Would Himalayan 411 owners buy the new Himalayan 450?

I recently test-rode the new Himalayan 450 and was very impressed by its performance.

BHPian shreyashuilgol recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hi all,

This topic seemed interesting to me after seeing a lot of "influencers" moving from their old Himalayan to the new one.

I have an older Himalayan that is passed down from my brother who has moved abroad. I enjoy it thoroughly and keep taking it on 400-600 km one-way rides quite regularly.

Earlier to the Himalayan, the bike I used as a jack of all trades (even for the rides) was a Yamaha FZ25 which I still own and use regularly in the city.

After starting to ride the Himalayan 411 on longer trips I realized the ease of having an Adventure Tourer. The pros of ruggedness and comfort weigh more than the cons of low mileage for me.

I would now not go for anything which is not an Adventure tourer as my highway bike just for its sheer go-anywhere ability.

I recently test-drove the new Himalayan 450 and was very impressed by its performance. Especially compared to the older version. But, I still have doubts lingering if it would make sense to pay 3.5L+ (Hyderabad) for it.

Coming from the perspective of owning a Yamaha FZ25, I would have readily exchanged my bike for the new Himalayan. Especially after moving to working from home completely, the usage is mostly limited to highway rides.

But, would I do it with a Himalayan already in my garage? For me, the answer would be no.

The main reasons are:

1. I know the bike reaches higher speeds much more easily, but I don't prefer to cruise at more than 100-110kmph with an occasional pull to 120kmph. This I do even on the older Himalayan.
2. The mileage figures after speaking to a few new Himalayan 450 owners are almost the same as the old ones.
3. The suspension of the older one is also very good.
4. Higher maintenance costs.
5. The sheer no-nonsense attitude. (Mine is a BS3 carburetor)
6. It costs a good chunk of money. Money enough to buy some really good used four-wheelers.

Would love to see your opinions regarding the same, even though you might not be a Himalayan owner.

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

My 2018 Himalayan has almost 40k kms on it.

I have ridden it to Nepal, Spiti and Nathula. It has been a very reliable bike.

My close friends currently ride an Interceptor, Triumph Scrambler and Himalayan 450.

The only issue with my bike is the 0-100 speed.

It takes almost double the amount of time as these other bikes.

• Interceptor is 6.42
• New Himalayan is 6.3
• Scrambler is 6.9

Old Himalayan is about 11+

We all like to cruise under 100.

But this difference in acceleration means, within a few minutes of our speed breaker-infested highways...they gain a few meters every time and this translates to a huge gap within an hour of riding.

My car (Verna Turbo DCT) is also much much faster than my Himalayan.

Unless this is a problem you face, there is no reason to change the bike.

I am on the fence and maybe next year will end up upgrading as it's becoming a nagging irritation.

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

Shreyas I would keep the old Himalayan 411 considering it’s in good shape or even spend some money to get it in good shape but not exchange it for the new Himalayan.

Reasons:

• After a test ride of both versions, I any day prefer the older one, better suspension and low-down torque. Don’t own or don’t intend to own either, just my opinion.
• All issues are sorted on your bike and you must be having a relatively carefree ownership compared to the new Himalayan which has issues cropping up regularly with no clue whether there are more to come.
• The cost outlay as you mention, unless your heart really wants the new Himalayan there seems to be no reason to switch.

A new bike versus an old one generally is a heart versus head decision. Finally, all the opinions don’t matter - if you can sleep peacefully with the old Himalayan, don’t bother

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