- Mon Oct 08, 2018 11:19 pm
#8873
Royal Enfield Himalayan Owners Review 5000 miles
I thought some of you may be interested in the experience of an owner now
I have covered 5000 miles since January, mostly on my 2 or 3 times a week
75 mile round trip commute, with a few longer trips for pleasure.
Performance
Is 25 bhp enough? Of course, it's not the right bike for track days or if
you want to cross continents in the fast lane at 100mph, but it is fast
enough to exceed the national speed limits, cruise at the limit on
motorways for at least 250 miles (my longest single day journey so far),
get past slow moving traffic on A roads and have fun on B roads.
That's enough for me.
Reliability
I'm sorry to disappoint the sceptics, but I'm afraid that I've got
nothing to report! I haven't even had to adjust the chain yet. 3000
mile service intervals are mildly inconvenient, but it's a simple engine,
so they are not too expensive.
Comfort, Handling, Roadholding and Brakes
Right from the start I found the Himalayan a really easy bike just to get
on and ride. I like the sit up and beg riding position, the screen
works well for my height (6ft 1in) with no buffeting, but enough breeze to
clear raindrops. The seat was comfortable enough for that 250 mile
trip and the return ride next day.
It handles really well, no fuss no drama, no weaves, no wobbles, no brake
dive, nothing remotely near touching down. Smooth fuelling means
there isn't the throttle off-on hiccup that could unsettle the 500 and
well controlled suspension takes out any worry over mid corner
bumps.
The original Pirelli MT60 tyres stuck like glue winter and summer, wet
and dry, but squared off by 3500 miles and were replaced at 4800.
I've put on Avon Trailriders, which get better reviews for tyre life -
only 3 rides so far but on cold or wet roads they feel just as good as the
Pirellis.
Some road tests criticize the bike for weak brakes, one I saw was on the
grounds that it needed all 4 fingers to achieve a stoppie! Back in
my real world, the brakes are just fine. They are not 'brick wall'
brakes, but I like that. A lot of my commute is on single track B roads
with passing places. They are often wet, muddy, covered in leaves or
strewn with inconveniently place manhole covers, so gentle brakes where
I'm in charge of how heavy I brake are reassuring. It will brake
fast enough with a good squeeze and I have neither hit anything yet nor
managed to trigger the ABS.
Other important things
I have averaged 75 mpg, with a high of 79 and a low of 68 (that motorway
trip). I can do 3 days commute on a tankful (225 miles) with over a
litre to spare. Best tankful was 238 miles with half a litre left.
I spent a lot of money and effort to improve the lights on my Electra
without ever being really satisfied, but the Himalayan ones are good
enough as standard to ride at pretty much the same speeds night or
day.
Looks are subjective - but I like the way that the Himalayan looks just
as good dirty as clean. That's lucky as I ride in all weathers and
hate washing bikes, so I've only done it twice - but there is no rust or
other evidence of misuse.
Summary
Overall I'm really pleased. 5000 miles is still early days but if I knew
then what I know now I would still buy one and recommend it to
friends. For £4000 it's almost a no-brainer. Like most
motorcyclists as soon as I've got one bike I start thinking about the next
one. I haven't come up with a better alternative yet, even at twice
the price - not least because, for me, not being able to do those 3 days
commute on a single tankful is a total deal-breaker, which counts out at
least 95% of bikes on the market.
Royal Enfield Himalayan Owners Review 5000 miles
I thought some of you may be interested in the experience of an owner now
I have covered 5000 miles since January, mostly on my 2 or 3 times a week
75 mile round trip commute, with a few longer trips for pleasure.
Performance
Is 25 bhp enough? Of course, it's not the right bike for track days or if
you want to cross continents in the fast lane at 100mph, but it is fast
enough to exceed the national speed limits, cruise at the limit on
motorways for at least 250 miles (my longest single day journey so far),
get past slow moving traffic on A roads and have fun on B roads.
That's enough for me.
Reliability
I'm sorry to disappoint the sceptics, but I'm afraid that I've got
nothing to report! I haven't even had to adjust the chain yet. 3000
mile service intervals are mildly inconvenient, but it's a simple engine,
so they are not too expensive.
Comfort, Handling, Roadholding and Brakes
Right from the start I found the Himalayan a really easy bike just to get
on and ride. I like the sit up and beg riding position, the screen
works well for my height (6ft 1in) with no buffeting, but enough breeze to
clear raindrops. The seat was comfortable enough for that 250 mile
trip and the return ride next day.
It handles really well, no fuss no drama, no weaves, no wobbles, no brake
dive, nothing remotely near touching down. Smooth fuelling means
there isn't the throttle off-on hiccup that could unsettle the 500 and
well controlled suspension takes out any worry over mid corner
bumps.
The original Pirelli MT60 tyres stuck like glue winter and summer, wet
and dry, but squared off by 3500 miles and were replaced at 4800.
I've put on Avon Trailriders, which get better reviews for tyre life -
only 3 rides so far but on cold or wet roads they feel just as good as the
Pirellis.
Some road tests criticize the bike for weak brakes, one I saw was on the
grounds that it needed all 4 fingers to achieve a stoppie! Back in
my real world, the brakes are just fine. They are not 'brick wall'
brakes, but I like that. A lot of my commute is on single track B roads
with passing places. They are often wet, muddy, covered in leaves or
strewn with inconveniently place manhole covers, so gentle brakes where
I'm in charge of how heavy I brake are reassuring. It will brake
fast enough with a good squeeze and I have neither hit anything yet nor
managed to trigger the ABS.
Other important things
I have averaged 75 mpg, with a high of 79 and a low of 68 (that motorway
trip). I can do 3 days commute on a tankful (225 miles) with over a
litre to spare. Best tankful was 238 miles with half a litre left.
I spent a lot of money and effort to improve the lights on my Electra
without ever being really satisfied, but the Himalayan ones are good
enough as standard to ride at pretty much the same speeds night or
day.
Looks are subjective - but I like the way that the Himalayan looks just
as good dirty as clean. That's lucky as I ride in all weathers and
hate washing bikes, so I've only done it twice - but there is no rust or
other evidence of misuse.
Summary
Overall I'm really pleased. 5000 miles is still early days but if I knew
then what I know now I would still buy one and recommend it to
friends. For £4000 it's almost a no-brainer. Like most
motorcyclists as soon as I've got one bike I start thinking about the next
one. I haven't come up with a better alternative yet, even at twice
the price - not least because, for me, not being able to do those 3 days
commute on a single tankful is a total deal-breaker, which counts out at
least 95% of bikes on the market.