The Royal Enfield Himalayan ,great value.

[nathanm]

I take all your points, and see your issue with covering big distances. I've done a couple of 600 mile days on the Himalayan which will sit at 70mph on motorway stretches. If it only did 55mph then I would definitely agree with you.

Weird that people take such dumps on bikes they've never ridden but adventure forums sure do throw up some turds - bikes and people alike. No fanboys here, but it must appeal to more than a few as the Himalayan has sold getting on for a 1000 units in the UK this year and been the best selling sub 500cc machine (excluding scooters), so it must make sense to some.

As long as you enjoy riding your rocket ship then bully for you.

[Sweeney Todd]

I take all your points, and see your issue with covering big distances. I've done a couple of 600 mile days on the Himalayan which will sit at 70mph on motorway stretches. If it only did 55mph then I would definitely agree with you.

Weird that people take such dumps on bikes they've never ridden but adventure forums sure do throw up some turds - bikes and people alike. No fanboys here, but it must appeal to more than a few as the Himalayan has sold getting on for a 1000 units in the UK this year and been the best selling sub 500cc machine (excluding scooters), so it must make sense to some.

As long as you enjoy riding your rocket ship then bully for you.
[/quote

I genuinely wish it well I like the machine so glad to hear it's done 1000 units in UK since January. Must be No1 in the charts then?

I have ridden the machine and I'm not daft either. I already knew what low 20's rwhp horsepower (if you're lucky) feels like in a near 200kg package. It's balanced a little with 10ft/lbs more torque at lower revs than, for instance, a late 70's CB250N which btw was an acknowledged slug despite weighing 20 kilos less and accordingly I challenge your 70mph all day claims big stylee.

Unless you are challenging the laws of physics given a good run and neutral or tail wind you will indeed bowl along however the situation given a headwind or any sustained upward incline is entirely different and you know it.

If you're happy with that then fine all I did was say that wasn't sufficient performance for me and my riding without lots more time, relatively small miles and/or a van. That's my real world.

So, for me c35rwhp is it. Leaving the H a good 15 hp short for my style of riding. I'm not asking for a rocketship.

Obviously not your choice and I respect that and I understand your enthusiasm for the machine but in the end I stick by my choices and rationale so don't be so sensitive.

[Sweeney Todd]

I genuinely wish it well I like the machine so glad to hear it's done 1000 units in UK since January. Must be No1 in the charts then?

I have ridden the machine and I'm not daft either. I already knew what low 20's rwhp horsepower (if you're lucky) feels like in a near 200kg package. It's balanced a little with 10ft/lbs more torque at lower revs than, for instance, a late 70's CB250N which btw was an acknowledged slug despite weighing 20 kilos less and accordingly I challenge your 70mph all day claims big stylee.

Unless you are challenging the laws of physics given a good run and neutral or tail wind you will indeed bowl along however the situation given a headwind or any sustained upward incline is entirely different and you know it.

If you're happy with that then fine all I did was say that wasn't sufficient performance for me and my riding without lots more time, relatively small miles and/or a van. That's my real world.

So, for me c35rwhp is it. Leaving the H a good 15 hp short for my style of riding. I'm not asking for a rocketship.

Obviously not your choice and I respect that and I understand your enthusiasm for the machine but in the end I stick by my choices and rationale so don't be so sensitive.

[Kiwiscoot]

I find it interesting how the perception is that higher hp is needed for 70mph. My 2006 Vespa GTS250 runs 70mph easy all day, even in headwinds and inclines. And hey with the Falco split screen it even runs better in head winds. At speed it is all about the aerodynamics. My SYM Citycom 300i before that ran 70mph easily with about the same hp. Get a 25mph headwind and yes you are WOT with the SYM and have a smidgin left on the Vespa. Only once did I have the Citycom go down to 50mph and that was with a howling 30mph+ wind and Lewis Pass incline and that was only for about 5 miles. And I'm 6'4 so not the most aerodynamic.
Yes with a 36l tin box strapped to each side and loaded to the gills the Himma will be running at it's limit in a headwind at 70mph, but with wise packing...skinny baggage 70mph sustained is not far fetched. No incline through Arthurs Pass or Levis pass here on the South Island of NZ keeps the bike at 50mph due to lack of HP, the bends does. I have done 700km days over Lewis Pass and Arthurs Pass in a day and my average moving speed has been around 50mph. Do a 100 000kms on a sub-30hp machine and you might just be surprised at what can be achieved with what's available.
And it's not that I haven't had more hp at my disposal in the past. I traded a Honda Deauville in on 50 000kms for the Himalayan. Sub-70mph the Himmalayan does not lack anything but a few hp more for quicker overtaking would've been nice.

[OB1]

Anyone wanting to sit a 70+ mph all day is missing the point of the Himalayan or any other small capacity (sub 30 bhp) bike. If you want to get from Calais to Catalonia in a day, chose a multi-cylinder touring bike or cruiser. These bikes will get you to Catalonia, just maybe not today... or tomorrow, but you'll have just as much, if not more fun on them as you'll plan your routes accordingly.

Just wondering: will I need a van to transport my CRF250 Rally next year when I embark on a 6 month long, 25,000+ mile trip out to Mongolia and back?

[nathanm]

I genuinely wish it well I like the machine so glad to hear it's done 1000 units in UK since January. Must be No1 in the charts then?

I have ridden the machine and I'm not daft either. I already knew what low 20's rwhp horsepower (if you're lucky) feels like in a near 200kg package. It's balanced a little with 10ft/lbs more torque at lower revs than, for instance, a late 70's CB250N which btw was an acknowledged slug despite weighing 20 kilos less and accordingly I challenge your 70mph all day claims big stylee.

Unless you are challenging the laws of physics given a good run and neutral or tail wind you will indeed bowl along however the situation given a headwind or any sustained upward incline is entirely different and you know it.

If you're happy with that then fine all I did was say that wasn't sufficient performance for me and my riding without lots more time, relatively small miles and/or a van. That's my real world.

So, for me c35rwhp is it. Leaving the H a good 15 hp short for my style of riding. I'm not asking for a rocketship.

Obviously not your choice and I respect that and I understand your enthusiasm for the machine but in the end I stick by my choices and rationale so don't be so sensitive.

Sensitive? Maybe. But you suggested the only people enjoying the Himalayan are fanboys, which seems a bit of an odd thing to say given most people who've bought them haven't owned REs before. You rode the bike, you didn't like it, fair enough.

[frenchy3]

When i first looked at the specifications for the Himalayan it didn,t look great on paper but that only tells a fraction of the story. I cannot pass any judgement as i have yet to ride one but the majority of Enfield himalayan owners seem very happy with their purchases.
Everyone laughed when i told them i was going to buy a Harley Davidson MT350. I owned that bike for ten years which was more time than i have ever owned any bike. Yes it was a plodder with 24 bhp and a little porky at 163kg. It was ugly as sin and over engineered.
The bike was very relaxing to ride,great on the road for long trips and flattered my riding off road. There was nothing it couldn,t manage. It got up some tracks i couldn,t manage on my enduro bikes.
Iooked at the Himalayan as my next purchase but i fell at the final hurdle and bought something else instead. Don,t ask me why as even now i cannot explain my choice. I really believe this bike is still in it,s early days and the factory listen to their customers and i certainly don,t rule it out as a future purchase. I really ought to sort out a test ride instead of relying on the internet.

[Trev]

I've twice nearly bought one; first time was end of last year when I took one out for just over an hour and was offered a straight swap; a brand new Himalayan for the 2015 Guzzi I had ridden over - it's a Guzzi, Benelli, Enfield, MV, Norton & Brough Superior dealership - talk about something for everyone!
Second time was last weekend when I popped into the same dealership with my wife for a coffee and saw a couple of mud spattered Himalayan's with various mods parked up outside. Got chatting to the owners and they loved them saying they had switched from their KTM's to Himalayan's as had a) become more realistic about their off road riding ability b) both gotten fed up with the KTM's needing frequent and costly attention.

The reason so far for not going for one is that I have 500 efi Enfield (a chrome, rust and oil coloured 2008 first of the UCE motor jobby) and a 2016 DCT Africa Twin and I suspect that a Himalayan would take a fair chunk of the riding hours from both of those bikes, both of which are keepers, meaning it would be two more bikes that wouldn't get enough use.

I will still probably succumb at some stage as my lad has just got himself a DRZ400 (from a very nice bloke on this forum) and it's either put some knobblies on the AT and proceed to break lots of expensive bits and probably give myself a hernia reminding myself how bad I am off road or get a Himmy and plod around quite nicely thank you very much with little regard for what breaks and being able to pick it up.

[Jak*]

I think Nathan and others have already proved that the Himalayan is great value. I do not think there is anything else that comes close for the money. It obviously is not a bike for everyone and I am quite happy with that.
I like Sweeny’s idea that we are searching for Zen perfection. For me that would be hitting those moments when you, the machine and the road are in perfect synchronicity. When you get to the end of a ride and think ‘Wow I want to turn round and do it all again’. I have had those moments on many bikes and find I frequently get them on the Himalayan. Personally I think I would find it harder to achieve on something that was four inches taller, four times the power and four times the cost, but each to their own.
Perhaps we need a new thread where owners can list the good and bad points of accessories they have fitted, or modifications they have made. Some of Chris’s mods look interesting.
Cheers Jak

[Chris S]

As you may know that thread already exists on advrider. Currently 6500 posts and getting on for half a million views:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/royal-en ... d.1253460/

These two threads are more to the point:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/royal-en ... d.1351669/
https://advrider.com/f/threads/royal-en ... d.1351764/

The best thing would be a UK forum. With other bikes I've found them the best way to access info (certainly compared to FB)