A few thoughts.
I took my 411 into Hayward’s of Cambridge for a service, tyres and other bits. (Great guys if you’re nearby, a proper ‘old school’ garage/workshop, and meeting point of the local REOC). It was a relatively long job so I took a 450 out for a spin.
First thought: bloody hell that was heavier than expected, taking much more effort to get off the side stand than expected. Second thought: lots of people have said that in all the reviews you’ve seen/read, you should have remembered.
I’d been advised to keep it under 5,000 rpm as it only had 450 miles on the clock. There had been reports of a degree of snatchiness at below 3,000 rpm which is alleviated by putting it in ‘eco’ mode. That was buried in the menus and as the bike defaults to non-eco on startup I left it alone.
Headed into Cambridge for some stop-start city work which was fine. Filtered a bit, but not too much as it’s not my bike. Certainly nippy enough to get past traffic, win the traffic light GP etc.
Only issues were being undertaken by a taxi who nearly tipped me off at a set of lights (we had a full and frank exchange of views) and a pair of obvious students who clearly felt that wearing an ill-fitting cycling helmet made them invincible, as they cycled with carefree abandon out of their cycle lane and through a red light. 450s brakes work well.
Headed out onto the A14 where it accelerated nicely up to ‘joining speed’ of about 55. The bike felt quite happy at 5,000 rpm giving an indicated 63 mph with my 16 stone ‘medium frame’ on board.
10 miles or so of dual carriageway and it felt better than my 411. I certainly felt more confident going for a quick overtake than I do on my 411.
Noticeably more wind buffeting than the 411, and I’m only average height, but wear a peaked Tour X-4.
Maybe a slight bit of a buzz at about 4,000 from the foot pegs, but none through the bars as others have reported elsewhere.
Off the A14 and onto the country roads, some not bad, others dreadfully maintained. Again, nippy and confidence inspiring and I did a couple of overtakes that I’d never have contemplated on the 411. Suspension coped well with the uneven surfaces and broken tarmac.
Seat was ok, a huge improvement on the 411s OEM one, but I have been spoiled by the Seat Concepts one on mine.
Riding position and ergonomics good for me, I felt very comfortable sitting up straight and my hands fell naturally to the controls.
Conclusion:
Nice bike, but not a Himalayan IMHO. It’s a bit too much like many other bikes now. I bought my Himalayan on its looks; I felt it had a certain vintage look and rugged charm about it.
I’d fallen in love with an R100 GS PD but missed out on that. The 411 Himalayan had most of the features of that that I found attractive.
The 450 is, in my opinion, more like a 1250 GS and lacks the 411s charm and ‘soul.’
It’s a great bike, nevertheless, and shows that Royal Enfield are becoming a bigger and bigger player in markets other than their home one. I just wish it looked more ‘classic’ like the 411.
I’ve no doubt it’ll sell in bucketloads.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I took my 411 into Hayward’s of Cambridge for a service, tyres and other bits. (Great guys if you’re nearby, a proper ‘old school’ garage/workshop, and meeting point of the local REOC). It was a relatively long job so I took a 450 out for a spin.
First thought: bloody hell that was heavier than expected, taking much more effort to get off the side stand than expected. Second thought: lots of people have said that in all the reviews you’ve seen/read, you should have remembered.
I’d been advised to keep it under 5,000 rpm as it only had 450 miles on the clock. There had been reports of a degree of snatchiness at below 3,000 rpm which is alleviated by putting it in ‘eco’ mode. That was buried in the menus and as the bike defaults to non-eco on startup I left it alone.
Headed into Cambridge for some stop-start city work which was fine. Filtered a bit, but not too much as it’s not my bike. Certainly nippy enough to get past traffic, win the traffic light GP etc.
Only issues were being undertaken by a taxi who nearly tipped me off at a set of lights (we had a full and frank exchange of views) and a pair of obvious students who clearly felt that wearing an ill-fitting cycling helmet made them invincible, as they cycled with carefree abandon out of their cycle lane and through a red light. 450s brakes work well.
Headed out onto the A14 where it accelerated nicely up to ‘joining speed’ of about 55. The bike felt quite happy at 5,000 rpm giving an indicated 63 mph with my 16 stone ‘medium frame’ on board.
10 miles or so of dual carriageway and it felt better than my 411. I certainly felt more confident going for a quick overtake than I do on my 411.
Noticeably more wind buffeting than the 411, and I’m only average height, but wear a peaked Tour X-4.
Maybe a slight bit of a buzz at about 4,000 from the foot pegs, but none through the bars as others have reported elsewhere.
Off the A14 and onto the country roads, some not bad, others dreadfully maintained. Again, nippy and confidence inspiring and I did a couple of overtakes that I’d never have contemplated on the 411. Suspension coped well with the uneven surfaces and broken tarmac.
Seat was ok, a huge improvement on the 411s OEM one, but I have been spoiled by the Seat Concepts one on mine.
Riding position and ergonomics good for me, I felt very comfortable sitting up straight and my hands fell naturally to the controls.
Conclusion:
Nice bike, but not a Himalayan IMHO. It’s a bit too much like many other bikes now. I bought my Himalayan on its looks; I felt it had a certain vintage look and rugged charm about it.
I’d fallen in love with an R100 GS PD but missed out on that. The 411 Himalayan had most of the features of that that I found attractive.
The 450 is, in my opinion, more like a 1250 GS and lacks the 411s charm and ‘soul.’
It’s a great bike, nevertheless, and shows that Royal Enfield are becoming a bigger and bigger player in markets other than their home one. I just wish it looked more ‘classic’ like the 411.
I’ve no doubt it’ll sell in bucketloads.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
