Royal Enfield Himalayan Review

Royal Enfield have over 100 years' experience in making unreliable motorcycles. After the takeover by Eicher Motors though, things have slowly started improving for them. The UCE engines, self starters, gear levers and rear brake pedals where they should be, 5th gear, fuel injection and the likes have gone a long way in disappointing hardcore Bulleteers and mechanics alike. It was a big big risk for me booking the Royal Enfield Himalayan on the very first day of its launch. After one month and about 2300 kms of riding has the risk paid off? In one word, yes. Lets find out what it is like owning the Himalayan.

Starting off with the looks. People have described the design of the Himalayan as Spartan and industrial but to me, the bike is just gorgeous to look at from all angles. Parked on the mainstand it has tall, slim, Deepika Padukonish kind of stance to it. When it comes to toughness though, she's all Ronda Rousey. Every single piece of rubber, plastic and metal on the motorcycle is built to last and serving a purpose. The sump guard and mainstand come in as standard fitments. Overall quality of fit and finish are top notch. Simple things like the quality of foam used for the seats or the way the rear footpegs open and close with a crisp click sound show that Royal Enfield have paid a lot of attention to detail while designing this motorcycle. I love the way the dashboard lights up. Apart from the usual details, information like average speed, service reminders and an accurate analog fuel gauge come in handy.

Moving on to the lowest point of the Himalayan: the engine. The 410 cc long stroker is smooth, vibration free and torquey as long as you're not pulling it hard. Start wringing it by the neck and it will throw all sorts of weird noises at you. 3-4k RPM is where the comfort zone of the engine is. Beyond that it will go with ease but the noises from the engine will beg you to slow back down. I'm quite happy with its performance in city traffic but it really lacks the high speed touring ability for the highway. Can you do constant touring speeds of 110-120 kph on the Himalayan all day? No ways. 100 kph is the upper limit of the Himalayan's comfort zone. If you're looking for a good highway tourer, the CBR 250R is still your best option.

The gear ratios are tall and I like that. It complements the torquey nature of the engine and makes it a breeze to ride in city traffic. The quality of gearshifts is slick when done at the right RPM and notchy otherwise. I still struggle to find neutral while stopped at traffic lights. The good part about the gearbox is no false neutrals! Now that's a big big achievement for Royal Enfield given its history. The bike also handles surprisingly well in corners. The ride quality is extremely plush thanks to long travel suspensions at both ends. The front brake lacks bite but offers good progression. It's only a matter of getting used to. The rear brakes are spot on in terms of stopping power. I've had a few emergency braking incidents and the bike has performed really well under hard braking.

I will now list out all the pleasant surprises that the Himalan brings with it. Starting off with my personal favorite: the turning radius. The bike can take a U turn almost anywhere. Cutting through cars in traffic, you almost feel like you're riding an Rx 100. Next on my list would be the comfort. The whole package of a low seat height, riding position, seat material, long travel suspensions, torquey engine and good wind protection makes for an extremely comfortable and relaxed ride. Next up are the tyres. Ceat have done a brilliant job with the on/off road tyres. They stick so well to the tarmac while cornering as well as under hard braking that they make you wonder if they really are dual purpose tyres. Next is the mainstand. You can park this bike on the mainstand in the narrowest of gaps and that's a big boon when if you're using the bike for running errands. The stand itself is wide and sturdy. There were initial concerns of the mainstand rubbing against the chain but that happens only when the bike is parked and unladen. Once the rider mounts the motorcycle, the chain tightens up and stays well above the mainstand.

Now that the picture is all rosy, remember it's a Royal Enfield. Remember at heart, it's British. It comes with its own set of quirks. For the first 1200 odd kms, the engine was a nightmare to live with when cold. It would keep stalling as soon as I would let go of the throttle. I would keep adjusting the engine idling speed at signals or ride with the choke on for extended periods of time. It would take a good 10-15 kms of riding for the engine to come up to proper riding temperature and idle normally. The issue got sorted on its own after about 1200 kms. It now takes about 2 minutes' riding with the choke on to get to temperature and mostly doesn't stall post that. I really wish Royal Enfield had given fuel injection at least as an option. Many would not mind paying that little bit extra for it. Next up is the steering cone setup. When I got the bike, the steering was too tight. They loosened it in the first service but now there's a play in the steering cone. I'm waiting for the second service to get it sorted. While the windscreen does a good job of preventing a direct draft on your chest, it does little to deflect the wind over your head and on the highway, you'll have the wind slapping and tossing your helmet around in all directions. The base of the windscreen is frosted. The windscreen itself provides a very distorted picture of what lies ahead. So there is no way you can see through the windscreen where exactly your front tyre is headed. You always have to guess. I've had moments of surprise when my front tyre has gone over a stone or uneven road levels without me realising it. The mirrors give a good view of who's overtaking you from the sides but give little view of what's exactly behind. They're ok to live with in the city but a bit dangerous on the highway. Next up is engine heating. The oil cooled unit heats up quite a lot in slow traffic. I wouldn't mind that if it were a high revving powerful engine. But for a unit that runs out of steam over 100 kph, it's not justified. Talking about temperature, the thermometer works well only when the bike is cold. As the engine starts heating up, the thermometer keeps climbing northward defeating the whole purpose of displaying the "ambient" temperature. One last quirk. The neutral light flashes every time I take a pick up. It was a distraction initially but by now, I'm used to it.

It's time to answer the biggest question: Kitna deti hai? The Himalayan returns an overall fuel efficiency of about 30 kmpl, + / - 2 kms. To me, it's a pretty decent figure for a 400 cc mill. In trying to make a mountain bike, Royal Enfield have no idea how potent a commuter they've ended up making. Yes it comes with its own set of quirks but none of them are real deal breakers for me. At the end of the day, when you're coasting through traffic, when you're gliding through potholes, when you're squeezing your way through gaps, when you're climbing up ghats, when you ride 400 odd kms in a day without any back, knee, wrist or neck pain, when you mount heavy bags of groceries on the handlebars, when you easily park in narrow places and when your wife/girlfriend says that she loves your bike, all the money, all the quirks, all the years that Royal Enfield spent in developing the Himalayan are all worth it!