Interceptor owner's take on the Himalayan 450 after a 15 km test ride

Power band is very narrow on the Himalayan, also the vibrations are a big spoilsport, in comparison Interceptor feels very smooth

BHPian Rahulkool recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Today early morning sales guy from a local RE dealership called me informing me that Himalayan TD is available. I was just leaving for Pondy, so thought of checking out the bike. Went to the showroom early and was the first one to TD the bike there with just 8kms on the odo. Rode around 15kms in the city, being a Sunday morning traffic was sparse.

Engine - Decent low-end toque, can potter around in 2nd gear. It has good mid-range and ok top end, revs very easily. Did 100-110 effortlessly, the engine feels adequate in terms of power, need a ride on the highway. There are vibrations around 4500-6000RPM, a good amount of vibes I could feel in the foot pegs and tank, and also some in the handlebar (I was wearing riding boots and gloves) post 6000rpm it reduces a bit. till 4000rpm engine is very smooth. Vibes are less in 5th gear, I didn't get the opportunity to test 6th gear. I didn't feel any major engine heat, the radiator fan was on a couple of times.

Seats - very comfy, initially I felt slight discomfort as I was sitting far ahead. After adjusting a bit and moving back it was very good. The handlebar felt slightly bent away from the rider, I feel a straight motocross-style handlebar would be better.

Suspension - The best bit on the bike, glides on the road, and travel is also good. But the front suspension did bottom out on on couple of bad potholes, most of the reviews say it does not bottom out easily.

The speedometer is good, all the info is clearly visible, and the joystick is usable with gloves. The bike didn't feel heavy or big once on the move, i rode in traffic and took a couple of U-turns, didn't feel heavy at all. I didn't feel any lag on the throttle input, the bike responded well. I had to squeeze the front brake level way too much than the interceptor, maybe because the bike was new? Brakes are very effective just that disk brakes usually don't take that much lever travel, rear brakes are better than my Interceptor. The accelerator/clutch is very smooth/effortless to operate, gear shifts are also very precise.

Although power figures on Interceptor and Himalayan seem not that different, the actual feel while riding is much apart. The power band is very narrow on the Himalayan, also the vibrations are a big spoilsport, in comparison Interceptor feels very smooth, I know its a single cylinder vs two cylinder. But as I own an Interceptor I have done the comparison.

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