Hitchcocks Forum

I'm seriously thinking of swapping my trusty Bullet (that I've ridden from new for the last eight years) for a 2021 model Himalayan. Have any members done the swap to a Himalayan and if so, can you let me know the pros and cons? The new Himalayan is getting very good reviews as a trusty workhorse and a comfortable bike to ride but I'm still a little hesitant. I would be using it for bumbling around and the annual pilgrimage back to the UK so any owner reviews, good bits and bad bits would be much appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

"Itchy Boots," (Series one on YouTube,) abused a Himalayan, in countries and on "roads," and had very little trouble problems.

I've not done a 'swap' but do have both a 2008 efi (a B5 I think but never too sure on the model bit) which I've had for about nine years and added a 2019 Himmy last month. I've only done 600 miles on the Himmy and bought it for green lanes more than road work but so far I'm pleased with it. About as different to the 500 as a single from Enfield could be, I'll list a few bits I've noticed so far:
Much, much smoother, which is nice but doesn't have the same 'thump'
Modern construction - you can see it's been designed from the ground up rather than bits added, removed, wedged on over time, for example no silly mismatched nuts and bolts, electrics routed better, etc
Not quite the same performance as my slightly breathed on efi (exhaust, K&N, Power Commander, larger front sprocket) but the HImmy feels like it will hold an indicated 70 (if required) forever whereas the efi not so much!
Brakes better, I fitted EBC pads to front from day one, ABS if that's your thing, handy with knobblies on these cold, greasy roads, not being able to lock the rear bit of a pain off road but not a disaster
Nice dials and info without being silly, easy to read dials and enough LCD info to be useful without distracting
Compass is hilarious
I've fitted a YSS rear shock as 6ft+ and 16st in kit and I want it for off road use, I think original and front forks are fine for road use and deffo more comfortable than the efi.
Handling seems neutral and, even on Conti Twinduro tyres and the cold, wet roads has been fine, I'm expecting dry road handling to be easily good enough, maybe even a bit of fun. I've always found the efi ok (Hagon shocks help) but our pock marked roads and short travel suspension make it pretty jarring.
Nice riding position on the Himmy, seat a tad low for me but I've not done any long stints yet, the 2 hrs I have done it was fine so will wait to see if I need to add a bit more height for my knee bend.
On the road it pulls along quite nicely (I've only just finished the running in on mine so it will probably loosen up a bit yet) and will indicate 75 or a bit more if you really must, 55/60 seems comfortable cruising speed which it pulls easily. Would probably take a larger front sprocket if road use only.
Clutch is light and lovely feel for pottering and off road, good standing position off road, it feels like a proper trail bike.
Front mudguard spits a fair bit of gunk off the road even though I've fitted a Hitchcocks extender, I do have 10mm riser on it and Conti knobblies so perhaps standard set up not so bad, anyone else?
Screen is too low for me (6ft tall) and puts wind flow straight onto my face, not great as I wear an open face helmet. I'll probably remove as really not a fan of screens on low powered bikes, I managed plenty of miles on much more powerful 'naked bikes' (what a silly name) without a screen so not really needed IMO, a styling thing
Switch gear is simple and easy to use and it, and all the electrics have already survived a total submerge when I dropped it in a massoooove muddy 'puddle' first day out.
The front racks are handy for helping haul the bike upright and out of puddles, and great for stashing bits on, as is rear rack.
The three tankfuls I've used have given mpg between 55 and 74, variation due to running in throttle use on road, low gear use green laning, I'm guessing 65/70 mpg will be easy on the road, a lot more if you potter. Not as good as the efi which, even two up and giving it a bit of beans, usually gives me 80+

One observation, the Himmy looks like a Landrover, the efi (chrome tank version) looks like a proper old Brit bike and I've already noticed fewer older gents commenting ..

In word, so far I really like the Himmy, it feels different to the efi of course but still has that Enfield dna and feels like it will be the go to bike for back lanes and mucky weather pottering - I currently have a DCT Africa Twin for that which is a great bike, but somehow the Himmy has wormed its way into my soul already, a proper Enfield to this relative Enfield newbie.

Many thanks for the very detailed reply Trev, just the sort of information was looking for. Looks like I will be biting the bullet and placing an order in the next couple of months.

Nice Informative review thanks, you may have answered the question I’m asking in my recent post.
70mph capability and better at it than the UCE 500 works for me if it’s comfortable over a medium to long journey.

I have a classic 500 Efi which is a keeper and will do distance but I would like a little less fatigue when on the motorway
70mph is good with short bursts upto 75mph.

Would there much difference between your 500 and Himalayan if the 500 was not so modified ?

Eagle56 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:09 pm

Nice Informative review thanks, you may have answered the question I’m asking in my recent post.
70mph capability and better at it than the UCE 500 works for me if it’s comfortable over a medium to long journey.

I have a classic 500 Efi which is a keeper and will do distance but I would like a little less fatigue when on the motorway
70mph is good with short bursts upto 75mph.

Would there much difference between your 500 and Himalayan if the 500 was not so modified ?

Please bear in mind that I've only down about 400 miles on the Himmy so far and most of that back lanes and green lanes so take that into account when assessing my experience;

The 500 feels to have a bit more tug, partly because it has (see power and torque figures for the two) and partly because you feel the 'thump's a lot more, the Himmy is very smooth. I think the mods I've done have added a bit to the 500 but, in all honesty, probably not a huge amount, a couple bhp at most. The larger front sprocket made the most difference as made 55/60 mph cruising more comfortable and 4th of some use in those rare overtaking moments.

In comparing the two absolute performance wise (a pretty pointless comparison really but we like that sort of thing so here goes anyway!), the 500 will just see 80mph on the speedo, on the flat, no crouching, from the one off comparison I did with sat nav 'speedo', probably genuine 74/75. I've not checked speedo accuracy on the Himmy yet, and motor is still 'tight' but only coaxed that up to 76/77 in similar conditions so probably a couple of mph down on top speed on my 500. Acceleration wise, again the 500 feels quicker (less slow!) but the less than slick gearbox doesn't allow swift changes so the Himmy may win out there, again it would be a gnats wotsit between them.

In the real world, the Himmy has the legs on the 500 all the time, quicker gear changes, smoother at all engine speeds leaves you happy to rev it and it will hold a higher cruising speed for much longer without it feeling like it, or you, will vibrate to pieces.

I use my 500 for pillion pottering and back lane exploring (it has semi knobbly trail tyres on) but do occasionally like to have some fun with quicker bikes (almost everything) by bouncing it along at 65/70 on twisty local roads, it will do it but doesn't feel like it, or me, could keep it up for long. The Himmy feels like you could hold it at full throttle forever and it will be okay, time will tell

I made the swap August 2019 and the Himalayan has been great, although I miss the lazy comfort of my old 350 Bullet. As mentioned, the screen buffeting can be annoying, but I can live with it, and I learned early on that the OEM tyres can be exciting in the wet. Also, be prepared to replace the gaiters, and other rubber protective caps etc within 18 months - 2 years. The handling is superb, and a better set of tyres will give (me) much more confidence. Long distance comfort is not too bad, but not as good as my old Bullet. Continuous riding with only fuel stops are the norm for me, so that's around 200+ miles, which equates to around 4 hours in the saddle on highland roads. For me there's too much "nonsense" going on with the dash, the compass is a joke, and there is other stuff I don't need, my face is an experienced and accurate temperature gauge. cruising speed for me is 60/65 mph. I've put a Shock Sock on the rear, and I'll put the extension on the front guard. The only other mod I'm going to make is mount the battery in a box mounted between the rear right pannier frame and the bike frame, because where the battery is mounted as standard is a complete pain in the ***e to get at. The bike is easy to keep clean as well.

Great info thank you both.

I think I could enjoy having both my classic 500 and a Himalayan.
What I don’t want is to make the 500 redundant.

My riding has changed a lot recently Mostly due to speed cameras and police in unmarked cars i’m finding it much more pleasant nipping along pleasant roads taking in the views but I still want easy motorway cruising capability.

I have 1200 sportster which is a great motorway muncher collecting dust since I bought the bullet with a Himalayan as well it could well become an expensive keepsake.

Not many moons ago I had a 500cc early 1950,s AJS jam pot .
Loved it should never have let it go massage fun factor it popped and banged on over run I even took it on the motorway on 50mile round trips to work and back massive grins .

Thanks Duke of W, good to hear from other Himmy owners. I've not bought mine planning to do long day rides on it but am confident it would be up to it, albeit not the quickest way of travelling. One thing I'm not sure of though is the seat, I'm a tad over 6ft, 33 inch inseam and although great for green laning (let's me paddle about like a turtle in the mud ) the heavily shaped seat does hold my backside in one position and my knees are a more bent than I would like, I expect a day out would be not that comfortable. I'll see how it goes as no sense changing the seat if I don't have a problem yet but how does the bike fit you size wise?

BTW what do you mean about battery access, both terminals can be accessed by just removing the seat or am I missing something?