[Vibhav-Van]

Checked out the new Himalayan at Royal Engineers Hyderabad yesterday.
Showroom experience was decent and there were a couple of folks in line for the test drive.

So far, I've largely seen heaps of praises on this bike, but after my test-drive, I might not agree.

Good bits:
- Looks. This is one really really good motorcycle.
- The tech. Great screen, even compared to several segments above.
- Fit and finish felt good.

Bad bits:
- The engine felt very rough and gravely. Somehow it didn't feel tight and robust enough. Did not inspire confidence. Major negative.
- It didn't feel like it had 40 horses. Tried across rev bands but couldn't feel that power.
- The footpeg position didn't really feel right, and the gap between the gear shifter and the footpeg didn't seem right. I was constantly struggling to shift.
- Price felt like it was on the higher side. Spend 10-15% more and you'd get an Interceptor.

A vehicle's engine is always a make or break point for me and I feel everything comes after that aspect. It was that beautiful 650-twin engine that made me go for the Interceptor 4 years ago. Maybe that has spoilt me, which is why I found this new 450cc engine to be really unimpressive. This engine is the sole downer in an otherwise good motorcycle.

[aviator1101]

Say what you may, but I fell for the looks right from the Manali media ride pics and pre booked mine on 7th November. The dealer launch was scheduled on 08 December.

When I reached the showroom, I came to know that I was one of the first people to book this bike in NE India. The showroom owner honoured me with the traditional Assamese Gamusa and gave me the opportunity to unveil the bike during the dealer launch.



Then started the wait for the test ride. While people all over the country were posting about the test rides and deliveries, I was still waiting to hear from the dealer about the arrival of test ride bikes.

The patient but long wait paid it's dividends. Finally got to lay my hands on the Himalayan today. I got to take her for a 50km long test ride over almost 1.5 hours. Hats off to the dealer's representative who brought the bike to my house and kept sitting patiently all this while.



A few observations from my tryst with the Himalayan :-

The bike is heavy. I couldn't feel the much discussed 3 kg weight reduction.

There are vibrations, though not of the league of the 411 or older UCE REs, they are there, but nothing that cannot be lived with. And a gear/rpm/speed combination can keep them at bay.

The low end torque is substantially lesser than the OG Himalayan, but sufficient torque is there to recover you in difficult situations. At least it seemed so in the plains.

The throttle input lag is present, but you will find it only if you look for it. Otherwise it will take a minute to get used to it.

The 825mm seat height is sufficient for my 5'9" height. The narrow seat allowed me to flat foot both sides.



The gear lever is on the longer side. But I could comfortably shift gears without making much effort in shifting the foot.





The brake lever in the test bike lacked any play. So, the moment your boot toe rests on the brake pedal, the tail light comes on and remains on. Maybe an adjustment issue.

The best part about the bike is the seating comfort. My primary use case is touring with pillion and luggage. If I compare the Himalayan with the 390 Adv and Scrambler 400x at all in this department, the Himalayan is definitely the better choice.

The pillion seat is the most comfortable amongst the competition and seating posture for the pillion is also a tad better. Refer the mark with red, the leg position of a 5'5" pillion.



Yes, the side stand is kind of weird. God knows why the bend had to be put. But, you can mount the bike whilst on the sidestand. It doesn't tip over. I tried it and could do it comfortably.

https://youtu.be/cMDaU7pE1xU?si=IAa0jlIpsRF9hN9s

Though I will not try the same with luggage loaded.
A side stand extender may resolve the issue.

The LCD display unit does have few quirks. I had to try a few times to connect my android phone to it. It kept getting disconnected again and again. However, it seems to have a mind of it's own. Just as I was about to give up, it connected and was also displaying the map flawlessly. But it really drains your phone battery. In about 30 minutes, it drained the battery from 76% to 35%

Also, the scanned code had something like RE_OKXO_12345. After scanning with the mobile, the O had to be replaced with 0 to connect the device. I don't know if it was by default or an error in this piece, but the drill of scan, amend and connect seemed quite funny to me.



Much has been talked about the joystick. Yes, the tactile or clicky feel is a little less especially with gloves on, but I don't think it will be much of a problem. The craze for these menu, features etc subside with time and there is hardly any use felt after maybe a few months. This will be no exception. IMO, the most useful displays are the navigation with map view and the analogue tachometer.



The tank shape is nice as it tapers towards the rider creating a recess to plant knees during riding. Also the shape is just what is required to grip the tank with knees. However, the matte finish tank lacked any grip with the riding jeans. Will have to look for some solution.

The handlebar height and reach while seated is perfect. However, once u stand up, the length seemed a little less and I had to reach out for the controls. Maybe a set of risers will resolve the issue.



Sharing a good news with fellow BHPians: today morning, the dealer called up to say my bike has arrived and would be ready for delivery day after tomorrow.
Quite excited and waiting eagerly to get her home.

Regards

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by aviator1101

Also, the scanned code had something like RE_OKXO_12345. After scanning with the mobile, the O had to be replaced with 0 to connect the device. I don't know if it was by default or an error in this piece, but the drill of scan, amend and connect seemed quite funny to me.

It's funny but this is apparently common across all of them
Check out this video showing the same thing as what you mentioned. Replace the alphabet "O" with the number "0", and it connects.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1HZF..._web_copy_link

[shyamg28]

A few more 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 Hima 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 one being a little more 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.




Random gif.

[JithinR]

Is the booking amount for this bike fully refundable? The dealer i spoke to said it is but it's not mentioned on the booking slip. I don't really trust any salesman when they make dialogues like "we guarantee sir" without backing that up in writing.

Also, the dealer rep i spoke to mentioned that people booking before 31st Dec would get the bike at the current price. He mentioned that himalayan 450 was the only RE bike that has this offer applied at this time.

Is that true or were they just lying through their teeth to secure a booking?

[rishi.roger]

Originally Posted by JithinR

Is the booking amount for this bike fully refundable? The dealer i spoke to said it is but it's not mentioned on the booking slip. I don't really trust any salesman when they make dialogues like "we guarantee sir" without backing that up in writing.

Also, the dealer rep i spoke to mentioned that people booking on or before 31st Dec would get the bike at the current price. He mentioned that himalayan 450 was the only RE bike that has this offer applied at this time.

Is that true or were they just lying through their teeth to secure a booking?

Yes, if you book on or before 31st Dec then according to RE as well as majority of Dealers, they will honor the Introductory prices even though price might differ at time of delivery. This sure is a bit deviation from what generally happens but a lot of people including me have checked with RE Customer Care and they have assured us. (For some its in writing as well)

The online booking amount is also fully refundable but for cancellation you would have to visit dealership and follow the standard procedure.

[techfreak]

I have a early bird booking done on day one in first 10 minutes or so of the booking getting opened for Kamet White colour.
However all the deliveries that one is observing are either Hanley Black (mostly) or Kaza Brown.
What is happening to the other colors, anyone any update? Or RE Has decided that they will launch other colors only when demand for these two gets saturated / fulfilled?

[CodeEvo]

Quite a lot of bikes are getting delivered in Bangalore this coming week, maybe due to the rumoured road tax hike on higher capacity bikes?



As techfreak mentioned in a sea of black and brown. I only saw one Kamet white.

I will be taking the delivery next week as well to be in the safe zone

[klgiridhar]

I finally went for a test ride today at the ITPL RE showroom. The showroom is 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 CB350RS. 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 humps, 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 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: Beforing 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 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.

[chakky]

Originally Posted by ajay0612

I had booked it and was eagerly waiting for this bike to check if I can handle it.
I am of 165cm height and weight 67Kg. Tried my hand today on it and was not even able to lift it off from the stand myself. I was tiptoeing and didn't feel confident at all about handling this monster. Returned with all dreams broken.
On the other hand I found Meteor and Hunter quite easy to handle. Previously found it easy to handle X440 and CB350 also.

Don't go by all the hype and try it yourself before putting your money on any of the bikes.

Before I confirmed my booking of the scrambler 400x, i was eagerly waiting the test ride of this beast. Reviews on YouTube were so good, I just couldn't ignore the calling.

With scrambler 400x and my 165cm height and 90kg, I was able to move it around tiptoeing. With a lower seat height than the scrambler, I was excited at the RE showroom. The bike looked beautiful. Once I got it off the stand I realised it was heavy. The seating was superb and it looked cool. But when trying to put it on side stand , the weight was way too much for my ACL reconstructed left knee to handle. The sales guy at the kochi showroom reminded me, sir with full tank this weight will be much more and it's top heavy due to the higher engine placement. I dropped my idea to test drive it and proceeded to go and buy the scrambler 400x.

[rich_heart]

I booked mine (Hanle Black) on 7th Nov, few hours after the unveil. Tomorrow is the delivery.
Road tax is atrocious in Bengaluru . Rs.57k.

[tech_rider]

I was going through owners manual and realised that even though Himalayan has every 6 months service schedule, oil change is done only once a year. Comparing to 2 months service interval of my Honda Dazzler, 6 months itself was surprising to me. Now this yearly once oil change and other costly affairs sounds more joyful to me. May be this is new standard now a days, but this is news to me. I think 13 years is too long to loose track of service schedule changes in industry.

Also recently learnt that Triumph Speeds comes with 1 year service interval. But just for comparison with RE, I feel general checkups every 6 months feels more safe to me. For our road condition, and people like me who are not experts on bike, that could give reassurance that bike is in good condition.

PS: I don't have Himalayan450 yet. Just made a booking. I was just exploring service cost, after sales reviews and other bike alternatives. And I came across this info.

[adises]

My Interceptor has a 1 year service interval and oil change every 10,000 kms. The combination of modern, more efficient engines and semi/fully synthetic oil makes this possible.

It really boils down to riding style and environment though, I end up servicing my bike and getting the oil changed every 5-7k kms based on visual inspection.

Originally Posted by tech_rider

May be this is new standard now a days, but this is news to me. I think 13 years is too long to loose track of service schedule changes in industry.

[Nilesh5417]

Did a 150km ride to start getting out of that break-in period quickly, at least the 500km / 4k rpm one. A few observations post the ride:
1. Reaffirms my decision to get the H450! Rides well, absolutely planted, smooth engine, punchy brakes and great ergos (am 5'10).
2. Mirrors don't ever shake, even at 80kmph. Didn't expect this from RE.
3. Never missed a gear though the 5th and 6th are just too close. 6th is strictly crusing at slightly higher rpms cause at 4k rpm and 80kmph, it just doesn't feel nice. The revs really need to go to higher than 4k.
4. Vibes can be noticed in the grips and pegs around 4k rpm. Couldn't get rid of them even if I went to say 4.5k. Didn't push further given the breakin. Upto 4k is almost no vibes so you can easily cruise at 80kmph all day just under 4k rpm.
5. Don't like the tyres, at least right now - I feel they lack sufficient grip to take corners confidently. Maybe the tires haven't broken in fully but still, I didn't feel nervous on my M821 with brand new Verdesteins. Guess I also need to get used to the tall stance and 21 front. Holding back on the verdict at least until the run in is done.
6. The friend behind me said that the indicators aren't clearly visible in bright day light. Might be an issue on highways - maybe I should let someone ride the bike and watch from behind to understand better.
7. Dash shows average of ~36kmpl for the trip. The fuel gauge as expected is totally bonkers! Filled 5ltrs and it shows the tank is 3/4th full.
8. Seat is comfy - cushion could be slightly softer since the 80km back home was non stop and I had kinda started feeling numb. Maybe it won't be so bad once I lose a few kgs
9. No engine heat even in stop n go traffic. Maybe it's winter but heat management generslly seems good.
10. Like @shyamg mentioned - the pass switch is terrible! You just can't get used to it esp with gloves. Kept hitting the indicator most of the time. A couple of times took eyes off the road to hit it but then realized that there is no easy way to use the pass switch with our general way of gripping.

The Tiger and Inty can easily outrun the Himalayan BTW. Not used to being the slowest but one this is for sure - came back home far less tired than I usually feel on the 821.

[RajeshKanna]

Has anyone booked H450 from Coimbatore area? Today I went to have a test ride at Ranathapuram Bullmen showroom and they were pretty firm that the price protection is not available and the pricing during the billing will only be applicable. I told them that there are confirmation from RE itself and even showed a picture of a reply mail to them. No. They didn't budge. I request them to confirm with RE/ASM from their end and give a call. I really doubt if they will bother enough to do it. Pretty disappointed with how things are handled. All kinds of mundane reasons were given to convince me that price protection will not be given.