Hello,
Yesterday I had the chance to review the RE Himalayan. this was a much awaited bike from RE. A lot of spooks and pre-launch video is seen floating in youtube etc. I am not a RE fan and hence I feel that this review will be an unbaised one.
Looks- this is a offroad/ontoad bike Indians are known to get influenced by looks, I can say it has got a like it or hate it looks. To me the front Part the instrument cluster, windshield and the tank looks simple and smart but the rear pillion seat looked like a skeleton.
Instrument cluster has a speedometer, tachometer, time, fuel indicator, a functional compass etc. the wind shirld is functional.
The tank is 15 lt capacity and has slots on both the sides for additional fuel cans to carry.
the seats are comfortable and the suspensiin is stiffer. this will help in offroading.
The front wheel is 21 inch and rear 17inch spoked wheel.
tyres are beaded Ceat tyres for optimal grip and offroading.
Seat height is 800 mm so shorter rider 5, 1 with a little technique can ride easily.
the front suspension has 200mm travel and combined with a rear monoshock, first time in RE history.
comes in 2 colour, Mat black and snow white.
obverall the fit and finish is not all that great 7/10. the cover over the battery looks like a patch work.
Engine- its called the 410cc long stroke 5 speed carb engine claimed to be a long lasting free reving engine. the engine has good torque but could have churned out more from the 400cc engine. its oil cooled and heating is not a issue.
performance- the bike is anlittle heavy 180kg approx. engine is smooth till 90km/hr( couldnt do more than that in the given road condition) . its has a counter balance system installed. top speed is approx 130km/hr as per the showroom guy.
siting position is straight and very comfortable. very easy to handle and weight is not a issue. there are plenty of rooms for modification, please conder warranty before doing it.
over all a good attempt from RE to explore the offroad onroad market in India, currently there is no other bike in this segment in the given price range( 184000in bangalore) . hero impulse is discontinued.
RE has a hitory of using age old tech, fit and finish and service is an issue. hope this time they overcome these issues. so this is a wait and watch fir a while for the feedback from owners.
I took a short 8km ride for 1/2 hour and this are all I could notice. please let me know about any updates with performance maintance etc. thank you
