Bought Another Himalayan

Yup. Been eyeing the new Himalayan 450 for quite a while now. I put in a request to get the Black Hanle (black and gold) with tubeless tires. A few months ago, got a call the the bike came it but its not Black and Gold. I passed and said I would wait until the correct on came in.

Well it took 5 1/2 months from when I decided to get one and when it arrived. It was worth the wait. First, the new 450 just looks good. I went over the bike and you can tell that the quality has improved as well. Just the welding alone is so much better. My old bike looked like it was welded by a 5 year old. These welds are clean, smooth, and consistent.

The overall look of the bike just looks better. I personally think that this color scheme is the best. I like how the gold works with the black. So what are the improvements?

First, the power. My BIGGEST complaint with the older version but lack of power. You would get on a hill and instead of going faster, you would slow down. That I could not handle. When riding this one home, I went to a big hill in 6th gear and hit it. It kept going faster. The increase in HP in this model went from 24.3 to 40. Yea, do the math...that is huge. Also, we now have a 6 speed tranny which is very nice as well.

Next we have the tubeless tire option. I like tubeless. I tend to get a lot of flats (things stuck in the tire). The whole tube, flat irons, taking off the wheel and tire thing is old....I hate it. With my Tigers, I just plug and go. I am not going to debate one vs the other it's just I know what I like and I like tubeless.

Some other cool new features. It is no longer air cooled. Yup....water cooled. I know, more hassle but when it is hot, you do not overheat if you are not moving. Also, having water cooled allows for a larger engine (so I have been told). The TFT is now all digital. It may not have all the bells and whistles of other bikes but it is a HUGE improvement from before. The handgrips are fatter as well. Good for folks like me with big hands.

There are also multiple driving modes. From what I can tell there are two, Performance and Eco. Both allow the disabled of rear ABS. I have not played with it too much but to me, the Eco mode is similar to Rain mode. The throttle response is not has harsh thus preventing wheel spin. Supposedly this mode is good for trails, etc as well.

The fit is pretty good. I am not going to make any changes until I have at least 1000+ miles on it (like adding risers, etc). I want a good feel for the bike before doing anything like that.

I will say that overall I love the bike. It is hard getting used to NOT having a quick shift (I have forgotten to use the clutch a few times). I am sure I will miss some of the amenities like heated grips and cruise but I knew what I was getting into. I will be writing a lot of follow up How-To and gear articles as I make all the changes.