My feelings are that "adventure " bikes end up being road bikes for 99.999% of the time. If I had some notions of an occasional off-road excursion, I would get a used cheap enduro bike and trailer it to the trails, and have a real road bike for the road.
Just my opinion.
sat on a himalaya last week ,,, me being 6'4" found it much more suited to me than my bullet ,,,
i liked the bike it was better than i thought it might be ,
i will be watching with interest to see what problems and mods will happen in the next couple of years
john
anyone know the tank range on these? i got a klr to ride while doing the top end the second time on the frankenbullet, and i can get damn near 275 miles on a tank when riding fire trails in northern kalifornia.
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I put premium fuel in both the RE and my Sportster 1200, but there is no such thing as ethanol free in AZ.
[snip!...]
The times I checked out the stations listed on some of the web sites that show filling stations that sell alcohol free gasoline in Arizona I found that they didn't have any.
I have found several places that do sell alcohol free gasoline but they all are in the business of selling racing fuel and they want an arm, a leg and part of your rectum as payment for it.
They also want you to sign a form that swears you will only use the fuel off road in a racing environment and lying about it is punishable by the law.
SuitcaseJefferson, what were the issues that led to your breakdowns on the C5? I am guessing at least one of them was the small negative lead at the battery? Mine broke at around 1,000 miles, if I recall correctly. But no issues in the next 1200 miles.......well the sidestand did cut out once on me, but I figured that out quickly. I am riding the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, both directions thru Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, in August, and I will have my fingers crossed......all 9 of them.
9fingers
I am hoping the Himalayan is built better than the 2013 Bullet. I plan to buy one. I have been to the dealer twice to look at them. I'm the impulsive type. I'm likely to wake up some morning, and decide to just go get it.
I don't understand why Bullet and Classic owners are still having problems with the design and assembly of their bikes. ??? After all, RE has been making these things forever and you would think that by now they would have them completely sorted so that they are very reliable right out of the box. RE somehow managed to fix just about everything on the Himalayan after that first disastrous model year and now they seem to be quite reliable, as Itchy Boots has proved. So what is it about the 500s? Do they believe that their customers will just not be happy if they don't have to fix lots of stuff on the bikes so that they can get to know them better? ::)Well, it's a few things...
Well, it's a few things...
First, the 500s have been around as a displacement model for a long time, but the current models are pretty much completely different than previous Bullets. So, while it may seem like they have been around forever, it has only been 10 years.
Second, some 500 Bullet owners also get reliable bikes with decent longevity, while others do not. I cannot consider a single production example as characteristic of an entire production run of a model, such as the Itchyboots bike representing all Himalayans.
The factory has basic typical production concepts/strategies which reflect the management's abilities. It is entirely possible/likely that Himalayan and 650 models will soon have equal production shortcomings as the other models produced by RE.
RE has always had cheap price with high profit as their top goals. I have never seen a quote from Sid Lal that he ever wanted to make the best motorcycle, but plenty of quotes about how RE made the most profit of any motorcycle company. Think about that for a minute, and you should have your answer.
That makes sense, but still, fixing simple chassis things like battery cables, metal head stays, improving the side stand safety switch, installing better batteries and other minor, but irritating, things like that would cost very little yet go along way toward causing less grief for the owner and RE's franchised dealers. True, it might cut the profit margin of each bike by $10 or so, but it might be worth it to improve the new owner experience and RE's reputation. ???
even I have done a complete turnaround and decided NOT to buy a new interceptor. just purchased and actual paid for a brand new triumph street scrambler which I think will be a far better bike in all areas. saying that though its a huge jump in price above an interceptor. if judging by my older 013 scrambler 865 model is anything to go on.
I think the c5 have improved over the past years but could be a lot better just the same. its not as if they give them away. that is price wise.
the Himalayan still has me interested in the idea of buying a unit to try it out. I think that idea will happen pretty soon.
I have a 2015 Rebel - just put a set of Jardine slash cuts on it and rejetted my carb. I love it. When I bought the Himmi last month my wife asked if I was selling the Rebel. No way. Unless you have to sell the Rebel I would say keep it! The Himmi is very nice but I've had some problems with the evap system failing and causing stalling issues (along with bucking in third gear). All of this is apparently due to a vapor lock - the dodgy workaround is to open the gas cap, which is unvented due to emissions laws in India or so I've read. It works short term. After the shop tried twice to fix this issue (second time by rerouting my evaporated fuel return tube which was kinked) the problems persisted and they (Gotham Motorcycles of Staten Island) ordered me a new bike. I hope this solves the issue as I love the bike. It turns on a dime and is a blast to ride. Love the Thumper thing. I have to say I wish RE would sell a vented gas cap for the US market. I suspect that would have saved them the swap I am looking at...