[Merrill]

50 miles, some dirt, some road,  the word for the day is , “fun” .   The new Himalayan is somewhere between my old XT350 Yamaha and my more recent (but gone) BMW GS 650 .......
  Here’s the deal,  forget the horsepower rating, the torque rating, the reviews and even the 411cc displacement.  Pay no mind to any of that.  This is just a motorcycle, that’s all you need to know. Now go out and ride it.   It is amazing how fun this machine is to ride .  Ride the pavement , ride the gravel, ride the dirt.   With your mind purged of all the distracting specifications, all this bike has to prove to you is that it’s a pure joy to ride, and that it will do.....

[The Old Coot]

Sound good, I like your attitude, if a motorcycle doesn't make me smile I need to get rid of it.

[suitcasejefferson]

I've had a few bikes that made me smile to begin with, but their little problems and quirks finally lead me to get rid of them. It usually takes me at least 1000 miles to know whether a bike is a keeper or not. You have to get through the break in period, and start riding it on a regular basis under different conditions. Inevitably a few minor issues show up, that is common on all bikes. But sometimes things show up that you just decide you can't live with, even if the bike is otherwise fun to ride.

The Himalayan already has two downsides, EFI and ABS. I hope the ABS can simply be disconnected. If the EFI fails on me due to a computer problem, or a fuel pump, then I probably wouldn't keep it. Hopefully they designed the fuel pump for ethanol gas. My carbed Yamaha XT225 has never left me stranded, and the carb has never caused any kind of problems. Only problem has been flat tires, which any bike can have, and I have an aftermarket centerstand on it. I've heard about problems with the Himalayans centerstand. I hope that has been worked out. I would not ride a bike with tube type tires and no centerstand.

[Blairio]

I think concerns over EFI reliability are over emphasised. Yes, if it breaks down you are stranded, but if your pacemaker packs in, it is a bigger deal. People still get Pacemakers fitted. Pretty much every car on UK roads has fuel injection, yet when you look at stats on component failure, fuel injection is nowhere near the top.

I like carbs, my 64 year old "Frannie B" has one. However my last 6 cars have had EFI (going back 25 years) and none had a failure.

[Jako]

Strange that here in Australia the Himalayan is only available with carburetor , even the latest 2018 models,   the 500 UCE models here have always been EFI .  The Himalayan has been available here for well over a year  , there seems to be quite a few getting around and always positive opinions from owners .