Adventure: Royal Enfield Himalayan Update

As you might have noticed, my 2023 Royal Enfield Himalayan looks slightly modified. Some upgraded parts and pieces are visible while others are not. To cut to the chase, this bike has less than 1,000 miles on it. For you kilometer people, that means about 20,000 k’s if I’m doing my math correctly. I’m basing this on the walk I just did in the yard, which according to my American made Garmin, was 1,876 k’s. If in doubt, just use this formula. [k < m].

There are reasons why this bike has such low mileage, namely travel and weather.

I’ve been gone, a lot. And winter riding isn’t much fun especially when you consider I still don’t have the correct riding kit. And when it comes to motorcycles, you need kit. You need wind, rain, cold, hot, and just about everything in between, and you need to keep in mind you might kiss the dirt at some point.(It will happen a lot.) During our summer months, it is not uncommon for the temperature to hover in the 90s and then plummet thirty degrees in a combination of wind and hail. Even our summer rain is ice cold. And winter, well, winter is just plain brutal on a bike, especially one without heated grips. (I can add later.)

Throw in boots, gloves, helmets, and neck gaiters and you have yourself an expensive pants and parts party. And this doesn’t guarantee anything, really. I’ve had the right kit during ownership of past bikes, and still been too hot, too cold, too wet. You do, after all, have to have the right kit WITH YOU. On a bike, space is limited. Think your college apartment. As of today, I’m still on borrowed pants and gloves, and my one jacket is good for two of the four seasons but not so good when summer begins to spread her wings.

What have I added so far? Headlight guard, engine guards, rear brake master cylinder guard, aluminum panniers, hand guards, Baak exhaust, and a DNA performance air filter, the last two turning my tame 24-hp couch surfer into a drug store robbing, amphetamine snorting, desert eating slightly faster machine. Imagine walking around with one of those nose clamps that water ballet performers us. And now imagine taking it off. That’s how it works.

For those who don’t know, the Himalayan is an odd bike. Heavy, slow, old tech, but that saying about something being more than the sum of its parts, ya, that applies to this machine. It looks odd, sounds odd but rides like a dream. Albeit a slow dream like you had too much cough syrup and woke up in a dumpster. To each his/her/their own. The bike has a low seat height, carries most of the weight near the road, and is a great bike for someone new to the idea of riding on two wheels. Oh, and brand new it will set you back about $5,000. THAT is hard to beat.

Bikers are as dorky and geeky as photographers or fly fisherman. World class gear heads who all know more than you and are not shy about telling you what you did wrong. There is the dirt bike crowd who tells me I should have bought a DRZ 650 or a CRF450. The same guys I see trying to hide from the wind at highway speeds. And there are the BMW GS fans who claim there is no other option for any long-term ride. The same guys who spent five times what I did, just to get started. (I love the DRZ, CRF, and the GS.) The Himalayan, for the most part, escapes this torrent of online tirade. The Himalayan is harmless. The Himalayan is fun, and if there is any question of its capability, well, there are some using this machine to ride the entire world. I just need it to get me to jazzercise.

My goal with this bike is based entirely on one thing. Going slow. When it comes to motorcycles you never, ever want to be in a hurry. You never want alcohol in the mix. Riding at night is risky, especially in areas with high wildlife movement. And my goal is also about “Smallest road possible.” Wherever we go, we take the smallest road, regardless of condition. I live in a state with tens of thousands of miles of dirt road, Jeep trail and unmaintained wilderness. The Himalayan is a simple dual sport that ticks the boxes I need.

As with all my other passions, things like documentary photography projects, running, cycling, hiking, paddling, archery, hook kicks and looking so damn good, it’s all about time. Time is limited. But don’t go feeling sorry for old Danno. No, timing is limited because I’m busy and doing things I love. When I return from my travels the Himalayan will be there. And if truth be told, and I was given the time and opportunity for ONE long term trip, like Alaska to Patagonia, I’d chose the bicycle at this point. I can ride motorcycles late into my life, but huffing up and over the Andes feels like a young man’s game.