Photography: Arvind Salhan
Truth be told, it’s almost like the Royal Enfield Himalayan has been looking at me with hope almost every day, as if imploring me to take it out to stretch its legs. The only duty it has seen over the past few months has been in the city, for short dashes every now and then. Now, since it’s come back with tubeless wheels, it’s been waiting for some action, but my work and travel schedule has hardly left me with any time to shower some extra attention on the Himmie!
Also Read: 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan First Ride Review
In fact, I haven’t had much time since the first ride to spend any time with the new Himalayan, and our last long-term unit went for a service and never came back. That is, until a few months ago, when it came back, this time in Hanle Black, and tubeless spoked wheels! Nevertheless, spending time in the city, in traffic and the odd dash to the satellite town of Gurgaon (ok, Gurugram, if you will), has been quite an eye-opening experience. So, let’s get down straight into it, and talk about what works in the Himalayan’s favour and what doesn't.
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One word to describe the Himalayan is – comfortable! The rider seating triangle is perfect for me, and I prefer upright ADV-style ergos to sportier, crouched-down ergonomics for daily use. Even with the seat adjusted to the tall position, I found the Himalayan very comfortable for my 5’9” height. And there’s enough space and room on the seat for moving around or changing your riding position, and that is quite handy for different kinds of riders’ preferences. For those who are 5’7” or less than that, the tall-ish stance of the Himalayan may feel a little daunting, but once you set off, it’s really a motorcycle that you come to terms with very easily, and quickly.
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Part of that friendliness is due to the superb chassis and excellent suspension combination. It’s easy to handle, and always feels predictable, whether you’re filtering through traffic, or taking a high-speed corner. The suspension offers a ride quality that is almost magic carpet-like. Yes, can’t talk enough about the excellent suspension set-up. The chassis also offers instinctive and predictable dynamics, and that combination, with the comfortable seating ergonomics is one of the highlights of the Himalayan.
The Showa suspension has got to be one of the best calibrated suspension systems of any ADV motorcycle this side of the ₹ 5 lakh price bracket. With long suspension travel, the 43 mm USD fork with 200 mm travel and the Showa monoshock, also with 200 mm travel, the Himalayan is not just meant to take on the rough and jump over obstacles when going off-road. It’s also the way the suspension soaks up everything, including the most minor broken patches and maintains that magic carpet-like glide over almost all kinds of surfaces. Even with the long travel it is well-damped when you’re leaned over into a corner, never for once letting you feel it wallow or doubt the intended line. Under hard braking, there’s a bit of front dive, considering the 200 mm stroke of the USD fork, but that’s not something which is alarming.
With its almost 200 kg (196 kg) kerb weight though, the Himalayan is a heavy motorcycle. But the weight is well-masked, unless you’re trying to put it up on the main stand, or trying to pick it up, after dropping it. The ByBre brakes, with sintered pads front and rear, offer very good stopping power, and the dual-channel ABS works well. The bite at the rear brake is sharp, so sharp, that you have to be careful with the rear wanting to slide around, even with the ABS on. This is something we have experienced during the first ride of the Himalayan as well, but it’s something you get used to. In fact, more experienced and adventurous riders will enjoy it, sliding the Himalayan into a corner, on tarmac, or off it. But the sharp braking performance could turn out to be more than a surprise for less experienced riders.
The Sherpa 452 engine is charming, and the magic is between 4,000 rpm right up to 7,000 rpm and above, where it doesn’t feel at all like any other Royal Enfield single! If the tachometer needle is between this range when you click through the 6-speed gearbox, you won’t even realise how fast you’re going! The long wheelbase and inherently deceptive nature of the engine will not make you believe the speeds you will achieve, and before you realise it, you will be in triple digit speeds in no time.
But around 5,500 rpm in sixth gear is also when you feel some buzz, and it will remain till 6,000 rpm and then again calms down as you head beyond 7,000 rpm. The problem with this is, it’s also the rev range where you will sit between 95-110 kmph – which is where your highway cruising speed will be, where you will feel the buzz.
And when the revs fall below 3,000 rpm, you will notice the lack of bottom end grunt, something which is sorely missed in the urban environment, as well as when exploring trails. Learn to work the gearbox to keep the engine spinning above 3,000 revs, and you will get used to it, and possibly even love the Himalayan for what it is. On that note, time to spend some more time riding it off-road and get some more off-road practice soon!
Of late, the gearbox has been acting up. Although the lever effort of the clutch feels taut enough, the gears feel like the clutch is not engaged properly. It could be a minor clutch cable adjustment issue, but still time for the Himalayan to make a visit to the service centre for a check-up before the next adventure. After it comes back, it will be time to let the Himalayan stretch its legs for a longer ride and also take on some more frequent off-road outings.
So far, we've clocked a little over 2.600 km on the odometer, and the Himalayan has consistently returned around 26 kmpl, and that too with spirited riding. Stay tuned for the next few updates, and possibly new adventures with the Royal Enfield Himalayan! Any questions or suggestions, shoot us a comment or message on social media! For now, we look forward to spending some more time with the Himalayan and possibly take it on a longer ride to where it truly belongs – the Himalayas!
