[techfreak]

Nope not yet. Though my bike has seen only one rain but has been pressure washed quite a few number of times, except the oil cooler all other places have been thrashed with pressure wash.

[Cyborg]

A question of curiosity:

The Himalayan has a 21inch front and 17 inch rear wheel in the interest of off-roading. While this may be a perfect combination for off-roading, the 21 inch front (in comparison to a 17 inch front) does make the bike lazy in turning and quick changes of direction while riding on tarmac.

Is it possible to change the front to a 17 inch wheel? If possible this may change the riding dynamics positively for a person buying the bike only for road usage due to the very comfortable ride quality and price point.

Please share your thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

A question of curiosity:

The Himalayan has a 21inch front and 17 inch rear wheel in the interest of off-roading. While this may be a perfect combination for off-roading, the 21 inch front (in comparison to a 17 inch front) does make the bike lazy in turning and quick changes of direction while riding on tarmac.

My old Thunderbird often scrapped its foot pegs, when I would take long sweeping turns.
The Himalayan is yet to lean that low. But I did not feel it as a limitation.

I still turn at good speeds and the grip offered has never made me uncomfortable.

I don't think anyone needs to change the tires for this reason.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by bblost

I still turn at good speeds and the grip offered has never made me uncomfortable.

I don't think anyone needs to change the tires for this reason.

Agreed, after getting used to a particular motorcycle it will seem to make no difference. But, a 21 inch front will make the bike slow to turn in/change direction compared to a 17 inch front. This is why most (not all) road/sports bikes are equipped with 17 inchers on the front.

My question remains - can a 17 inch rim/tyre be fitted to the front of the Himalayan (to match the 17 inch rear) with no negatives if off-roading is not on the agenda for the purchase.

Cheers

[satishv1987]

Quick question.

My bike has run around 3500 kms. The shift from 1st to 2nd is still not very smooth. If I attempt to shift it in a swift,single motion, it is quite loud. Do any of the other owners have a similar issue?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by satishv1987

Quick question.

My bike has run around 3500 kms. The shift from 1st to 2nd is still not very smooth. If I attempt to shift it in a swift,single motion, it is quite loud. Do any of the other owners have a similar issue?

Am at 1200 and feel exactly the same.

Especially when compared to a brand new Classic 500 bought by a friend just a day back.

The gears on the Himalayan are sticky. It takes more than a little effort to change them.

[ArizonaJim]

It is very possible that the clutch cable needs to be adjusted.

To check this, apply a very light pressure to the clutch lever on the handlebars just to the point that some resistance is felt.

There should be about 2 to 3mm of movement in the lever when the resistance occurs. (See page 42 in the owners manual).

Things like clutch cables stretch over time and when this happens, the clutch lever will not release the clutch as much as it should. If the clutch is not released while the gears are being changed, movement of the gear change lever will be more difficult.

Adjusting the clutch cable is not difficult and the process is described in the owners manual, again on page 42.

While doing this adjustment, be sure that the clutch lever moves at least 2mm before resistance is felt.
If the adjustment removes all of the free lever movement, the clutch will not fully engage and may slip. Also, the clutch release bearing which is not meant to run all of the time will wear if it is constantly under pressure because of a over-tight clutch cable.

The other reason shifting may be difficult is just because at 1200 km the parts are still in the process of breaking in.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by satishv1987

...My bike has run around 3500 kms. The shift from 1st to 2nd is still not very smooth...

Ditto out here - though I have only crossed the 1000km mark.

My clutch play is normal & so is the tightness. I have decided to use the bike as is and see how things play out.

Initially, I wondered if it would be a real bother but am okay now & quite used to the pronounced two step shift required to go from the first to the second.

I try to ensure full clutch press when in slow speeds - this really helps to avoid that sticky neutral at most times.

That said, every now and then, I do get caught off-guard like while in traffic, when super quick shifts are required.

Since the topic was brought up: Would sticky gears smoothen out (a little at least) as usage clocks up? Is there a silver lining to look forward to?

[satishv1987]

Originally Posted by bblost

Am at 1200 and feel exactly the same.

Especially when compared to a brand new Classic 500 bought by a friend just a day back.

Can't agree more. My brother rides a Desert storm and I find the gears on that so much smoother compared to my bike.

Originally Posted by rideon74

That said, every now and then, I do get caught off-guard like while in traffic, when super quick shifts are required.

This is something which annoys me a lot, especially in Bangalore traffic. There are times when a quick overtaking maneuver goes kaput due to the sticky gears.

[jackerhack]

Hey all, new BHPian here.

I fell in love with the Himalayan when I first saw it in 2016. I kept hearing of problems though, so I put off the purchase decision for a year and setup a recurring deposit to finance it whenever the time was right. Fast forward to March 2018. The money was in the bank and I really wanted a bike, but I also wanted ABS, which the Himalayan doesn't have. All indications are that RE will put off ABS release until the law forces them to. Should I buy something else instead? I test drove both the Himalayan and Duke 390, decided on heart over head, and booked a Himalayan BS4 Granite with the Sleet Explorer Kit from Koramangala Motors in Bangalore.

The delivery was unceremonious. They assigned me the piece sitting in the showroom, the same bike my 4yo daughter had mounted and declared that she liked very much. Two days later they gave me the keys and waved me out of the showroom with nothing more than a handshake. No photograph, cardboard cutout keys, or any other fuss. The Himalayan was mine just like that, 6 km on the odo.

The bike is great. It's louder than I'd have liked, and the shift between first and second gear is clunky, but those are the only complaints I have.

A few days later I figured I should get done with the 500 km run-in and set out for a 100 km ride one night. On the airport highway I found I could barely see the road despite the lights being on. High beam? Still too dark. Turned out the light was aimed far too high, illuminating everything above eye level. I asked the showroom. They said the service centre will fix it during first service. Opinions on Team-BHP and YouTube said the stock lights are generally weak and I should pick up an LED lamp, so I looked around for compatible ones and ordered one from Amazon.

Meanwhile, work started to take its toll and I went from 300 km in the first week to only 439 km at the end of the month when the first service was due. Oh well, might as well get the service done and clock some more km over the weekend.

This Wednesday, 25th April, I handed in my bike to the Koramangala Motors service centre, and had the first of what promises to be a series of unpleasant experiences. My asks:

1. The bike rattles when going over potholes. I suspected a loose spring in the centre stand. The service rep made note of it, but the bike was returned with this problem still present.

2. The rearview mirrors are useless. Could I have the GT ones please? Rep didn't seem to think this was a good idea, but delivered the mirrors anyway. Slightly misaligned so I couldn't actually see behind me, but I went home and fixed that.

3. There was a chip in the paint at two spots on the rear grab handle. I had only noticed after taking delivery. Could RE do something about it? Was I entitled to a replacement if this was damage before delivery? Could they at least paint it, since there was now rust forming? The service rep refused to consider it because the showroom hadn't notified them. Umm, what? When I had asked the showroom earlier about the headlamp angle, they told me to ask the service centre. When leaving the service centre I spotted another rep who had been present at delivery, so I asked him. He said the paint chip was a common problem because of how the bikes are transported to the showroom, and he'd get it painted for me. However, this was not done when I took delivery of the bike. I pointed this out and someone appeared with a can of paint and proceeded to drip it over the seat. There's now a mysterious "Plating" labour charge for Rs 300 on my bill.

4. I gave the service centre the new LED lamp. They tested it before me, confirmed it was working, then said they'd have to replace the switch with the BS3 version which has a manual light switch (BS4 doesn't). Since the LED light had an "angel light" ring (white and orange), that could be connected for DRL and the main lamp to a manual switch. We agreed on using the white DRL light and leaving out the orange.

When I took delivery of the bike, they had installed an extra switch to control the orange DRL. The white DRL wasn't always on, but connected to the parking light on the BS3 switch. The pass light worked when the headlamp was off, but didn't work when on. High beam didn't work at all. I told the rep (a) the extra switch was unnecessary and not agreed upon, and (b) there was clearly a problem with the way this lamp was wired up. The service rep disagreed and said this was how it should work, but because I refused to leave, agreed to remove the extra switch.

The service manager Pramodh was around, so I told him I was uncomfortable with the way the lights were configured. This didn't seem safe for night riding. Pramodh didn't like hearing this. He told me if I cared about safety, I shouldn't use an LED lamp because (a) it's heavy and puts too much weight on the front of the bike, and (b) it will blind oncomers and make the road unsafe. Seriously? The mechanic meanwhile insisted the high/low beam reversal was a fault in the lamp and they couldn't do anything about it.

Being completely unconvinced, I rode over to Gear Gear Motorcycles and met Amruth, the owner. He muttered "idiots" and proceeded to fix the wiring. Koramangala Motors had indeed messed it up when installing the BS3 switch, and instead of acknowledging their error, had blamed me for my choices.

I have to go to them three more times for "free service" to keep my warranty, and I'm already dreading it. Why do these people have such contempt for their customers? A blotch on an otherwise great bike experience, and I'm seriously hoping it's nothing more than a blotch.

The odo hit 450 km when I reached home and the service light is blinking now. Right after a service! Looks like I'll have to take it back to get it switched off.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by jackerhack

The delivery was unceremonious.

They are idiots.

I have referred back quite a few people to my dealership simply based on the awesome buying experience.

The bike is great. It's louder than I'd have liked, and the shift between first and second gear is clunky, but those are the only complaints I have.

Easy way to solve the noise is to get a better helmet.
The gears are an issue in my bike as well.

A few days later I figured I should get done with the 500 km run-in and set out for a 100 km ride one night. On the airport highway I found I could barely see the road despite the lights being on. High beam? Still too dark. Turned out the light was aimed far too high, illuminating everything above eye level. I asked the showroom. They said the service centre will fix it during first service. Opinions on Team-BHP and YouTube said the stock lights are generally weak and I should pick up an LED lamp, so I looked around for compatible ones and ordered one from Amazon.

My headlights are also illuminating quite high. I will sit down and figure out the assembly sometime in the future.
I am not a fan of extra lights. My old Thunderbird had stock headlights and the only upgrade if you can call it that was my putting in a halogen bulb.
Never felt the need for any extra lights.

I ride a lot at night but follow some rules like never looking into the oncoming vehicles lights, an extremely clean helmet visor and keeping my speed relaxed.

1. The bike rattles when going over potholes. I suspected a loose spring in the centre stand. The service rep made note of it, but the bike was returned with this problem still present.

This should be an easy fix. But I doubt its a spring in the main stand. Try and shake everything to identify where the issue might be.

2. The rearview mirrors are useless. Could I have the GT ones please? Rep didn't seem to think this was a good idea, but delivered the mirrors anyway. Slightly misaligned so I couldn't actually see behind me, but I went home and fixed that.

Can you please post a picture.
While I am satisfied with the stock mirrors, I find them a tad ugly.

There's now a mysterious "Plating" labour charge for Rs 300 on my bill.

Stupid games dealerships play.
Make a huge scene the next time they pull this nonsense.

I have to go to them three more times for "free service" to keep my warranty, and I'm already dreading it. Why do these people have such contempt for their customers? A blotch on an otherwise great bike experience, and I'm seriously hoping it's nothing more than a blotch.

NO. You can go anywhere you want.
I gave my bike to a different dealership for service as its much closer to my office.

The odo hit 450 km when I reached home and the service light is blinking now. Right after a service! Looks like I'll have to take it back to get it switched off.

They forgot to fix this in my bike as well.

I did the same steps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILfrdwHZ5Is

It worked.

[rakesh_r]

To those who feel the stock mirrors are useless, please try the mirrors from the Avenger, have seen quite a few seasoned riders use them on their Himalayan.
PS- I had them on my Dessert Storm, was quite satisfied.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

To those who feel the stock mirrors are useless, please try the mirrors from the Avenger, have seen quite a few seasoned riders use them on their Himalayan.

Thanks for the info about the rear view mirrors. I was thinking of opting for mirrors with a wider view angle. Just a question though: Aren't the Avenger's set of mirrors chrome plated?

I'm on the hunt for RVMs that have black as their body colour. Chromed ones might suit the styling of the desert storms or the classics, but methinks these might be quite loud on my black Himalayan.

Originally Posted by jackerhack

...and booked a Himalayan BS4 Granite with the Sleet Explorer Kit from Koramangala Motors in Bangalore.

Hi & congratulations on your new acquisition! Your also warmly welcomed to the "RE sh**ty dealers" club. Membership is free but not compulsory. As mentioned previously, you can opt for other customer-friendly RE service centres instead of the one you purchased your bike from.

Just a heads up here: If ever you need to change the headlight's angle adjustment, you can DIY it. It's just a matter of removing the rubber covers (with flat head screwdriver) on the side of the frame as shown and using the correct Allen key to loosen the bolts inside. Adjust as required & you're good to go!

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by rideon74

Just a question though: Aren't the Avenger's set of mirrors chrome plated?
I'm on the hunt for RVMs that have black as their body colour. Chromed ones might suit the styling of the desert storms or the classics, but methinks these might be quite loud on my black Himalayan.

You can go for the RVMs from the Avenger Street, they come in Matt Black. Chrome will definitely look horrendous on the Himalayan .

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

You can go for the RVMs from the Avenger Street, they come in Matt Black. Chrome will definitely look horrendous on the Himalayan .

Spot on! Those were kind I had in mind - Matt black & fairly rectangular shaped mirrors. These are coming on right away...Now you know what I will be up to after work today!

Thanks for the info...Cheers!