Fantastic review of the Himi 450 , I reckon I have watched just about every review around the wound ( and I will not mention another 450 that is selling like hot cakes ) I think the Himalayan has its own unique style “ not copied style “
I finally got mine 3 weeks ago. Still in the tight 1000km run in. Did a ride with the Royal Riders Bali the other weekend. I've ridden lots of bikes over a long life and mostly 1000cc supers. I love this bike it's so fun, not boring, well built and perfect for indo. Last bike I'll buy and couldn't have made a better choice. You gave it a good review and thanks for your fair assessment. Good work guys(:-)
David thanks for a very informative bike review; It speaks volumes as the the major improvements to the bike; You are a great Ambassador for ADV, encouraging riders to get out there and experience our great country. At my age, 68 yrs, I do my best to get out there. Thank you! David...Triumph Scramblers ...1200X and 900.....
I bought the Himalayan over the CFMoto but I think would have grown to love the CFMoto as well if I had gone that way. In the end I liked the riding position on the Himalayan and the better fuel economy was really important. Seems to be impossible to get accessories for the 450 Himalayan here in Australia. Everyone says "coming soon" so we can all dream about that bigger screen unless someone knows where stock is available. Looking forward to seeing more reviews of both bikes. Thanks.
Recently rode the Gun Barrel highway from Wiluna to Warburton back down the GCR, old Laverton road back to Perth ( all dirt except for a small stretch ) bikes , my light weight WR250R and a new RE 450 Himalayan. The Gun barrel was as rough ( corrugation from hell ) 40 mm rain in 12 hrs, 2 days lay over at Carnegie station ( rain ) the RE smashed the trip, no issues ,we were loaded, fuel, water ect. Tyres on RE Heidenau K60 Ranger and larger screen ( from India ) the RE took everything thrown at it. Fuel Consumption 450 km from main tank. My observation, a aftermarket rear shock with external Pre load ect and some work on front shock will be a game changer for this bike. Off coarse weight is always an issue. Any one that’s ridden Gun Barrel will understand the conditions of Track, relentless corrugation ect. This bike whilst not perfect ( none are Period ) straight from floor to these conditions over 10days Proved RE is more than capable for out back remote travelling. Next year, Transcontinental railway, Flinders, Simpson, Finke, back down Gun Barrel and the RE will There.
Nice review on the bike Dave & Crew. If I didn't absolutely love my T7 the Himalayan 450 would already be ordered. (Or whatever I'd have to do here in the States) Fuzzy Biker (Forgotten Motorcycles on RU-vid) has been putting tons of miles on his Himalayan 450 since the launch here in the US. Much respect to RE and Fuzzy. I did join the RE Ranks months ago buying a 2017 Bullet 500 from a young rider who is loosing her vision. It's a bit rough in areas since she dropped it a couple times and it isn't all old school as she added LED headlight and turn signals to try to help her riding as much as she could. I'd call it the last of the old school Royal Enfield bikes. I'm looking forward to the 650 Classic as my plans are to grab one when they are available.
Ive owned 2 classic 500 and one 350 classic Enfield. Ive a friend who rode one around the world and another who rode one around Australia twice. No problem. 2 things i love about the Enfield is the brilliant fuel economy. And the gearbox is solid as. I also have a dr 650. Cant say the same about that. Every oil change sees chuncks of gears come out in the oil. This is not the case on an enfeild. Ontop of thst they have character which makes them fun to ride
Great review and have to agree with your observations (biased new owner? 500miles completed now on my uk 450 himalayan) and the best colour looks good with the tubeless rims. Need to get to 1200miles/2000km to complete the running in but even with only 6000rpm it has been a surprise how good this is. Not quite the same road test here but the way our roads are breaking apart with little maintenance this bike floats over the potholes.
Excellent job! I somehow am more drawn towards the hemi than the 450mt, as you mentioned there are a lot of similarities, but I personally find that the hemi as a little more character for my tastes
There is definitely strong preferences of riders either way based on looks. Mechanically and capably they are similar with different strengths and weaknesses.
Great reviews Fella's, I'm impressed with the review of the Himalayan 450, I still think I'd choose a CFMOTO 450 MT and do some minor upgrades. I loved the colour scheme too, very eye catching. 👍🇦🇺
That was a great review of the bike from real world adventure riding and real world riders. Dave, I met you at the ABR festival a couple of times, where I brought my brand new Himi 452, It was my first time off road (at 61 years old) and I loved it. I did have an off as I was going around the Bridgestone trail and I think that was partly because I was riding with too much caution, I may have gone over the double rut if I had been going faster. Needless to say, picked up some battle scars and a few bruises but loved it none the less, I will definitely have it with me next year and intend to get a bit more experience through the year (winter is coming). There is a particular RU-vidr over here that has slated the himi a bit with his bias towards the CFmoto but I think it is down to personal choice, the cfmoto is built like an adventure bike and the Himi more like a dirt bike (dual sport) and I personally want the dirt bike to improve my skill set from non-existent to novice 🤣. The beauty is I can then opt for some luggage like you have and include an occasional adventure. Thanks for your continuing great content guys
We have both as long termers. That said, for that ride, with bikes standard the Himi won by a nose. It will be interesting how the Himi goes in the tougher stuff.
Durable and comfortable suspension might only be appreciated if you've worn saddles. I really appreciated the Showa suspension on my OilHead. The damping was comfortable and went on thousands of km's of corrugations and ripea. After 200k km's the damping was not like new, but they never broke or leaked!
Both of them are beautiful machines and RE and cfmoto need to give themselves a pat on the back, still waiting on the arrival of my 450mt, but loved riding one at the abr festival
This bike is largely unknown in the United States but since learning of this bike just 3 months ago I've found a dealer just 25miles from my home. I'm digging into it trying to determine if there's any known issues that are hard to fix(parts/service) here in the US? This is a fair priced bike & while it ain't pretty I only care about how tough it is. peace
Fair enough, the fact that I'm not aware of bikes made over in Europe really doesn't mean much as I haven't ridden in over 30 yrs but I saw one of these doing a major "Baja Styled Race" overseas which brought me to knowing they exist. It's hard to beat the major Japanese bikes I've seen all my life but I looking at this one like I've looked at lot of others. Hoping to have a bike in the near future. Thanks for the info... peace
@@diggy-d8w they’re not European, they started out as a Harley-Davidson ex employee who began making cheapo bikes in India and now they’re made in China so they’re cool 🤣
Great review, I hear a lot more talk about the cfmoto and very little about the himi, I’m guessing it’s the looks and being a twin that gives the 450mt the hype over the other bike, it’s great to have affordable reliable options
Yes, that's why we reached out to get both bikes as long termers. The guy riding the CFMOTO on this trip just discounted the Himi by its look before he rode it. Outback riding is very different to the stuff you normally do, so looking forward to taking it in the tough stuff.
I went for the cf moto mt 450. For me Himalayan 450 felt top heavy (felt it heavier than transalp 750) . It also had a lot of vibration! The instrument cluster screen was very slow. Good suspension . Himalayan 450 also has better fuel consumption. Also i did not feel as intimidated on the mt 450!
Great review. I agree on all your points but a couple things. The elephant in the room is the horrendous high frequency vibes from the Himi 450. At highway speeds at its worst. I rode test one for 45mins and it took 1 hour for my legs to stop tingling. Its high feequency sk much worst than the previous model 411. Also the wind buffering is horrendous as well. I would have to try the tall screen but have heard it doesnt make a huge diference. Ive ridden the CF moto 450mt as well. Motor is nice and at highway speeds virtually no vibes and bufferring is minimal. On your point of suspension. The CFmoto suspension is hard from factory but you forgot to mention its fully adjustable. So with a bit of play it can be dialed in to your specific riding needs. Down side of the CFmoto is the snatchy throttle. As a Royal enfeild fan boy i still cant see how the 450 himmy is really in the same league as the 450mt for all but people who love the look.
You must be riding a different bike Lincoln or on another planet. Mine is as smooth as, at all speeds. I'd suggest the wheels weren't balanced. As for wind buffetting, that's why I fitted the larger screen. I've done a thorough CFMOTO review on this channel and we have one long term. Mechanically and in terms of performance the bikes are neck and neck. We have both long term and will be looking more closely at capability. There is no question the styling of the two bikes is very different and either alienates or attracts.
You recommend the Himalayan 450 and the CFMoto 450MT for beginners? They are almost 200 kg. I have only ridden the Himalayan, and to me this is a good beginner bike for somewhere who sticks to tarmac and dirt roads. A beginner is better of learning on a much lighter bike on anything else but flat roads.
Great review. The himi looks like it belings out there. I kind of like more the look of thr cf moto, as in my garage, but i feel i'd prefer thr himi out there. Purely based on looks opinion.
People are getting soft these days. Every review & comments asking about vibration. No too long ago, people rode bikes for their purpose & fun, without any thought or mention of vibrations. Did they vibrate, yes many did, but owners understood its part of the character of each bike & so never gave it a thought as a positive or negative. These days many people dismiss the fundamentals of riding & want every bike to be flawless in every way. Bikes vibrate, it's an engine in a frame with two wheels...it will vibrate to some degree or another.
Would this bike or the 450MT have enough power for 2 up? I wanna take my 13 yo son for 2-3 days riding/camping trips. I'm just afraid the 450 cc engines won't have enough power. I'm not buying an ADV bike yet and still waiting for the 800MT-X to come out next year.
Thinking about it as a round-the-world bike, what do you think about the ride-by-wire throttle as a potential reliability weak point (difficult to fix in out of the way places)? IMO it's an unnecessary nod to being a modern bike and therefore a mistake - can ride it gently if you're worried about being in "eco" mode.
This was Himi focussed. I talked about vibration and you missed it :(. No vibration. A well balanced engine. In the future we will do a head to head comparison.
@@larsihle9256 thanks for your reply gives me a piece of mind that it won’t let me down ,now I will think about buying the 450 as it suites me for my type of riding 👍😀
So On the Himi you had the one piece tall Rally seat but on the CF you did not? Nothing about the top heaviness people are complaining about? Thanks mates 🍻🍻
There is no one piece rally seat on the Himi. We are waiting for Rally Seats for both the CFMOTO and Himi. I think the feeling of top heaviness on the Himi, comes from the side stand which is way to short and tilts the bike over and a lot of effort is needed to get it standing upright.
@@knuckles-3386 People are getting soft these days. Every review & comments asking about vibration. No too long ago, people rode bikes for their purpose & fun, without any thought or mention of vibrations. Did they vibrate, yes many did, but owners understood its part of the character of each bike & so never gave it a thought as a positive or negative. These days many people dismiss the fundamentals of riding & want every bike to be flawless in every way. Bikes vibrate, it's an engine in a frame with two wheels...it will vibrate to some degree or another.
I think that is a myth. I believe one or two frames broke following an accessories manufacturer mounting a bashplate wrong off a key structural part of the frame. In any event in the next test it will be hitting the tough stuff and jumping. That is the beauty of long term testing of bikes. Ultimately any common faults will be revealed.
@@MotorcycleAdventureDirtbikeTV Dave, I've heard 90mpg when out an about on an average day here. Not ridden either it, or the 450MT yet... it'll be interesting.
I'm liking the multi-positional seat options from off the showroom floor. Could see a higher position for longer miles and swap to a bit lower for those wanting to be able to padfle or dab through slow/rougher sections.
The problem with most small displacement bikes is the top end of the rev range is completely useless. You give it more gas and all you get is extra noise out the pipe while the engine bogs. Himalayan has solved one of the most frustrating problems with small adventure bikes. Doesn't mean you gotta ride around on the redline all the time. Duh.
@@jakeviolet2195 The Himi has the punch in the 6 to 8 when you need it. More punch than the CFMOTO. But most of the time you're sitting around 5,300 rpm.
I rode one of these recently and a demo of a 450MT. The 450 MT was hands down streets ahead. I am astounded anyone would even entertain the idea of one of these single cylinder s h i t pumps. The styling is revolting. It looks like something a 6 year old in primary school drew in the 80's 😂
The styling has put you off and blinded you. I have tested and reviewed the CFMOTO. The results are on this channel. I think it's a good bike but, the Himi engine develops more power, the suspension is better in the fast stuff. They are much closer than you believe.
Surprised you didn't mention the air filter location since you were riding in the dusty outback... RE seems to have a winner that should bring new people to adventure riding & make many sell the larger bikes. - Thanks for the vid
Full Pelt Adventures did a pretty good job doing some service on the Himalayan 450, you have to remove the fuel tank to get to the air filter. I'm not a fan of that design and I've said its a deal breaker for me but... the more I think about it, I rarely ride with anyone else so I'm not eating their dust, so it really doesn't matter as I don't need to change it every ride. BTW, NorCalSaint, I'm in Humboldt County. Nice to see another Nor-Cal rider on MADTV.
@@pinkiewerewolf I have been told you don't have to remove the fuel tank. You can achieve itby loosening one bolt on the tank and pivotting it up. Time will tell.
@@MotorcycleAdventureDirtbikeTV That would be welcome news to find out Dave. Thanks for the reply and of course I'll be watching your follow up videos on The Himalayan 450. 👍
