Perhaps, it's something an experienced bike rider should expect from an entirely different bike, technology and age. Enjoy them all, I say :)
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Use to work with a couple of bikers,they reckn the only guys pleased with Harleys was the guys who owned a bike repair shop.Harley owners were their biggest customers.
Ok I found it...it was a continental gt...and they're a 500 not a 350 which kinda tells you about the power output. If you wear the classic white scarf around your neck flapping in breeze you're going to need to poke a strong wire through the seam so it LOOKS like it's flapping in the breeze
..lol.....
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Beautiful bike though. And please don't take me as bashing royal enfields as I am not. Just wasn't what I hoped for performance wise even with low expectations to begin with.
There you go @outlander
Ohh , just looking at that pic makes me want to get one just to park in the lounge and polish...(the bike I mean... obviously)
But don't take my word for it , just ride before you buy.
From my rides on the various earlier versions they're not built for the open road speeds. As mentioned 80 is a comfortable cruise speed but it takes a we bit of room to get there.
But again... just ride one first and make your own decisions. I know they are a well loved and popular machine and you may find you love them too... just don't expect to drag off any...ummm ... well...anything at all....at the traffic lights. :thumbsup:
As a morbid and perhaps irrelevant piece of info, a lifelong friend of mine in Africa, had a BMW car do a U turn in the road. He hit it at 80 km/h on a 350 Royal. Changed his appearance and took more than a year to walk again. Take care out there, even if it is a Royal Enfield.
Only doing 80km/h on a road bike is not only dangerous it is a bloody crime. I hired a 110cc scooter in Tauranga earlier this year (for a job I was doing) and that could do 100km/h over the bridge. I got a flat tyre on it and they gave me a 50cc as a replacement while it was getting fixed and I felt like a sitting target not being able to keep up with the other traffic. I put that in the shed and borrowed the bosses car for the weekend (just happened to be an Audi S6:))
they make a 650 version now.. might be worth looking into @outlander...
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Another beautiful machine...
I haven't had the pleasure of seeing or riding the newer bikes as I am not mechanicing anymore. But if the opportunity arises I certainly would like to... but it's the 1200 trumpy thruxton that gives me the biggest goosebumps and next bike for me if I return to ownership of a bike. I think with the top fairing fitted that they are gorgeous to look at and enough power to be a bit exciting to ride should the mood take you.
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Ooohhh yeeaaahh !!!!
That looks as good as the Honda GB400 of years gone by...love that look. (I know others looked like that before the Honda, but our neighbour had the honda and that is what started my interest in classic bike styling....Up until then I was all about the plastic aero japanese fast 4s .....
Yum! Instantly reminds me of my 1972 Norton Commando 750. Beautiful looking bike and was one sweet handler. But had a lot in common with a jet turbine engine, in that it appeared to be lubed with a total loss oil system!!!
And for those of you who have never been blessed owning a non counter-balanced bike, it had this cute knack of walking across the lounge on its centerstand when at idle (yes, my flatmates and I used to keep our Norton, two triumph bonneyvilles and one Laverda in our flat lounge. Were highly floggable way back then. More so now I imagine.
Yep ... they have gone to great lengths to make the injector body look like an old carb to complete the look. good spotting @outlander ... i'm impressed... most don't notice or wouldn't no the difference.
Kudo's to triumph too I reckon for doing what is really probably completely uneccessary and probably also a lot of extra work in design and manufacture to try and keep the bike a bit more traditional looking
Cheers for the info Finnwolf :)
Thanks Tim, I would be commuting to work on it which is about 30km on 100km/h roads. I'm definitely not keen on getting monstered by cars up ya arse. I do like the price on them and the lighter weight. My Bandit is a 1250 so very heavy but more power than you need. Before I bought it I tried the 650 but had to ring it's tits off to get up to speed and the motor sounded like it was revving pretty high at 100km/h.
I've got a DR200 which I have ridden on the road, but it's a bit small for commuting on. I was thinking of making it road legal but don't think it would fit the bill as a commuter. I can afford to get a Royal Enfield and keep the Bandit but I've already got a few toys I hardly use and the servicing and rego/wof are a pain in the arse to keep up to date.
Ah first world problems aye :)
how to add horsepower to a harleyAttachment 151180
I noticed on my RE 650 GT test ride the revs at 100kph was on the 4,000rpm mark, higher than I was used to after Harleys!
@rugerman Yeah, I hear ya, the Himalayan is not made for long runs on well made roads. It is made for long runs on low quality roads and tracks- that it does better than anything I have ridden before. It could be worth looking at the DR650 currently going out at just $700 more than the Himalayan. None of the classy looks of the RE but would do what you are doing....The Benelli TRX looks the biz and is a 500cc twin but is a different look altogether..
My old GSXR250 had an idle of around 3000rpm, 100 was around 9000 rpm but never fear redline was at 16500rom....It sounded fantastic four a 4 cylinder. You sounded like you were speeding when you were sitting at the lights....
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I wish I could find one again....The new ones are singles and for the last 25 years they have been twins...speak about taking the fun away.. BUT to give Suzuki credit where it is due, the GSXR250 was $5995 new in 1990-1991 and the GSX250 in 2020 now is priced at $5000 new. Dropped from 4 moths wages in '91 to a little over 1 months wages now. Pretty fair really.
RE Interceptor has about 46hp? That's ok for an old school 650 twin - similar to the trumpys of 50s-60s eg a Triumph Trophy. Top speed for RE suggested to be about 105-110mph or around 170-175ks - again similar. That's definitely enough to have a very enjoyable road cruise experience. Might go look at one...
I personally do not want a 300kph bike for road use. Track yes, road no. Worked in a hospital many moons ago before university and the accident damage you see is pretty terrible. No thanks. Good to keep it sensible and safe.. :)
actually you are not far wrong there... horse power is a measurement of torque output x revs basically.... and of course the speed an engine spins up also has an affect. hence light weight flywheels on modern sports engines. I dare say a harley probably runs a heavy flywheel which wouldn't help
I am not sure on that. That is like saying the suspension on a Rav 4 is not as good as the Hilux....The DR650 is a proper trail bike, where the Himalayan is a RTW bike. The suzuki is running more modern types of running gear, but for what its worth the Himalayan is a more comfortable ride
The Late , Robert Holden, rode a Harley 883 as his road-bike. He was often asked to explain why, and he just loved the sound, torque etc, of a bike that was only toddling along. He said he rode it for pleasure, and could still take in all the sights as he went. If it makes you happy....
Nothing wrong with the DR series bikes. Those 650 and the 350 engines are generally super reliable and I know the 350 can take an absolute pounding then call you a pussy and demand you stop riding like a girl.... great bikes and I'm not a big Suzy fan generally speaking. Most of their motors are good but can cost cut in other areas such as suspension if in direct competition with a different manufacturer so they come in cheaper on the showroom floor in comparison. Some of the bandit models the rear shock needs rebuild after 30 thou km
Sounds like Honda got those models pretty wrong then. Xl was a bit more of a road going version I think, and the XR was a bit more off road. Used to steal the bosses XR250 and go for a hoon when he was in town, and blat down a gravel road out in Karaka when I was 15 on my first farm job. There was a guy who ran a shop out of a double garage. Used to ride back to the farm with chips and chocolate crammed down the front of my jumper.
@outlander please dont take me wrong, the DRs are a very good bike too. I used to have a DR250s and my brother rode a DR200 back in the day. And correct, the DR will make a great RTW as well. Its just that the DR and the Himalayan are very different set ups. They do different things and are designed for different styles. They are both 2 wheelers and both are capable of providing many hours of enjoyment...