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Old Himalayan v new

Paul68

Finally made it
Location
Yorkshire
Test ride done!
I did about 30 miles on the motorway, 20 miles on A and B roads, and a sneaky off-road section on a forest trail.
Bad points: I could not position the mirrors to give me a decent view behind, and the tiny screen offered no protection at all.
To be fair, my existing Himalayan had the same problems, which were easily fixed with mirror extenders and a touring screen.
Good points: everything else :)
The ride was smooth and comfortable, handling was spot on and the extra 16hp were just what the doctor ordered. It cruised at an indicated 74mph at 6000rpm and there was plenty of power in reserve.
All I need now is for someone to buy one - Hanle black with tubeless tyres please - fit a touring screen and panniers, run it in, deal with any recalls and then get fed up with it.

Postscript - on the way home I managed to get my existing Himmy to 74mph for a short time, but neither of us were happy there ;)
 

2LZ

Well travelled
Location
Volcano, CA
Good to hear! A fair assessment, indeed and you're right, screen, mirrors, etc.... can be easily changed for personal preference.
 

Paul68

Finally made it
Location
Yorkshire
I have spotted the first used 452 for sale. It's black (which is the one I fancy) but tubed tyres, original small screen and no panniers.
I'm hoping that by the end of the year or early next I will spot the one I want. Until then I am happy with the "old" Himmy which is getting more use than any of my recent bikes did.
If anyone spots a used 452 for sale with black paintwork, the larger screen, panniers and crash bars, give me a nod please?
 

Woodstock

Well travelled
Location
Woodstock, NY
I have spotted the first used 452 for sale. It's black (which is the one I fancy) but tubed tyres, original small screen and no panniers.
I'm hoping that by the end of the year or early next I will spot the one I want. Until then I am happy with the "old" Himmy which is getting more use than any of my recent bikes did.
If anyone spots a used 452 for sale with black paintwork, the larger screen, panniers and crash bars, give me a nod please?
I wonder why it is on the market so soon? Is there a link to the listing?
 

Paul68

Finally made it
Location
Yorkshire
I wonder why it is on the market so soon? Is there a link to the listing?
Hi Woodstock - the bike is being sold by a dealer - but it's second-hand and not ex-demo.
TBH I expected some to be available soon - the new Himalayan is much faster than the original version, but still much slower than most bikes out there. I'm sure some people will buy one without having had a test ride, and be disappointed. I'm just hoping they fit a bigger screen and panniers before they do ;)
 

Woodstock

Well travelled
Location
Woodstock, NY
Hi Woodstock - the bike is being sold by a dealer - but it's second-hand and not ex-demo.
TBH I expected some to be available soon - the new Himalayan is much faster than the original version, but still much slower than most bikes out there. I'm sure some people will buy one without having had a test ride, and be disappointed. I'm just hoping they fit a bigger screen and panniers before they do ;)
Thanks. Interesting. You will find what you seek, I am sure.
 

Whysub

Well travelled
Location
Elx, Spain
I have seen quite a few 350 and 500 RE's with under 1,000 kms on the clock for sale

I have seen many,many more 350's and 500's with 40,000 kms or more on the odometer that are not for sale
 

Whysub

Well travelled
Location
Elx, Spain
Bad points: I could not position the mirrors to give me a decent view behind,
The mirrors are excellent once set up properly, and there are FOUR adjustments that can be made.

You can pivot the clamps around the handlebars (that also alter hhe pitch of the levers).

The mirror stems themselves swivel (left hand thread).

The mirror head can be loosened to allow the mirror itself to swivel.

Finally the mirror head has fine adjustment.

Some thought has gone into their design. And they are clear, well, up to 4,000 rpm at least.

I did 200kms today in 35°c heat, keeping to flat areas rather than over the mountains. I want to put another couple of hundred kms on the bike before I ride those roads.

I'll ride another 200km loop tomorrow so will need its first service by the end of next week.
 

Andyb

Well travelled
Location
UK
GV Bikes at Taunton were very good and loaned me a 450 yesterday. Do contact them if in the area - they are a great dealer and know the RE range very well.

My thoughts on the 450:
First - how do I start it? Once explained it was sort of obvious but I needed help!
The bike was given to me on the centre stand. Pushing it off the stand on level ground it felt very unstable….the bike has to go a long way up before going over-centre to fold the stand. I did not quite drop it but it felt very top heavy.

Onto the bike. I am about 5ft 8” tall and the bike had the high seat set in the lower position. And once on it, it again felt very top heavy. I was sitting ON the bike, not IN it, as with my 411 Himmy.
Rode off, all OK, but after a few miles I was scratching my head through my crash helmet wondering about the power. It felt like the 411. Stopped and had a think, and realised I was in ECO mode…..so reset it to the higher powered mode. That felt stronger!

Instruments - very clear. Loved the digital MPH display and rev counter. Found the indicator warning lights useless (they are there to warn you if you have left an indicator on but they are at the bottom of the display and very small - the 411 has them higher up and brighter). The mpg read out was locked at 99.9mpg so not sure what was going on there but otherwise all was obvious and easy enough to use with the LH toggle switch.

Noise - exhaust note just right. Not intrusive but noticeable, the horses I passed were OK with it at 3000rpm.
Mirrors - no problems.
Handlebars - closer to the rider than on the 411? Comfortable crank on them. The offset ignition key in the headstock annoyed me - why not have it in the middle? The USB looked cheap but may be OK.

Brakes. They work! So much better than on my 411. Good feel and light enough. As is the clutch.

Gear ratios - much better than on the 411 with a lower 1st gear and a smaller jump to second. On slow roads I found I was in one higher gear than on the 411 - which meant I inadvertently started in second a couple of times. On a flat or down sloping road this was absolutely no problem, with little clutch slipping needed. The bike really does have good low down torque. I could chug at 5-6mph in first with zero throttle and zero snatch. Great.\
Gear changes were silent (my 411 can clunk through the lower gears) but it was difficult to feel neutral. On my 411 I can feel neutral and it shows a green N on the dash to confirm this, on the 450 the N is less obvious as it is the same colour as the other gear numbers.

Handling - this bike had much more road orientated tyres than my 411 and it rolled into turns feeling very secure on the dry roads I was on as you would expect. Suspension was more supple than on the 411.
Fueling - seamless. Really could not fault it. No add ons needed.

After about 10 miles around the Quantocks on slow roads I headed to the M5.
Fuel tank - wide at the front so it kept the wind off my knees.
Footrests too high, even though my seat position was also a little too high. So if I had a lower seating position the footrests would feel much too high, and my legs are not very long!
Up to 60mph in 6th all OK. The tiny windscreen took the wind off me very well.
BUT….as 5000rph was approached the vibration increased. I had already noticed this on slower roads but as I was changing the RPM up and down it was not really an issue. But on the M5 at 70mph / 5000rpm the vibration through the footrests was bad. Is that why RE fit rubber mounts to the footrest brackets? There was vibration elsewhere on the bike but much less than through the footrests. And this was with the rubber footrest inserts fitted (I do not have them fitted on my 411).
So the comfortable cruising speed was 60mph (as on my 411), but with a lot more in reserve for overtaking.

Away from the motorway I took it up a steep single track road. On this road my 411 is either revving a bit too high in first or feels like it is slogging in second (it is a steep hill!). The 450‘s extra power and better gear ratios meant I was in second with ample extra power. Much better.

Stopped to put some fuel in. Terrible fuel cap that needed to be held open. Put the bike on the side stand and it almost fell over…WHY IS THE SIDESTAND SO SHORT??? With wear the bike will only lean more and with extra fuel the bike really was heavy to pick up (by comparison I today carried 3L of oil and a 12AH battery in the tank panniers of my 411, about 7kg of weight high up, yet the bike did not feel top heavy)

I rode home and parked it up. Had lunch, forgot about it as other things intruded….strange, when I first had my 411 I rode it a lot. Yet the 450 was left in the garage. This bike is more modern but blander than the 411. Shorter stroke so it needs to be revved higher (into the vibration range) if you want it to perform.

The 450 has a lot of good points but riding back home on my 411 it felt like putting back on a pair of old but comfortable shoes. I like the ‘long stroke’ feel of the 411 and can tolerate it’s limitations, so it stays.
 
Last edited:

Woodstock

Well travelled
Location
Woodstock, NY
GV Bikes at Taunton were very good and loaned me a 450 yesterday. Do contact them if in the area - they are a great dealer and know the RE range very well.

My thoughts on the 450:
First - how do I start it? Once explained it was sort of obvious but I needed help!
The bike was given to me on the centre stand. Pushing it off the stand on level ground it felt very unstable….the bike has to go a long way up before going over-centre to fold the stand. I did not quite drop it but it felt very top heavy.

Onto the bike. I am about 5ft 8” tall and the bike had the high seat set in the lower position. And once on it, it again felt very top heavy. I was sitting ON the bike, not IN it, as with my 411 Himmy.
Rode off, all OK, but after a few miles I was scratching my head through my crash helmet wondering about the power. It felt like the 411. Stopped and had a think, and realised I was in ECO mode…..so reset it to the higher powered mode. That felt stronger!

Instruments - very clear. Loved the digital MPH display and rev counter. Found the indicator warning lights useless (they are there to warn you if you have left an indicator on but they are at the bottom of the display and very small - the 411 has them higher up and brighter). The mpg read out was locked at 99.9mpg so not sure what was going on there but otherwise all was obvious and easy enough to use with the LH toggle switch.

Noise - exhaust note just right. Not intrusive but noticeable, the horses I passed were OK with it at 3000rpm.
Mirrors - no problems.
Handlebars - closer to the rider than on the 411? Comfortable crank on them. The offset ignition key in the headstock annoyed me - why not have it in the middle? The USB looked cheap but may be OK.

Brakes. They work! So much better than on my 411. Good feel and light enough. As is the clutch.

Gear ratios - much better than on the 411 with a lower 1st gear and a smaller jump to second. On slow roads I found I was in one higher gear than on the 411 - which meant I inadvertently started in second a couple of times. On a flat or down sloping road this was absolutely no problem, with little clutch slipping needed. The bike really does have good low down torque. I could chug at 5-6mph in first with zero throttle and zero snatch. Great.\
Gear changes were silent (my 411 can clunk through the lower gears) but it was difficult to feel neutral. On my 411 I can feel neutral and it shows a green N on the dash to confirm this, on the 450 the N is less obvious as it is the same colour as the other gear numbers.

Handling - this bike had much more road orientated tyres than my 411 and it rolled into turns feeling very secure on the dry roads I was on as you would expect. Suspension was more supple than on the 411.
Fueling - seamless. Really could not fault it. No add ons needed.

After about 10 miles around the Quantocks on slow roads I headed to the M5.
Fuel tank - wide at the front so it kept the wind off my knees.
Footrests too high, even though my seat position was also a little too high. So if I had a lower seating position the footrests would feel much too high, and my legs are not very long!
Up to 60mph in 6th all OK. The tiny windscreen took the wind off me very well.
BUT….as 5000rph was approached the vibration increased. I had already noticed this on slower roads but as I was changing the RPM up and down it was not really an issue. But on the M5 at 70mph / 5000rpm the vibration through the footrests was bad. Is that why RE fit rubber mounts to the footrest brackets? There was vibration elsewhere on the bike but much less than through the footrests. And this was with the rubber footrest inserts fitted (I do not have them fitted on my 411).
So the comfortable cruising speed was 60mph (as on my 411), but with a lot more in reserve for overtaking.

Away from the motorway I took it up a steep single track road. On this road my 411 is either revving a bit too high in first or feels like it is slogging in second (it is a steep hill!). The 450‘s extra power and better gear ratios meant I was in second with ample extra power. Much better.

Stopped to put some fuel in. Terrible fuel cap that needed to be held open. Put the bike on the side stand and it almost fell over…WHY IS THE SIDESTAND SO SHORT??? With wear the bike will only lean more and with extra fuel the bike really was heavy to pick up (by comparison I today carried 3L of oil and a 12AH battery in the tank panniers of my 411, about 7kg of weight high up, yet the bike did not feel top heavy)

I rode home and parked it up. Had lunch, forgot about it as other things intruded….strange, when I first had my 411 I rode it a lot. Yet the 450 was left in the garage. This bike is more modern but blander than the 411. Shorter stroke so it needs to be revved higher (into the vibration range) if you want it to perform.

The 450 has a lot of good points but riding back home on my 411 it felt like putting back on a pair of old but comfortable shoes. I like the ‘long stroke’ feel of the 411 and can tolerate it’s limitations, so it stays.
Interesting review, Andyb. Tnx for your thoughts.
 

Moistyfeet

Well travelled
Location
Denmark
GV Bikes at Taunton were very good and loaned me a 450 yesterday. Do contact them if in the area - they are a great dealer and know the RE range very well.

My thoughts on the 450:
First - how do I start it? Once explained it was sort of obvious but I needed help!
The bike was given to me on the centre stand. Pushing it off the stand on level ground it felt very unstable….the bike has to go a long way up before going over-centre to fold the stand. I did not quite drop it but it felt very top heavy.

Onto the bike. I am about 5ft 8” tall and the bike had the high seat set in the lower position. And once on it, it again felt very top heavy. I was sitting ON the bike, not IN it, as with my 411 Himmy.
Rode off, all OK, but after a few miles I was scratching my head through my crash helmet wondering about the power. It felt like the 411. Stopped and had a think, and realised I was in ECO mode…..so reset it to the higher powered mode. That felt stronger!

Instruments - very clear. Loved the digital MPH display and rev counter. Found the indicator warning lights useless (they are there to warn you if you have left an indicator on but they are at the bottom of the display and very small - the 411 has them higher up and brighter). The mpg read out was locked at 99.9mpg so not sure what was going on there but otherwise all was obvious and easy enough to use with the LH toggle switch.

Noise - exhaust note just right. Not intrusive but noticeable, the horses I passed were OK with it at 3000rpm.
Mirrors - no problems.
Handlebars - closer to the rider than on the 411? Comfortable crank on them. The offset ignition key in the headstock annoyed me - why not have it in the middle? The USB looked cheap but may be OK.

Brakes. They work! So much better than on my 411. Good feel and light enough. As is the clutch.

Gear ratios - much better than on the 411 with a lower 1st gear and a smaller jump to second. On slow roads I found I was in one higher gear than on the 411 - which meant I inadvertently started in second a couple of times. On a flat or down sloping road this was absolutely no problem, with little clutch slipping needed. The bike really does have good low down torque. I could chug at 5-6mph in first with zero throttle and zero snatch. Great.\
Gear changes were silent (my 411 can clunk through the lower gears) but it was difficult to feel neutral. On my 411 I can feel neutral and it shows a green N on the dash to confirm this, on the 450 the N is less obvious as it is the same colour as the other gear numbers.

Handling - this bike had much more road orientated tyres than my 411 and it rolled into turns feeling very secure on the dry roads I was on as you would expect. Suspension was more supple than on the 411.
Fueling - seamless. Really could not fault it. No add ons needed.

After about 10 miles around the Quantocks on slow roads I headed to the M5.
Fuel tank - wide at the front so it kept the wind off my knees.
Footrests too high, even though my seat position was also a little too high. So if I had a lower seating position the footrests would feel much too high, and my legs are not very long!
Up to 60mph in 6th all OK. The tiny windscreen took the wind off me very well.
BUT….as 5000rph was approached the vibration increased. I had already noticed this on slower roads but as I was changing the RPM up and down it was not really an issue. But on the M5 at 70mph / 5000rpm the vibration through the footrests was bad. Is that why RE fit rubber mounts to the footrest brackets? There was vibration elsewhere on the bike but much less than through the footrests. And this was with the rubber footrest inserts fitted (I do not have them fitted on my 411).
So the comfortable cruising speed was 60mph (as on my 411), but with a lot more in reserve for overtaking.

Away from the motorway I took it up a steep single track road. On this road my 411 is either revving a bit too high in first or feels like it is slogging in second (it is a steep hill!). The 450‘s extra power and better gear ratios meant I was in second with ample extra power. Much better.

Stopped to put some fuel in. Terrible fuel cap that needed to be held open. Put the bike on the side stand and it almost fell over…WHY IS THE SIDESTAND SO SHORT??? With wear the bike will only lean more and with extra fuel the bike really was heavy to pick up (by comparison I today carried 3L of oil and a 12AH battery in the tank panniers of my 411, about 7kg of weight high up, yet the bike did not feel top heavy)

I rode home and parked it up. Had lunch, forgot about it as other things intruded….strange, when I first had my 411 I rode it a lot. Yet the 450 was left in the garage. This bike is more modern but blander than the 411. Shorter stroke so it needs to be revved higher (into the vibration range) if you want it to perform.

The 450 has a lot of good points but riding back home on my 411 it felt like putting back on a pair of old but comfortable shoes. I like the ‘long stroke’ feel of the 411 and can tolerate it’s limitations, so it stays.
Great review , just like the 411 is not for everyone, the same goes for the 450 , i personally dont like the comparison, because its a different bike, and has nothing to do with each other than the name, i love my 450 and i sit IN the bike , i have no issues with side stand leaning and i have no issue with center stand, i feel that it is easier to take of the center stand than my 411 was , the 450 fuelcap stays open on my Himalayan, so there may be some differences in the build , i dont feel that top heavy that people talk about , for me it feels the same but I guess I must Hulk 😂 I like the extra grunt the 450 has when overtaking cars and I like the way it does off-road with the low end torque, so yeah I am a happy 450 owner and glad I swapped the 411 for that one , the 411 I rode down in Africa from Denmark, and due to that it is a oil cooled engine it overheated alot , burned the fuel pump, screamed in the clutch, and eat so much oil when it struggle up hills , so I guess I must take the same trip again on the 450 to see if it's any better 🤣
 

Whysub

Well travelled
Location
Elx, Spain
Comparing the 411 to the 452 is like comparing apples and oranges. The two bikes share nothing other than the name.

My fuel cap stays open at refuels (well, on the two so far). Didn't like the side stand at first, but now I know what I am looking for in the way of camber when I park, it makes things easier when getting off the sidestand. Plus it seems to get easier now I do that.

I still haven't experienced the vibration some people mention. Mine has done 500kms now, and I have revved it to 5000rpm for the last 50kms.

Is the vibration only on the demo models that seemed to get abused?
 

Andyb

Well travelled
Location
UK
I agree that the 411 and 450 are totally different bikes but many of us here are 411 owners so a comparison is relevant.

I found the 5000rpm vibration to only be an issue at constant motorway speeds. When reving up and down when riding smaller roads the vibration was there but for a short time so did not really intrude. Demo bikes have a reputation for loosening off more than bikes which have been carefully run in….but may have a shorter life! No reason why a demo should be rougher than any other bike.
 

Moistyfeet

Well travelled
Location
Denmark
I agree that the 411 and 450 are totally different bikes but many of us here are 411 owners so a comparison is relevant.

I found the 5000rpm vibration to only be an issue at constant motorway speeds. When reving up and down when riding smaller roads the vibration was there but for a short time so did not really intrude. Demo bikes have a reputation for loosening off more than bikes which have been carefully run in….but may have a shorter life! No reason why a demo should be rougher than any other bike.
I have done 3000km in my 450 , yeah there is a buzz on highway speed but i have no issues with it at all, and i remember that on the xt660 i installed some grip puppy's they reduced the buzz in that bike alot , so maybe a idea for some with sensitive hands ,
 

Andyb

Well travelled
Location
UK
Moistyfeet - if you read what I wrote, the vibration was through the footrests. Not the handlebars. The handlebars and mirrors were fine.
Glad your bike only has a buzz, but unfortunately it was not your bike I was riding.
 

Moistyfeet

Well travelled
Location
Denmark
Moistyfeet - if you read what I wrote, the vibration was through the footrests. Not the handlebars. The handlebars and mirrors were fine.
Glad your bike only has a buzz, but unfortunately it was not your bike I was riding.
Yeah well mine has it in the foodrest aswell but its just nice to get a massage when ridden fast 😂
 

YorkshireBantam

Total noob
Location
Yorkshire
It's a controversial one on the 'vibes' , my bike is on 600 miles now, I did 180 miles mostly on the motorway yesterday not hanging about and I honestly don't have a problem or notice any vibes that dominate the ride. The only time I can really notice is when pushing hard on the pegs at higher speed as if to stand up or if on a quite cold engine at about 5500-6000 revs. I would agree the bike learns way too much, and the indicator 'light' in the dash is tiny, I have the seat in the low setting and quite long legs being over 6 foot and I find it's very comfy. The standard seat is comfy too. Bike was happy cruising at 75-80 yesterday feeling like it had plenty in reserve. Wind protection was average but it's a small screen, fortunately no head buffeting. It is a pig to wash, I have never known a bike with so many fasteners and bolts sticking out. Overall quality is very good but some of the welding looks a bit shonky. The only time I find it a bit underpowered is on a A/B single carriageway road about 60ish and wanting a quick overtake (I perhaps need to just drop back now Ive learned it can't really do that) , all other times would swear its got more bhp than they claim.

Brilliant bike, with plush sharp handling, torquey, good brakes (the back one is also properly powerful the disk is huge), comfortable, will cruise at 75, nice sound.
 
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