Himalayan 411 owner rides the new Himalayan 450: Shares pros & cons

I have put 20,850 km on my Himalayan 411 and also ridden the 390 Adventure, its prime competitor.

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Truly a step up in every way from the now discontinued 411 - I would say this is at the beginning of what can be a VStrom 650-like platform for the Himalayan. I read somewhere in the reviews someone stated that not even a bolt from the 411 was used - you walk away from the bike feeling just that. I have put 20,850 km on my 411 and also ridden the 390 Adventure, its prime competitor. Scramblers aren't ADVs and will handle differently hence no comparison with them. 10 km test ride across 20 minutes - Kaza Brown variant.

• Engine - Fantastic! Not torquey like the 411, but has a balance of top-end acceleration as well as low-end torque due to the same 40 hp, 40 Nm power figures. It doesn't feel strangled like the 411. You can stay in 3rd gear all day in the city on long straights, shifting to 2nd for an overtake and probably 1st if extremely needed. Vibrations are for a short period of 5000-6500 rpm but are not irritating.
• Brakes - Excellent. They stop convincingly. The 411 sucked big time on these not serving well either off-road or highway.
• Suspension - The best point of this bike. Almost TATA-like - nothing even filters to you through the seat, probably a moon-sized crater will. It pushes you to expose it to more such. Doesn’t wallow or bounce around like the 411, sticks to the road thanks to the USD forks.
• Ergonomics - feels the same as the 411. The round TFT meter is easy to read though the indicator blinking and high beam may get missed being very small at the bottom. Does not feel like a big bike and the seat height is pretty manageable. The stock seat at 825 is amazing and not very narrow - comfortable seats finally for 500 km+ days.
• Handling - felt like a KTM! Feels very lightweight at least 20 kg less compared to mine, though it’s only 5 kg less. I know it shouldn’t but dips into corners like anything thanks to the 140-section radials rather than knobbies.

Demerits

• Engine heat for the unaccustomed feels like the Speed 400 but less. To me, it was nothing compared to the iron box of an air-cooled 411 unit. The fan kicks in around 10 minutes of riding and cools quickly.
• That side stand has to be redesigned. It leans too much to the left. The 411 hits the sweet spot in that. Heavily built guys with an existing fear of tipping the bike over trying to climb the pegs as on an ADV will not even attempt this.
• The new engine already has Tappet sound issues (the 1420 km old test ride bike did) and a couple of camshaft tensioner replacements done on month-old bikes, though it may also be due to improper run-in techniques. It has to be a more robust engine.

This is a win for riders who are now more upfront in demanding more bang for their buck at a 3.7L on-road price - it will be 4L for those booking now.

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