Front break is too soft & rear is too sharp... Duhhhh that's what an offroader suppose to do... 😑😪 the last thing u want is to lock ur front& slide after every 2 mins😐
But it’s a travel bike that is going to spend lots of time on the road. Even with an off road bike, I’d like the rear to have some more feel before locking up.
So you own a T7 and compare it to a bike that costs half as much, has half the power, and half the cylinders... and hate it. Interesting. Go to Fuzzy Bikers channel to get a real review. 10,000 miles in one month. He rode with me in Colorado a few weeks ago on a good section of the BDR after riding it 800 miles on the interstate to get here... and back.
I didn’t hate the bike, as I rode it more I enjoyed it more. I think it’s a great bike for its price and would be a great first bike or first adventure type bike.
This is my last one. I've owned them all and can afford any of them. Just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean It can't hurt you or do anything the others can. When you professional reviewers demean riders by calling a bike a beginners bike, you assume people who buy this have never ridden. 45 years of riding, over 50 bikes, and over half a million miles... beginners bike? I guess call me and the rest who buy one beginners. Bring your T7 out to Colorado and see if you and it can keep up with this beginner 😅
My intention was not to demean this segment of motorcycles. I guess I’m guilty of using beginner bike to describe it as so many do. I love riding small inexpensive bikes. I bought a Husky 401 Svartpilen last fall and I really enjoy it. I didn’t assume that only beginners would buy it. I meant that it would be a great introduction to either leaving the pavement or to motorcycles in general. That’s the great thing about motorbikes. They come in so many flavors to suit many different riding styles and opinions. I’d love to come out to Colorado and go riding :) I was just trying to convey how I felt while riding the bike. And I definitely would love to experience it off road. I’m no professional reviewer either, just a big fan of motorbikes :)
I think it’s a great bike for its place in the market. It just depends on what you are used to. Coming from the t7 and Svartpilen, it felt a bit buzzy and heavy handling.
Sadly, I have not. There was a demo ride a couple hours away from me this weekend but I was a bit under the weather. It seems like a super fun bike though. Maybe I’ll have to try to find one to rent. Demos typically don’t give the whole picture.
It felt too top heavy for me at 177cm (5'10) , I struggled to lift it up from the side stand up.. And the ride by wire, I'm too old school for that. I love the old 411. It'v very simple, agricultural, low revs high torque power.. Short first few gears too.. And 800mm seat high. If you never rode the Bullet/classic 500 .. Strongly recommending to try it. The joy of old school bike.
The side stand is a little bit too short for the bike for sure. I always tried to park with the side stand slightly uphill 😂 Thanks for your insight on the 411 and bullet models. I’ll have to give them a try if I get a chance.
Finally an honest review! I’m looking for a smaller, lighter bike, I’m 75 and have been on a 1200GS for the last 14 years. The 400-500cc bikes are appealing.
I’m glad it was helpful. It’s a good little bike, especially at that price point. Reviews will only go so far. If you get a chance it’s worth trying it out. It’s definitely capable of doing nearly everything, you just need to see if it gels with you personally.
I thought that was a pretty good review and I enjoyed it really very much. You spoke of many things that I realised when I test rode exactly the same version three days ago… I actually enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t trying to pull me along to go faster… leaving it to be my choice…. I thought it was brilliant over rough holed roads, economic long range it’s a pretty good all-rounder for a lazy style of riding… Incomplete contrast I also took out the Royal Enfield shotgun and that was beautiful but as you can imagine, didn’t like the bumps quite as much because you’d feel them in the body, but it did hold the road perfectly lumpy or not… but as I say, a different animal…. The Himalayan would definitely be my choice for Scotland and North Wales and the like….. thanks for your great review. Thought it was brilliant and look forward to others in the future.
I appreciate the kind words. Speaking to others, it seems that the worn front tire may have tainted my view on the bike’s handling. The suspension is remarkable for the money or not. It is smoother over sharp edges than the stock tenere 700 suspension setup and I didn’t bottom it out either.
Appreciate the honest review. Did a test drive and also found it quite buzzy at mid RPM’s. Really wanted to buy one, but kind came to the same conclusion as you. By the way, my Adventure Piggy sticker is still proudly displayed on my bike.
Nice to hear from you! It’s difficult going to a single from a smooth twin. After a few days on it, I didn’t notice the vibrations nearly as much, so it is one of those things where a short test ride doesn’t always paint the whole picture.
Good opinions. I myself come from a GSXR 750. I want to go more exploring, something that doesn't break the bank and doesn't urge me to speed all the time. 40HP is more than enough to do the job. Yes it has some faults but every bike has faults. There is an engineer that helped design the himi that also helped design the T7 and he made shure that if you fall on the exhaust that the bike is not a total loss like the T7, it also has the same design to push the front into the ground just like the T7. I think the himi can beat any adv bike for a better price. Plus you can take it by the scruff of its neck without losing your license. Either way good video. I think the front tyre robbed you a bit of a better expirience
Yeah, I’d love to try it again with a front tire I’ve actually heard of before. I’d be curious to play with how far the forks stick out of the triple tree. And I agree, this bike would be great for exploring forest roads. It’s funny I keep hearing about bending the exhaust bracket totaling the T7, but it seems crazy to not just bend/weld it back into place. That’s what I would do.
@@AdventurePiggy its because the exhaust hardpoint is an actual part of the frame. Law and insurance make it that the frame is done for even tough it is just bend a bit. On the himi it is a subframe, so if it bends you can swap that out and its not a total loss
Great review! This sums up pretty much everything that I feel about the the bike i purchased. I don’t regret it at all. The smiles per dollar are all worth it.
The ceat brand tyre is absolutely brilliant and confidence inspiring wet or dry and in my view the bike has light pin sharp handling. The rear brake is pleasantly strong. The front brake is decent enough perhaps a tad spongey. Wind protection is average on the motorway and the side stand is too short. It's an endearing fun and comfortable bike and mine enjoys revving to 8k revs on the back roads which is great fun. It's a quite torquey engine. The dash interface is poor and it's a faff connecting to a phone, possibly the worst feature but it looks pretty. slight peg vibrations on the motorway but not too intrusive. The mirrors are also on the cheap side as alluded to.
Huh, maybe mine was just completely worn out. Do the forks stick out of the top of the triple clamps on yours? The handling was definitely very sluggish on the one I rode. When I rode the Svartpilen when I got home I was applying way to much pressure to the bars and it felt squirrelly for the first mile or so until I adjusted to it again.
@@AdventurePiggy not sure on that without checking, I wouldn't say anything looks odd about the fork alignment and would say they are level with the top yoke. Sluggish handling doesn't sounds right, the light precise handling is one of its best features, something sounds amiss there.
Great review thanks! Still waiting for something a bit lighter and maybe a bit more powerful than this to come out. Im dreaming of a single cylinder Tenere 500. I do love my T7, but i do a lot of offroad (often alone) and would prefer something a little more lightweight. The himmy sounds like a great bike for a slow pace explorer or new motorcyclist.
If you are willing to do the maintenance the KTM 690/ husky 701 seems like a great option for more off road focus. The people I know who have them rave about them. I saw some with the rally fairing at the pine barrens 300 last year and was pretty envious.
@@AdventurePiggy I had a friend that had one and the engine grenaded on him lol. Not interested in KTM or the like myself. I'd go back to a dr650 before a 690.
@@AdventurePiggy yea. I've come to the conclusion that for an offroad oriented adv or dual sport it needs to be single cylinder but would be nice to have at minimum 350cc. 300 is just not quite enough IMO. Had a klx300 and it was fun but just lacked the fizz as James may would say. Like I say a single tenere 500 would be the ticket. The kove450 is damned close.
I have a 1000 miles on my own bike that I purchased. The vibration is mostly in the handle bars and some in the foot pegs through the rev range of 4750-5600. Accelerating at speeds of 55-65 mph in 5th or 6th you notice the vibration the most. Replacing the stock grips and putting grip buddies makes the vibs a none factor. I don’t notice vibrations in the stock seat at all.
Honestly after the first couple days I didn’t notice it much anymore. It was just buzzier than the KTM 390 single. And it smooths out above 6k too. I noticed it in the handlebars.
@@markjacobs3956 I know its a single but still Honda have created a benchmark with even their single cylinder motorcycles on how vibrations can be minimized. RE is getting there!
Front break is too soft & rear is too sharp... Duhhhh that's what an offroader suppose to do... 😑😪 the last thing u want is to lock ur front& slide after every 2 mins😐
But it’s a travel bike that is going to spend lots of time on the road. Even with an off road bike, I’d like the rear to have some more feel before locking up.
So you own a T7 and compare it to a bike that costs half as much, has half the power, and half the cylinders... and hate it. Interesting.
Go to Fuzzy Bikers channel to get a real review. 10,000 miles in one month. He rode with me in Colorado a few weeks ago on a good section of the BDR after riding it 800 miles on the interstate to get here... and back.
I didn’t hate the bike, as I rode it more I enjoyed it more. I think it’s a great bike for its price and would be a great first bike or first adventure type bike.
This is my last one. I've owned them all and can afford any of them. Just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean It can't hurt you or do anything the others can. When you professional reviewers demean riders by calling a bike a beginners bike, you assume people who buy this have never ridden. 45 years of riding, over 50 bikes, and over half a million miles... beginners bike? I guess call me and the rest who buy one beginners. Bring your T7 out to Colorado and see if you and it can keep up with this beginner 😅
My intention was not to demean this segment of motorcycles. I guess I’m guilty of using beginner bike to describe it as so many do. I love riding small inexpensive bikes. I bought a Husky 401 Svartpilen last fall and I really enjoy it. I didn’t assume that only beginners would buy it. I meant that it would be a great introduction to either leaving the pavement or to motorcycles in general. That’s the great thing about motorbikes. They come in so many flavors to suit many different riding styles and opinions. I’d love to come out to Colorado and go riding :) I was just trying to convey how I felt while riding the bike. And I definitely would love to experience it off road. I’m no professional reviewer either, just a big fan of motorbikes :)
Have the new Himalayan have ridden 1,500 miles and really enjoy it on road or off road, this review should be taken with a grain of salt. SJ
Yes, i should take anybodies opinion online with a grain of salt. @stephenjacques554
Good balanced review mate.
Interesting review. Most are very positive, which leads to the conclusion;
Ride it yourself to find out!
I think it’s a great bike for its place in the market. It just depends on what you are used to. Coming from the t7 and Svartpilen, it felt a bit buzzy and heavy handling.
@@AdventurePiggy thx for replying, yeah I guess it’s a matter of perspective!
Have you ridden the CF 450MT?
Sadly, I have not. There was a demo ride a couple hours away from me this weekend but I was a bit under the weather. It seems like a super fun bike though. Maybe I’ll have to try to find one to rent. Demos typically don’t give the whole picture.
now tubeless spoke wheels available
It’s pretty cool that they offer this.
So even though I own both of them, I can't compare them. Mkay...
It felt too top heavy for me at 177cm (5'10) , I struggled to lift it up from the side stand up.. And the ride by wire, I'm too old school for that. I love the old 411. It'v very simple, agricultural, low revs high torque power.. Short first few gears too.. And 800mm seat high. If you never rode the Bullet/classic 500 .. Strongly recommending to try it. The joy of old school bike.
The side stand is a little bit too short for the bike for sure. I always tried to park with the side stand slightly uphill 😂 Thanks for your insight on the 411 and bullet models. I’ll have to give them a try if I get a chance.
Finally an honest review! I’m looking for a smaller, lighter bike, I’m 75 and have been on a 1200GS for the last 14 years. The 400-500cc bikes are appealing.
I’m glad it was helpful. It’s a good little bike, especially at that price point. Reviews will only go so far. If you get a chance it’s worth trying it out. It’s definitely capable of doing nearly everything, you just need to see if it gels with you personally.
I thought that was a pretty good review and I enjoyed it really very much. You spoke of many things that I realised when I test rode exactly the same version three days ago… I actually enjoyed the fact that it wasn’t trying to pull me along to go faster… leaving it to be my choice…. I thought it was brilliant over rough holed roads, economic long range it’s a pretty good all-rounder for a lazy style of riding…
Incomplete contrast I also took out the Royal Enfield shotgun and that was beautiful but as you can imagine, didn’t like the bumps quite as much because you’d feel them in the body, but it did hold the road perfectly lumpy or not… but as I say, a different animal…. The Himalayan would definitely be my choice for Scotland and North Wales and the like….. thanks for your great review. Thought it was brilliant and look forward to others in the future.
I appreciate the kind words. Speaking to others, it seems that the worn front tire may have tainted my view on the bike’s handling. The suspension is remarkable for the money or not. It is smoother over sharp edges than the stock tenere 700 suspension setup and I didn’t bottom it out either.
Appreciate the honest review. Did a test drive and also found it quite buzzy at mid RPM’s. Really wanted to buy one, but kind came to the same conclusion as you. By the way, my Adventure Piggy sticker is still proudly displayed on my bike.
Nice to hear from you! It’s difficult going to a single from a smooth twin. After a few days on it, I didn’t notice the vibrations nearly as much, so it is one of those things where a short test ride doesn’t always paint the whole picture.
Good opinions. I myself come from a GSXR 750. I want to go more exploring, something that doesn't break the bank and doesn't urge me to speed all the time. 40HP is more than enough to do the job. Yes it has some faults but every bike has faults. There is an engineer that helped design the himi that also helped design the T7 and he made shure that if you fall on the exhaust that the bike is not a total loss like the T7, it also has the same design to push the front into the ground just like the T7. I think the himi can beat any adv bike for a better price. Plus you can take it by the scruff of its neck without losing your license. Either way good video. I think the front tyre robbed you a bit of a better expirience
Yeah, I’d love to try it again with a front tire I’ve actually heard of before. I’d be curious to play with how far the forks stick out of the triple tree. And I agree, this bike would be great for exploring forest roads. It’s funny I keep hearing about bending the exhaust bracket totaling the T7, but it seems crazy to not just bend/weld it back into place. That’s what I would do.
@@AdventurePiggy its because the exhaust hardpoint is an actual part of the frame. Law and insurance make it that the frame is done for even tough it is just bend a bit. On the himi it is a subframe, so if it bends you can swap that out and its not a total loss
Great review! This sums up pretty much everything that I feel about the the bike i purchased. I don’t regret it at all. The smiles per dollar are all worth it.
Thanks! I’m glad you are enjoying it. It’s a great bike for the money and will take you anywhere you want.
I absolutely agree. For the money it seems most people forget the price point and the fact this bike is a single
Cool! Bumped into you at Sconsor. Happy travels!
It was nice meeting you there. Raasay was such a cool place to explore :)
The ceat brand tyre is absolutely brilliant and confidence inspiring wet or dry and in my view the bike has light pin sharp handling. The rear brake is pleasantly strong. The front brake is decent enough perhaps a tad spongey. Wind protection is average on the motorway and the side stand is too short. It's an endearing fun and comfortable bike and mine enjoys revving to 8k revs on the back roads which is great fun. It's a quite torquey engine. The dash interface is poor and it's a faff connecting to a phone, possibly the worst feature but it looks pretty. slight peg vibrations on the motorway but not too intrusive. The mirrors are also on the cheap side as alluded to.
Huh, maybe mine was just completely worn out. Do the forks stick out of the top of the triple clamps on yours? The handling was definitely very sluggish on the one I rode. When I rode the Svartpilen when I got home I was applying way to much pressure to the bars and it felt squirrelly for the first mile or so until I adjusted to it again.
@@AdventurePiggy not sure on that without checking, I wouldn't say anything looks odd about the fork alignment and would say they are level with the top yoke. Sluggish handling doesn't sounds right, the light precise handling is one of its best features, something sounds amiss there.
Sounds like the tire was completely worn out then. That’s too bad.
Great review thanks! Still waiting for something a bit lighter and maybe a bit more powerful than this to come out. Im dreaming of a single cylinder Tenere 500. I do love my T7, but i do a lot of offroad (often alone) and would prefer something a little more lightweight. The himmy sounds like a great bike for a slow pace explorer or new motorcyclist.
If you are willing to do the maintenance the KTM 690/ husky 701 seems like a great option for more off road focus. The people I know who have them rave about them. I saw some with the rally fairing at the pine barrens 300 last year and was pretty envious.
@@AdventurePiggy I had a friend that had one and the engine grenaded on him lol. Not interested in KTM or the like myself. I'd go back to a dr650 before a 690.
We are always searching for that unicorn 🦄 aren’t we? 😂. The cf moto 450 looks pretty interesting. Similar weight though.
@@AdventurePiggy yea. I've come to the conclusion that for an offroad oriented adv or dual sport it needs to be single cylinder but would be nice to have at minimum 350cc. 300 is just not quite enough IMO. Had a klx300 and it was fun but just lacked the fizz as James may would say. Like I say a single tenere 500 would be the ticket. The kove450 is damned close.
Great review! Are the vibrations too bothersome on handlebars or the seat throughout the ride?
I have a 1000 miles on my own bike that I purchased. The vibration is mostly in the handle bars and some in the foot pegs through the rev range of 4750-5600. Accelerating at speeds of 55-65 mph in 5th or 6th you notice the vibration the most. Replacing the stock grips and putting grip buddies makes the vibs a none factor. I don’t notice vibrations in the stock seat at all.
It's a single.
Honestly after the first couple days I didn’t notice it much anymore. It was just buzzier than the KTM 390 single. And it smooths out above 6k too. I noticed it in the handlebars.
@@markjacobs3956 I know its a single but still Honda have created a benchmark with even their single cylinder motorcycles on how vibrations can be minimized. RE is getting there!
@@MrCotto01 Thanks for the advice. I will definitely install the grip buddies if I get this bike!