[Dk_76]

A cross-country ride of 4200 Kms: Mumbai to Kolkata by Himalayan450

Recently during the recent Durga Pujas in October I completed round trip of Mumbai to Kolkata in my Himalayan 450. The journey encompassed 5 states Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisa, Jharkhand & West Bengal. On my onward journey to Kolkata Maharashtra had the lion share of road coverage followed by Odisa, CG, WB & Jharkhand. The return leg again was mostly in MH followed by Odisa, CG, Jharkhand & WB.

Prelude to the Journey.
I got my H450 in the month of May after booking the vehicle in the month of December’23. How I arrived at the decision to buy the H450 is itself a story. I was so hooked & mesmerized by the Kawasaki Versys 650 that I almost zeroed in on the same. Since I was upgrading from my existing Thunderbird 350 this time, I was absolutely assured of buying an Adventure motorcycle. RE TB350 UCE has served me for the last 9 years flawlessly though upkeeping of the bike has gone up significantly in recent years, but still, it runs like dream. Till date the bike has clocked around 50000 KMs & I have done most of my rides through the plains of East & in the mountains of Himalayan in that humble machine only. I plan to keep the TB350 for my local commutation only & occasional rides. The day I saw the Versys650 in the showroom I had 2 sleepless nights, my plans for accessorizing the vehicle was shooting the roof. The sheer stance of the vehicle, robustness, reliability, quality (despite mostly localized now) & various global videos of the bike made my decision so easy. I was aware that upkeeping a Kawasaki would be a task, but I was just ready for it. But fate had a different story to tell I suppose. Just when I thought of going ahead of booking the bike at a local dealership in Mumbai, I went into some family exigencies which detailed my entire plan. The hard saved money evaporated in a whisker. I immediately understood that I am set back by at least 4 years towards my Versys. I am still holding onto this & now targeting 2028 at least for it. In the meantime, the promotional buildup of H450 got my attention. By this time the domestic tailwinds had also settled a bit & started considering buying a capable adventure bike again but with a lesser budget which would burn my pocket less. Now a days the market is flooded with lesser CC Adventure bikes & most of them are very capable. I started watching the videos H450 very keenly seemed to be a capable bike. Two things were creating some sorts of doubt in my mind, one the newly built Sherpa heart & reputations of Indian OEMs of perfecting machines gradually, so that my investments remain worthy. But experience with TB350 convinced me to carry on. The vehicle looked stunning & the kind of attention it grabbed in the showroom, gave a lot of confidence. I met user of some of the existing competitors & they seemed thrilled about owning it. The test ride was assigned to me after some time the same day & I found it to be as per my liking. I was mightily impressed with the suspension set up & instant power at the perusal. Without wasting much time, I booked the vehicle the same day online. Although my quest for the Versys 650 encountered some setbacks, I remained satisfied with my choice.

The dealership notified me of the vehicle's arrival after around 4 months of booking; however, the actual delivery was postponed slightly due to issues with the BH registration. The documentation process proved to be quite tedious, contributing to the delay. Additionally, there were rumors that the RTA was not issuing new registrations. The dealership supported my efforts and kindly accommodated my request for a symbolic delivery of the vehicle during Shivarathri. I performed the Pujas and enjoyed a brief ride. Returning the vehicle to the dealership left me feeling quite disheartened, but we had no alternative. After approximately ten days, the dealership informed me that my BH registration had finally arrived. To my utter surprise the dealership did arrange the delivery formalities again with equal enthusiasm & was literally touched. Over the next two months I drove the bike absolutely stock & didn’t accessorize it at all. During the treacherous Mumbai monsoon, the bike performed flawless & returned an unbelievable local mileage of around 37 KMs/ Lit. My office is around 90 Kms both ways from my residence (Navi Mumbai to Worli). Wading to Mumbai traffic in peak hours isn’t easy but I never felt any issues till date, though it’s definitely top heavy. The steering is wide & one needs big palms to effectively toggle through all the buttons & the levers. I wont say the clutch is easy but yes better than my TB350. Brakes are good but wire out within 4000 KMs. Since they’re by BREMBO obviously charge a bit premium.
Coming back to the journey:
Thanks for holding on since I deviated a bit from the core story to the bike review. For the journey of around 4200 KMs I had to partially accessorize it. Installed a Top Box, Tank Bag, Fog lamps of HLG (Mercedes), Brake oil cylinder covers, headlight cover, knuckle guards & a mobile holder. Avoided saddle bags since I bought a Viaterra pillion bag. I somehow liked the way the bike shaped up & I was up for the trip.

Day one:
Ulwe (Navi Mumbai) to Nagpur:
I started the journey around 4 am in the morning. Mistakenly my Viaterra tail bag was a bit heavy since I was going home after 6 months, you know a lot of things keep adding up for the family members & it wasn’t helping. With heavy air I felt the vehicle was swaying a bit, but I got adjusted to it by the time I crossed Biwandi. To my utter surprise there was almost zero to nil traffic & in no time I reached Kasara. Roads are a bit inconsistent till Asangaon, but post Bhusawal it was a bliss till Nagpur. I halted after every 200 KMs just to hydrate myself since post monsoon sun zapped out my energy level. I was gradually dehydrating but couldn’t realise that till Amravati. I needed to take a long break of around 1 hour at Amravati. Reached Nagpur by 7:30 without any hiccup. Had to search for a hotel for around 30 mins & finally settled in Hotel Gujarat. A modest hotel with excellent Veg-food, but more than anything they arranged a covered bike parking for me in a secured area since I didn’t remove my bags. I only carried the tank bag containing the essentials to my room. A trip of 850 KMs got completed in 14 Hrs.

Day two:
Nagpur to Sambalpur:
For a Mumbai to Kolkata road trip Sambalpur isn’t an ideal location for overnight stay since the distance is just around 550 KMs, but I was catching up with my childhood friend after a span of 28 years, who is currently posted in Sambalpur. I left pretty early since I wanted to avoid Nagpur traffic. Road from Nagpur till Chhattisgarh (CG) border is bad to worse, since construction is in full swing. Certain patches are truly dreadful but once you enter CG you will be welcomed by one of the best roads in India but comes with a pinch of salt – Cattle. Most of the cattle of the big towns’ rests & graze in the mid divider & suddenly cross roads. Hence one needs to be extremely cautious & don’t get intimidated by the road condition after the poor stretch post Nagpur. Its advisable to drive in the midst or the third lane to avoid any jitters. Signage stating cattle hassle can be referred to. Rajnandgaon, Bhilai, Durg, Raipur & Mahsamund are crossed in no time. Once you cross CG, Odisa welcomes you with the Biju Expressway which is excellent. By 6 in the evening I reached Sambalpur & relived my memories with my childhood friend. What an evening.
More than 1300 KMs covered in two days in a whisker without having any body ache or hassle. Suspension is truly the strongest point of this bike.

Day Three:
Sambalpur to Kolkata
The day to reach to home sweet home. Once you are in Odisa you get a flair of Eastern India. Almost similar languages, cuisine, people & weather. Though I had a long evening to rest but catching up with childhood friend comes with its own flaw. We kept chatting till 3 am & don’t even know when I drifted back to sleep. I anticipated the balance 900 KMs will be covered by 7 in the evening since I thought of not pushing hard, because of lack of sleep. Road from Sambalpur till Keonjhar was exceptionally good & bolstered by confidence of reaching Kharagpur by 4. But destiny had a different role to play. Unaware to my friend even, the road past Keonjhar is treacherous. Till Jharkhand (via Bangriposi) border it was horrendous & had stretches of no road. Manuvering the bike with heavy load is a task itself & I was more worried about the tyres (non-tubeless). Suspension did its job superbly, but it felt like Dakar. I was proud of the bike’s immaculate performance. Once you are in Jharkhand you find excellent concrete road till Kharagpur (West Bengal at last). It was way past 7 by then. Exhausted I took refuge in a tea stall for 45 mins. Since it was raining as well. By the time I started for the final 150 KMs it was way past 8. Rain didn’t help too since it slowed down the traffic. By the time I reached Howrah it was 10 & at last home at 11:30. Man proposes, god disposes. The last leg sucked every bit of my energy. Even my family had to help in unhooking the bags. The first leg of 2000 KMs got finished with an average mileage of 38.5 Km/Lit. I was extremely happy that I could endure such a trip & proud of the bike.

Day One:
For The return leg, I took a detour to avoid the Behragoda stretch & instead took the Tatanagar route (Jamshedpur). I intended to stop at Sambalpur only for the overnight stay at my friends place again. This detour would contribute to around 150 KMs more to the journey. In Jamshedpur I caught up with my friends of the fellow rider community. It was truly a great time with them. From Kolkata to Tatanagar road is excellent & a pure concrete stretch. From Jamshedpur I travelled to Tamar which is part of Ranchi Jamshedpur highway is in excellent condition. From Tamar I had to take a left turn to Kunti & till Simdega. After Simdega I passed through Thethaitnagar to Kutra via Joram. Then again, its Biju expressway again via Jharsuguda till Sambalpur. Road till Jharsuguda is a but bumpy & dusty but post that till Sambalpur it was excellent. Reached my friends place at 7 evening. A 600 KMs journey was covered in around 10 Hrs. From Tamar till Kutra its mostly single road state highway but in excellent condition. Traffic wasn’t that heavy & could accelerate in patches.

Day two:
I started quite early since I planned to cover the maximum distance that day & wanted to cross Nagpur & planned by overnight stay at Amravati. Since the route was known to me from my recent onward journey, I paced well & by 7 reach Amravati. Could have pushed further but wanted to rest. Found a nice hotel in Amravati with decent parking, I resigned for the day. Mumbai was just 600 KMs away.

Day three:
Despite my intention to start early, I ended up having my slowest day right from the beginning, as I overslept and didn’t begin my journey until around 9 am. I had planned to ride until late evening, with maps indicating I would arrive around 11 pm. Everything was going smoothly until I reached Malegaon, when a severe thunderstorm disrupted my plans. I found myself stranded at a petrol station for a solid four hours until the rain finally let up. During this time, I met another rider on a Honda 250 R who was also seeking shelter. Through our conversation, I learned that he was traveling from Spiti to Pune. He had hoped to reach his destination by nightfall, but the four-hour delay made that nearly impossible. I too was hesitant about navigating the Kasara ghati after dark. We decided to share a hotel room in Malegaon, eager to exchange stories about our recent riding adventures. I was truly impressed by his experiences and the distances he had covered on his 250 R. He had visited Spiti and Ladakh more than eight times, amassing an incredible total of 600,000 KMs. I have always held Hondas in high regard for their reliability, but his journey was truly remarkable. He had an engine replacement at 500,000 KMs, substituting the original Japanese engine with one manufactured in India. He expressed concerns that the vehicle has suffered a reduction in both torque and top speed, although it remains manageable. He also owns a small displacement adventure bike but believes the 250R is better suited for his needs. It is surprising to see a seasoned rider and traveller like him choosing a sports tourer over an adventure bike. He has a custom saddle rack for the pillion seat.
The hotel in Malegaon was quite satisfactory, offering us a competitive rate, and the food was exceptional. After a long conversation mostly hovering around his travel journos, we retired to bed and enjoyed a restful sleep. We formed a good friendship & regularly in touch.

Day Four:
We began our day at approximately 7 a.m. and arrived home around 1:30 p.m. The traffic near Bhiwandi was extremely congested, causing to move at a crawl. My friend took a detour from Nashik.
A total of 4300 KMs was covered with the bike returning an average mileage of 38.5 KMs/lit.

Some submissions following the extended journey:

Vibrations: Present across the Rev bands but livable. Anticipated from a single-cylinder engine. Not a deal breaker for me.
Mileage: Quite satisfactory. In Mumbai traffic, I achieve approximately 37 km/l, while on the highway, it reaches around 42 km/l.
Top Speed: I managed to hit 150 km/h+ during certain stretches, but the bike feels more comfortable at around 120 km/h. Remains planted.
Seat: Individuals taller than 5'7" should find it suitable, or wearing elevated riding boots may enhance comfort.
Snob Value: The bike attracts attention wherever I go; it piques curiosity, even regarding my choice of this challenging journey.
Service Cost: Relatively high compared to my current models. Spare parts are not budget-friendly, but this is to be expected.
Suspension: The standout feature of the bike. No issues reported, with almost no body aches after a long ride. Enough reviews already.
Brakes: Highly effective. I have never encountered a frightening situation.
Fit & Finish: There is room for improvement, but overall, I have no complaints. The paint quality of the Hanle Black is consistent.
Heat: Nonexistent during highway cruises, but when traffic comes to a standstill, it can lead to a burning sensation in the thighs. I encounter this issue while commuting locally in and around Mumbai, but not a deal breaker.
Overall: Quite satisfactory with the bike. I use it for both local & highway commutations. The bike has certainly created certain impressions & will be part of the stable for a long time for sure.
Hapy motoring & thanks for reading through.
Cheers!!

[heinrici]

Originally Posted by heinrici

Got my tubeless rims fitted yesterday. Cost me 500 labor + 200 for tyre removal/fitting machine. Will do a long ride now to check if the bike pulls either side. I had booked the rims online on October 7th.

So the bike definitely pulls to the right side. Service center says they cannot adjust the spokes on tubeless rims unlike tube rims. Actually if you see closely there's nothing to adjust, the spokes directly go into the rim edges without any screw like mechanism. They gave me this shop reference for wheel balancing that will make the problem go away. There are very few tyre shops that do balancing for motorcycle tyres, will try this one out soon:
Prabhat Tyres
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aHs88ymzjvPioUxw5

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by heinrici

So the bike definitely pulls to the right side. Service center says they cannot adjust the spokes on tubeless rims unlike tube rims. Actually if you see closely there's nothing to adjust, the spokes directly go into the rim edges without any screw like mechanism. They gave me this shop reference for wheel balancing that will make the problem go away. There are very few tyre shops that do balancing for motorcycle tyres, will try this one out soon:
Prabhat Tyres
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aHs88ymzjvPioUxw5

Reset your front-end. Pretty much 9/10 cases of a new bike pulling to either side is caused by a fork + triple clamps alignment issue. Loosen the lower clamp bolts, axle pinch bolts, and caliper mount bolts and bounce the front end or take apart the front-end and re-assemble at the SVC.

[bg_nawabsaab]

Originally Posted by rishi.roger

Hey! Ping me or @sinharishi or @dsraikkonen and we will add you to our Himalayan NCR Riders WhatsApp group as well.

Edit: I'm sending you an invite for WhatsApp group.

Hi Buddy, Please add me in NCR Riders too. I live in North Delhi and would love to ride with you guys.
Being a newbie i can't share direct message. Please share how can i join you.

Thank You in advance.

[sreejithsin]

My Himalayan Story - 6 months user experience, 5000+ KM Covered

I always fancied having an adventure motorcycle, ever since I saw the very first version of the Himalayan. I waited too long for that 'perfect' ADV, perfect in quality, price and comfort. This is not to say that the H450 is the perfect ADV. Its about the time during which I owned other motorcycles - a bullet electra, an interceptor, a CB350 (still have) and an XPulse. This is just to let you know my background, since my ownership experience will be biased by the characteristics of my previous motorcycles - the vibrations of a UCE bullet, the smoothness of the 650 twin albeit its uncomfortable riding posture, the easiness of doing off roads on an XPulse and the gentleman motorcycle - the CB350 - gentle in engine, clutch, handling, fuel and everything else.

Why did I choose the new Himalayan?

I was using the CB350 for long rides and XPulse for short rides and trails. I mainly wanted a bigger (in size and performance) motorcycle for touring. Like many, I too waited for Honda to relaunch their 500X. When NX500 launched I paid the booking amount without thinking much. Then, a friend convinced me to book the new Himalayan too. I made the booking on Dec 31, 2023, just in time to get price protection (RE increased h450 pricing by around 10-15k for all models starting Jan 2024).

Test Ride Experience

I test rode the motorcycle from 2 different showrooms. Both bikes had different character. The first one was reasonable good, but the second one had more pronounced vibrations and engine roughness which led me to believe that it is not for me. Reviews from initial batches were also mixed. This was the time after the initial media hype, where first batch owners painted the real picture. What I gathered from these reviews and test rides were that 1) the engine was not so smooth, it had clatter, the note was not music 2) there were vibrations in the seat and pegs 3) engine had heating

What made the difference for me, is when I decided to rent the motorcycle for a day. The motorcycle which I got was well maintained, having done only around 3000 kms. It was a different experience from the showroom test rides. I would like to state here that the experience riding my own Himalayan is two levels above even the rented motorcycle. Has RE changed anything in between, or may be it is due to how the bike is maintained and run in.


-The rented Hanle Black from Royal Brothers-

Regarding NX

I decided to cancel my booking on NX, I am not sure if this was the right decision, but I had my reasons, which were 1) Price, almost 8L on road with basic accessories 2) It was not E20 compliant - though the dealer and others have vouched that Honda has over engineered it for 20% ethanol, I decided to believe the owners manual of the test ride bike at the showroom. If I was buying NX, it would be to keep it for very long time and I didn't feel comfortable regarding this aspect. 3) the value proposition which Himalayan offered. 4) legs felt a bit cramped due to more rear-set pegs compared to H450.

Delivery

I had booked for Hanle Black, but decided to change it to Kaza Brown to save some money - which I could use on accessories. The only thing the bike lacked for me at that point of time was tubeless tires. So I took delivery of my 3rd RE motorcycle during June 2024.


-Running in around coastal Kochi-

Mods

1. Installed the crash bar, radiator guard and saddle stays from the showroom before taking delivery

2. The new Himalayan really leans on the side stand. So fixed a side stand extender by Zana, also reduces the lean by a small bit.

3. There was quite an amount of wind blast, so instead of going for touring windscreen, bought and installed the pro-spec windshield extender for Himalayan. Easy installation and does a good job for me (and my speeds). Importantly, it does not make things worse.



4. The tank of the Kaza Brown model is a blank canvas. Installed grip-on tank pads which looks good and also works well for knee grip on the tank.



5. There were vibrations on the handlebar and installing the grip puppies made a world of difference. I do not feel them anymore. Definitely recommended if you face numb fingers after hours of ride. The only negative is that, it increases the diameter of the handlebar grip (which in stock condition itself is bigger than normal I guess). So, if you have small palms, this may not be comfortable to grip. For the same reason, you won't be able to install a throttle assist / hand-rest after installing grip puppies.



6. Barkbusters knucle guard.

7. For permanent storage on the bike, I have installed Carbonado modpack 5L tail bag (looks nice, but not sure about long term quality - no issues till now) and frame bags from RiderZone.



Likes

1. The posture. I am 6ft tall and for me the posture which the h450 offers is outstanding. The legs are relaxed (not too much committed). The handlebar is also positioned nicely. I have had handlebar risers on all previous motorcycles - but not on Himalayan 450. I have tilted the handlebar for my liking and that is it.

2. There is no issue of heating especially when you are wearing riding gears. I do not use this for commuting, I would not rate it high for commuting either - though it is definitely doable without much hassle

3. The clutch. I was spoiled by the light clutch on the Honda. I used to get pain on palms while riding long time on my interceptor. I have also heard that the 411 had a heavy clutch. But the 450 clutch is comfortable for me. I would rate it medium-soft.

4. Ride by wire throttle.

5. Seat height adjustment - Its easy to change the setting as per your liking, I am happy with the lower seat setting, but this option is nice to have.

6. Display. When the initial images and videos came out, I was not a big fan of the cockpit view. The circular display did not appeal to me. I wanted it rectangular. But after 4 months, I love how the console looks. The pod display has some problems associated with the joystick especially during rains, but definitely this is one of the highlights of this motorcycle. The map which can be cast on this display is very good, but unfortunately not usable since the phone display has to be ON all the time.

7. Suspension, Brakes, Gearbox

8. Mileage - the console shows average mileage of around 34-35 kmpl.

9. I do like how the engine sounds, its a bit noisy, but no clatter as of now, i hope it stays the same. And it is reasonable refined for my usage.

10. Tubeless spokes. Booked on day 1 of launch. Great value addition to the bike for the stellar price at which it is offered.




Dislikes

1. I wish the handlebar grip was smaller

2. I wish the console google-map was usable without the phone display being ON all the time

3. I wish the lean angle of side stand was not that much

4. The joystick is not very responsive. I might have to get it replaced down the line. And sometimes the console sort of receive ghost inputs - all this happened during monsoon time. Even now, a simple task like resetting the trip meter is a hassle, with multiple fiddling of the joystick to make the correct selection.




Problems faced

Fuel sensor issue - wrote about this in detail in this thread.

[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by sreejithsin

I was using the CB350 for long rides and XPulse for short rides and trails. I

Congratulations on your new acquisition.
One quick question.. aren't you the same user who goes by the username "GodsOwnRider"?
I remember replying here to one of your older posts saying that I follow you on YouTube. 🙂
What happened to that username?

[sreejithsin]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

What happened to that username?

I still have that username in YouTube. But here, I was posting under this personal username before as well

[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by sreejithsin

I still have that username in YouTube. But here, I was posting under this personal username before as well

Originally Posted by sole_rider

Hey man, welcome to TBhp. I am happy to see you here.

I liked your presentation. Keep up. Enjoy your rides on two wheels.

Got it. I got my old reply as well! Haha.

[btdhar]

Can you pls share a link to the tank grips?

[sreejithsin]

Originally Posted by btdhar

Can you pls share a link to the tank grips?

Ordered via Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/grip.on/

[Ak24rapid]

Hi there! It's a beautiful machine you have, and it was definitely a very good report about it. This is my all-time dream bike.

[deathstalker_]

I have a Himalayan 450 kaza brown, what I have observed is if bike remains in the parked position on center stand it does not detect change in fuel levels it's only after some movement of the vehicle that correct picture shows up sometimes exact figures even show after riding couple of metres. For illustration purpose let's assume my tank range has fuel remaining for 100 km more and I visit a fuel bunk, park the bike on center stand, get down, refuel it and start bike and leave the pump, still the dash shows range of 100 km. It is only after I have done few 100 m of distance that it shows the tank is full.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by deathstalker_

It is only after I have done few 100 m of distance that it shows the tank is full.

My Himalayan 411 does exactly the same thing.

It will get to F.
I fill the petrol to the brim.

It will get out of that F after about 100m or so.

[deathstalker_]

I have seen thousands of mod videos on streaming platforms for the new Himalayan 450 but most of them list the same mods. Out of all these I find only few mods practical. Recently checked some global sites for bike parts and came across a new fuel tank for Himalayan 450 with capacity of 23 L and I was too so happy to have found something different that no one actually came across. I was actually looking for knuckle guards so browsed many sites for Barkbusters , Acerbis but ended up getting more interested in this plastic fuel tank which will considerably reduce weight of the bike. This should also increase the range for two reasons, one is increased capacity, reduction in the weight.

Below is the link and I will love to know your viewpoint on the same .Though my bike mostly does office commutes and I dont plan to purchase one but its definitely interesting so I felt I can share it here with the community.

https://www.acerbis.com/eu/motorspor.../himalayan-450

[espraveen]

Originally Posted by espraveen

... 'Error in selected ride mode' / 'APS Sensor Failure' issue... They said the APS Sensor needs to be replaced....The whole right side set (throttle and brake lever set that has the APS Sensor inside) was replaced ..The bike is at 5200+ KMs odometer now...
I hope I have finished my 'beta tester' assignment for RE with this issue...

How naive I was back in July/August to assume that RE has solved the issue once and for all

Current Odo : 10400KMs

The dreaded 'APS Failure' issue has come back to haunt me and has been recurring for the last month or so. Scenarios where the issue pops up for sure -> When you take a break (fuel /water etc) in the middle of a highway ride and if & when you undertake shorter start-stop rides within town. RPM wouldn't cross 4500 and you'll feel like you are riding a 100CC bike all of a sudden!

Now to the efforts to resolve the issue ->The service center (apparently after consultation with RE guys at the backend) installed a new APS Sensor once again (the whole handle bar throttle set was replaced). I have to check if it works or not over a period of atleast a month or two again. Fingers crossed!

On another note, installed Maddog Scout X aux lamps last weekend and completed a night ride from Hyderabad to Vijayawada thereafter. I've realised that Himalayan450 stock headlight is as good as a parking lamp and aux lamps are an absolute must for this bike!

P.S.: I've found Scout X to be sufficient enough. One may have to consider Maddog Alpha if they want flood-light like effect

Stock headlight, scattered dim light



Scout X, focussed complementary effect over stock light