When Royal Enfield unveiled the first Himalayan, there was plenty of appreciation for it. It was an adventure tourer that was capable and hardy for the price it was being offered, and its 411cc single-cylinder engine performed well enough. The mechanicals were simple and durable, and while not exactly at the level of its competition in certain areas, they were received well enough.

UPDATE: 2024/03/24 18:25 EST BY RAUNAK AJINKYA

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has recently undergone a thorough evolution, making it much more desirable. But is the previous one still worth considering? We've updated this list to highlight the things to keep in mind before seriously considering the first-gen Royal Enfield Himalayan.

With that said, the old Himalayan soon began to be plagued with reliability issues, and people soon realized that the Himalayan, for all its positives, was limited in its overall capability of allowing a rider to level up in terms of riding ability and skillset. With that said, there's a fair bit to get through before completely ruling it out as a capable adventure motorcycle option in 2024. This, then, is our list of things the old Himalayan probably could have done better.

All the information in this piece has been sourced from reliable forums and reports across the internet.

12 Lazy Performance Can Get Under Your Skin

Max Power & Torque: 24.5 hp & 23.6 lb-ft

Powered by a single-cylinder SOHC long-stroke 411 cc motor capable of producing a meager 24.5 hp, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a pain to ride on long open freeways. This adventure tourer feels like it has hit a wall once it reaches about 70 mph. Twist the throttle more, and you will be greeted by louder noise and more harshness, both of which impact the motorcycle's touring ability.

Along with the slow and unrefined motor, the 5-speed transmission can be a pain, too. The transmission feels very clunky at slow speeds and offers quite a lot of false neutrals. The 1st-to-2nd shift would often result in neutral too. However, the clutch is reasonably soft and offers positive feedback.

2017 Royal Enfield Himalayan Engine Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

11 Poor Lighting Makes It A Terrible Highway Cruiser

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 has a halogen headlight and indicators, making it look and feel archaic in comparison to rivals like the KTM 390 Adventure, which comes with a full-LED setup. The headlights offer poor throw and spread. As a result, the Himalayan is not an easy motorcycle to travel on at night. The illumination offered by the indicators is also not up to the mark.

However, with the help of aftermarket LED headlights on offer for as low as $100, it does take care of the lighting problems that owners have complained about. The halogen indicators can be swapped for a more modern LED setup too. But all of these add up to the base price tag, making it an inch closer to some of the better options in the market.

10 High Vibrations Bog Down The Riding Experience

Due to the long-stroke motor, the Royal Enfield Himalayan offers more vibrations than its rivals from Japan, Austria, and China. Take the motorcycle above 5,000 rpm, and you will be met with significant vibrations through the handlebars, footpegs, and mirrors. As a result, overtaking fast-moving traffic by ringing the throttle will not be an enjoyable experience.

Even though there are several aftermarket accessories in the form of upgraded handlebars, rubber bushings, aluminum mirrors, and many more, none of them have completely eradicated the higher-than-average vibrations put out by the single-cylinder mill. This makes it a less preferred adventure motorcycle for the newbie riders who are not accustomed to the vibrations.

9 Spoked Wheels Can Cause Punctures

Coming with 21" front and 17" rear spoke aluminum rims; the Royal Enfield Himalayan surely stands out in terms of appearance. Unfortunately, the spoked wheels can cause quite a lot of punctures, which increases the downtime of the motorcycle.

Having a puncture during the hardcore off-roading sessions means you would have to tow the motorcycle back or carry a puncture repair kit, an extra tube, tools, and a tire inflator. All of which are not very practical.

2017 Royal Enfield Himalayan Suspension & Wheel Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

8 Wooden Braking Feel

Since its initial launch, braking has never been the forte of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. With the standard 300 mm single disc with a 2-piston caliper at the front and a 240mm disc with a 1-piston floating caliper at the rear, the braking performance leaves much to be desired. The front brakes feel wooden and offer poor feedback and initial bite. The braking progression is nothing home to write about as well.

The rear brakes are even more appalling and should only be used in case of emergencies. Stomp on the rear brake pedal, and the bike comes to a stop with a bit of drama. The pedal feel and feedback on offer are probably the worst of the segment, too. However, this motorcycle does offer the Bosch switchable dual-channel ABS, and that is a great addition.

2017 Royal Enfield Himalayan Brake Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

7 Misses Out On Many Features

Being one of the most affordable dual-purpose motorcycles on sale currently in the United States, the Himalayan does miss out on a lot of essential tech and features. In comparison to the KTM 390 Adventure, the mighty Himalayan doesn't get features like USD forks, alloy wheels with tubeless tires, a slipper clutch, and many more.

The instrument cluster on the Himalayan only offers basic information like a side stand indicator, trip information, gear position indicator, digital compass, and a Tripper navigation system. In comparison, the KTM 390 Adventure gets a full-blown 5" TFT dash, which offers all the features of the Himalayan and many more.

2017 Royal Enfield Himalayan Missing Features

• USD forks
• Alloy wheels with tubeless tires
• Slipper clutch
• TFT display
• Quickshifter

6 Overall Fit And Finish Leaves A Lot To Be Desired

Many users worldwide have reported side panels falling off, uneven panel gaps, torn rubber parts, orange peel on the paint, etc. Even though many of these issues have been sorted in the 2021 model year of the Himalayan, the paint and plastic parts quality is still a few miles behind the likes of Versys-X 300 and 390 Adventure.

The bend pipe and muffler tend to rust, and it's a common sight even on a brand-new Himalayan with very few miles on the clock. The same applies to the spoked wheels, too. Another common issue is the loose instrument cluster, which feels quite fragile when pressed. Many of them have been known to fail due to the water and moisture entering the cluster.

5 Mediocre Service Support

One of the Achilles heels of Royal Enfield has been service support. Whether in the United States, India, or any other part of the world, Royal Enfield has an abominable reputation on this front. Royal Enfield users have regularly complained about the mishandling of motorcycles when given for service. Other complaints concerning parts availability, service time, workshop culture, and many more are often heard too.

The reviews on websites like Trustpilot and Yelp reveal the abovementioned issues. Most of their authorized dealers and service centers received an average rating, with many customer complaints reported on all these fronts. It is also sad that Royal Enfield hasn't improved a bit from what they were back in the day. All of this means that the Himalayan wasn't added to our list of affordable motorcycles that will last a lifetime.

4 Chassis Cracks Are Quite Common

The earlier iterations of the Royal Enfield Himalayan came with a fragile split cradle frame, which was quite renowned for cracking. The same can also be seen in the promotional video published by the Royal Enfield team on their YouTube channel.

Even though Royal Enfield states that the problem has been completely sorted for the later model years, many 2019 and 2020 models of the Himalayan have cracks in the chassis, which is mainly attributed to poor-quality welding.

3 A Long History Of Niggles

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has a long history of reported niggles under its belt. One of the most common issues that persist in the Himalayan is concerning the cone-set bearing, which tends to get chewed up at an alarming rate (aftermarket NTN bearings solve this issue). As a result, many of the owners have reported having changed the cone set bearing at as low as 3,000 miles. The fuel injection system has shown trouble in some of the 2021 motorcycles in the form of erratic idling, too.

Electricals of the Himalayan is one of the areas where they have managed to cut costs. As a result, the wires are quite low rent, which leads to electrical issues. Another major issue is the infamous crankpin failure, which led to a complete breakdown of the motorcycle. The magnetic coil has been quite problematic, too, with many of the earlier iterations being affected by the same. Fortunately, the 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan seems to have ironed out many of these catastrophic problems, as there aren't many reports of these failures yet.

2 Used Himalayans Come With Issues

Used Price Range: $3,500-$5,000

If you're on the lookout for a used Himalayan, chances are you'll be greeted with plenty of options. And while prices will be tempting, considering they range between $3,500 and $5,000, it's best to assess what use you'll be putting the Himalayan through.

What's undeniable is that the Himalayan is a great starter bike for anyone who wants to get to grips with adventure motorcycling. But the fact is that getting a used Himalayan will mean that most owners have already put in a considerable amount of miles on the bike, and as we've mentioned in this piece, they don't exactly age well.

However, if you need a cheap starter adventure bike that will give you just enough in terms of skill on the rough stuff, a used Himalayan might be a good purchase. Keep in mind that it won't last forever and that it'll probably have a fair amount of issues already, and you should be fine.

1 The 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Is Much More Capable

One of the best reasons not to consider the old Royal Enfield Himalayan is that the new one is much more capable and worth your time.

The updated 2024 Himalayan isn't just a sticker job refresh. Royal Enfield has reportedly turned the bike upside down and overhauled most aspects of it to make it a much more capable adventure motorcycle. With that in mind, it's got a more powerful liquid-cooled engine, a new twin-spar tubular steel frame, a lot of new tech, a great new TFT screen, and simply better all-round performance. There's a good reason why the consensus is that this is the Himlayan the Himalayan should have always been.

While prices haven't been disclosed yet for the new Himalayan, it has been launched in other markets and will soon make its U.S. debut.

2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

---

• Source for features: MCN, Cycle World
• Source for technical specifications: Motorcycle Specs
• Source for used prices: Cycle Trader