too ; great for learner riders and the more experienced looking to find an easier-going ride . The intake sound is awesome and the gearbox feels smooth . Great fuelling from the ride-bywire system responds well . Much better power and torque than the previous Himalayan 411 . So , well done to the Sherpa 452 . The suspension quality is the most surprising . There ’ s really good feedback from bumps and corrugations , which makes it easy to learn on the gravel roads . 200mm of travel front and rear with great damping and ride quality . For a small capacity bike it has big bike handling with a 21-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear . It feels steady , but still turns well , which makes for a smooth planted ride that suits our rough Kiwi roads . The brakes are much better than on the previous Himalayan 411 , with plenty of stopping power . The ABS doesn ’ t kick in too easily which is a big plus . The rear brake ABS can be disabled with the mode button . This bike is on the heavier side with a dry weight of 181kg . It ’ s certainly one of the bigger LAMSapproved bikes , its longer wheelbase and hefty build is quite suitable for the big buggers who can ’ t squeeze themselves onto a Ninja 300 , or the confident learners looking to make the step up to a physically bigger bike . The 450 will suit a wide range of riders , easily catering for tall , short , fat and skinny .
Riding while standing up is comfortable , the foot pegs are narrow enough to let you grip the tank with no cramping up and it ’ s quite manoeuvrable . The seat height works well for most riders , however there ’ s a lower seat option available for shorter-legged riders too . In a reasonably priced , made in India , nutshell , the Himalayan 450 is a big and beefy , eyecatching learners bike , capable of anything you ask of it . HENRY FISHER
KIWI RIDER 57