New Bike

[muddy]

 

Big departure for me after years of having Japanese bikes, 13 of those with my trusty 9er, but I'd been eyeing up the Himalayan for a few months as a left field contender. So when a 2018 with just over a 1k on the clock came up with a £500 set of bloody decent panniers and at a good price, I bit. 

 

The build quality looks pretty impressive, very well put together. It just looks solid and ready for work, ready to hit the trails and back lanes. More importantly, not a bit of plastic in sight, just metal, with everything accessible, as it used to be. As Fixitsan would know, me and plastic just don't get on and I'm more than pleased to end the relationship. 

 

I wasn't looking forward to the ride home in the dark on an unfamiliar bike and having no navigation aid other than a rough idea of the way around Manchester. The dip beam isn't really up to job and on the twisty lanes I simply had to keep it on high, which was adequate. Riding lights are a must. 

 

Once off, the bike reminds me of a heavier version of the Kawasaki Super Sherpa, more than my old XT600E and was more comfortable than both, with a sit in rather than on feel. Engine wise, it's not vibey until you get over 5k and even then it's more like complaining, which is good feedback. So I just kept it at 5k-ish and around 60-65 mph on the motorway. It had just enough to get past slower lorries, but I would hold it at 75 mph for long periods. At 60 mph it just thrummed away contentedly and likely will return around 75-80 mpg in the bargain at those speeds. It was on the lanes where it felt more at home, though with the dual sport tyres in the dark and the rain I was very wary of testing the handling. Early days.

[dablik]

Congrats Len, the search is finally over, good choice though i would think, reviews are very positive for this bike and maintenance looks a doddle, you'll have to compare notes with Ali as he recently acquired one as a second bike, happy trails fella :good:

[dapleb]

Loike yer boike.

[James]

Nice one. There are plenty of trails in your area to try it out on

[Robodene]

Looks the business.

[alanfavell]

Nice :good:

[Studley Ramrod]

With the amount of traffic on the motorways these days, life in the not so fast lane is quite appealing.  I like the idea of simple maintenance too.  Congratulations Muddy. :good:

[muddy]

Cheers all. My Grom reintroduced to me to the low tech, slow tech type of bike that I grew up with. I'm hoping that I can do all the maintenance myself without relying on the tech gurus such as our beloved Mr Henty

[TKH]

Glad you got sorted after your recent Bolton troubles.

[Robodene]

A one year owner has written of his experiences with his Himalayan in MCN this week.

[muddy]

Took it out round the lanes this afternoon. It's just made for this sort of relaxed riding. Great turning circle and handling. Many complain about the front brake, but I agree with Chris Scott, it's just fine for this type of bike and the back brake is very good. Gave it a nice wash on getting home and can see it's screaming for stainless steel nuts and bolts. Lee, what have you done to me.

[JMC]

Looks good I like it

Enjoy !

[Quartermaster]

Be interesting to learn how you get on. A guy called Nathan Millward who runs adventure tours in the UK and beyond brought his Himalayan to our bike club (Bromsgrove MCC) a few weeks back. He'd covered thousands of miles and really loved his.

[Andy25]

Same as everyone else really interested how this bike gets on

With yourself + Ali G putting your money down we should get a good idea



Personally I'm interested in how it handles in the day to day abuse / neglect scenario ( Feel free to avoid cleaning etc ) this Bike on paper ticks a lot of boxes for a second bike etc , so please keep us posted on how you get on.



Andy

[muddy]

Same as everyone else really interested how this bike gets on

With yourself + Ali G putting your money down we should get a good idea



Personally I'm interested in how it handles in the day to day abuse / neglect scenario ( Feel free to avoid cleaning etc ) this Bike on paper ticks a lot of boxes for a second bike etc , so please keep us posted on how you get on.



Andy

I'm cleaning it regularly at the moment to keep the corrosion at bay. I must say I now understand the rationale for cleaning frequently, it gives you the opportunity to check things and this RE will need checking often. With my TDM, which was so reliable, I just did the minimum, which brings me to my next point.

 

I've done more fettling in the short period of time I've had it, than years on my TDM. I lacked the confidence to take on anything but easy, to moderate jobs and thought that with this bike I'm going to give things a go. I'm loving it and that's because most of the bike is accessible without having to remove a ton of plastic.

 

I've gone full tilt in the electrikery dept, which I've always been very apprehensive about. It's now got a 6 way fuse box and relay and I've fitted a USB charger run to the cockpit and cigarette lighter socket under the seat for the tyre pump. Also added are a couple of LED driving lights. Next job is to do the 3000 mile service myself, tappets and all. Learn one, do one, teach one as they say in the medical profession, though I think I'll omit the teaching bit just yet.  

[dablik]

Woopwoop Len, that's what i found appealing also, the accessibility, you'll be receiving a fettling award soon then eh, so come on tell us how's the transition gone to a smaller cc bike and what's it like to ride, especially where you live, it's biking heaven..

[muddy]

Woopwoop Len, that's what i found appealing also, the accessibility, you'll be receiving a fettling award soon then eh, so come on tell us how's the transition gone to a smaller cc bike and what's it like to ride, especially where you live, it's biking heaven..

Well it's different, that's for sure. I had a little Honda Grom for a few years, so I kinda got acclimatised to the lack of pep. I'd never have bought one if I was still down south where you so often need the spare horses to get out of trouble. 

It handles surprisingly good as well, so it loves the back lanes. Took it down my first green lane a few weeks ago, with some really rocky sections and steep inclines and it took everything in it's stride. Good fun, but, phew, hard work. Also getting around 80 mpg, so happy days. 

[dablik]

Brilliant it's a tough call to downsize but sounds like you made the right choice, 80mpg happy biking.

[alanfavell]

It's all about maintaining momentum

[chrisr]

But have you thrown it in a river yet Len, apparently you have to do that on its first outing!