The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

[PaulinBont]

When I was looking to replace my CCM I did consider the Himalayan....until I saw one in the flesh . As 'The Missenden Flyer' put it during his YouTube review ( worth seeing btw), "it has looks only a mother could love". I totally agree.

I have ridden one, it was ok but I'd have to look at it every time I opened the garage door, so in the end I bought a CB500x.

[minkyhead]

roumers ive seen are the 650 ones ...surly its not beyond the realms of possibility to get very safe 35 hp from a 411/ 500 single that would be a better move i guess ...

01aa9479-1beb-47d3-8d6b-9a9a5e502e15 by minkyhead56, on Flickr

[Jak*]

RE built the Himalayan for the Indian market and therefore aimed it for shorter, lighter riders. I’m 5’8” and it suits me fine I guess if you are six foot then it would not be the bike for you. Then if I was that tall I would probably have got an XT 660. When I placket up mine from Bruntingthorpe they said they had no plans for a 650 Himalayan but they were working on designs for a replacement. They seemed quite surprised at how well the Himalayan had sold in the UK and US.
For me is is a vastly superior bike to my CCM, or a CRF, and more practical. The build quality is way above the CCM and at least as good as the Honda. On the road it is more comfortable and relaxing to ride than either of them. You could pretty much jump straight on it and tour the world without having to add panniers, racks, larger tank etc which is a big plus over the Honda.
Cheers Jak

[Sweeney Todd]

roumers ive seen are the 650 ones ...surly its not beyond the realms of possibility to get very safe 35 hp from a 411/ 500 single that would be a better move i guess ...

01aa9479-1beb-47d3-8d6b-9a9a5e502e15 by minkyhead56, on Flickr

I couldn't agree more.

I love all bikes but grown men telling you of the motorway prowess of a 20hp 200kg bike is a bit rich it really is.

The same folk then start testing so called performance enhancing add-ons without a trace of irony.

It's like a bloody virus it really is, internet feeds youtube feeds forums feeds sales and common sense goes out of the window.

[nathanm]

It's a shame you have to make it personal Sweeney Todd but if that's your take on it, fair enough.

Grown men happy with the bike they've purchased. Can't see anything wrong with that.

Why experiment with performance enhancing products? Because there are some out there claiming amazing things about them and encouraging others to buy them. As a sceptic and as someone who has a voice in the Himalayan community (through Youtube, shame on me), I've bought one to try and give some independent verification. If that offends you, so be it.

[OB1]

It's like a bloody virus it really is, internet feeds youtube feeds forums feeds sales and common sense goes out of the window.

Is that the same common sense that says you can't tour on anything less than a 1200 cc behemoth and that an 800 cc bike would be useless for 2-up travel? Common sense went out of the window as soon as internet news groups and forums were invented.

[Sweeney Todd]

I'm not offended but I am also sceptical.

There are those that have stated the bike is very slow and they don't care. I take my hat off to them that's an honest appraisal. In my own experience, glacially slow would be a better description but let's not split hairs.

There are others who continually downplay the dearth of performance, presumably because the bike's other attributes overshadow it's lack of ability to pull the skin off a rice pudding and yet others who over estimate it's ability to breach the National Speed limit on a dual carriageway for more than the time it takes to reach a hill.

Now I don't make any claims to have a 'voice' in the Himalayan community (whatever that is) I just see a cheap bike with reasonable potential who's manufacturer missed a trick and will no doubt rectify this before too long IMHO.

If and when that happens and even at a few more quid one might well buy one.

Until then stop being blind to it's deficiencies and for goodness sakes speak up.

Who knows with you being such an important voice, they might actually listen.

[Sweeney Todd]

It's like a bloody virus it really is, internet feeds youtube feeds forums feeds sales and common sense goes out of the window.

Is that the same common sense that says you can't tour on anything less than a 1200 cc behemoth and that an 800 cc bike would be useless for 2-up travel? Common sense went out of the window as soon as internet news groups and forums were invented.

I blame the printing press

[fatowl]

Personally, I think it's a good thing for people to test performance enhancing items and in fact any and all accessories. I may not be buying them, but there are many people who might, and I'm interested in all things motorcycle. So thanks Nathan.

[FatFreddy]

After reading various reviews and watching various YouTube channels (Nathan) I had convinced myself that the Himalayan was the bike I was looking for.
Unlike many, I am really taken with it’s looks and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one, so I booked a test ride.
Up close I liked it even more. On the road it handles pretty well, (given time to get used to it I reckon you could really chuck it into corners), off road (don’t tell the dealer!) it seemed pretty competent too. Reports that the front brake is under powered are exaggerated..... cos it’s so bloody slow you don’t need one.
It is without doubt, a great little bike, and excellent value for money.....If you can live with 24bhp.
If it had an extra 10 - 15 brakes I’d have bought it, it as it stands (for me anyway) it’s just a little bit underpowered.