul later this year. 

Kibar Holding was founded in 1972. The company has been involved in various sectors, including metals, mobility, building materials & construction, packaging, energy, international trading, and logistic services.

Royal Enfield has made the mirrors far more functional and properly adjustable than those of the Himalayan 411.

BHPian shyamg28 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Few observations from me

Mirrors

In general, I feel round mirrors, while they look good, aren't that functional.

But the 450 mirrors actually work well. They also have some sort of anti-reflection thing going on which really helps at night.

On my Himalayan 411, this was the first thing I changed, about 100kms into the ownership.

What I feel is the main difference between them, is how far out the mirrors are on the 450.

Maybe I'm reading into it a bit more than I should, but I feel the 450 ones being a little further out, actually makes it far more functional, in addition to it being properly adjustable now.

Himalayan 411 mirrors.

Himalayan (450) mirrors.

Brake lights/indicators

LEDs on the indicators.

Tail lights default.

With brake lights on.

Turn signals on.

Ergos for a person of height 5.10 and 32 inseam

Himalayan vs V Strom 650 in size

Some cool shots my wife took.

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One year and 14,250 kms later, all i have to say about this bike is one word. Awesome.

BHPian rajeevsulu recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi

Today marks exactly one year since I took delivery of my Interceptor 650 Chrome. A lovely motorcycle that gave me so much peace and kept me sane through this very tumultuous phase of life.

One year and 14,250 kms later, all I have to say about this bike is one word. Awesome. I agree this could have been better and that could have been a little different. I have no regrets at all.

I have changed just three things on this machine. I bought a pair of bar end mirrors from @tharian, fitted Powerage exhaust cans, and changed the rear Ceat tyre. Everything else is in stock and will be in stock.

I have consistently recorded a mileage of 26 kmpl throughout this period and that is very good for me as I accelerate very hard through the gears. The motorcycle was always serviced at Royal Enfield and I have had no major issues other than a little noise with the front shocks and battery draining out recently which was ultimately nothing.

This bike kept me sane along with my Thar RWD through this very disturbing phase of my life. Love you, my Interceptor.

Cheers

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I find the new switchgear, which is also available on the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, difficult to reach quickly as I have short thumbs.

BHPian shyamg28 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Ergos on the left side of the handlebar

I hate this headlight twister thingy. I have short thumbs and I find it difficult to reach this thing quickly. I feel manufacturers should not change some of these things. Just make them standard and leave them be.

The rest of the stuff is easily reachable. The joystick can take some learning to use accurately. It's intuitive more or less.

It didn't take me the longest time to learn how to use it. Pull the stick to the right and hold and it prompts the wifi SSID.

The "Home" button is where one usually finds the "pass" switch. Useful but I wish it worked as a "back" button as well.

Seat height settings

This is how it looks with the 825mm seat setting (default).

This is with the 845mm seat height setting.

845mm seat height setting.

I find the way that rubber is pulled to be a bit flimsy, to be honest.

This is how it looks with the 845mm seat height set.

That's the keyhole to open up the seat.

Continue reading shyamg28's opinions about his Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

"Riding both of them for few days now and here are my very initial observations of the 450 as compared to my 411."

BHPian khan_sultan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Have had the Himalayan 411 for 2 years and is used mostly for long-distance touring and now bought the Himalayan 450 also for touring. Riding both of them for a few days now and here are my very initial observations of the 450 as compared to my 411:

Till about 60-70 kmph speeds and in 4th gear and low gears/low speeds/low rpms, the riding experience of the 411 is much better than the 450 and I will take the 411 over the 450, 10 out of 10 times.

The tractability of the 411 is much better and the 450 needs the gears to be worked (a lot).

At low speeds, in 411, I can be in the wrong gear/rpm combo, yet the 411 will not break sweat. In 450, it will just not tolerate the same and the 450 will let you know that it is just not comfortable in such situations. So, in such a scenario, the gears need to be worked a bit more in 450.

Somehow the sound of the 411 seems better to me than the 450 till about 80-90. (Not going about 90/100 in 450 as yet, so can't comment above that). The 411 has some characters that the 450 seems to miss. It's not bad in 450, but the character seems missing for me.

The 450 has some constant "electric whining" noise (for lack of a better term) and there are 2 distinct sounds that one hears. One is the exhaust/engine, and the other is that "electric sound" coming continuously. It's kind of irritating and takes away some part of the riding fun.

The "vibration/buzz" is there, in the 450, at a certain combination of rpm/speed/gear (yet to fully isolate the same) and my 411 is better in this aspect (at least till 80 speed/5th gear).

BTW, the lean of the side stand is something that is always at the back of the mind. The rest of the ergonomics/weight etc. is not an issue at all for me.

450 has a far more comfortable seat, an area on the seat to move around, and mind-blowing suspension & brakes compared to 411. The "features" of the 450 are obviously better than the 411.The 450, when on the move feels a lot "easier" than the 411.

Summary: The 411 and the 450 are two totally different machines and while enjoying the 450, I can't resist the fun of the 411 also. Had planned to let go of the 411 sometime after the 450 but the 411 is staying for sure! No way of letting it go as of now.

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I really liked the experience but I'll wait for 6 months to pass for issues to surface and problems to be solved before I put my money down.

BHPian Motard_Blr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I took a test ride yesterday. Here's what stood out enough that it left an impression on me:

• The bike is really long! Very good for stability but finding parking in crowded cities is going to be tough with the bike sticking out so much.
• It felt very natural riding it. I didn't feel like I was riding a totally alien bike and did have to think about how it handled.
• My ride was just a few km in the city but I managed to hit the rev limiter in 1st and 2nd gears. Vibrations are ok and didn't bother me.
• The brakes were good but the lever and pedal feel were not. It's hard to identify the bite point of the brakes.
• The finishing was really nice but there are still a lot of crude parts. The sheet metal welded parts such as the tank side guards come to mind.
• I barely looked at the display during my ride but I think it's well-designed. Except for the indicator and other warning lights. They are also displayed on the screen, therefore they cannot be brighter than the rest of the screen. That's a mistake! There are too many people riding around forgetting that their indicators are flashing! The indicator is not self-cancelling and does not have an audible beep so it's easy to forget they're on. I think all two-wheelers should come with a beeper connected to the indicator.
• The link-type rear suspension is a big plus. This surely improves comfort and handling compared to direct-acting suspension.
• The suspension is really comfortable and it's easy to ride over bad roads that would make you wince or clench your jaw on many other bikes.
• I didn't look for or notice any delay or play in the throttle that some have reported.
• You definitely notice the weight at walking speeds! Extra care needed while manoeuvring on slopes and slippery surfaces!
• I'm 5'10" and I didn't feel any difficulty in mounting, sitting on or dismounting the bike even on the side stand.
• Ergonomically, the Himalayan is really well-designed. Everything feels like it's in the right place.
• There is not as much torque at lower speeds as I expected from a big single. So I needed to be in a lower gear than I initially thought to get enough acceleration. It doesn't bother me, though. For a bike making less than 100 PS/litre, I feel like that's sub par. All the KTMs make more than 100 ps/litre and have lower bottom-end torque but compensate nicely at the top end.

On the whole, I really liked the experience but I won't be booking it any time soon. I'll wait for 6 months to pass for issues to surface and problems to be solved before I part with my money.

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The incredible specs on paper & the hype online make us imagine that the grass is greener on the other side, and then one test ride slaps us back to reality.

BHPian klgiridhar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I finally went for a test ride at the ITPL RE showroom. The showroom was packed even at 7 PM with one Super Meteor, one Himalayan Kaza Brown delivery taking place, and many others checking all the other bikes.

I currently ride the Honda CB 350 RS. So, you can consider my opinions from the point of view of someone who has done close to 25k km on that bike. The test ride was not a long one, around 4-5 km as few others were waiting after me. The route I took was from the showroom - Hopefarm signal - Prashanth Layout - Vydehi and back.

Here are my observations. I am a little disappointed, to be honest, as the bike didn't feel worthy of the hype primarily due to its engine.

Before going there, let's look at the pros as well:

• The fit and finish felt good with no rattling sound from anywhere.
• The mirrors remained fairly clear with no signs of buzz, although the field of view could've been better but I got used to round mirrors with the RS.
• The Suspension was the main highlight. If anyone knows the route I took, you would know that there are a lot of speed bumps, rumble strips, and a few patches near Brigade Tech Park where there is no road as well. I didn't feel a thing. On the CB, at low speeds, you do feel the bumps as it is slightly on the stiffer side (not uncomfortable though) but this one is at an altogether different level. Big thumbs up.
• Even though the bike felt heavy to take off the stand, it felt light and easy when moving around. I am 5 ft 9 and I didn't have any problem moving it around. I was almost flat-footing on both sides.
• The display felt crisp and with a nice resolution.
• The engine has a strong and progressive pull as the revs climb.

Now coming to the cons from my initial impressions:

• The engine was decent providing good punch from around 3.5k rpm but the low end was not the best, although decent enough. Coming from a long-stroke motor, I have expected this. But the main problem is the engine felt unfinished and rough, like a work in progress. The engine note is underwhelming as well.
• I wanted purposefully to test ride at night first. And the headlight felt useless (same as my CB350RS). Need aux-lights if you prefer touring at night as well.
• The position of the gear lever is bad and I didn't feel comfortable shifting the gears immediately, although might get used to it.
• Though the fit and finish levels are good, the indicator, and the joystick all lack the tactile feedback expected.

Vibrations

Before bashing out on the bike, I would like to put forward that I didn't get a chance to test the 5th and 6th gears. And this may be due to the test ride bike as well but the test ride bike was in very good condition. So yeah, coming to the vibrations, they are delivered in truck-loads - on the handlebar, on the footpegs. The seat felt fairly isolated though. I was mostly riding in 2.5 - 4.5k rpm and my hands almost went numb in that 5km test ride. Looking forward to taking it out onto the highway to see how it fares at speeds between 100-120 kph but as things stand, this bike almost goes off my consideration list straight away.

Coming from a Honda, the vibes on the Himalayan never felt like a buzz, they were like actual vibes. Add to that the rough and unfinished feeling of the engine, by the time I finished the test ride, I was disappointed that such a brilliant suspension and chassis setup could go to waste with the feel of the engine.

After the test ride, I took the GT out for a spin, and what a creamy smooth engine it is. Loved it. Eagerly looking forward to the Shotgun 650 and the Scram 650. Both have/are expected to have better ergonomics than the Twins.

Finally, came back and sat on my bike, the CB350RS, and turned it on. Don't know what magic Honda does, but the experience was surreal, I felt that I was taken back to the future with the refinement that it has. I do a lot of highway touring and this bike is perfectly good until 110 kph, the only thing is it is difficult or almost impossible to make a quick overtake at speeds of 100+. The upgrade bug is biting me after close to 3 years because of this reason alone. Also, the gearing is a little tall but you get used to it, thanks to the slick gearbox. For everything else, the CB twins are great motorcycles to consider.

So yeah, with all the incredible specs on paper, the hype online making us imagine that the grass is greener on the other side, then one test ride slaps us back to reality and in a way, makes us appreciate what we have as well. I forgot all the features the Himalayan had the moment I started riding it. To each, his own. Do take a test ride, you may not feel the vibes that much but coming from a Honda, my tolerance levels are fairly low.

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Royal Enfield hasn’t announced the exact timeline for the launch of the Classic 350 Flex.

Royal Enfield has unveiled a flex-fuel version of the Classic 350 at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Show.

The Classic 350 Flex looks like a standard Classic 350, except for the unique paint job. The bike has a metallic green fuel tank with red livery, a single seat and wire spoke wheels.

The 350cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine can run on a blend of petrol and ethanol, but the exact proportions have not been disclosed. The engine produces 20 BHP @ 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm @ 4,000 rpm.

Royal Enfield hasn’t announced the exact timeline for the launch of the Classic 350 Flex.

Source: Bikewale

Is the motorcycle heavy? Yes, but it isn't as top-heavy as the Bajaj Dominar.

BHPian rishi.roger recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Went for a proper ~30m+ no-restriction test ride (with my wife as a pillion). Fortunately, the dealership had the 805mm seat height installed according to them and I was very easily able to flat foot on the bike with both my feet planted on the ground firmly and even then some room to bend the leg (I'm 5'7"). I think people with 5'5" should be easily able to ride the motorbike with low seat height accessory.

Few key points from the ride:

Engine

The engine is happy to rev but not as much hyped in Media. Yes, it has a very nice power surge after 3k rpm but I think you would not want to red-line it all the way. It feels harsh after say 6k rpm and IMO that band from 6-8.5k rpm is not as enjoyable. The sweet spot feels between 2-6k rpm where you don't feel any stress or harshness creeping in. Also, that range is very practical and enough. I wasn't bothered by buzz/vibes at all unless I was going beyond 6k rpm which would translate to ~120kmph in the last drive.

Low-End Torque

I was expecting a lot more engine knock and poor low-down torque but to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. 10/10 it won't stall in the city even in bumper-to-bumper traffic, unlike KTMs.

Engine Heat

Very noticeable even at 16-17 deg-C ambient temperature, while wearing denims and outdoor boots. I was riding it moderately. I'm not surprised though as I was expecting it, coming from a similar machine.

Suspensions

They're great but I think people have over-hyped it in media reviews. They do an excellent job in filtering out tiny bumps and smoothening out mid-size jolts but you're still going to feel the bad roads - just that with the 21" wheel, small bumps or breakers won't slow you down.

Brakes

Rear brake is wow! Crazy! Front brake is very good and progressive. Braking on this bike is definitely one of a kind!

Handling

The bike is not as top-heavy as the Dominar. It's heavy? Yes, but I think it's manageable if you're able to flat-foot it to an extent. On Dominar, even with a flat foot, it was a task. The handle is quite agile. The bike can be flicked but you need to gain confidence. The only situation where I felt the bike could pose a bit of a challenge was for cornering addicts, but that too would be more about trust and the learning curve. I was able to lean upto a fair extent but I didn't have all my gear so I didn't push too hard - and it was a wise decision, IMO.

I rode it in dense city traffic and it wasn't too much struggle (except for peak summers where heat might become a challenge).

Console

I didn't really mess around with the tripper-dash console. However, I noticed that it wasn't distracting at all. I had everything that I needed. In fact, it also seems to have a sensor which sets the mode from light to dark depending upon light sensitivity. (I noticed this when I entered a tunnel - and my phone wasn't paired with it for any map info).

Side/Rear-View Mirrors

The first thing I told my wife "I am going to change this and replace it with the Dominar's or some better RVMs the moment I get the bike". It honestly felt very small and the adjustment was horrible. Not sure if it was an issue with the particular bike but unfortunately they only had one unit in the showroom.

In short

The bike is extremely practical and fun to handle on bad roads and city as well. However, I don't think it's the bike I would recommend to my friends if they want something for the sheer pleasure of motorbiking on decent roads. I really couldn't connect with the engine in a way where I could say that I was able to feel the heart of the machine (Long stroke feel has spoiled me). It felt like any other ordinary engine but responsive and with more power.

If I wanted a machine with a great engine, particularly in terms of feel/signature, the 650s from RE are excellent. It makes me think that should I wait for RE to launch a Himalayan with a 650cc heart?

I must say this again, Himalayan 450 is excellent in terms of practicality. RE engineering team has knocked this one out of the park, but it also seems true to me that it won't win any medals in the design/looks/finish or feel department.

My decision after the test ride

Am I getting it? Yes, definitely because motorbiking is not just about taking the feel from the engine for me but also the ability to take it anywhere and everywhere without worry (this is precisely where Himalayan seem to tick everything on my list).

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