and unrestricted feel between your legs . The bars are high , wide and straight which I think is ideal . The wind screen is not particularly wide , but quite a good height and is surprisingly effective – in poor weather protection is awesome . The dash centrepiece is a clear , four-inch TFT screen with all the relevant information and USB port for millennials incapable of being removed from their phone . A personal grizzle … is when decent grippy footpegs are ruined by rubber tops . You know , those slippery , squirmy , unstable bastards of things that sit a-top the actual pegs and are unsafe to stand up on if wet . Yes , I know all brands do it and they can be removed , but why ? It ’ s a bloody stupid idea . Just leave the grippy pegs grippy and be done with it . Rant over . And , if you think they cut vibes , well what absolute rubbish , I ’ ve never noticed any difference and I ’ ve ridden a few bikes in my time . Rant truly over .
THE SKINNY Royal Enfield offers a three-year warranty and three-year roadside assist which is awesome , and it ’ s now world-wide coverage so it doesn ’ t matter where you ’ re riding , Royal Enfield will cover it . I wish more manufacturers ’ warranties were so comprehensive . The service intervals are 10,000km apart and , of course , the Himalayan is a LAMS machine , so eligible to new riders . Overall , I was more than pleasantly surprised by the Himalayan . It is a comfortable , engaging
and capable machine to ride in a similar fashion to the big-bore trail bikes of my youth . An allrounder that is just as happy to tour the South Island with a couple of saddle bags thrown over the back , as it is to do the daily commute or weekend exploring . It requires no special talent from the rider and in fact has a power delivery that is quite nurturing in tricky conditions . It is a great , functional , back-to-basics and basescovered machine that is pleasing to ride and a great step up from the first model . And , honestly , isn ’ t that what we need more of ?
SECOND OPINION I had heard lots of good things about one of the top selling new motorcycles in the country , so I was quite intrigued to find out what was in store for me . The Himalayan comes with classic styling cues , modern touches , upside down forks , spoked rims and crash bars as standard to protect the nice paintwork on the tank - a good standard fitment for beginners and those who ’ ll go offroad . There ’ s a TFT dash too , which is very good . Simple , smooth and tells you what you need to know ; lots of trip information and four different rider modes , which can be changed on the go . What a grunty motor ! There ’ s 30kW pumping out of its single cylinder power plant which gives it surprisingly strong overtaking ability on the open road , picking up very well in top gear . There ’ s strong bottom and midrange power
54 KIWI RIDER