Asian Boss wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 7:59 pm
It got me looking at the Himalayan again. Christ, they're cheap. And slow I suspect. But I'm tempted. God knows what I'd do with one though.
There is slow on the road, and there is slow on gravel roads and dirt tracks. Two entirely different "slows"
niggle wrote: ↑Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:16 am
In other news I have just gone and ordered a Himalayan, having more of a desire for something with some capability for gravel and dirt roads, plus I have spent at least 50% of my riding career on MZ 250 & 300cc 2 smokes so I doubt the performance (or lack of street cred) will bother me as much as the average rider. Also I am totally allergic to chrome and try to avoid motorways and duel cabbageways as much as possible.
You are the ideal candidate for one then. I bought one as soon as I decided to move out here. Loads of tracks and gravel roads where I live (a tricky one starts 25 metres from my gates).
In 2019 I did a 5,000 km round trip from here to SE France, then through the Pyrenees, the Picos, onto Northern Portugal, rode to the south (inland, never went near the coast) then across southern Spain via Ronda and the Sierra Nevada, to home. In all of that, I think we did a total of about 200kms on motorways which were unavoidable.
My mates were on a CBF1000, V-Strom 650 and another Himalayan. On the straighter roads, my mates could keep ahead on the CBF and V-Strom, on the twisties the Himalayans could keep up, but on the many dirt tracks we mapped out to ride, the two Himalayans were far, far ahead.
I've had no issues with mine in 10,000 miles (I wouldn't expect to) and nothing has broken or fallen off. The finish is still as good as new, but then they don't throw salt on the roads here and it rains infrequently. I don't do anything other than drop it in at the dealers for a service, and never had the stalling or head weeping oil (one bolt is too short, easily fixed with a 5mm longer bolt) that a few other owners suffered.
Other common issues are that some riders find the seat uncomfortable, but that is easily sorted (mines fine now, a 5mm thick sheet of gel cut to shape with a sheepskin cover over the top). Others find the screen causes buffeting, but I must have an Indian proportioned body as I don't get it. Sadly I don't have an Italian proportioned body for driving my Fiat.
And despite it being cheap to buy, they hold their price well on the secondhand market, unlike say a Chinese bike. The two Enfield dealers near me both say they don't have secondhand ones on the shop floor for more than a few days before they are sold.
As for the power, only 24 bhp, but that's enough. Other owners say they wish it had 35bhp from the factory, but if it did, they would want 50bhp, and so on. I've had KTM RC8's and was always looking for mods to give more power, despite what they have is practically unusable on the road.
The Himalayan can do long motorway runs, but it's not at it's best. If I have to be somewhere a distance away by a certain time I'll take the motorway on the Street Triple.
I was aware what I wanted it to use it for, and it has not disappointed. Many bikes I've just bought without a second thought (like the I did with the Street Triple), bet the Himalayan I thought long and hard about before buying, and glad I did.
Highly recommend watching Nathanthepostmam on YouTube, as he has a number small ADV bikes (Himalayan, KTM 390, BMW GS310 and a Honda CRF) that he rides back to back on the same lanes for comparison. Interesting.
As for the 650, if they made this (it was their own in house design project) I'd buy one tomorrow
- 20191127_225228.jpg (102.31 KiB) Viewed 490 times