Tag: Himalayan BS IV

  • Royal Enfield Himalayan Sleet and BSIV review

    Royal Enfield Himalayan Sleet and BSIV review

    In the anniversary post, I had listed down the issues with my RE Himalayan over a period, including problems I had faced later up to November. I am glad to say; I no longer have concerns for Yeti as of now.

    It has been six months since my one-year review of Yeti, the Royal Enfield Himalayan. The arrival of Himalayan Sleet edition rekindled my emotions a bit, and I want to share what I did not share earlier.

    The new parts are already working well, and have turned up to last much longer than my previous experience. In fact, I also managed to ride Yeti to Kerala from Mumbai and back without much of a problem.

    My anniversary review is massively overshadowed by issues and misses out other features that I love about Himalayan.

    All new Himalayan Sleet

    Everything under the body of Sleet is a normal BSIV Himalayan. The striking new design for tank and mudguards makes a case by itself. What Sleet also offers is accessories bundled along with it.

    You get an aluminum handlebar with a cross brace, handlebar end weights that look neat and different from what you get in the other color variants. You also get two panniers with their mounts. The aluminum panniers made by RE are on my wish list and a must for any explorer.

    Royal Enfiled Himalayan aluminium handle bar with cross brace
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan aluminum handle bar with cross brace
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan brand new Bar Ends that look more premium!
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan brand new Bar Ends that look more premium!
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan Sleet Panniers
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan Sleet Panniers
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan Sleet Panniers - close up
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan Sleet Panniers – close up

    Sleet also comes with engine guards, though I would recommend Donowyn’s instead. Donowyn makes guards with stainless steel (SS), which last longer and are much better at taking impact as compared to mild steel (MS) ones offered by Fixwell, Zana or HDT Customs. It appears though Sleet carries guards that were made/designed by Fixwell Motors from Bangalore. You can connect with Donowyn on his facebook page: Donowyn Custom or visit his website at donowyn.com

    Royal Enfiled Himalayan brand new engine guards
    Royal Enfiled Himalayan brand new engine guards

    I like the Sleet and wish I could plonk my junk of cash for it. Only if, I had my dumpster full of it. Should you buy the Himalayan? Let me help you!

    My experience with Yeti, the RE Himalayan

    Since the day Yeti came home, I have taken it to places. Apart from many weekend getaways and short breakfast rides, I rode it all the way from Mumbai to Kerala and back while everyone one else went up north towards the Himalayas. Talk about going opposite to the flow, shall we?

    I am an off-road enthusiast. Because I often joke that riding on roads in India itself is akin to off-roading. I have not taken my Himalayan up on an off-road ride and may not do so shortly as well.

    I take Yeti to the office every day, in the urban jungle that we call it. Riddled with Potholes, Himalayan makes my daily commute a pleasant experience. In fact, it is this very nightmarish experience we know riding on the roads of Mumbai – Thane suburban belt that helped me zero-in on Himalayan as the ride of my pride.

    How does this thing ride and handle?

    After all the upgrades, engine and clutch relationship has improved manifold, and they work in perfect synergy. The result is a smooth ride when you are cruising around 80-90kmph. Increase the speed and vibrations creep in, though I never felt it bad enough to hate it.

    Ride quality is the best feature on Himalayan. The mono-shock rear suspension (a first for Royal Enfield) and the long travel one at the front, is bliss in the bumpy terrain called Indian Roads. No prizes for guessing if it is a pothole muncher! Of course, it is a big one at that. Add to it; you get a great set of soft cushions to place your bum on, it never disappoints.

    Here is a short clip of me cornering my Himalayan during my Kerala ride. I am sure this is good enough to convince you that handling is above par.

    Seating and position of Handlebar is often a personal choice. Once you get a feel for the bike, you should get it adjusted to your liking. I found the handlebar a bit lower for my taste, however, I have not fiddled with the factory setting and it is still comfortable. I would recommend everyone, get your RE Service Center to set the position of the handlebar to your liking.

    It is this very nightmarish experience we know riding on the roads of Mumbai – Thane suburban belt that helped me zero-in on Himalayan as the ride of my pride

    The Long Stroke Engine Story

    One grouse I have with Himalayan is the amount of Power it generates. During touring, I did miss the top range when the roads wide open were empty, and I could just gun it down. I clocked a high speed of 145 on the odometer during my Kerala trip.

    However, I do understand that speeding also brings a huge risk and the bike is not built to be cursing at that pace. The bike was stable at all speeds, including when I ride below 10kmph while my three-year-old daughter is riding with me to her preschool every day.

    The engine though has enough grunt, and it helps in both city and tour travel. When I had got the Yeti, the first few months I had the tremendous issue with the engine heat. For the unintended, this was my first high cubic-capacity bike. A while later, I realized this is not uncommon for more top capacity bikes.

    I wish RE had continued to make the performance exhaust! You can get a used one aftermarket, and you will have to pay through your nose to get it today.

    The story of missing abs… err. A.B.S!

    Breaking on my Yeti is satisfying, and that is about it. As you can see in my test ride review video, BSIV version gets better at it, especially at the front where you can feel the improvement. When Dominar came with dual channel ABS, everyone expected RE to bring in ABS for Himalayan BSIV as well. However, that did not happen, and yes, I am disappointed.

    ABS do help in breaking, especially during wet conditions even though Himalayan offers good grip thanks to the stock Ceat tires. So why is ABS missing from Himalayan?

    According to the company, bike of Himalayan’s capacity does not require ABS to break with both front and rear disk brakes. And since it is an all-rounder, off-roading is better with predictable breaking.

    Fuel Injection or carburetor?

    Well, let us forget the carburettor because you are not going to get a chance to buy a new BSIII Himalayan. However, it makes sense to understand what you would be buying. To know the technical difference between the two, let me recommend this answer on Quora.

    BSIII and BSIV are the emissions standards adopted by Govt. of India to curb pollution. These measures are like standards in Europe. To ensure compliance to BSIV standards, RE had to add Fuel Injection to the engine.

    In a nutshell, FI system helps systematically stream fuel; which aids in better combustion and efficiency. Higher altitudes do not leave your bike out of breath, which often happens on carburettor-equipped bikes.

    Royal Enfield bikes are not known for their fuel efficiency. And they make no bones about it either. However, with FI, your chances of having a frugal run are higher! The best mileage I have got is 33 KMPL till date. I have known people who have managed to extract 40kmpl! It depends on your riding style, timely maintenance, and terrain.

    Why should I consider buying the RE Himalayan?

    I know a lot of people are unwilling to buy the Himalayan because of the issues many of us had faced. Of course, I do not think it was right for any new bike to have quality niggles to the level we have seen. However, RE has done a great job turning around and paying heed to the customer feedback.

    It took them some time, though, since the change was massive, and for the better. So much better, that while I reviewed BSIV Himalayan in November last year during the test ride, surprisingly I came back impressed. I was impressed with my Yeti. I was impressed that my BSIII Himalayan felt a tad bit better than the new one!

    Of course, speaks volumes regarding efforts put in by Royal Enfield to ensure even the BSIII bikes on par with latest parts. So much so that Service Centers were voluntarily replacing pieces even when it was not needed or not broken.

    Should I buy the new BSIV Himalayan?

    BS4 or BSIV Himalayan is better, thanks to the learnings from BSIII edition experience. Yes, you read that right. Yes, there is an improvement in BS4 on many levels, and quality is right up there as you would expect for a new bike. Plus, it comes with Fuel Injection, which helps the bike get even smoother overall.

    The answer to the question is, Yes! Why not?

  • RE Himalayan BS4 (BSIV) FI Review – Is it good enough?

    RE Himalayan BS4 (BSIV) FI Review – Is it good enough?

    Royal Enfield Himalayan BS IV is now available to buy at your nearest show room. I am here to help you ascertain, is it worth the buy and all the hype? Welcome to Indianomics!

    Many of the regular readers here do know that I own an RE Himalayan, named Yeti and also the list of issues I have had with it. So it is natural for me to be skeptical about the new Himalayan avatar.

    Is there a quick way I can get through this article?

    Of course yes, head over to Indianomics TV YouTube channel and subscribe, like, comment and share it with your friends. You can view the video here as well if that helps!

    Along with my friend Shiv, I paid a visit to the Royal Enfield Showroom recently to test the new BS IV Version of Himalayan. BS IV or Bharat Stage IV (4 in roman numbers) is the latest emission norm adopted by India to keep a check on the pollution levels. The next stage is BS VI (BS 6) because India has decided to accelerate the emission norms to curb the ever increasing pollution levels in India. It sure is a welcome step.

    So what is new with Himalayan BS IV Avatar?

    For starters, the BS3 version that launched last year came with the carburetor; the BS IV version comes with Fuel Injection. FI, as it is often abbreviated, helps channel the fuel flow into engine much better thus producing better performance.

    Royal Enfield already uses FI system on its Classic and Thunderbird bikes, Himalayan gets it for the first time. Using FI system was the best possible approach for a motorcycle that was launched last year since this would mean the manufacturer does not have to redo the entire engine, while still conforming to the BS IV norms.

    So apart from the FI system, there are many changes under the hood but hardly noticeable (for me at least). Almost all of the components have seen an upgrade. Most of them are on my BSIII bike due to various issues that I faced, and Service Center has replaced (updated) them. Of course not the Fuel Injection.

    The company claims to have sorted the quality niggles that the first lot of Himalayans saw. One of the reasons the company delayed the launch of this BS IV avatar. Apart from these, the choke moves to handlebar on the left-hand side and the head lamp switches no longer exist thanks to the AHO norms. Read more about AHO (Always Head Lamp On).

    On the snow white (color) Himalayan that I test rode, few panels saw a color change to Black. This shift has made them more visible. However, the subtle gray that we saw earlier looked better. Visible appearance is subjective, and I am sure many will love the new black accent tones.

    Anything I wish my Yeti had from Himalayan BS IV Model?

    Of all things, I will love to have the breaks from BS IV model. The breaks are not the best but are an improvement over the previous model. So, yes I would like to upgrade to the new breaks.

    Apart from that, the FI system helps the bike in perform better overall. I am not sure if I wish for the FI system, except for the top end range – you can freely rev upwards of 6k rpm. I am also not sure if it is only the FI system that helps or is there a change in the engine as well? Well, I will wait to figure out.

    If the parts on the BS IV are of much better quality, I will hope that Royal Enfield gets them to my bike as well. For the owners of BS3 version, they felt like guinea pigs, who paid to own a product only to find out about the issues it possessed. No better way to pay forward for those suffering than to help upgrade the parts.

    This review was primarily comparing the Himalayan BS III v/s Himalayan BS IV model. Hence it omits a few prominent areas like the ride quality and suspension. The shocks on Himalayan are purpose built, and they work to perfection. They do their job brilliantly that the pathetic roads of Indian subcontinent can be a piece of cake, as you can see in the video above.

    Another noticeable change is the exhaust note and saree guard. Saree guard has been a joke with Himalayan – pathetic quality. Hope the new design provides a better finish and works well with existing BS3 Himalayans. The exhaust note, on the other hand, sounds much better. Personal choice though this one, but I like it.

    As I visited the show room, saw that Himalayan BS IV is the busiest test bike. I happened to meet Vikram, who returned from his test of the BS IV to discuss his experience and out of the blue, asked him if he could get me a review byte, and that he did.

    For me, it was important to get another perspective from a non-Himalayan rider. It is easy to get to love the bike if you own it. I felt it will be right to share with you, my dear readers and viewers, a perspective that is unbiased just because I own a Himalayan myself.

    Vikram felt the bike was much smoother than the earlier version of the motorcycle he tested. I also offered him to ride the Yeti, and he came back impressed. He wondered if BS IV was better than BS3 model I own! Of course, it is, but the margin is small. Is it worth? Of course yes.

    How much for the Himalayan BS IV Version then?

    BS IV version costs Rs. 1,98,000 on-road, Kalyan. Now the cost varies across the country, but in the city as well. That is because the dealers sometimes offer three years insurance as part of the deal instead of the standard one. So Rs. 1,91,000 as on-road is correct as well – because it includes only one-year insurance.

    Verdict: How good is Himalayan BS IV version?

    It is as good as the BSIII version, but better in many departments. Breaks, Fuel Injection, and overall better quality help a great deal in narrowing down the choices. Honestly, there are no choices to be made. If you are looking for an adventure tourer in the sub-two lacs market, look no further. Himalayan is the best option.

    Alternatively, if you are looking for more of a tourer and a faster bike, then Dominar may just fit the bill. It is not as sure footed and has the same appeal as the Himalayan, but it will do the job pretty well.