[KarthikK]

Accessories (Part-2 - Panniers)

Perhaps the most important accessory I was eyeing was the RE OE Aluminium Panniers which are very handy for touring. There was already a flat 20% discount on Panniers around the time we purchased the bike. Most customers get the Aluminium color variant and so, I was able to bargain more on the (slow moving) black colored pannier variants and landed a fantastic price for these, much beyond the 20% discount mark *wink*. They suit the red and black colored bike too anyway






These OE Panniers need Pannier rails to be fitted onto the bike frame (another OE accessory) and the boxes are then mounted on to these rails later



The pannier rails are bolted on to pre-provided slots here on the bike frame, just under the rider seat



And here under the pillion seat



OE Pannier rails are pretty much a permanent attachment on the bike (unless one has the patience to detach and attach them from/to the frame for every ride)



The boxes come with a pair of reflective strips for front and rear. I had to paste them myself but the strips were provided in the boxes



The bottom of the attaching side of the boxes have these hard rubber L-shaped clamps to fasten the underside of the boxes onto the lower rails, denoting the weight-bearing part of it.



They have 26 litres luggage capacity each, and are spacious enough for 2-3 days luggage per person + some camera / drone gear for our trips



There is a 5 kg weight capacity guideline (per side), not to overload the panniers beyond that, pasted on the insides of both the panniers' lids



On the inner part of the panniers there are 2 levers to loosen and tighten the clamps securing the panniers to the rails (needs to be screwed and tightened to bring the notch into locking position with the upper rails)



Once both clamps are tightened on the inside and locked onto the rails with the black nuts, the boxes are completely stable and do not even move with jerks.



The hinge is at the breadth end of the box(es), and the lid is secured with a metal string at the wide open position



The boxes come with hooks and clamps to fasten the lid tightly and hold it there



Hooking and clamping the lid down



Closed and fastened, they look like this



The panniers come with keys to lock the boxes. One can peacefully park the bike and go have food at a restaurant without worrying about someone stealing something from the luggage.



Weirdly, RE had put 2 keys in each pannier. I first thought each pannier had its own keys (not interchangeable) but I was mistaken. All the four keys work on both the panniers (serial number is same anyway which I observed later). Bizarre to have 1 original key and 3 duplicates (1+1 would have sufficed, no?)



Both the panniers fitted onto the bike. The pillion seat and grab rails access are unaffected



Rear look - they look basic yet serve the purpose. The reflectors help other folks see these on the road at night



The front look with the reflectors



Side profile look of the whole bike with the panniers



These panniers increase the width of the overall setup at the rear and the rider must keep a tab on them. The OE crash guards are not wide enough to protect the panniers from falls and crashes, so one must always keep this in mind and be careful when the panniers are attached



Drone's view of the bike with panniers - The panniers are not wider than the handlebar, so if the handle makes it through any gap, so will the panniers. One still needs to be careful while making tight turns and in parking lots though! I am used to riding with panniers on the Ninja, but that doesn't justify any complacency here!



Tour-Fast meets Tour-Anywhere Each of them serves a different set of purposes and keeps us happy in their own way!

[KarthikK]

Riding gear




I wanted to get a set of well certified, ultra comfortable and long lasting riding gear for the Himalayan, owing to the fact that I would be touring quite a bit and possibly even to some of the worst roads / remote areas where falls weren’t uncommon. I have been in a bad crash in my younger years with a dislocated elbow and some broken bones, once bitten twice shy! I would gladly delay a vehicle's purchase but not compromise on the riding gear anymore.

Around the time that I picked up this bike, I didn’t have a strong idea of the riding gear purchase yet. Just then, many riding gear shops were reopening after the covid lockdown(s) in June. A lot of these shops were disposing marginally old stocks of imported brands at mouth watering prices to boost their sales, and I landed some mouth watering deals on Alpinestars riding gear at Orion riding store, Koramangala. I ended up buying the entire set in Alpinestars, prioritizing safety and fit and finish. Coincidentally, I now have a completely different 'avatar' for every bike in the garage .

Jacket: Alpinestars T-Jaws v2 Air

Incredibly perfect fit and exudes quality. It incorporates excellent breathability on hot days and comes with removable liners for cold weather and wet weather protection. The all-day comfort of this jacket is incredible.



Back protection: Alpinestars Nucelon KR Cell Spine Level 2 Armour
It is worn like a backpack and fastened around the waist before wearing the jacket



Chest protection: Alpinestars KR-Ci Chest Armour inserts
These are inserted into dedicated pockets inside the Alpinestars jacket for chest protection



Pants: Alpinestars Sonoran Drystar
These are comfortable, ventilated and have mesh panels to ensure good breathability during rides. They come with removable drystar linings for those rainy days.



Gloves: Alpinestars SP2-V2
These are perforated leather full gauntlet gloves for touring use, they are very comfortable and have good ventilation for hot days.



Helmet: Bell MX-9 Adventure MIPS Stealth Camo
I wanted a dual sport helmet which I could use for touring as well as trail-bashing / rugged roads off the beaten path if I wanted to. This one fits the bill well and is very highly rated even by online reviewers overseas, so I chose it in an understated camouflage black livery. The comfort, aesthetics and fit and finish are impeccable. Being a dual sport helmet, the wind noise is noticeable as you approach triple digit speeds but since the Himalayan is not a very high speed bike, it is manageable, plus I use ear plugs anyway while on the highway. A sore point with this helmet is it not compatible with Sena’s 20S evo helmet clamp kit (I use those on my other 2 'avatars' / helmets), which means no Sena usability on this one. I have to get another standalone bluetooth kit for this helmet sometime later. Another sore point with the helmet is the air vents are always open, and I to be careful during very heavy downpours.






Boots: Alpinestars Toucan Goretex Adventure boots
Alpinestars’ top of the line adventure touring (Tech series) boots to ensure maximum protection during adventure rides and provide long day touring comfort at the same time.



MX Goggles: Royal Enfield adventure MX goggles (OE Accessory) in rainbow color
Mostly a cosmetic addition for me to complement the adventure look, since I am not a hardcore offroader yet.

[KarthikK]

After Sales Service Experience




The Himalayan had been plagued with so many issues in the past iterations and it has taken them almost 4 years to get to where they currently are, ironing out problems and improvising in every iteration of their updates. In 3000+ km of ownership I am surprised to admit that I have seen zero problems with this bike, so I do believe like many reviewers of the BS6 Himalayan have said - This (BS6 avatar) is what the Himalayan should have been from Day 1.

Simplicity, ease of servicing and lack of niggles is what will truly make it the ‘fill and forget, go-anywhere’ type of adventure bike that RE claimed it is, and they have definitely gotten closer to that point with the BS6 Himalayan.

The service frequency for the Himalayan is as follows:

First service: 500 km or 45 days
Thereafter,
Inspection service: 5000 km or 6 months from previous service
Oil change service: 10,000 km or 1 year from previous service

So basically the oil changes are done once a year or after 10000 km. The inspection services are just a formality and nothing is changed out.

The standard warranty coverage is for 3 years or 30,000 km. In June, they also gave buyers an extended warranty + RSA package upto 5 years or 24,000 km beyond the standard warranty period (so upto 54,000 km). The RSA package covers even flat tyre assistance which is a boon considering the tube tyre setup on the Himalayan

Since the bike is quite new now, I only have the first service details to update on the service log. I’ll keep updating this spreadsheet over time as more and more maintenance work keeps happening in future. Service expenses are inexpensive and the first service was just around 1000 INR.




Credits

Thanks to BHPians CrAzY dRiVeR and rbp for helping me during decision time, giving valuable inputs and also staying in touch during the test rides. We did have endless discussions over whatsapp in the days leading up to the choice of bike and the subsequent purchase.

Special thanks to in-house RE experts and veterans / bike gurus neil.jericho, shaikhmimran and ku69rd for patiently answering so many of my Himalayan specific queries, discussing the bike, the accessories, discounts and many more things under the sun. Their inputs were supremely helpful before, during and after the purchase.

Last but not the least, the photographs of the rider and pillion, the action shots with rider (me) and most of the ‘masala pictures’ of the bike in its elements (opening pictures of all the posts) were mostly captured by deepfreak15, a wizard behind the lens when it comes to shooting automobiles. My role with the camera was reduced to the main bike review and the nitty gritties.

Thanks to you the BHPians and readers for putting up with the detailed review thread.

While I now bid adieu until my next update, I’ll end this thread with some candid shots and memories of our photoshoot rides where we shot the review pictures.

An aerial shot of Misty mountains homestay, Sakleshpur, where we had the entire place to ourselves for a day, with delicious food and great weather to boot. I am a regular here and love the rolling meadows which are a delight to shoot pictures in.




Cameraman deepfreak15 busy at work shooting some of the 'masala' shots



At a warm morning shoot for the offroad shots, this was yours truly, cooking in the riding gear, frustrated, hoping and waiting for the green signal from the camera man to move so that I could get some air flow! Asking "Are you done with this shot? Shall I move?" 10 times



My better half and partner in crime, ever supportive and an integral part of all of our exploits, automobiles, travel and everything in between! Hungry and impatiently waiting for breakfast in this snap though, lol!



A drone shot of ebmrajesh's Duke 200, deepfreak15's Multistrada 950 and my Himalayan at Sakleshpur's rolling meadows



deepfreak15 trying to do a photoshoot of his Multistrada with a similarly colored cow, but the cow didn't want the Ducati anywhere near it!



'Shoot director' ebmrajesh was instrumental in coordinating many of the review and action shots, timing my approach and signaling me to adjust my lines for deepfreak15 to shoot the rider shotswell



ebmrajesh's very capable and versatile Duke 200 doing a lot of the off-roading I did with my Himalayan. Then again, for his veteran level skills, the machine is immaterial!



Thanks for reading. Until my next update, ciao!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing, Karthik!

Thanks to BHPians CrAzY dRiVeR and rbp for helping me during decision time, giving valuable inputs and also staying in touch during the test rides. We did have endless discussions over whatsapp in the days leading up to the choice of bike and the subsequent purchase.

On the contrary, I recollect how clearly I was asking you to reconsider the KTM 390 Adventure. It was considered the perfect cocktail for India back then, threatening everything from the Himalayan to the Versys/VStrom 650 - and you were the first one I know to call it out for its flaws - an opinion that went against all the reviews and impressions from mainstream media. And Himalayan looks so weak on paper - when compared! Coming to the present day though - Mainstream media has changed their tune - after Ryan and followed soon after by Shumi and the likes. And you have really shown me how an abuse friendly ADV can really be used if its also the second bike in the garage!

Congrats on the Himalayan once again.

PS: Three sets of riding gears custom selected for all the three bikes! Sweet! .

[rbp]

What a review Karthik, take a bow.. I know the hard work that has gone into this review, you have outdone your previous reviews.
Deepfreak15 your camera work has been outstanding. Keep up the good work.

Looking forward to more reviews from you Karthik.

[Cyborg]

Superb review once again Kartik! Congratulations and all the best with your latest acquisition. Very, very balanced bike garage you have. Now you need a scooter to get the milk and eggs

Love your golden retriever with the old sage look in his/her eyes which seem to say “here he goes again”
What’s his/her name?

Enjoy your rides, ride safe and please continue to share your journeys with us.

Cheers

[Balaji31582]

When I read this write-up, it feels like an experience and not just review.
Rated five stars, Karthik.

I own a TBTS 2008 model and its been a wonderful workhorse for me so far. I am looking at replacing it. In last two days I came through the review video from sarge sheldekar and now yours about Himalayan. I want to take test ride of xpulse and this machine before deciding my purchase.
Meanwhile sarge in his video mentioned about EBC sintered brake pads and Apollo tyres. Maybe you might want to check on the tyres for better braking.
One naive question, how many times you have so far have to adjust the chain slack ? My tbts requires every 800 to 1000 kms almost. Just wanted to check if this is same for even current REs.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Accessories (Part-2 - Panniers)

Perhaps the most important accessory I was eyeing was the RE OE Aluminium Panniers which are very handy for touring.

Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but these wide hard boxes are really dangerous in a place like India and I have a feeling that the police are going to crack down on these soon just as they have been on SUV top carriers, cycle stands and rear cycle carriers and bike ramps (new fad).

It's not just enough for your handle to clear a tight space at slow speed maneuvers. I've seen some really bad crashes at tolls.

Also, I doubt there has been any research done on how a fall and hit is going to be transmitted to the mounting frame and brackets and from there to the bike chassis.

Cheers, Doc

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

And you have really shown me how an abuse friendly ADV can really be used if its also the second bike in the garage!

Congrats on the Himalayan once again.

Thanks a lot C_D for your wishes and the endless tirade of bike talk too, lol!

PS: Three sets of riding gears custom selected for all the three bikes! Sweet! .

Gives some room for mix and match too, what say!

Originally Posted by rbp

What a review Karthik, take a bow.. I know the hard work that has gone into this review, you have outdone your previous reviews.

Thanks a lot for your kind words rbp! Glad you enjoyed going through it.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Superb review once again Kartik! Congratulations and all the best with your latest acquisition. Very, very balanced bike garage you have. Now you need a scooter to get the milk and eggs

Enjoy your rides, ride safe and please continue to share your journeys with us.

Thank you so much Cyborg! Haha, not a scooter person at all, plus with my height I will look like a giraffe on a bicycle, lol!

Love your golden retriever with the old sage look in his/her eyes which seem to say “here he goes again”
What’s his/her name?

She is a 12 year old golden, her name is Ginger

Originally Posted by Balaji31582

When I read this write-up, it feels like an experience and not just review.
Rated five stars, Karthik.

Thank you so much for the kind words Balaji31582!

I own a TBTS 2008 model and its been a wonderful workhorse for me so far. I am looking at replacing it. In last two days I came through the review video from sarge sheldekar and now yours about Himalayan. I want to take test ride of xpulse and this machine before deciding my purchase.

Wish you good luck for your test rides. The Xpulse is also a fantastic bike and I was a big fan of just how nimble and agile that bike was, off the road. The weight advantage definitely helps if you are looking at just commuting or offroading.

Meanwhile sarge in his video mentioned about EBC sintered brake pads and Apollo tyres. Maybe you might want to check on the tyres for better braking.

I have the EBC sintered brake pads on my Himalayan and there is only a marginal improvement in bite force. I did watch the video today and noticed him speaking about the Apollo swaps, maybe when the time comes for the tyre change I will give it a thought. I still feel the Pirelli MT60 would be the best of both worlds (onroad and offroad), but the tyre import mess has to resolve before we can access those brands again. In the western markets, the stock Himalayan is shod with MT60s in the same stock sizes as what we get (90/90-21 and 120/90-17) and many reviewers overseas had good things to say about them.

One naive question, how many times you have so far have to adjust the chain slack ? My tbts requires every 800 to 1000 kms almost. Just wanted to check if this is same for even current REs.

I believe 1000km is the standard adjustment interval for the chain slack, even the Himalayan owner's manual mentions this. I got it checked once at first service ~400 km and again adjusted at ~2000 km because there was no adjustment needed before that.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but these wide hard boxes are really dangerous in a place like India and I have a feeling that the police are going to crack down on these soon just as they have been on SUV top carriers, cycle stands and rear cycle carriers and bike ramps (new fad).

Agree doc, but aren't these hard case panniers pretty much commonplace with almost every big adventure bike too? These and the aluminium top boxes?

It's not just enough for your handle to clear a tight space at slow speed maneuvers. I've seen some really bad crashes at tolls.

Also, I doubt there has been any research done on how a fall and hit is going to be transmitted to the mounting frame and brackets and from there to the bike chassis.

Cheers, Doc

True, one has to be accept the tradeoffs (soft luggage vs hard luggage) and be extra careful when squeezing into gaps, and at toll plazas like you said. There is no room for complacency, and one mistake can ruin the trip (and of course the bike). I do use panniers even on my Ninja and am fairly used to crawling carefully through the bike lanes in toll plazas. At times I have even had to request them to let me pass through car lanes instead of bike lanes

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Agree doc, but aren't these hard case panniers pretty much commonplace with almost every big adventure bike too? These and the aluminium top boxes?

True, one has to be accept the tradeoffs (soft luggage vs hard luggage) and be extra careful when squeezing into gaps, and at toll plazas like you said. There is no room for complacency, and one mistake can ruin the trip (and of course the bike). I do use panniers even on my Ninja and am fairly used to crawling carefully through the bike lanes in toll plazas. At times I have even had to request them to let me pass through car lanes instead of bike lanes

They are. But on wide open roads or wide open wilderness. In India these are a recipe for disaster. Of course if you've been riding with these then your road sense is used to the space behind you that's occupied by them, but if you miscalculate at speed, in an overtake, with oncoming traffic, on a two way road, it bears not thinking about.

Cheers, Doc

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by ebonho

They are. But on wide open roads or wide open wilderness. In India these are a recipe for disaster. Of course if you've been riding with these then your road sense is used to the space behind you that's occupied by them, but if you miscalculate at speed, in an overtake, with oncoming traffic, on a two way road, it bears not thinking about.

Cheers, Doc

The width is more at the rear and less at the front, so the bike basically becomes a high speed, 2-seater auto-rickshaw , and should be ridden with that rear width in mind always.

[mohansrides]

STUNNING!!

That’s the word for this review.

Mind you, I don’t say that lightly. Because I am not a kind man. Far from it, in fact. Typically, compliments from me are rarer than Chennai winters. But, the good thing about being that fastidious is that when I finally get impressed, it sticks.

Here is the thing. This is my overarching impression of the Himalayan -

https://youtu.be/Fwk3L23lIY8

This is a brand new Himalayan whose crank case they had to open in the middle of nowhere. In the video above, the comment at 2:42 couldn’t have been more blunt. I was convinced that everyone needed a competent mechanic to ride alongside when one is on a Himalayan.

My disgust for REs was a function of many things. But it was fueled in big measures due to the botched Himalayan launch. I was waiting for the Himalayan to come out ever since I read about it as a prospect. So, for it to be the stuff of nightmares when it came out made me feel disappointed, distressed, and thoroughly angry at Eicher for taking customers for the proverbial ride.

Still, the motorcycle tragic that I am, I took the BS4 revision out for a long TR hoping that RE would make a believer out of me yet. Nope. Didn’t happen. The console on the brand new demo bike rattled like change on my car’s dashboard; the speedo didn’t work because the cable had come loose; my thighs were being royally roasted; and while the thing made an impressive noise, there was simply no proportionate forward movement.

Now it has taken your review to shake me out of my deep-rooted hostility for all things RE. So, when I say that this review is stunning, you can be sure that I am not paying lip service.

Coming back to the motorcycle, it is heartening to see that RE got it right in the BS6 update. But, to think that it took them some 3 odd years (and thousands of unwitting customers) to get it right boggles the mind in some ways.

Switchable ABS, and a colour changing DRL?!! Saaweet!! Now all this bike needs is one more cylinder to give it long legs on the highway. I think a 55 to 60 bhp Himalayan would suffice to fulfil all requirements - adequate cruising speed on the highway to ensure decent average speeds on long tours; and torquey low end for the rough stuff.

Time for another Himalayan test ride, I think.

On another note, I think that the motorcycle reviews and discussions on Team BHP have been taken to another level of depth unseen elsewhere on the the Net in India. The time has come for us to brand ourselves as a motorcycle forum in equal parts. In fact, I think such rebranding is long overdue.

[ast.ggn]

Excellent review as always KarthikK, wonderful read. I hope it serves you well for a long time. Red and Black colour combo and those LED headlight looks smashing.

Since you already have enough firepower in your garage, it was a good decision to go with Himalayan. Only real negative with the bike while touring are the tube type tyres. If you are unlucky and have a puncture, good luck pushing it even 10 mtrs. I experienced it during my Spiti trip middle of nowhere, luckily my wife was on a Duke and I was able to use her help. For two up riding, Xpulse is definitely a bad choice.

KTM messed it up a bit with Adv 390. They should have gone for touring friendly seats, little work with engine/ gearing, better ergonomics etc. They took ages to launch a bike with half baked effort. It is still an excellent bike for highways.

It was little surprising that you found stock ceat to be inadequate on road. Xpulse also carries same front tyre, rear is a size bigger though. I felt that they were good enough for road use. I believe additional weight of Himlayan plays a negative role here. Now since I am so used to Xpulse in traffic, riding a Himalayan looks like a task. I took Himalayan to my office for 2 days recently and I was struggling to manoeuvre it in city and little bit of engine heat.

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the Himalayan Karthik! The level of detail in this and the Ninja 1000 review is simply outstanding. As a newbie to bikes, it helped me understand more about accessories and riding gear needed for these type of bikes. Looking forward to reading more of your reviews and travelogues. Wish you a enjoyable ownership period.

[karanddd]

The red is definitely the fastest colour