Re: New toy - Enfield Himalayan
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 3:58 pm
Thing is Knapdog, It's a bit like folks wanting 5mph more out of their Cub. It is what it is and it ain't what it ain't.
In 8+ years of running the W800 page on Facebook, probably the most asked question was, "What's the best way of getting more speed?" When interrogated, most people who asked this had never reached the top speed of their W, and lived in countries where the legal speed limit was 70 mph or less.
In truth, you could get quite a bit more power than the 49bhp standard output, but it changed the characteristics of the bike considerably. ie it wasn't what it was meant to be. It was a totally different bike. A bit like how a Triumph Bonneville 1200 is now far heavier, more powerful, and a totally different bike to the original Hinckley 790 that was designed to be a logical step on from the Meriden T140V. The 120s are superb bikes, but "Bonnies" they ain't.
It's something encouraged by erstwhile media like MCN claiming that the 94 bhp Africa Twin they tested didn't really have enough "oomph" for two up riding.
It's why the manufacturers sell sportsbikes, even the 600s that won't hit the sweet spot in their power bands in first gear before well in excess of 70 mph.
It has been a bit of a personal enlightenment, dropping back from a larger capacity motorbike onto a sub 200cc scooter. However, on the brief motorway rides I've done on it, it keeps up, and it overtakes safely. When traffic speeds up to an 80 mph average I'd rather sit it out these days.
The point of this rambling is that the Himalayan is kind of in its own niche. There really isn't anything else quite like it. Attempting to make it faster, more powerful again makes it what it ain't meant to be. I really, truly, hope that Enfield don't go down the road of "improving," it beyond what it is.
It's enough, and enough is good enough.
In 8+ years of running the W800 page on Facebook, probably the most asked question was, "What's the best way of getting more speed?" When interrogated, most people who asked this had never reached the top speed of their W, and lived in countries where the legal speed limit was 70 mph or less.
In truth, you could get quite a bit more power than the 49bhp standard output, but it changed the characteristics of the bike considerably. ie it wasn't what it was meant to be. It was a totally different bike. A bit like how a Triumph Bonneville 1200 is now far heavier, more powerful, and a totally different bike to the original Hinckley 790 that was designed to be a logical step on from the Meriden T140V. The 120s are superb bikes, but "Bonnies" they ain't.
It's something encouraged by erstwhile media like MCN claiming that the 94 bhp Africa Twin they tested didn't really have enough "oomph" for two up riding.
It's why the manufacturers sell sportsbikes, even the 600s that won't hit the sweet spot in their power bands in first gear before well in excess of 70 mph.
It has been a bit of a personal enlightenment, dropping back from a larger capacity motorbike onto a sub 200cc scooter. However, on the brief motorway rides I've done on it, it keeps up, and it overtakes safely. When traffic speeds up to an 80 mph average I'd rather sit it out these days.
The point of this rambling is that the Himalayan is kind of in its own niche. There really isn't anything else quite like it. Attempting to make it faster, more powerful again makes it what it ain't meant to be. I really, truly, hope that Enfield don't go down the road of "improving," it beyond what it is.
It's enough, and enough is good enough.
Really ? Best way to get value for money out of an Enfield, is ride the wheels off it. Oh, and I got a 650 twin for the day to play on. What a revelation that was. Puts just about any other retro bike I've ridden to shame. Sure it's budget, but what a load of fun I had on twisty back roads. It's smooth, flexible, superb handling, everything worked just right (for me) I bought a Guzzi V7 Cafe Classic when they first came out, and it was truly a horrible bike, the 650 GT is everything the Fuzzy Guzzi should have been.