Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => 411 & 450 Himalayan & Scram => Topic started by: Merrill on July 13, 2018, 02:51:34 am
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For starters, I really like the design of the Himalayan.
What concerned me going in was reliability, but a gamble I decided to take. The mechanics of the engine are doing well. The motor sounds solid and uses no oil. However the bike has always stalled when NOT fully warm at idle. This has been annoying around town. Out on the road it runs like a dream . Today the EMS light came on so it’s back to the dealer. ( 7 hours each way ). Hopefully when I get the bike back it will idle properly, and no more issues with the fueling system. I really wish these bikes came state side with a carburetor. I’ve never owned a fuel injected bike that didn’t have some kind of issues. BMW RT1100, BMW GS650, and now the Himalayan. Never an issue with a carb bike and I’ve had many of them. Overall this is a great bike , just hope it can stay the course.. stay tuned...
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Since you mention it, my 2011 B5 runs great but it does tend to stall when lukewarm, especially after being off for a few minutes while I am in a store shopping. When I come out of the store the bike starts up right away and then if I stop at a nearby traffic light for a minute or two, it will die, unless I play with the throttle like the owners of Harleys tend to do. Perhaps they all do that. ::) I hope your dealer can resolve that issue on your Himalayan.
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Being an old "iron belly" owner, I have no clue what an "EMS light" might be, and Google's no help. Still, at just 750 miles, she's hardly broken in yet. As she gets a few more miles under her belt, one imagines she might limber up a bit...so barring some electro-gremlin in play, maybe the idling will improve with some more road under her wheels.
One thing I might suggest, especially since it's a 7 hour slog for you to the dealer anyhow, is that you also have them change the oil, even if it's not yet "officially" called for. I cannot say if it may be the case with the new Himalayans, but recent new User Manual "guidance" from the factory for 2018 Euro4-compliant Bullets concerning oil changes at 300 miles, and then only again at 4,000 (that's not a typo) strikes me as feckless in the extreme. I suspect some ill-considered enviro-mandate is in play there. If your lovely new Himalayan has some similar new factory recommendation to hold that gritty elderly spew in your crankcase long after it really should have been refreshed, just to please some distant Council of Enviro-Boffins, I expect you'd do well to disregard them and sneak in an extra oil change or three as you run her in.
Anyhow, I'm really rooting for you and all the other early adopters of this new chapter of offerings.
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Richard230: my 14cgt acts the same way, does exactly the same thing. Nature of the beast!
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Richard230: my 14cgt acts the same way, does exactly the same thing. Nature of the beast!
The first time I encountered this issue was on my 1978 Yamaha SR500. When not fully warm, it would sometimes stall at an intersection and would be tough to kick start, especially when I was being pushed along by the car behind me. I figure that it was flooded, as to get it started again I had to open up the throttle wide when kicking it. After 5 or 6 kicks it would start up and run fine the rest of the day. I suspect that even modern fuel injection systems can get upset when not quite up to temperature and are between a cold start and a hot start in their programming. ???
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Bilge, EMS = engine management system= computer. It throws a fault code when the motor is out of compliance with its operating parameters , signaling a check engine light to display. Much like a modern automobile. I wholeheartedly agree with more frequent oil changes during run-in.....
Rich, thanks for the comments reg,, your bike. I believe singles struggle more with fuel injection than two plus cylinder machines. Also, EPA is demanding such lean mixture ratios that happy motors have been mandated into extinction. and you are right Rich, the big carbureted thumpers were known for flaming out. .........
I need to retract my “no problems with carbs” statement. There was a definite learning cure early on where trouble abounded. After that carbs were no longer a mystery and I can resolve their issues with great success. Other than the modern day carb running too lean due to an undersized pilot jet, they are good to go. Enriching the idle circuit is something one can do on the shop workbench , no need to visit the dealer. Same goes for cleaning and restoring, the ability lies with the owner. Carburetors,, I like’em !! ........
On an up note, I contacted my dealer , who said the other Himmies he’s sold are out there running fine. So far the dealership is dedicated to getting the issue resolved. I hope Royal Enfield backs them thru the warrantee process. I believe they will. They have a very impressive machine here. Headed out early Tuesday morning for the dealer. Glad my old Cummins diesel returns 22 miles for each gallon it consumes....????
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It’s been two weeks now. My Himalayan would not idle long enough to make it Thur traffic signals except when thoroughly warmed up. ( hot ). At 700 miles the engine light (EMS) light came on. It’s been at the dealers for two weeks now. Not a sound from anyone. I really like the bike, but did have concerns over this very issue prior to purchasing. Kind of discouraging over all. I parted with two very nice machines to fund the purchase of the Himalayan. At this point things are not looking so good.....
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Ah, the joys of being an "early adopter". Having been a BMW motorcycle customer for 30-odd years, I know them well. ::)
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I wonder if the dealer even has a Service Manual?
Two weeks with no word on what's causing the light to come on or any clue about how long it will take to fix it is, IMO, ridiculous.
I think I would be on the phone daily, insisting that the H must be repaired ASAP.
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Merrill,
Sorry to hear about your EMS light woes. I feel your pain. My dealer is about as clueless as yours about this bike. (His tech wasn't even sure where the oil drain bolt was when I first brought it in at 300 miles until I had to point it to him). Needless to say, I just did my 3000 mile oil change and tappet adjustments on my own. Some dealers are probably better than others.
Have you tried voicing your frustration on the RE Himalayan Owners USA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/rehimalayanusa)? The RENA Marketing Manager and at least one of their techs as well as a bunch of dealer reps) lurk there quite often. An EMS light issue seems serious enough for someone to get you a response in sooner than two weeks.
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My Dealer isn’t totally up to speed on RE but they did send two techs to RE in Texas for training so at least they are serious about it.
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Got the Himmy back from the Boise dealer. It had a faulty O-2 sensor . They adjusted the fuel pump pressure and gave it a general going over. Glad to have this wonderful motorcycle back home. A big thanks to the Boise dealer and to Royal Enfield Inc. for standing behind their machines. This speaks volumes about the manufacturer. A happy ending ...
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Excellent news!
Good to hear all is well with the Himalayan again :D
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Some folks have doubts about Royal Enfield....But then some folks doubted those cheap Japanese bikes appearing in the sixties ...and we all know how that turned out....
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Got the Himmy back from the Boise dealer. It had a faulty O-2 sensor . They adjusted the fuel pump pressure and gave it a general going over. Glad to have this wonderful motorcycle back home. A big thanks to the Boise dealer and to Royal Enfield Inc. for standing behind their machines. This speaks volumes about the manufacturer. A happy ending ...
Glad you're happy and reunited with your bike! Eases the sting of waiting - what was it, five weeks to change an O2 sensor? >:(
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First of all, I REALLY wish the Himalayan had a carburetor. I replaced the crappy EFI on my 2013 B5 Bullet with a carburetor, and it runs 100% better. I ALWAYS recommend that an engine be at least mostly warmed up before taking off with it. It is very hard on a cold engine to put a load on it, whether carbureted or EFI. Metal (especially aluminum) is weak and brittle when cold. It wears faster and breaks easier. And warming it up too quick, by putting a load on it, can cause it to expand too rapidly, possibly causing thermal cracks. Also, the engines clearances are not correct until it reaches operating temperature.
As for the early Japanese bikes, some of them really were junk. It took them over a decade to get things sorted out. Japan was a special case. They understood quality. I have NEVER seen a quality motor vehicle made by a Chinese company. Not only that, but I have seen no improvement at all. I had a Chinese dual sport and a Chinese scooter. Both were junk. India seems to get it a little better than China. I have had a Kinetic TFR moped, made in India, beat the crap out of it, rode it off road, you just couldn't kill it. It was still running fine when I sold it. I have an '09 Genuine Stella scooter (Vespa P series copy) made by LML in India, bought new, now has over 11,000 miles on it. Top end seized in under 200 miles, repaired under warranty, stator failed around 7,000 miles, replaced by me, and that is it. Not bad for a 150cc 2 stroke whoever made it. The Enfield had more problems. Rear tire chewed the wiring harness into on the first day I rode it. Exhaust nuts and studs kept falling out, I carried spares and a wrench. I finally replaced them with bolts and safety wired them. One battery cable broke. The rear mounts on the tank would have cracked if I hadn't discovered a problem with them and installed shims between the tank and frame. Finally the rear brake locked up. I found the shoes did not fit properly, removed them, and kept riding without a rear brake which never really worked to begin with. The brake lock up stretched the chain, and I replaced that. Bike is now stored in what used to be my living room, in need of new tires and rear brake, and some other maintenance. It starts and runs fine. Fortunately I never had a cracked frame or cracked engine cases like I heard so much about. The Himalayan got off to a rocky start. I heard they had to fix 36 problems with the original bike. I'm hoping it is better quality than the Bullet.