Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 First Ride | Technical Off-Road and On-Road Riding
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- #royalenfield #himalayan450 #adventure #motorcycle #offroad #onroad #australia
Street, highway, back roads, dirt, gravel and technical off-road riding on the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. Does it have enough power? Is the suspension rubbish? Does it feel cheap? Let's find out in our first ride.
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Off topic but I just don't understand how this guy doesn't have 300 thousand plus subs. One of my favorite reviewers.
I agree. Love his no nonsense reviews and he really tests the machines.
Probably one of the best vlogger is Joe Ryan. His vids get the least views. Sometimes I don't understand yt algorithm at all
@Futuremodi thanks I'll check him out never heard of him.
Thanks mate, maybe one day! Joe Ryan has some great footage, looks like he's doing well with his Himalaya videos
I bought this bike for my first ever bike about 3 months ago. I feel like I made an excellent choice. I absolutely love it, it has changed my life.
We're living in good times ... I think it's a great machine. Good choice!
One of the best reviews I've seen of Himmy 450! Would love to see you take on CF Moto 450 as well and then give us your verdict! Well done mate, regards from London ( UK )
Thanks mate! Working on the 450MT, possibly buying one if I can sell my 800DE
not many owners would ever ride their himalayan like that in off road sections. nice solid bike.
Excellent review, Curtis. You're one of the few moto reviewers who actually know how to ride. OnTheBackWheel and BigRockMoto are tied for #1 in Adventure bike reviews.
Cheers. I like Ians stuff too, does a good job
Cup of coffee on a North Texas Sunday afternoon watching this review. I subbed right off the bat because you got right to the point and rode the bike on the road then off road with no stupid music or theatrics, just the bike and its behavior and your narrative. This was one of the best real world reviews on this bike I have seen out of the hundreds I’ve watched. I have test ridden one of these on the road only and was sold immediately. Look forward to future videos. Thanks
Cheers mate, glad to hear you liked it. Really impressed with it off road
Hey crazy man Curtis, hopefully you get to test ride the 450MT as s comparison one day soon enough.
God damn man, you've got some serious skill with semi road tyres too.
I wonder if either this or the 450MT would suffice your future project?
Once again a pleasure to watch you ride, the routes you're running, this bike looked like a whole heck of a lota fun! Loved those behind you shots, just anteloping up these complicated grades. Looked like a dirt bike. I must say I really like the spare retro look of it, dead ass simple looking pretty much. Thanks Curtis.
There isn't much to break on it too, got to love that
Love it. Been waiting for you to ride and review this one. Looking forward to seeing and hearing more. Another great vid mate 👍
Glad you enjoyed it, going to punch out a couple more videos while I've got it
The RE 450 Himalayan is one sexy MFer. It's top of my short list of perspective ADV bikes.
I picked mine up 2 days ago, absolutely love it. Awesome review and subbed for more.
Cheers. Enjoy the bike mate. Any mods planned?
@@onthebackwheel I'll make up a decent bash plate for starters as well as some better tyres once I've worn out the stocks. Definitely a taller screen for the longer sections and some bark busters. Other than that I'm loving the Himi.
@@MRTangles sounds perfect to me
Hi, I’ve been watching about three or four different channels/videos that are riding the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and everyone of them are very impressed with the motorbike they ride over so many different terrains from bitumen roads and heaps of dirt and snow roads/tracks unfortunately I only got one leg otherwise I would be going out and buying one and I would love to ride one around Australia. I think that the ideal having a bit of fun , thank you for your video and I’ll keep out look out for your next one you’ll bring out Cliff from Logan City Queensland Australia.
Thanks for watching mate. Are you still riding?
Had mine for 3 weeks now and have put 2000klms on it. Mainly ride it off road. Pretty fair review. I love mine......much better than I thought it would be for the money. I ride it mostly with about 20kilos of luggage and about a 15kg back pack (camera gear). Wish I could ride it more like you did with no luggage or back pack......different bike. Thanks.
Are you still on the factory tyres?
I feel you mate, my back pack is always loaded up with camera gear and water too. Have you had any problesm with the bike?
Off the top of my head two things. Display says the big green "N" for neutral but it is still in gear. Happened about 6 to 7 times. Once at a RB test...the coppa agreed it sucked too. I never trust a down shit into neutral now which seems to be the offender. Always go to first and back up.
The other thing is the gear lever. It was pointing down too far when I had it delivered. Very difficult to change gears in boots when riding off the seat. After I turned it up a bit never been able to get it tight again. Took it to the dealer and they said within spec.....taking it back again as definitely needs the gap adjusted….looser now. I have taken it as far as I am comfortable with that allen key. Think the gap is too wide open. New bike …so their problem.
I also took those foot peg inserts out after a couple of days of having the bike. Really enjoying the bike….you just have keep the momentum up to hide the weight….so the harder you ride the better :)
BTW nice to see someone riding it in the dirt and sending it. I bought mine just for dirt roads. I don’t ride as hard as you on the dirt yet…….but getting there. I bought it to comfortably get me the 100-200 kms on the road to the bush so I can ride it on the dirt and camp in the bush. Great vid…thanks.
Good review mate...Looks offroad capable to a certain limit and that limit would probably suffice for 90% of riders
Unbiased review for a rider with fantastic skill. Very excited to see you on this bike, very much enjoying mine but imine will never do what you put that one through. Cheers
When I heard that Kawasaki was bringing out a Gen 3 KLR, I was hoping for a bike more like this.
Same here mate
Great review. I had two KTM 390 Adventures ( one in NZ, one in Tasmania) and I recently traded the 600km Tasmanian bike on a Himalayan 450. After the 500 kms I have done so far, the Himmy is much more stable on gravel or rocky tracks. It is great fun to ride. I see a comment above about mechanical vs electronic garbage. I would have to reply that you would be hard pressed to find a modern bike with less electronic systems than this one. I have a 2020 Yamaha XT 250 with no electronics but that bike was designed 18 years ago and was killed off last year. The KTM 390’s are great road bikes and probably quicker in the twisties but I love my Himmy!
I ordered this exact bike, even the same color, yesterday. So this review made me happy :)
Enjoy mate!
Curtis, I think I speak for many in saying we'd love a vid or two showing your riding tips and techniques. I'm particularly impressed with your control when standing. I always struggle with that.
Oh I'm not at that level at all! Maybe one day, until then I'll leave it to the pros. Thankyou though!
Check out Rich Larsen aka the IRC tire guy. Tons of great instructional videos here in You tube. He's a phenomenal teacher.
Brilliant review mate - the tyres were the only let down for me on dirt, but great to see you opening it up over this kind of open terrain.
Cheers. Different tyres would certainly make a massive difference!
Excellent review, mate! Definitely looking to add a 452 to my garage soon.
Looking forward to more reviews on this 450.
Fantastic review, thank you for sharing and safe travels!
Cheers mate, you too!
Great video. She gets it done!
Please add more b-roll of you moving at speed. I like to see the 450 hitting it hard from an off bike camera.
Great assessment as well.
Will do mate. I actually had a couple more shots but was a bit rushed and didn't add them in! Next video 😈
@@onthebackwheel 👍🏿 and subscribed, then.
@@The10thManRules legend. For the off-road video Ill have my usual rear camera back (it broke 😞) and aim to have a mate along too
@@onthebackwheel Do your thing, man. I'll watch.
Those tyres are called "See-at what happens if you get in any slippery shit". Though I was full loaded and it was night. I will have to wait a bit for a spare $500. Just clocked 2.4k in the last 2 weeks plus a weekend+ down south. I'm buggered. Sat out a lot of wet weather, though. And drank a lot of port with my brother 🥴
It has smoothed out a bit as I ran it in. Nice sweet spot at 120km/h, around 6k I think, was the go. Chased a big KTM on the way back, I backed off at 140, way fast enough for me, and that was with say 40-50kg of full campout gear & chair, some food & fluids, laptop and all that shit.
Touring windscreen is shit, wasted $200. So pissed.
Averaged 32-33 km/Lt 👍
You're right, I did find the light throttle a pain when standing, which I did a lot of.
Trucks only buffeted my helmet, the RE was solid, even a gusty southwest storm front was as nothing, except cold. Did ride at a bit of a lean for an afternoon.
Love that bit of a throttle up, easy to hold at spots where you want to be on the go quick.
I did get the factory engine guard-sump plate, it's not too bad within reason, this is not a log jumper. My DRz is. And the rear luggage plate is nice.
Bloody love port!
I’ll stress that this is what I HEAR on the vast bullshit that is internet forums - some frames have been breaking, and RE pointed the finger at customers using non RE bashplates, so maybe you did the right thing?
@@martyn_g I was worried about the Head & Engine as a unit was a stressed member, so I paid a good deal of attention to fitment of the engine guards & torquing them to the correct settings with an industry standard Torque Wrench (which I had spent $270 on some time ago). I did read or hear some CBXA 500s had problems when used as Enduro bikes & being jumped too often.
Epic work Curtis. I really like this one
Thanks mate
Great video and review, i was going to look at the himmy but as soon as i saw the 450MT i new it was the bike for me. But if the 450mt didnt come along i may have bought the himmy, it looks like a great alrounder. love the tracks you were riding.
I don't think you're alone there with the 450MT mate, ticks a lot of boxes
That was brutal.. Do it again 😍😍. This himi is a gem
Challenge accepted
you almost broke your leg testing the ground clearance, barely stopped to recover your foot and continue like nothing happened, great review.
Haha thanks 👊
Hi mate, just finished watching the video, and loved your series on the Tiger too.
I’d like to know which you’d pick if you were buying new - a Gen 3 KLR or a Himalayan 450, and why.
Gday mate. I think i'll knock up a comparison video when I'm done in more detail. But short version, Himalayan for sure. Better stock suspension, lighter, comes with all the protection, 6 speed, more ground clearance and just feels like a more modern machine
When Curtis tests a bike, it gets tested!
Only test rode one on the road and I am seriously considering this if I fall out of love with my KLR of course. 🤔 I do still need to test ride the CFMoto 450 MT when it gets here to the US.
I heard its been delayed a little, fingers crossed not too much longer
maaaaan the foot turned the opposite way in the mud... i screamed with you! :D great review bro
Cheers! If it went much further I would have been in trouble 😵💫
@@onthebackwheel lol man this happened to me on a trip, foot between curb on a road and my saddlebag and twist.. i didnt walk for a week. so the video was starting to get interesting for me.. i thought they lyft you up with a helicopter, tied to the bike :D but GREAT video. everything there. some road, some easy gravel, nice bumps, up hill, down hill, waters, mud... fantastic ride, would go in a second for something like that
Hi, like I believe God set a knobby tyres a decent bash plate for the motor and some covers around the handbrake and crutch and I think you have a fantastic bike with a little bit of tweaking. I think you can go anywhere anyway enjoy your video Keep up the good work. I reckon it’ll be the ideal bike to take to Cape York, the tip of Queensland.
No, doesn't really come with everything you want but the 450MT pretty much does come with folding mirrors, folding gear shifter, folding brake pedal, adjustable windscreen (on the fly) that actually works and a smooth revving dual cylinder. But hey, the Himi is still very good, even though it leans more than the tower in Pisa when on the side stand and the headlight is not real good. Looking forward to you putting the 450MT through its pacers.
Very keen to try the MT and how they compare. They are similar and not similar all at once. I'm not getting a review one so going to try to buy one
Yeah, they are selling like hotcakes unprecedented for any brand/model actually, with 5-8 weeks waiting list so no wonder they won't give you one to bush bash.@@onthebackwheel
Another great review! Clearly, you need the dealer to give you some proper tyres and let you go for it. Looks like it is well worth considering for a more relaxed ride generally and for beginners. And with Australian prices as they are, this looks like it is potentially awesome value for money. Looking forward to the further reviewing you have planned. 👍
Thanks mate. Some good tyres and it would be a weapon
Man your poor foot..no pain afterwards? looked a bit painful.
Beside that: Great riding! Really need to test ride this bike...but not sure if 40 horses are enough for me - unfortunately I need to ride on the street a lot before I can do some offroading - need to cross a border as we're not allowed to even ride most gravel roads were I live :/
It surprisingly didn't hurt! It's very comfortable transporting, but yeah there could be some better options depending on your price etc
Subscribed! I look forward to seeing your thoughts as you spend more time with it. It seems really capable for the price point. Reliability is my only concern when coming from a Honda, but I don't want to shell out for a T700.
Valid thing to worry about, especially with ride by wire and the likes. I think the motor will be rock solid, but time will tell on the rest
Great bike and better ride.....love to have one, but not here yet.....The 22 KLR was heavier this year, or I got older....so it's gone and replaced with a DR 650...will do a suspension build and lower it the Suzuki way....120 lbs lighter. Can't wait for the big ride you have coming up on bike.....your riding Royalty......Garth
Another great review Curtis, but you've left me wondering.... I have a deposit on the CF moto 450MT and I'm waiting for it to turn up, but after watching that I'm thinking the RE 450 Himalayan might be the go. Fingers crossed you get a chance to review one soon so I can watch your review to help me make the right decision. Cheers mate🍻
I was actually thinking of buying 450MT as it doesn't look like I'll be able to review one...just got to sell my bike first.
They can't put the full high mud guard upfront because of the radiator design. Dirt bikes have a side radiator so cooling airflow is not blocked by the rear part of the high mud guard. This radiator will be blocked by a full high mud guard, that's why this half and half design is used lately on many bikes. Anyway nice review Curtis.
Good point mate. I'll be interested to see what people come out with to change it
Recently rode from Perth, Gun Barrel Highway, GCR ect back to Perth with little black top riding. 2 bikes, one of them the RE 450 Himy. The Himy stock except tyres, lager screen and bark buster’s. The Gun Barrel is not for a novice rider, the Himy took it all in its stride, from rain to mud, dust and relentless Corrugation. No issues, good economy. Yes the weight showed at times, the suspension showed its limits ( most OME would on Gun Barrel ) the side stand to short and needs a larger foot. Exhaust sits close to bottom of soft bags. Saying all that, this bike for its price performed above expectations. As an all road / terrain bike. Some aftermarket rear suspension with remote pre load, tweak the front forks, the Himy will do it all, with coin to spare for those trips. This particular bike will be tackling the Simpson desert, Transcontinental railway access road ( west / east ), all Un supported, Remote riding through the heart of Australia. I have no doubt the Himy will take it all in its stride.
That’s some proper riding, good to hear the Himy is holding up. How many ks on that trip?
Nice review 🤙
Curtis it looks like the preload for the rear shock is easily adjustable with a spanner. Nice change compared to most of the other setups.
Yep good point. The only thing that isn't is the airbox. You've got to take the tank off with 3 bolts and disconnect the fuel tank. Certainly not the worst, but I'd prefer easier access
Remember mate it’s not designed as a dirt bike but take your time and it can do a lot ,joe Ryan went round Aust ,newzealand on the old 411 ,so the 452 is more capable, it’s good bang for the buck if your looking for more ,you have to put your hand in your pocket big time and buy a 700 yamy teneray
I like Joe Ryan, got some good stuff. The T7 is over twice the price here now 😲
I think Joe ryan is in ladhak India.😊
Man, this is an awesome video. I am currently in a market for a bike like this...I need another bike to do me some light travels here in southern California areas.
As of late October 2024, at this class, we have so many options (I'm writing this from the perspective of the US market): RE Himalayan 450 base price at Los Angeles dealer is $6,000 (this is base msrp for stock - add destination charges & markup, registration, and sales tax, then you are looking at around $7500 - add panier set, crash bar, bash plate etc add another $1500). So options with out-of-dealer price is about $9~10k. At this price range you have following options (within $1~2k difference ranges)
- Suzuki Vstrom 650XT (at local dealer comes with full pannier sets - I've seen the lowest at $8,500 from a dealer + reg, taxes etc). It is possible that this legend will be gone after 2025 they say. I guess its the sign of our time. My wife felt most comfortable at the back on this bike...so it is currently on top of my list.
- 2024 Kawasaki KLR 650 and 650S (at LA dealer for $5300 MSRP + reg, taxes) - it's more for long distance, very light off road type of trips...at the same time, you can daily this trusty ol'machine
- All singing and dancing KTM 390 Adv - KTM at West LA says its around $6500...but hard negotiation can result it some lower prices :D
- Honda NX500 - at $7400. Yes its about $1k more but hey, its Honda. Some dealers will throw in parts like Skid plates. Can't go wrong with Honda.
- Triumph Scrambler 400X - $5k~6k starting! This may not be as rugged on off road, but its a good place to start...honestly, I haven't test rode this yet. But definitely worth checking out.
And I am sure I am not mentioning other possible candidates out there. Also, used market is very very good as well.
It's a good time to be a rider...wouldn't you agree?
We are spoilt for choice thats for sure. My 2 cents, if you're doing 2 up riding, I would go straight for the V-Strom so you've got the extra grunt and comfort
Hey man, great video. I got one myself as a first bike. It's been really good for learning to ride on. The only thing I could complain about is a bit more power in the lower rev range.
Regarding the front ABS not being optional, i wonder if it's to do with EU laws around new bikes needing ABS and how Royal Enfield handles that.
I can see that mate, it's pretty revvy. I think an air filter, open up the airbox slightly, exhaust and tune would be really interesting
Cool bike, i'd pick that over a KLR any day.
KlR was my first bike. 5k 2nd hand.
Yeah I'd agree, Himalayan is a step up
Excellent riding Curtis! 👍
Good on ya for mentioning air filter access. Not a real issue in the shop but when a person is adventuring far afield, maybe.
Ive had a question that others haven't answered yet, can the TFT dash colors be reversed to a black screen with white numbers? Just a personal preference of mine as it distracts me less and is easier to read while I'm moving. When I had the 890 I finally got into the manual and figured out how to stop that one from flashing white to black in the forrest, talk about annoying.
Looking forward to the next ride!
Cheers Curtis!
P.S. If you don't see me for a while I'll be out of the country. Doing a river cruise of the Danube in early November.
Yes it can. There is a dark, light and auto mode. I've been leaving it in the auto mode. Enjoy the trip!
@@onthebackwheel Thanks for the info Curtis!
We will.
You are very good rider! It looked like you were racing a dirt bike. You will have make a comparision in detail review with mt450, 800de and maybe a CRF300L? Thank you for your work.
I think a stand alone comparison video might be worth doing 🤔
Great review! I'm another one who'd love to know how you'd rate this Himmy against your KLR.
Cheers. I think I'll do a comparison video with the interest in that. Short answer, Himalayan everytime
@@onthebackwheel Thanks- looking forward to that.
It’s the little things like the screen not sometimes working that makes me extremely nervous. I get that there’s a reason why it’s cheaper but I’d rather save and go Japanese made. If only you could pay an extra couple of thousand and you could get the same bike but made in Japan. Wishful thinking. But I really like everything about the bike aside from the cliches and long term unknown reliability.
Brilliant thanks.
Cheers
That kaza brown colour looks a clean combo. Not normally what I’d associate with a colour with brown in the name.
Yeah it's more of a cream isn't it. Looks nice
Kazi (toilet )white paint ...😅
@@simonjones2645 hahahaha fair enough
Curtis- no-one else tests a bike as thoroughly as you. Are you going to buy one ?
Maybe. I've got to sell mine, and CF Moto 450 is top of the list
Like your reviews, mate! Was wondering, how would you place different bikes on a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 is extremely top heavy and 10 is an excellently low center of gravity? This bike, T7, Tuareg, 690 etc. Would be great info!
It would be about an 8 for its weight. Feels light and nimble for the weight
the only thing that annoys me about this bike is the flickering of the dashboard on the video. but it annoys me a lot
awesome!
Have you tried the CRF300 offroad? If so, how does the Himalayan compare?
I'm sitting at about 85% sold on a 800DE but keep considering whether a smaller option (450MT or this) would be a better choice. I'm leaning towards the 800DE as realistically most riding will be onroad and I just don't think I'll ride it that agressively offroad. Would be keen on your thoughts.
The 800 is the best option then. Really enjoyed mine, it's a good all-rounder. A little heavy off-road though. You should buy mine!
@onthebackwheel haha I actually had the same sneaky thought, but I'm a few months away from buying, unfortunately. Thanks for the response though, much appreciated. Great vid BTW.
First ha, better send it, what a power house it is
Only way to do it!
Yeap, this bike is offering more than I am able to receive.
She gives plenty
Hey Curtis, How does it handle low speed stalling/flameouts? Is it an issue?
No an issue at all. I actually took that part out, I'll do another in my off-road vid
@@onthebackwheel Ok thanks, I'm always curious with these big modern singles in the slow stuff. Some have issues some don't. Thanks
@@notgamingwithmax yep I get it, my KLX loves a flameout
lol 25:12 you're nuts sending it like that
I was bloody close to that tree 😂
@@onthebackwheel probably got your legs shaking 😁
@@j0rss little ass pucker for sure 😂
how does it compare to cf moto 450 ?
I haven't ridden the CF Moto yet 😢
Shower suspension. Show-a. What is there actual pronunciation?
That's a very good question. Americans seem to say show-a and Aussies like shower with an A if that makes sense 😂
Better off road than the vstrom ?
Yeah definitely
@@onthebackwheelmate your vids are great you get to the point and crack on. Sending best wishes from a gs riding Brit 👍🏻
Why is the dash flashing? I can't stand that kind of thing!
It's just the frame rate or something similar reacting to the camera. It doesn't actually flash in person!
Watch that back break mate she locks up with no abs
I don't find it too bad!
$9000? For 2 of them right?
Savage! Got to remember that's Aussie including taxes and on roads
I don't like all the computer/electronic garbage. I'm all about a mechanical bike that leaves me in full control; that's why I wouldn't buy this bike.
I could never buy one
I ride with a GoPro, and I just wouldn't be able to deal with that flickering horrible round dash.
The dash is great, but yes, doesn't play nice with GoPros
"80km/h. It could do this all day". I feel like your setting the bar a bit low here. Someone needs to let the noobs know that a proper, flagship model is 10X better than one of these cheap beginner bikes. Even a 20 year old R1200GS would be SOOO much better, on and off-road.... possibly even for a beginner.
I've ridden a gs1200 a fair bit, you cannot compare that to a 450, $9000 bike. They are bloody awful off-road in comparison. Definitely fantastic on it though!
@@onthebackwheel Yeah didn't mean to sound so critical. Another great video as always. I just hope people keep in mind you get what you pay for.
I guess I'm a bit of a weirdo as I just like plodding along slow off road but for that I didn't enjoy anything as much as my old r1200. Was that in D'Aguilar you were riding?
@@godfreytomlinson2282 fair enough mate. The 1200 is a good bike, eats up the miles