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Thread: Exploring Himalaya through unconventional routes

  1. #1

    Exploring Himalaya through unconventional routes

    I am traveling these days and on a verge of bidding adieu to my 2010 model Avenger. I had some good memories and some falls with this bike. But I have always been skeptical about it's ability to cover world's most difficult terrain in Great Himalaya.
    Now, I have decided to move on and want to explore Himalaya through some unconventional routes. Therefore, I am looking for a reliable bike. My initial choice is RE Himalayan. I know there are many forums available on net related to bikes and tours. Still my jat brothers opinions matter to me. I
    I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor.

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to ayushkadyan For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  3. #2
    For a single rider any 125 plus CC bike is good. LIghter the bike, better is the result. I have rode Himalayas mostly on my Bullet but came to the conclusion that RE is entirely not for mountain terrain as its widely percepted. Avenger is much better if you get it fully serviced with new tires, new battery and new extra pair of clutch and front brake. It will be much better.
    "All I am trying to do is bridge the gap between Jats and Rest of World"

    As I shall imagine, so shall I become.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Samarkadian For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  5. #3

    Lightbulb

    Bhai, more you read about RE Himalyan more you learn the bike has serious quality and relibility issues.
    https://www.rushlane.com/royal-enfie...-12202664.html

    I've not been to Himalyas on bike however believe Avenger is more of cruiser and not fit for off road.

    Take a test ride of KTM 200. This bike has lots of potential for Indian roads and off road riding.

    Cheers
    Jit
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  6. The Following User Says Thank You to cooljat For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  7. #4
    KTM200, Apache these new gen bikes are highly uncomfortable when it comes to sitting and riding for long distance. Seat of bullet, avenger is much better. Seat comfort is one of the most crucial point most people ignore.

    Ayush if you want to go for RE for mountains, then Thunderbird is best option. RE Himalayan is fragile with a lot of vibration. One of my rider friend did North East on Himalayan and not that good experience.


    Quote Originally Posted by cooljat View Post
    Bhai, more you read about RE Himalyan more you learn the bike has serious quality and relibility issues.
    https://www.rushlane.com/royal-enfie...-12202664.html

    I've not been to Himalyas on bike however believe Avenger is more of cruiser and not fit for off road.

    Take a test ride of KTM 200. This bike has lots of potential for Indian roads and off road riding.

    Cheers
    Jit
    "All I am trying to do is bridge the gap between Jats and Rest of World"

    As I shall imagine, so shall I become.

  8. The Following User Says Thank You to Samarkadian For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  9. #5
    Hmm.. you've a valid point. KTM is more of naked street bike with small seat and hard suspension. I thought of it as tourer but I am wrong.

    Thunderbird seems a good choice than Himalyan or KTM for that matter.

    Unfortunatly still here in India we don't have proper adventure touring bike. Btw, I heard Kawasaki soon will be launching there iconic KLR650. That should be great bike for Indian condition, not sure about the price thou.
    Quote Originally Posted by Samarkadian View Post
    KTM200, Apache these new gen bikes are highly uncomfortable when it comes to sitting and riding for long distance. Seat of bullet, avenger is much better. Seat comfort is one of the most crucial point most people ignore.

    Ayush if you want to go for RE for mountains, then Thunderbird is best option. RE Himalayan is fragile with a lot of vibration. One of my rider friend did North East on Himalayan and not that good experience.
    .. " Until Lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter! " ..



  10. The Following User Says Thank You to cooljat For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  11. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by cooljat View Post
    Hmm.. you've a valid point. KTM is more of naked street bike with small seat and hard suspension. I thought of it as tourer but I am wrong.

    Thunderbird seems a good choice than Himalyan or KTM for that matter.

    Unfortunately still here in India we don't have proper adventure touring bike. Btw, I heard Kawasaki soon will be launching there iconic KLR650. That should be great bike for Indian condition, not sure about the price thou.
    Quote Originally Posted by Samarkadian View Post
    KTM200, Apache these new gen bikes are highly uncomfortable when it comes to sitting and riding for long distance. Seat of bullet, avenger is much better. Seat comfort is one of the most crucial point most people ignore.

    Ayush if you want to go for RE for mountains, then Thunderbird is best option. RE Himalayan is fragile with a lot of vibration. One of my rider friend did North East on Himalayan and not that good experience.
    Thanks for your suggestions. Even I don't like the rider's position which KTM, Yamaha and Bajaj offer in their popular bike segment. However, KTM comes with a very refined and responsive engine but I hate the saffron color like anything which they use in their logo and bike rims.
    Bajaj has also introduced another bike model "Dominor" in higher CC segment copying the KTM Duke 390. It's a 400 cc engine bike, a copycat of KTM duke series. It's a bit reasonable with a price tag of 1.5 L on road price but I didn't like it while taking test drive coz of sitting position of rider.
    It's rumored that effective April, 2018 Government is going to make ABS (Anti-lock braking system) mandatory for all the two-wheelers above 125 cc. I personally believe that the kind of congestion we find on Indian roads, ABS can be helpful in preventing sudden falls of bikes and same will be equally useful in mountain terrains as well. So the options have further narrowed down to KTM, Bajaj Dominor, Honda CBR250 as all come with ABS under 2L price category. Sooner or later RE will have to equip its bikes with ABS. As far as Kawasaki KLR650 is concerned, it's expected to be launched in India between 4-8 L price range. I don't want to stretch my budget beyond 2L for bikes. A 500 cc RE Thunderbird (TB) will cost me 2L approximately. The major difference between 350 cc and 500 cc TB is fuel system where former comes with carburetor while latter with fuel injection. I personally in favor of carburetor as it's easy to tune while fuel injection is a micro-processor controlled fuel system which complicate things if it gets failed and a pocket burner when it comes to repairing.

    I think I should go for a test drive of RE TB to make up my mind else I'll end up with nothing but speculating the matter.
    I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor.

  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to ayushkadyan For This Useful Post:

    cooljat (April 27th, 2017), sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  13. #7
    Take my Bullet for a week if you want to clear any doubt about its hyped performance. I have rode more than 10K km in most difficult terrains of Himalayas and I have found that lighter the bike, better is it. Never go for 500CC in RE. As of now, I only advice RE TB across all travel forums.


    Quote Originally Posted by ayushkadyan View Post
    Thanks for your suggestions. Even I don't like the rider's position which KTM, Yamaha and Bajaj offer in their popular bike segment. However, KTM comes with a very refined and responsive engine but I hate the saffron color like anything which they use in their logo and bike rims.
    Bajaj has also introduced another bike model "Dominor" in higher CC segment copying the KTM Duke 390. It's a 400 cc engine bike, a copycat of KTM duke series. It's a bit reasonable with a price tag of 1.5 L on road price but I didn't like it while taking test drive coz of sitting position of rider.
    It's rumored that effective April, 2018 Government is going to make ABS (Anti-lock braking system) mandatory for all the two-wheelers above 125 cc. I personally believe that the kind of congestion we find on Indian roads, ABS can be helpful in preventing sudden falls of bikes and same will be equally useful in mountain terrains as well. So the options have further narrowed down to KTM, Bajaj Dominor, Honda CBR250 as all come with ABS under 2L price category. Sooner or later RE will have to equip its bikes with ABS. As far as Kawasaki KLR650 is concerned, it's expected to be launched in India between 4-8 L price range. I don't want to stretch my budget beyond 2L for bikes. A 500 cc RE Thunderbird (TB) will cost me 2L approximately. The major difference between 350 cc and 500 cc TB is fuel system where former comes with carburetor while latter with fuel injection. I personally in favor of carburetor as it's easy to tune while fuel injection is a micro-processor controlled fuel system which complicate things if it gets failed and a pocket burner when it comes to repairing.

    I think I should go for a test drive of RE TB to make up my mind else I'll end up with nothing but speculating the matter.
    "All I am trying to do is bridge the gap between Jats and Rest of World"

    As I shall imagine, so shall I become.

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to Samarkadian For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  15. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Samarkadian View Post
    Take my Bullet for a week if you want to clear any doubt about its hyped performance. I have rode more than 10K km in most difficult terrains of Himalayas and I have found that lighter the bike, better is it. Never go for 500CC in RE. As of now, I only advice RE TB across all travel forums.
    I am agree with your standpoint. I have ridden RE Classic in past for some time and can guess it won't be handy in Himalayas like conditions. People generally prefer RE bullet due to its torque at lower RPM. However, its ergonomic doesn't suit the mountain terrains. I have interest in RE Himalayan and TB assuming these models will be different from RE classic. As you said, vibration is a major issue which we experience with almost all the RE models and it's a big turn off. Will share my experience once I get a chance to test drive RE TB 350, 500 and Himalayan.
    Last edited by ayushkadyan; May 12th, 2017 at 05:34 AM.
    I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor.

  16. The Following User Says Thank You to ayushkadyan For This Useful Post:

    sukhbirhooda (May 9th, 2017)

  17. #9
    Finally, Got the chance to ride RE TB 350, 500 and Himalyan and now I'm in a better position to decide which one suits to my requirement. When it comes to power, TB 500 outperform both 350 and Himalyan but somewhere I missed the real feeling of riding a RE bike. Don't know why. Same is with Himalyan as well. TB 350 maintains a good balance between power and handling.
    What I learnt after taking test ride of these RE bikes that the vibration is common in all three models. May be I am not used to such vibration in bikes so I should not crib about it. Either I have to accept it or explore other brands and models.

    Meanwhile, during a short trip to Dehradun I spotted UM Bike showroom there and found their "Renegade Commando" bike model quite appealing. It's trending in Dehradun and you can easily find UM riders there. However, could not get a chance to speak to any of them about their riding experience. It's a 280 CC cruising bike inspired by Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. Fairly priced at 1.85 L on road price. Don't know how long this bike company (A joint venture of UM Motors, USA and Lohia Motors) can survive in Indian Market. Take a look:

    I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor.

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