Booked Himalayan 450 with low seat height option; Delivered without it

RE dealers stated that there is no 'low seat height' option at all.

BHPian jatinkhanduja recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi BHPians,

I wanted to post a detailed review of my new Kaza Brown from the perspective of a naïve user (at least from the perspective of power bikes) and I am in the process of compiling one however RE's promise and delivery have forced me to reach out to you guys for help.

The problem: I am a 5'7'' guy with an average build and new to the world of power bikes. I specifically asked the showroom guys to get me the lowest seat (805 mm) for my new Himalayan 450 (advertised by the company in their brochures) and was promised the same.

Day 0: Come the day of delivery and after a few kilometres on the odometer I noticed that the seat provided was of standard height and not the low-height one, which was not giving me the control that I wanted. I spoke to the dealership and they promised to get back to me.

Day 0: After talking to showroom guys spoke to customer support and was told that the seating option is only available at the time of booking and NOTHING can be done now.

Day 1: Again dropped a mail at support@royalenfield.com and received a prompt reply that there have been no updates on the low-height seat and the same is not available even as an accessory.

Again mailed the company that the vehicle was not of much use unless I got the low-height seat and the next day received a call with the same reply and they literally said, "If you want the low seating position visit the showroom and then get the shockers adjusted, there is no option of low height seat being delivered now." End of conversation. However, they did register a complaint on the grounds that the "showroom did not provide correct information"

Spoke to the showroom guys who acknowledged that I had made a request for a low-height seat at the start itself. But firstly, they themselves did not know anything about such an option. Secondly, even while making the order to the company they did not have any such option even to them.

Ques:

1. Who's fault is it? Is the customer to be blamed?
2. What is the way out from here?
3. How can the company explicitly deny the customer a bike part which they are selling to others even when they are at fault?

On an emotional note, It took me years to purchase this bike and have high expectations of riding it but the attitude of the company makes me feel that I made a wrong decision.

Update

I have the following concerns:

• Even if I learn to drive the vehicle as it is can the company behave the way they are and deny a bike part to the customer? God forbid if one has the low height seats and they get damaged for any reason will the company not provide a replacement? I am really at a loss to understand their attitude.
• Is there a way I could escalate this to the RE management so that they understand how they are making a mess of a beautiful product?

Here's what BHPian Nilesh5417 had to say on the matter:

I understand that the dealership messed up and the company hasn't figured a way out.

Some options now:

1. Try to see if you can get the seat cushion modified to make the seat narrower than it is at the front. Most of the time, this helps with finding a good footing.
2. Get an after-market seat - not sure if there are options yet though
3. Get the cushion modified to drop the seat height.

I prefer 1 over 3 if 2 isn't available.

Two other things you could do:

1. Don't worry about losing balance and just ride the bike. While flat footing will boost your confidence, even otherwise, am sure your muscle memory will help find the necessary balance. You have ridden motorcycles before, just remind yourself of it and start small rides during off-peak hours to get used to the bike.
2. Enjoy the motorcycle and don't fret about the dealer, RE etc. While irritating, your experience is not a deal breaker IMO. You got the bike after so long and the bike itself is a good one. So a bit of tweaking your style and you are good to go.

Trust me, waiting for the low seat height option and until then, simply parking your bike is no fun. Plus no guarantee that the accessories will be available any time soon. Happy riding!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.