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Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 12:09 pm
by nathanm
It sounds like he did get a dud, and there have been a couple that have needed some extensive warranty work. Misting clocks and notchy head bearings seem to be the most common and it is a shame they can't get on top of those, especially given how basic the problems are. If you're looking for perfection then I think it's fair to say look elsewhere and I think maybe the late arrivals to the Himalayan will be harder to please as their expectations will be higher. Those of us who bought at the beginning were astounded how much better it was than we thought. Those buying (or test riding) now maybe have too high expectations of what is still a budget product.

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:24 pm
by Mike Horton
nathanm wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 12:09 pm It sounds like he did get a dud, and there have been a couple that have needed some extensive warranty work. Misting clocks and notchy head bearings seem to be the most common and it is a shame they can't get on top of those, especially given how basic the problems are. If you're looking for perfection then I think it's fair to say look elsewhere and I think maybe the late arrivals to the Himalayan will be harder to please as their expectations will be higher. Those of us who bought at the beginning were astounded how much better it was than we thought. Those buying (or test riding) now maybe have too high expectations of what is still a budget product.
I hear what ur saying Nathan but there is an expectation that things work properly when you buy them. The clocks issue got to the point where I couldn't see the dials and more importantly the speed. Therefore it wasn't roadworthy 9 months in! There is an expectation in consumer law that an item is fit for purpose and this is one part they need to sort. Even the dealers has to admit they had never had such issues on any other bike. I know your a big fan of the RE, but I think this issue is hard to defend. I get the other issues and they in the whole have been able to be fixed by dealers. It is a great bike they just needed to step up to the mark and help there customers out. I would gladly of paid an extra 100 quid for better clocks

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:28 pm
by Mike Horton
onslowe wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:38 am Just viewed this on a different forum where somebody has had enough of their RE and gave up , moving back to a Kawasaki :-
"I purchased a RE Himalayan last march and realised i made the biggest mistake of my life. No, not because it was a RE, but because it spent more time in the garage getting fixed than it did on the road. After needing new clocks, ecu, fuel pump, battery and melted wiring replacing, i dicided to get shot. The very loud noise from the engine after having the last lot of warrenty work sealed the deal!"
I really want bikes like the Himalayan to work as they appear to offer something other than a complex, megabucks, overweight, new bike experience but they need to iron out these problems before they will get a great reputation, I am sure they could up their price slightly if they could get the reliability improved.
Sorry you have had such a crap time with yours mate. Like you say easy fixes really they could have ironed out. RE was making such big steps forward especially in UK sales customer service is there main issue

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:43 pm
by onslowe
As stated it was not my bike but is a genuine owners view. I only posted it so that there is a balanced overview on the thread and I really want RE to succeed so that it is a viable alternative as I am a prospective future customer. I do not want different rider modes, masses of bling and a £12000 price tag, rather a simpler, honest and affordable bike (hoping for an XT500 type bike with better brakes, but that will never happen). I hope all the issues get sorted and do not doubt the positive reviews on this thread.

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:51 pm
by Mike Horton
onslowe wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:43 pm As stated it was not my bike but is a genuine owners view. I only posted it so that there is a balanced overview on the thread and I really want RE to succeed so that it is a viable alternative as I am a prospective future customer. I do not want different rider modes, masses of bling and a £12000 price tag, rather a simpler, honest and affordable bike (hoping for an XT500 type bike with better brakes, but that will never happen). I hope all the issues get sorted and do not doubt the positive reviews on this thread.
Sorry onslowe just come of night shift I didn't read the first lines properly 😵😵😵

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 3:27 pm
by nathanm
Mike Horton wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:24 pm
nathanm wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 12:09 pm It sounds like he did get a dud, and there have been a couple that have needed some extensive warranty work. Misting clocks and notchy head bearings seem to be the most common and it is a shame they can't get on top of those, especially given how basic the problems are. If you're looking for perfection then I think it's fair to say look elsewhere and I think maybe the late arrivals to the Himalayan will be harder to please as their expectations will be higher. Those of us who bought at the beginning were astounded how much better it was than we thought. Those buying (or test riding) now maybe have too high expectations of what is still a budget product.
I hear what ur saying Nathan but there is an expectation that things work properly when you buy them. The clocks issue got to the point where I couldn't see the dials and more importantly the speed. Therefore it wasn't roadworthy 9 months in! There is an expectation in consumer law that an item is fit for purpose and this is one part they need to sort. Even the dealers has to admit they had never had such issues on any other bike. I know your a big fan of the RE, but I think this issue is hard to defend. I get the other issues and they in the whole have been able to be fixed by dealers. It is a great bike they just needed to step up to the mark and help there customers out. I would gladly of paid an extra 100 quid for better clocks
To be honest Mike I wasn't defending it. They need to sort the niggles out and I've said that before. My clocks have misted since pretty much day one, but to be honest I just get on with it, it doesn't bother me. The head bearings are more of a hassle. I've also had wheel bearings and a head gasket. So I know the bike's not faultless. But there's nothing else out there like it, so I forgive it its sins more easily. Funnily enough, I took a ride on a 790 KTM Adventure R the other day; 270 miles on the clock and suffering from a faulty fuel gauge, a permanently illuminated brake light and the start of corrosion. I don't know what you buy if you want a bike with zero defects.

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:00 pm
by Mike Horton
nathanm wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 3:27 pm
Mike Horton wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 2:24 pm
nathanm wrote: Mon Apr 01, 2019 12:09 pm It sounds like he did get a dud, and there have been a couple that have needed some extensive warranty work. Misting clocks and notchy head bearings seem to be the most common and it is a shame they can't get on top of those, especially given how basic the problems are. If you're looking for perfection then I think it's fair to say look elsewhere and I think maybe the late arrivals to the Himalayan will be harder to please as their expectations will be higher. Those of us who bought at the beginning were astounded how much better it was than we thought. Those buying (or test riding) now maybe have too high expectations of what is still a budget product.
I hear what ur saying Nathan but there is an expectation that things work properly when you buy them. The clocks issue got to the point where I couldn't see the dials and more importantly the speed. Therefore it wasn't roadworthy 9 months in! There is an expectation in consumer law that an item is fit for purpose and this is one part they need to sort. Even the dealers has to admit they had never had such issues on any other bike. I know your a big fan of the RE, but I think this issue is hard to defend. I get the other issues and they in the whole have been able to be fixed by dealers. It is a great bike they just needed to step up to the mark and help there customers out. I would gladly of paid an extra 100 quid for better clocks
To be honest Mike I wasn't defending it. They need to sort the niggles out and I've said that before. My clocks have misted since pretty much day one, but to be honest I just get on with it, it doesn't bother me. The head bearings are more of a hassle. I've also had wheel bearings and a head gasket. So I know the bike's not faultless. But there's nothing else out there like it, so I forgive it its sins more easily. Funnily enough, I took a ride on a 790 KTM Adventure R the other day; 270 miles on the clock and suffering from a faulty fuel gauge, a permanently illuminated brake light and the start of corrosion. I don't know what you buy if you want a bike with zero defects.
I like the ktms the 790 especially but I've looked at them before and don't think the quality is the best for the money. Re zero defects I'm under no apprehension that there is such a bike out there. However as a former engineer its about sorting them out and improving things. The clocks are important to me as if they fail and I can't see the speed it's no lawful defence if I fall foul of the law. Construction and use road traffic laws state things need to be maintained. I'm a bit of a stickler for speed as yes it does kill....
My issue with RE is they are so hard to get hold of and seem unable to admit this is a big issue my dealer in particular now has many clock issues and nobody at moto gb or RE is resolving it. Most other manufacturers would have done a recall or upgrade as like you say things aren't perfect. To me 4k is still a lot of money and I expect that consumers can expect a service. Sort these issues and I'm sure it will help the royal Enfield reputation I want to see more himalayans on the road as I think they make great sense.

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:30 pm
by nathanm
I think realistically they're never going to do a full recall on it because it would involve a redesign and re-issuing of the clocks, and I'd imagine commercially it makes 'better' sense just to keep chucking new ones on, much like Honda with the spokes on the Africa Twin. It is a shame they've not remedied the other niggles along the way - surely the head bearings can't be a difficult job to fix. I believe they have changed the design of the throttle cable to fix it from snapping as it had been prone to before. Personally I think the Himalayan was/is a bridging bike and the company has already moved on from it to the 650 and the bikes that will follow on from that. The success of it over here has probably taken them by surprise. But yes, of course it'd be better if they resolved issues rather than not resolve issues.

My Himalayan Honeymoon

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:31 pm
by Chris S
Like I said when I joined this thread, I would have been happier if mine had had 'Honda' on the tank, but so far it's running like a Honda.
As others have said, the Him's success or popularity shows not so much that we're mad keen on Enfields – I certainly never was – but we do want a functional, no frills, low tech/seat/comp/CoG/price and usefully equipped trail bike. More or less the opposite of a 790 with more electronics than a Saturn V – brilliant ride though it doubtless is.
Hopefully other manufacturers are watching. The XT700 appears to be partly in that mold but it's still trying to ape a rally bike (or so the promo material suggests) rather than just be a travel bike. I suppose Teneres always did the former but became the latter.

Today in Morocco the unloaded Him was brilliant: up above the clouds at over 8000', scraping the stand on the way back down, and all for 80.5 mpg and a sore arse.

Image

Re: The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 10:41 pm
by Kiwiscoot
Strange I've never had the clocks misting up and I've had it in pretty heavy rain for hours. I plugged up where the harnass plug into the back of instrument cluster pretty much from day one. I've only had mine from November, so our summer without very low temperatures. Will be interesting to see if it's a temperature thing or just water getting in at the harness plug. Our temperatures are dropping too, so will see if it's a temperature issue. So far tho plugging the hole at the back of the instruments have worked for me.