[ecenandu]

Originally Posted by The Great

I totally understand your views on the EFI and agree to it too, but mate my post never mentioned it anywhere about the EFi. You totally misread the question I guess.

I was asking which carb is used in the Himalayan

Yup, my bad.

I read this

Originally Posted by Mohd Faiz

I didnt expect this bike will be offered with the carburetor. The slow throttle response would be a deal breaker for a bike with such an aggressive character.

and quoted you.

I was asking which carb is used in the Himalayan

I believe they are from UCAL, Chennai. Don't know whether its all new, most probably not. Mostly a carry over from the 350 or 500 with other jets and jet needle, you know all those subtle changes.

[puneeth2]

A rugged motorcycle which means business. Every part on it looks minimalistic and is there for a functional reason. Reminds me of Chris Pratt's Triumph Scrambler in thee movie 'Jurassic World'. I'd say it's drool worthy for someone who doesn't care about cosmetics and wants a bike which is rugged and looks the part.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by ecenandu

Mostly a carry over from the 350 or 500 with other jets and jet needle, you know all those subtle changes.

Certainly not from the 350s. From the looks, I think it is the UCD 33 from the Bullet 500.

The motorcycle looks refined. The absence of the kick starter worries me ; may be the intent was to reduce weight by removing the kick start pawl and all other things, but still it is a loss.

During the launch there was mention about the service - "that they were part of the development of the motorcycle and hence are well trained". Made me smile as I know what kind of people will be servicing the motorcycle, here in Trivandrum. As several others mentioned in this forum, I won't even think about this motorcycle for a couple of years until RE completely eliminates the niggles, if any. Been a guinea pig once (2011 UCE) and had sleepless nights; don't intent to be one any more.

[N.r.K]

Would have loved if it had switchable ABS, at least as an option! Would have made it a little less 'adventurous' on regular roads!
That said, the specs are just as people had speculated and if it delivers on the promise, RE have a blockbuster in the making. Its kinda right on the sweet spot in terms of price.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Mohd Faiz

I didnt expect this bike will be offered with the carburetor. The slow throttle response would be a deal breaker for a bike with such an aggressive character.

So the most famously, gloriously aggressive bikes throughout motorcycling history were all handicapped by poor throttle response on account of being carbureted? Most definitely not...

A carb was clearly the right choice for this bike at this time, and actually one of the things that tempts me towards it. RE's FI systems have proved fairly disastrous up here in the Himalayas, at least, and would not have fit in with the project's design philosophy of reliability and simplicity.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Just watched the entire video of the official introduction in Delhi:

"Flow" with its surroundings, versatility, ruggedness, simplicity, timelessness, purposefulness, HONESTY of design... The Himalayan's motivating philosophy is near perfect and much more than I'd dared expect. Five years is a long time, and lot of thought, a lot of development, a lot of imagining and rethinking and refining obviously went into this machine and even its peripherals (gear, etc). "From the ground up" is truly earth-shattering coming from RE, whose former offerings (apart from the Fury/Explorer/Silver Plus Zundapp imports and the nearly forgotten Crusader/mini-Bullets) have been using the same chassis and same engine displacements for over 60 years...

But this is a revolution - now we see expertise and experience drawn in broadly from wherever / whomever necessary, and ironically, that diversity seems to have ultimately produced a purer and more singular focus. The commitment to development and refinement to where the bike is just "right" is inspiring, and I applaud the Himalayan team; Regardless of how the bike actually performs, I feel myself wanting to buy one if for no other reason to reward their efforts; Fortunately, the clarity of these efforts seems to have actually produced something that gives me a dozen other reasons to want one.

Compare RE's approach here to that of HH's with the Impulse and the latter just appears to be one more effort at pawning off some pre-engineered (in that case Brazilian) relatively disposable product to an Indian market that actually yearned for something better and more appropriate to its aspirations (like a 230cc version, at least?).

Owning that Hero personally, after a lot of tweaking I do not count it a horrible bike... but suffice it to say, had the Himalayan been introduced a couple years earlier (sans proper development), or the Impulse a couple years later (refined as it ought to have been), the end results might have been quite different, and the Himalayan might not be looking so much like the singular machine of choice that it is now. I really wonder whether the pricing will allow me to somehow justify a second new bike within two years, or whether I'm going to have to wait awhile now...

Having raved positively here, two possible imperfections in my view:

1. Practically speaking, I always have preferred articulating headlamps (the Himalayan's is not), especially on the sorts of twisty roads the Himalayan was purportedly designed for, but even for urban use. You simply can't see as far ahead of you in a turn with a fixed headlamp. I suppose that was sacrificed to the front pannier racks; it remains to be seen if it was a worthwhile sacrifice and the good outweighs the bad. I'm doubtful, though of course it might depend on intended use.

2. The question of arriving at the right weight was discussed, but without quoting specs. One source has told me that 20kg's was shaved off the weight (presumably vs. current Bullets?); a considerable improvement, but I tend to think more might have been lost and still arrived at a stable bike for typical Indian speeds. Could this be more a sacrifice to traditional attitudes that (erroneously) equate heaviness with strength and quality - or perhaps to economic limitations - than to determination of actual ideal weight dynamically speaking? Japanese dual-purpose machines like the DRZ400/XR400 weigh more on the order of 115-120kgs and certainly can be ridden confidently (and in plushness of suspension) at 100 kmph (of course, being built with superior materials, they likely cost more than double what the Himalayan will, and are not, properly speaking, touring-oriented bikes).

Overwhelmingly, though, RE seems to have done a truly amazing job here, and I'm getting this funny feeling I'm going to own one of these sooner or later. A friend up here very much connected to the regional biking scene (but sworn to secrecy till the official intro) had the rare opportunity to test ride the bike several months back when the development teams were doing some trials around Manali. He found it an amazing ride on the very roads we both encounter daily, and on some much worse ones nearby. The sort of bike where you really don't have to think about the road surface that much - it just goes through everything effortlessly, he says. The bike deserves to be a good seller, a true do-it-all, one-bike solution. I've been anything but a RE fanboy all these years up here - but this has me truly excited.

-Eric

Somehow, Himalayan does not attract me. I feel it should have OE stock crash-guard - which is a must, IMO, central stand, kick-starter - whenever my Thunderbird's battery becomes weak due to frequent hibernation, it is my only saviour - and 12V/15A power outlet. Coming to the instrument cluster, if the vendor is the same as that of Thunderbird, then god save Himalayan.

[extreme_torque]

RE has knocked it out of the park this time. This is the first RE that I would want to buy and keep in my stable. The mechanical details especially are beautiful and characterful and then is the name, the best part of the bike in my humble opinion, "Himalayan". I also love the fact that they haven't gone overboard with decals for the brand name, the way is it carved in that piece of steel on the side flank. Simply masterful!

The bike itself looks so purposeful even standing still. It has character and it has got soul and there aren't too many bikes in the market for which you can say that. Can't wait to experience this one when I can. All the best RE.

[nasirkaka]

having experience 2 REs in the past (mach 350 & C5), i was keeping an eye on this one with some excitement.
Post launch, i am not really blown with the specifications as had expected it to be like how it is, but somewhere deep within, was hoping for a bigger surprise.
The fact that RE is broken away from the normal and developed an adventure machine is commendable.

My thoughts:

The bike looks like a much refined version of so many old REs modified for adventure. Visit indi-motard or Art of motorcycles at Bangalore and you see them doing very similar looking mods for ages now, some of them including off-roading suspension, Al rims, etc. I have a feeling that the design is somewhat inspired from all the modded REs for adventure, roaming our country. Not a bad thing at all esp from practical point of now, but i feel there is scope to improve on aesthetics, i dont mean beautification, but giving it a distinctive character like how for eg BMW GS family, or Tiger family has. AM sure there is scope to build on it in future models/variants.

Engine: Have read so many positive things about, will have to experience it to know the exact feel. Going by past experience, i was disappointed with C5 engine performance, an all new motor developed in 2009 could have done better with power and torque figures from a 500cc mill. Forget the claimed 27.2, real dyno testing ( at race dynamics, bangalore) on my bike as well as many other revealed the power at wheel between 14-17 bhp.
I am really hoping the LS 400 is different. on paper, it still does not excite much. I, as a rider, does not care about whether the engine is Long Stroke.(its not a thumper anyways) All i care about is good torque in low and mid range and i am sure given todays technology, more could be extracted from a 410cc engine. Guess its too early to say anything, hoping the engine is a pleasant surprise.
Suspension: love the travel, but as we know, suspension is a very complex system. Travel amount is just a part, will have to see how it handles in various conditions. looks promising though. Love the high GC and they still managed to achieve a seat height of 80 cms. lets see hows the weight distributed.
A few concerns: small amperage for the battery, fixed headlights, lack of 12v OEM socket. Hand/knuckle guard could have been a useful and apt addition, so could spoked rims with tubeless tyres be. Ofcourse the weight of the bike is on higher side, but again there is always cost involved in shedding.

All in all, i will continue with my plans of going ahead with Versys 650 for touring and mild adventure, but will definitely keep an eye on how this bike evolves with time.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

The bike tips the scales at 182 kg. It gets a 15L fuel tank with a touring range of 450 km. The Himalayan gets a 10,000 km oil change interval and a 25,000 km spark plug change interval.

a. Can someone explain the hideous dual-mudgard to me? Why not the typical offroad ones only?
b. 10k km oil change? Even Honda CBR250R has 6000km oil change interval with synthetic oil. Anyone know what oil they are using and what improvements have resulted in this ultra-long drain interval?

[Gordon]

Even the Triumph Tiger and Explorer have dual mudguards.

[Piyadassi]

Saw it at the showroom. The white one. Looked stunning, and intimidating to an extent. Better than in pictures. It's a big bike and sure will command road presence. Pillion seat could have been wider.

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

a. Can someone explain the hideous dual-mudgard to me? Why not the typical offroad ones only?
b. 10k km oil change? Even Honda CBR250R has 6000km oil change interval with synthetic oil. Anyone know what oil they are using and what improvements have resulted in this ultra-long drain interval?

A.
Dual mud guards are adv norms. Serves the purpose. The top one stops the large splashes. The smaller /normal one is for generic road stuff. With only either you wouldn't get the others protection. And it's a adv, looks take absolute back seat.

B.
Oils like motul 7100 are good to last for 10 to 12k. Obviously many will have you believe that you should change the oil every 3-4 kms. Not sure himalayan is using though. Also they talk about service intervals. Not sure about drain intervals of 10k.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Sojogator

A.
Dual mud guards are adv norms. Serves the purpose. The top one stops the large splashes. The smaller /normal one is for generic road stuff. With only either you wouldn't get the others protection. And it's a adv, looks take absolute back seat.

B.
Oils like motul 7100 are good to last for 10 to 12k. Obviously many will have you believe that you should change the oil every 3-4 kms. Not sure himalayan is using though. Also they talk about service intervals. Not sure about drain intervals of 10k.

A. Ah okay. My bad. I need to check out advrider again. Its been a few years I guess Here's what I had on my bike and was happy with:


(ergo my surprise)

B. I have used Motul 300v (fully syn). Many seasons ago, but I remain skeptical about 10k intervals! My curiosity was whether this improvement is due to improvements in the engine metallurgy and any improved tolerance, or whether the improved drain interval comes from using a synthetic oil only. But that is something only time (or an insider!) may tell.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

B. I have used Motul 300v (fully syn). Many seasons ago, but I remain skeptical about 10k intervals! My curiosity was whether this improvement is due to improvements in the engine metallurgy and any improved tolerance, or whether the improved drain interval comes from using a synthetic oil only. But that is something only time (or an insider!) may tell.

Perhaps because the engine isnt stressed for power and therefore does not have to rev too much and hence isnt as hard on the oil. Also I am pretty sure that the oil cooler and the amount of oil play a part as well and it is almost guranteed that they will be using synthetic.