Royal Enfield Himalayan UK, 3000 miles owners report. Warts n all

Here's an honest list of the pro's and cons of the bike so far:
First the pro's
OTR price is good,
Economical to run,
Good tank range over 200 miles,
Easy maintenance,
Good handling at sub 60 mph speeds,
A pleasant riding experience when back lane bimbling,
Low revving motor,
A nice burble sound from the exhaust,
Overhead cam engine a new design for RE,
Good ability to tackle off road and green lanes/ byways,
Looks a nice bike,
The luggage makes it very practical,
Good winter/all weather bike,
It's the motorcycle equivalent to a land rover,
Sofar it has been reliable,
Counter balanced engine has less vibrations,
Parts are cheap.
Gearbox is quite good and clutch is light,
The bike seems quite capable of long distances,
A good travel bike especially for the third world,

Now for the cons:
The seat is very soft and after a while you'll get numb bum syndrome,
The bike is quite small for an adventure style bike, maybe biased towards the Indian market,
The front brake lacks bite and feedback,
At higher speeds the handling becomes a little vague,
The engine is only 24 bhp and is not sufficiently powerful enough to keep up with motorway speeds, It will do it, but it feels like your flogging it to death.
The engine makes a clattering sound when pushed, and when pushed hard it just don't sound good. In Fact it's quite alarming and I worry that it may go bang....But it never has....not yet anyway!
I took the bike back for a checkup when I heard these sounds and was told,"It's a big single, air cooled and you will hear all sorts of sounds from them, it's quite normal".
The engine sounds have been the biggest negative for me personally. It may just be my bike, it may indeed be "normal" and a few other owners have also reported them. If it is abnormal then I am at a loss to know what to do next. I'll have to live with it I guess.
So I now only use the bike for bimbling and slower riding adventures where the motor sounds happier. I brought a second more powerful bike (Suzuki V strom 1000 for when I go on longer faster journeys and motorway travel)
Although the engine has a crankshaft counterbalancer, it still has some vibes especially when pushed.
Vibrations become more apparent when the bike revs over 5K rpm
Although the gearbox is good, I do occasionally hit a false neutral.

[Makermook]

I've put a bit more than 3000 miles on Himmy, including a 1600 mile road trip earlier this year. I stuck to secondary roads where I didn't have to go faster than 55 mph. It was a joy. My butt got numb from time to time, but the handling (even in driving rain) was perfect. It's not a race horse, more of a trusty little mule.

[neanderthaloutdoors]

It's a plodder Sandy built in India, I've had my GS 1000's, XS 1100's, Z 1000's and I'd rather ride a Himalayan to Scotland on A and B roads than ride a big fast bike on the motorway, time is irrelevant but enjoying the ride and scenery is classic, enjoy her mate, she has her quirks.

[KRAM-zbvc]

You need the Royal Enfield touring seat for the Himalayan, it’s a lot firmer and allows for all day riding 😃👍🏻

[dieselbushcraft]

I love the sound that chug makes, definitely from a by gone era. You live in a very beautiful part of the country Sandy.

[acimbobby]

your review is the same as most other reviews i have watched, you are very accurate and fair about the Chugger

[MadDogSurvival]

Please make Mandy wear gloves! Hot or cold! I’ve had gravel scrubed from under my skin With a hospitals camel hair brush as a young fella from my hands, knees and backside, honestly it’s a most unpleasant experience! .... as I know you well know... at 40 mph a exposed limb loses 4-6 inches of flesh per minute of sliding! The road underneath you is just a big grinding wheel! Sorry for the rant my friend I hope I’ve not offended you, I just care! I really enjoy your videos and I want to enjoy watching many more of you and Mandy in the future safe and sound! Great footage again Sandy have a great weekend 😎👍🏽👍🏽

[Yorkshiremadmick]

I love Chug and sounds. I live at 50 being a ex military defender driver. So I’m used to being overtaken by tractors lorries etc.
I did overtake a combined harvester once.

Great Review and lovely to have Mandy with you.
The screen can be changed and improved so that not a negative.
👍🏻

[Shining_Whit]

Nice video Sandy, but please get Mandy those gloves! I winced when I saw she had none on.
It might be hot but gravel rash on the palms is no fun! I know because many years ago I came off with a 'very thin/hardly worth putting on' pair of gloves at 20 mph and did both of my scaphoids + the gravel rash. Oh I did swear! I currently have a pair of Triumph summer gloves but with armour that I hope I never have to test!
Atb Pyro

[markb]

I have a Triumph bonneville T120 and have just brought a Royal Enfield Himalayan. After watching your video it made me feel even happier with the purchase. Thank you Wiltshire Man.

[billcushion]

It’s an adventure bike not a motorway or dual carriageway bike, you can take it around the world and it will get you there

[mtbalot]

What a dream, I spent so much time on the back-roads of Strathclyde in my youth.
Mandy may better suit mountain bike gloves, they breath more and soak up sweat, for better grip.

[tacier]

I love honest, forthright, no BS reviews from peers riding the coolest machine out there today (imho) and Wiltshire Man is spot on in his review... i have less than a 1000 miles on mine and almost everything he spoke to is true for my Himalayan here in the U.S.A. Virginia _ thanks Sandy for your time, your efforts, in putting the videos up and I have enjoyed each one, thanks again

[PaulB-justme]

I am hoping to get back to motorbikes again, and although my last bike was a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 army, which I wasn't too happy with, but this was about 16 years ago, I am seriously considering getting a new Royal Enfield. I was originally thinking of one of the 350's, but I am seeing more reviews on the 411 Himalayan, and I do like the look of it, and the reports all seem to be pretty positive! Thanks for your videos, as they put me in this direction! 👍

[henrya]

I shortened the sidestand by around 8mm and welded a bigger foot on it (55mm x 55mm) so it would not sink into soft ground. It makes for less nerve-wracking parking and is more stable so well worth doing :-)
In UK most competent motorcycle engineers will charge around £10 for this mod.
I don't understand why most manufacturers of adventure bikes provide such tiny sidestand feet as standard given the terrain they are likely to be parked on.

[pepeseco]

I do not know if you have tried already, but I have the windshield positioned on the upper setting. To be honest I am quite happy about it. Also, tI respect your cruise speed opinion, but 60 is quite a safe, comfortable and appropriate for the bike. I have no concerns to keep 70 (although I do not really need it). Engines today are fully prepared to go quite over the limits we may figure out. Nice and peaceful videos, thanks a lot.

[TheCoopdway]

Thorough and fair Himalayan review Sandy, well done! Even with its foibles, my favorite bike in the garage, built for the way I ride.

[xsergy]

Being small isn't a con.. being small is the reason why I bought a Himalayan as compared to the "big" adventure bikes. If you're tall it's not the bike for you but for us short fucks its a great bike. for each job theres the proper tool. Front brake is fantastic offroad. Onroad it is lacking, you can get better brake pads that bite a lot better for about 20 canadian pesos though. I'm at 18, 000kms on my Himalayan and the motor has sounded like shit from day 1. It's spent a lot of time at redline, the motor is understressed so I don't really feel bad leaving it up there. I bet the redline is set a bit conservatively. just make sure the valve adjustment is done correctly. i've always kept mine on the loose side so it's never been a 'quiet' motor. The vibes in my opinion aren't bad, not even close to how vibey my dr650 is.

Keep in mind new motors are like 900 bucks on ebay.

[whitetongueoutdoors]

Great to see you and Mandy out together in the countryside. Lovely scenery. I agree with everything you've said about the Himalayan but I wont be getting rid of mine either, she'e great for bimbling around North Wales. Thanks for the video. atb

[oscartravis]

I passed the 1000 miles on mine a week or so ago, and I'd concur with all you've said. I get the odd pop from the exhaust manifold, and clanks here and there from the engine, and the rear brake has a hell of a squeal to it, but barring a bit of extra grunt, I wouldn't change it for the world

[bobspence]

That is where I ended up Sandy, Himalayan, and a bigger bike, each providing enough "overlap " to cover my needs.
So, in my opinion, You have :)
How wonderful !! Getting to ride thru the town where "Doctor Who" was filmed. Tom Baker, was the current incarnation when i discovered the program. IMO, , the best of the "Good Doctors" . What a clever show that was. Fantastic writing, great plots.
Mr. Baker, captured the essence of who the writers intended "Who" to be. I'd love to walk the streets of that town.