I've ridden almost 10k miles on a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and these are the best and worst bits

I must admit, I really enjoy getting the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 covered in mud, and its performance on the trails has impressed me. However, that’s only half the story… I’ve rated how it fares on the road with these six critical ‘hits and misses’. 

Read more

• Update one: First impressions of the Himalayan 450
• Update two: Heading off-road with the Himalayan
• Update three: Is the 450 too modern for 411 purists?
• Update four: 3k-mile European road trip for the ‘Himmy’
• Update five: Using the Himalayan as a camera bike off-road

Big miles without fatigue – Hit

Ride quality can be quite subjective when it comes to motorcycles, but the Himalayan offers some pleasant surprises that make it well-suited to long journeys. First and foremost, the riding position is very neutral, particularly for someone of my height (5ft 8in). The adjustable seat, which can be raised by 20mm in seconds, is brilliant when switching from on-road
to off-road riding.

For a single-cylinder engine that often operates high in the rev range, it does an excellent job of minimising vibrations to the rider. This means you can remove the slippery peg dampeners, keeping it a true all-terrain machine. The icing on the cake is the screen, which effectively channels airflow around you, enhancing comfort for long motorway miles and reducing fatigue. 

Going round the bends – Hit

You might not expect excellent handling from a hefty adventure bike, but the Himalayan defies expectations. Its long, low geometry, combined with quality Showa suspension, inspires confidence when cornering, and it holds a line surprisingly well. While it’s no sportsbike, it flows gracefully enough through sweeping bends, making for an enjoyable ride.

Top-quality display – Hit

Hats off to Royal Enfield for their 5in round TFT dash, which brings a modern-retro feel while delivering clear, concise data and app connectivity (including sat nav) – a good level of delivery for a budget bike. If I’m being picky, my only complaint is that the indicator symbols are too small, or at least that’s my excuse for sometimes forgetting to turn them off!

False neutrals – Miss

Now for the downsides – starting with the gearbox. I can overlook the slightly rough gear shifts given the bike’s price point, but regularly finding false neutrals between 5th and 6th gear becomes quite jarring and disrupts the riding experience. I’ve tested two different machines, and in both cases the gearboxes started to become more prone to false neutrals after around 2000 miles of use.

Fuelling faff – Miss

At lower revs (under 4000rpm), you can get over 200 miles between fill-ups, but if you push the single harder, the fuel range drops dramatically. While riding through the Alps, I’ve seen the fuel light come on in under 150 miles. In daily use, I’m getting around 47mpg – but the performance isn’t thrilling enough to justify its thirst, and in Eco mode the throttle response becomes sluggish. Plus, the fuel cap doesn’t stay open on its own, making refuelling challenging.

Buzzing mirrors – Miss

My final gripe is with the stock mirrors. At speeds over 40mph, they vibrate so much that you can’t see anything behind you. Even though the bike does a great job of limiting vibes reaching the rider, the mirrors buzz like mad, and feel budget. If I were keeping the bike longer, I’d be trying an alternative, such as DoubleTake mirrors.