Royal Enfield Himalayan FI First Ride Review

How does it ride?

I start with the ride quality because this is the Himalayan’s pièce de résistance. Very few motorcycles deal with bad roads as well as the Himalayan does. It sniggered at even the worst of what the nightmare could throw at it. After a while, I stopped going off the throttle even as I approached potholes. Even for occasional speedbreaker, all I had to do was just grab the tank with my knees and lift myself off the seat.

The wide handlebar gives you good leverage to tip the bike while cornering. With a plush ride like this, the ride does feel slightly wavy while going around corners, although the effect was controlled thanks to the luggage weighing up the rear. While riding solo, tinkering with the rear monoshock’s preload setting should improve the suspension’s behavior around corners.

Almost half of the ride through the nightmare involved me standing up and going over surfaces that don’t even remotely resemble tarmac.  And the despite its weight, the ergonomics and the handling make riding the Himalayan felt like a child’s play. The light steering allows you to dodge rocks and change directions very quickly. The small turning radius allowed me to snake past traffic that seemed to have been stuck in the same place for ages.

The Ceat Gripp tyres offered good grip (well played Ceat) over gravel, dust and mud. It is only when I encountered slush (courtesy a damaged water pipeline) that the bike started to slide around and feel a little out of control. It takes quite some effort to get the front brake working, and even so it falls short of stopping power and progression. The rear brake, however, does pack enough stopping power to keep up your confidence. Stomping on the brake promptly causes the rear to lose grip and slide, which was fun in its own way.

As I mentioned earlier, the Himalayan’s carburetted engine was quite a letdown. With the new FI system however, the Himalayan has turned the page. The engine is relatively smoother and vibe-free in the lower rev range. You can now cruise at 100kmph without the vibrations threatening to shake bits off the bike. The engine speed no longer stutters at idle. The engine still knocks loudly below 1,500rpm, but the bike no longer rocks back and forth. The torque delivery feels linear and docile throughout the rev-range, and even a novice would have no trouble getting a hang of riding it hard, both on tarmac and off-road.

Anything else I should know?

But as they say, old habits die hard. Things haven’t changed drastically post 4,500rpm, you still get a healthy dose of vibrations through the footpegs. The engine still heats up while riding through traffic. Also, you don't get as much engine braking as before. Pulling the clutch lever in takes some effort, which makes feathering it in traffic painful. Nevertheless, it does get tall first and second ratios which ensure that you do not have to shift very often in traffic.

It is not just the engine that has been revised, RE have made minute changes all over to improve the build quality. Surprisingly, the Himalayan no longer gets hazard lamps.

Should I buy one?

As an adventure touring bike, the Himalayan’s closest rival is the Kawasaki Versys-X 300, although you can buy two Himalayans and a full set of riding gear in that budget. However, the way it survived, nay, conquered the nightmare shows that the lack of options is not the only reason why I would consider buying it. It still has a few rough edges, but the new fuel-injected Himalayan is a step in the right direction.

Where does it fit in?

The Himalayan doesn’t really have any competition, yet. However, there are a few other motorcycles that fall in the range of Himalayan’s Rs 1.98 lakhs price tag. Those looking for cruisers have the option of the UM Renegade Mojave (Rs 2.05 lakhs) and the Mahindra Mojo (Rs 1.95 lakhs). As for streetfighters, you have the KTM 250 Duke (Rs 2.05 lakhs) and the Benelli TNT 25 (Rs 2.24 lakhs). All prices are on-road.

Photogprahy by Kapil Angane

PS: I might have exaggerated a little when it comes to describing the nightmare. Just a little.

Gear Check

1. Zeus ZS-811 Speedster helmet – 

Lightweight and comfortable budget helmet with good noise isolation. It gets ECE 22.05 safety rating and Double D-ring mechanism, which means you can use it on race tracks too. Price - Rs 4,600.

2. Joe Rocket Alter Ego 3.0 jacket – 

An extremely versatile all-weather jacket. In this guise, it is being used as a ventilated mesh jacket, though it ships with two more liners - waterproof and thermal. Price – Rs 20,000.

3. Ixon Moto HP gloves – 

High quality full gauntlet leather gloves suited for city riding, touring and track use. Offers good ventilation and a high level of protection. Expensive though. Price - Rs 9,500.

4. AGV Sport Airtex pants – 

Riding pants with mesh in the crotch, calf, back of legs and thigh areas which is a real boon in our hot weather. Price -Rs 6,500.

5. Sidi B2 boots – 

All-round street and sportbike riding shoes also suitable for track days. Not ventilated, which can make it uncomfortable for everyday use. Price - Rs 17,000.