Morning Dave great review, I was at Manhattan motorcycles yesterday testing the Shotgun and Super Meteor, when a new Himalayan arrived in the crate, the Black and gold one ,it looks bloody lovely ! 👌 Enfield are a bloody torment lately, they keep bringing out bike after bike that are all desirable, and I haven't got the space or the wallet for them all! 😅 Cheers Mel 🍻
That Biker Simon and 2 others recently did a 9 day tour around India on the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 vs Triumph Scrambler 400X vs KTM 390 Adventure and the Himalayan came out easily on top.Good to see your observations on it though, looking forward to more reviews from yourself 👍
Great review, who needs £20k+ and 250kg when this'll do everything that the vast majority will ever need. Sat on a Black one with gold wheels at Motorcycle Live and loved it. A scram version with a 19" front wheel would be good for us shorties. Edit: Just looked online and there is a low seat option.
One thing I noticed was the TFT changing instantly to night mode when under a tree. 👍👍. I've always said my bikes with short or fly screens give the very best protection.!!! Absolutely no bugs made their way to my clocks or tank bags. When you mentioned real world power I thought it might keep up with any of today's Chevy Impalas. 👍👍5🏍🙋♂️
Good Morning Dave , Thanks Dave for this review on the new Himalayan i think everyone has been waiting for this bike tbf , i look forward to your next ride out around the dales , take care & ride safe
I seen one in the flesh the other day and it looks great irl. A baby gs that would be really practical for the real world. Im sure they will see more off roading than most gs too.
I think this machine is a vast improvement in looks and overall styling when compared to its predecessor. This one looks as if it belongs in 2024 where as the other one is an anachronism and looks as if it belongs on a farmyard from 1948,....with h.p. to match! Subjective, I'm well aware, but that's just m.o. This new one is potentially a great bike and one that'll tick many boxes for many folk. Comprehensive reporting as always, Dave. 👍
Excellent review Dave. I must applaud your conscious effort to ride reasonably gently and treat it as your own. Just because it needs thoroughly "testing" doesn't give a reviewer a licence to be unkind to a bike with almost zero miles on the clock. It appears to have enough torque to chug along nicely without bogging down and yet remain responsive at low revs too. A bit of witchcraft there from Royal Enfield considering it can also extend itself and provide a decent top speed too. Not only the ideal bike for "tarmac adventures" but great for those who do wish to venture off road. And if they take a tumble, they're much more likely to be able to pick it up than some of the big behemoths. It'll also instil confidence for the desire to explore, where a full fat adventure tourer might cause one to avoid such situations. Nice! I need to arrange a test ride myself. I'll not be swapping my Classic 350 - but I'd like to add a Himalayan 450. Perhaps not in beige though... ☺️
Very informative review and over the top with comments I see you liking this one enough to add it to your stable especially because of the absolute horrible weather conditions in your part of the World-and saying that my sister lives in the Dales and I visit so I do know a little about the area and my go to would be this bike as it can go anywhere at anytime regardless of weather and flooding Again a CRACKING good vlog video and thanks for the ride along As always regards from Florida
An absolutely honest and unbiased review. Royal Enfield have produced another excellent bike. Whether it’ll muster the cult following of the original is yet to be seen. It looks to have built on the strengths of the original. Thank you for the review TBW. Great work as always 👍
It's shocking how the Royal Enfield motorcycles are universally beautiful, and all the others are horrendous. Based on looks alone, the Himalayan is at the very top of the list, irregardless of horsepower. It's something that looks like it cost $20,000. Why did the BMW GS1300 put a giant X headlight on the front of their bike? Why did the Honda Transalp go with a sci-fi headlight scheme? Why are most motorcycles so damn ugly? Can we please fire every designer from every big manufacturer?
Thank you for the nice review 😀 I shall try it as soon as possible in Switzerland! I consider seriously to buy one to complete my tue GSX1400! Greetings to everybody on the channel (i like how you say "plastic" talking of a bike 😂).
As always Dave, a cracking review and injected with humour. The Mk2 Royal Enfield Himalayan is perhaps the perfect machine for riding on Council declined management roads? Loved it, great work bud. Cheers Neil
I wonder if the fly-by wire throttle will lead to a cruise control option down the line? That would be a game changer in combination with the tubeless wheel option.
You’ve really opened my eyes to this bike Dave, great review. Unfortunately Itchy Boots said very little about the bike but it went everywhere and didn’t let her down so we know it’s very capable.
another nice one Dave, Himalayan reviews are driving me up the wall with desire, I've got a 1978 Honda XL 125 that's been sitting in a crate for 41 years. I can't justify buying another bike (certainly not dor off roading) until I get my finger out and rebuild the XL😂
Excellent review (as usual) of what appears to be a damn fine bike. These enormous adventure bikes don't appeal to me as they seem just too big and heavy to be any real good off road, although I've never ridden one so I might be being unfair. The Himalayan seems to tick all the boxes and with a few add on's, could be a real adventure bike. Great upload, thanks.
This looks like a spiritual successor to the XT600 & NX650, simple do it all bikes, a niche that had long been sadly neglected. I'm sure they'll sell a ton, analogue dials would be an improvement.
Thanks for the review, Dave - and plaudits to you and your mate Andy; the riding conditions weren't the best. The new Himi 450 would seem to be just about all a rider would need and I'm sure that they'll see more off-road than most adventure bikes. How they'll go on longer and faster bitument rides remains to be seen, though. In Oz we have big distances and very few little lanes, so our criteria for capability tends to be different from that in the UK.
You should get commission on this just for the voice and the eloquent poetic description of the experience. I was already excited about this little bike, but now doubly so. Thanks!
Thanks for the review, must be one of the first UK reviews by one of my trusted reviewers. What do you think of it's potential with a pillion, my partner is under 50kg. I have a Zontes 310v and it flies along with my missus onboard on local stuff but I want to do more distance this season.
That was a great review Dave it looks like a very serious piece of kit. Would I go for one before the Triumph 400, you bet yer. I'm not an adventure type biker myself but as a road bike it ticks all the boxes and being a GoldStar owner i do love a single thumper.
I'm loving smaller bikes at the moment. I currently have a Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 ( previously had a Triumph 1050 Sport ). New bike was 3,000.00, 22 plate with 4000 miles on it. Perfect for commuting and weekends away. I think the smaller cc market will grow. Great vid, I'm going to try out some REs based on your reviews. I have a question....do most folks still trill their 'Rs' in your county?
Interesting review, thanks for posting. Royal Enfield have come along way from the original Himalayan motorcycle. The early bikes were built right down to a price and sold as such. R.E. have improved their product incrementally and the latest versions are head and shoulders about their ancestors. It will be interesting to see how R.E. get on now they are handing the distribution of their products in the UK, themselves. It will also be interesting to see how they stack up against the competition from companies like CF Moto with their 450 twin in the same segment. Thanks again for an interesting video, enjoyed to day with a large mug of "Builders strength tea!" 🤣🤣.
With the quality, price, range of bikes royal enfield are producing it would be interesting to see where royal enfield stand in the sales charts. The new himmy certainly looks the part as far as adventure bikes go, i really like it but do i part with my meteor or add the himmy to the garage, at present i'm avoiding the garage in fear of clearing a space 😁Great review of the bike 👍
Thank you for the review, sir. Job well done. I understand completely what you mean about the motorcycle lacking plastic all over it. To me that is a very good thing as well.
Royal Enfield were too slow on the release date after all the hype at the start ! So I bought a 2023 500x she's hard to beat at 5300 pounds. Alan Northern Ireland 👍
I was the same, had the 411 for nearly 6 years, got fed up waiting for the 450 and bought a benelli trk 502....... Never looked back, very happy with my move!
Great looking bike,really like the look of it,great honest review,think these will be just as if not more popular than the original Himalayan,great video.👍🏻
A great review TBW! The fantastic Appleyards will no doubt have the potential CFMoto 450MT too at some stage. That means you get to test ride both small capacity Adventure bikes from the 1 place just down your road 👌 Please, please test ride this when it lands & go back & do a comparison! Thanks
Very good review, hope to get mine finally by mid May latest. Kaza brown is matt, but has mica speckle flake in it.👍edit, tested dealer demo today and after consideration found it vibrates far too much (I mean alot, disappointed) cancelled bike order!
But, does it have the Tractor Factor that gave the 411 it's enormous off road capability? In other words, which one would you ride across Asia to the Himalayas? My choices are: 350 classic. 411, 452, possibly a 500X or a 125 Innova.
Lovely bike at a good price, the build quality is top notch. A great all rounder without the high price tag. I can see Royal Enfield selling plenty of these Himalayans. Great review Dave.
Ite a long bike ,but for the price ,like you said you can’t find anything better for what it can do ,very good how hard is it to pick up if you drop it I like the fact it’s not covered in plastic
Duże brawa za świetny materiał. Całkowicie się z Tobą zgadzam, byłem zachwycony pierwszą jazdą testową. Prowadzi sie fantastycznie i stabilnie. U nas w Polsce ten motocykl kosztuje w najdroższym czarnym malowaniu ok. 6000 GPB, a natomiast zakupiłem go w Czechach za znacznie mniej, 6140 Euro. Jestem mega zadowolony. Polecam.
I'm owner of 411 andclassic 350 and the 450 is possibly my go to bike ie...sell 650 vstrom ..classic 350 ....it will cover all I need.....as age creeps on 😂...I just hope royal enfield improve on the spares front it's not good...good review sir...👏👏👏👏
If you have a 32-33" in seam I guess you had the seat on the higher 845mm setting, as I am 5'7" with 30 in seam and can easily flat foot the seat set in the 825mm position.
Ciaoo, una bella moto per l'avventura, versatile che ci puoi fare un po' di tutto....ad Eicma ci ero salito in sella ed era stata una di quelle che mi era piaciuta di piú. Adesso la voglio poi provare da un concessionario qui vicino, ma qui in Piemonte Italy sta piovendo tutti i giorni e devo rimandare.... ciaoo bella recensione 👍👍✌️
I had a 410 Himmy for a year or so. Put 2000 miles on it. A bit tall for me as this new one appears to also be. I hope RE figures out a way to mount a lower seat for us short guys. At 75 years old, I need to get both feet on the ground at stops. The other thing I'd immediately add is a dedicated rear brake light. I don't like what they've done regarding the rear brake light. You need as much light in the back as possible. But, that's an easy solution as I add Denali fog lights and horns to all my bikes anyway to increase safety and visibility.
The tank is narrow. Take a test ride. Most people are reading the seat height without considering the narrow tank. Also they should have a 805mm seat option
I have been lucky to have had BMW's and Ducati's etc, but I am so fed up with all of the electronics and general bike design of late. I am much more in tune with bikes like this and light weight go anywhere do anything bikes. BTW great channel with great content and as someone who hasn't been home to the UK in a while I enjoy the ride with you and the scenery.
Thanks for the review. .. 43 mins , crikey ! “ CHAPTERS” really help your viewers jump to the sections , that you define TBW I would be grateful if you can edit chapters so we can jump to any 4 or 12 sections you have defined and labeled. Please 🙏
Neat little screen to protect the TFT which itself looks nice. Decent bike, but I won't be buying one. Nice overall style, especially the side view. The model with the cross-spoke wheels has to be a better idea. Ayrton to Settle. I used to ride that road in '72 on my Honda CD175. Excellent review. Nick
Hmm.. While as you noted, it might be abit over the top to call this bike a RE classic already at launch, I do think it has a good chance of becoming known as an instsant classic in the near future..🧐
Love this in the black n gold. As you know, won’t be in the Wee Mark garage. Cause I canna touch the ground. Moto Morini and CF Moto, have low seated Cruisers, a coming.😊 I knew from the off you would enjoy the ride out……It’s a Royal Enfield. Their bikes are improving with every model. 😊
Always a problem for me too. I remember sitting on the (then, new) Multistrada at the NEC. My little legs were flailing in midair. I asked the salesman if they did a lowering kit? He looked me up and down and then said, "Not that low..." 😔😂🤣
It wasn't mentioned here but there is no other motorcycle (in this class) on the market with a long stroke engine. A long stroke engine is infinitely better off idle and at low RPM during low speed and medium speed trail riding and city commuting. A DRZ400 has immense power, but it isn't enjoyable at all because it has no low end torque due to having a very short stroke. The Himilayan went against the trend of super short stroke engines. The Suzuki Hayabusa has a long stroke engine, and that's why it's so beloved.
Morning Dave, it sounds like you were a bit hasty buying the 350 classic 🤔 with more and more potholes appearing and now with the updated water cooled engine it could be a good seller unfortunately as an old Himalayan owner I prefer the looks of the older machine. Carry on that man Caio for now tat ta👍🏻
lots are thinking like you even though the bikes are really quite different: for the record in case you are not aware, the ozzies are saying the cf is more road focused than the himmy, the indians are finding a few bugs in the himmy after months of ownership - seems waiting for a tad longer is a smart move as RE will respond to bugs and as always, get a test bike if you can
CF MOTO and BENELLI are all getting massive push publication. I see them at direct comparison on prices. As a non RE fan, I am refreshed other marques are being reviewed. Until one produces 70bhp I wont be interested despite the lovely looks and sounds. U tube will now be swamped with these reviews instead of the 350s. Yes they are good value but so many better (imo) 2nd hand bikes
I have seen 450 MT WOBBLING AT HIGH SPEEDS in some videos IF it goes past 120km/hr. On other hand himi is extremely stable at same speeds. Cf moto uses a 41 mm front fork comparable to himi's more robust 43 mm big piston showa fork. Cf moto has fully adjustable suspension front and rear which is always great as an option. Atleast himi offers great front suspension out of the box. Cf moto has a smoother engine up until 130 km/hr. Himi has high frequency vibrations on the whole bike if it howers between 6000 to 7000 rpm. Strangely the vibrations go away if you go past 7000 rpm. But two important aspects where himi takes the cake and the bakery is it has better braking system and much better fuel economy than 450mt. According to a rider in china it was giving him economy of 5.2 liters per 100 km. Himi gives 3.4 liters per 100 km even if you thrash the bike on mix of dirt and highway.
That’s what I thought as well until I saw the new Honda NX in the flesh. It’s ugly. Might be a good bike with a good engine but it looks hideous at least to me. Too much plastic for my liking.
It is not a huge amount of horsepower. But think of it. There are cars with 65 hp these days and they weight about 900 kg or more. So 40 hp with 196 kg is not bad at all.
For the moment. This is pretty much the only ADV bike with full size wheels to make it more off road friendly than the rest of the herd. However, In a couple of months time, the new CF Moto 450MT looks like it will give the Royal Enfield some very serious competition. Personally I'd go for the CF Moto (also with full size wheels) as it's better spec and cheaper. but I'm sure there will very many RE fans to ensure sales are more than adequate. Thanks for the review and maybe soon you will be able to give us a comparison with the new CF Moto. That would be great. PS. Nothing wrong with a bit of magnolia on the woodchip wallpaper, Not to mention the avocado bathroom suite. 🤣
This bike would have made a much better choice for your channel instead of another classic 350 IMO. It would have been great to see you getting some trail exploration added to your content.
To be honest, not ridden one yet, but ive had a message from my local dealership to say they have a demo bike. At this moment in time, looking at the specs I am thinking the CF Moto 450 at 20kg lighter and more capable all round. I dont think the new Himi will garner the love of the old one, it was so unique in its concept. The new Himi takes design cues from plenty of other dual sport bikes, and that may be its undoing with regards to sales. Atthe prices you mentioned , there is a flood of high specced bikes on the horizon. Only time will tell, the appeal of the early Himalayan was its ridiculously low price and willis jeep like build.
Look at Mark pulling’s page he’s reviewed the Himalayan and the Voge 525 DSX. The Voge is the same price with luggage. Like I said an avalanche of premium Adventure bikes coming.
