Tag Archives: Royal Enfield Himalayan

Himalayan on gravel – When in doubt, Gas it out.

The Himalayan on gravel has a bit of power to gas it out. Disclaimer: As long as you are not going overly fast already. It is a mild engine and you need to remember that if you are riding overly loaded up or two-up. This video shows how to get out of the situation if you are not too deep in shite already.

I was sitting and looking through some stuff for a particular photograph as O’Brien asked me for while discussing something. That is when I came across this post here in my blog, which I forgot to push the publish button a long time ago. And, it was incomplete, probably having been distracted by something else just as mundane as my lizard brain went haywire.

They say when you create something, put it out there in the world immediately. Now when I look back at it, it is a bit cringe, but hey what is life for, if older stuff does not make you cringe a bit.

3 to 4-inch diameter granite is what you see, which is in use for creating tarmac.

Why is the Himalayan on gravel?

Really? Do you ride yours only on the tarmac?

Then you are missing on a lot. But in this case, as usual, I was late, probably by a day, but I cannot recollect it at the moment. And I was trying to make up for the lost time while trying to meet up with pals in the Masinagudi area. The fine dust that comes up off this “jellykall” (as it is called in Kannada) creates a haze and coats everything. And, some of them can be as slippery as marbles if you hit them at the wrong angle. It’s granite ranging from the 1 to 7 or 8-inch diameter.

I know you’ll be quick to remind me about a lot of other things, but in a crunch situation, the Himalayan has never let me down. What really would make the comfort for a Himalayan on gravel better is the height of the handlebar. Would have made standing up and riding a lot easier than it is stock from the factory.

Let me know your craziest roads under construction story, while on a motorcycle in the comments below.

Life after riding 10000km on a Himalayan – Long Term Ownership Update

Now that I have finished riding 10000km on a Himalayan, it is time to look at the pros and cons of owning this motorcycle. What Royal Enfield has been up to, to fix the mega-debacle that the Himalayan has been for a large part of its first year of existence. The motorcycle has let me down a few times, but overall 2016 has turned out to be one the better riding years in terms of riding days.  Under all the luggage in the image above is a Himalayan. So, that is good.  Read the 5k on the Himalayan review, before reading this.

Continue reading Life after riding 10000km on a Himalayan – Long Term Ownership Update

Royal Enfield Himalayan 5000km Review

Having bought the Royal Enfield Himalayan earlier in 2016, I am now writing the 2nd instalment in the long term ownership series. This post is the Royal Enfield Himalayan 5000km review which covers service recalls, quality, mods and general thoughts around how this motorcycle has fared for me over the last few months. I finished 5k mid-August 2016, about three months after having bought it. If you do not have time and want to read the Royal Enfield Himalayan 5000km review in short with my recommendation, skip directly to the end of this post.  What feedback do you have for me? Feel free to leave a comment. Continue reading Royal Enfield Himalayan 5000km Review

Royal Enfield Himalayan Saddle Bag Stay

Most of our one-day or weekend rides require little regarding luggage space. But, for an upcoming trip, it became evident that I would need a Himalayan saddle bag stay to figure out a way to load saddlebags onto the bike without fouling with either the silencer or the rear wheel. I could either buy an existing one or build one from scratch.

This post is Part 1 of 2, where I cover the following:

  • purchase
  • alteration
  • installation
  • size comparison

Once I am back from the tour, I will publish part 2 of 2 with real-world usage data based on how the saddlebag stays for the Himalayan performed and by then the 10,000km service review of the Himalayan too.

Continue reading Royal Enfield Himalayan Saddle Bag Stay

Kolavara Heritage – RTMC Photoblog

The clouds, the rain and the slush. What a beautiful weather. Maybe to sit at home and eat pakodas with chai, not to head out to Kolavara Heritage Homestay. Who am I kidding, it was a fun ride to a wet Kolavara Heritage, nestled at the base of the Western Ghats in a rainy Thirthahalli Taluk in  Shimoga District. What follows are some of the pictures from the trip. Continue reading Kolavara Heritage – RTMC Photoblog