I Put the NEW Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 to the Test On and Off Road in Utah

[@DorkintheRoad]

Rocky Mountain ATV/MC: bit.ly/3tYzpXq Flying Eyes: flyingeyesoptics.superfiliate.com/DORKINTHEROAD (save 10% with promo code "dorkintheroad") Amazon: amzn.to/3aDkk4z Revzilla: imp.i104546.net/4eMdJZ MotoCamp Nerd: motocampnerd.com/?ref=dork Cyclops Adventure Lighting: www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/?AffId=15 (save 15% with promo code "dorkintheroad) Save 20% on an OnX Offroad Premium or Elite membership with promo code "dorkintheroad" www.onxmaps.com/offroad/app Save 20% on Gaia GPS Premium with this link: www.gaiagps.com/discounts/?fp_ref=dork

[@roysteves]

Seems like the Ibex450 may have some advantages... glad you're testing bikes in this category! We short, light riders need to know! Thanks to RE for inviting Ben! I wasn't really paying attention to this bike's buzz till now, so the invite did its job. :)

[@bravofighter]

I love your honesty, your humility, and the fact that you promote your peers in a way that celebrates their strengths…while others would see them as competition, you see them as peers, and it’s an asset of your character.

[@JagLite]

It is also easy to fry the clutch in that kind of mud because it packs on top of the swingarm and jams the rear wheel. Many who have done never knew the mud was there, only that the bike seemed to struggle and didn't have much power. Until the clutch was fried and then they had no power. It is something to watch for when riding in gumbo sticky mud. On any bike.

[@olddirtbiker5088]

Yes, that is what happened to Noraly (Itchy Boots) in some African mud.

[@alozborne]

At 7:30: "Ian, Ian - I'm just going to tell people you crashed." 🤣

[@ArbitraryLifestyle]

A simple thing, but I love that you put up thumbnails of each person when you mentioned them around 2:15

[@DevDog67]

So, just wanted to let you know. Got a used KLX300 a year ago based on your reviews. It's been amazing. Just completed my second big ride this weekend. The Extreme southern route of Adv Palooza hosted by MOKAN ADV. I'm far past addicted now and am so glad I got into this sport. I've met lots of cool new people, made some really good friends, and am building a new skillset. Absolutely love riding now and can't believe I hadn't started doing this sooner.

[@ThePattyRick]

Had an absolute blast with you and the rest of the gang! Cant wait til next time!

[@Roam_Wild]

We picked up ours 2 days ago! Got pretty much all the RE accessories for it in the mail already, just need some new tires and to get out to ride!! Going to rip the new Georgia BDR route first!

[@lukegordon7200]

@@Roam_Wild you will be surprised with the oem tires

[@Issac-c1s]

@@Roam_Wild could you possibly let me know how much you paid including shipping and handling and all the other things I’m trying to figure out what the walk out price is

[@emilioschouten1843]

Hope you enjoyed Utah! I am born and raised here, your videos helped be choose my first bike. KLX300 2021 Thanks for the help!

[@greenrush4313]

your welcome

[@americandude3825]

Love the way they look. Lots of riding to be done around salt lake. Loooooots of bikes.

[@notsoupmoto]

Congrats on the press event! very informative and well put together video

[@nscott26]

Loving the Callahan Auto Parts T-shirt!

[@JoeImburgia]

The editing and production of this video is very well done. Great job, Ben!

[@Ghostrider-71]

Great review. I saw a Royal Enfield in Palomar CA and had never heard of RE. RE has quite a history! Thank you for posting.

[@Penultimate_P]

I appreciate the gear/bike reviews as it's nice to get your opinions BUT are we going to get more moto-camp content? The 'off-season' moto camping videos are what got me hooked on your channel in the first place! Thanks for all you do!

[@prajnaseek]

Yeah! I want this bike! Thank you for the great video!

[@joellikness2121]

PLEAAAAAASE give us the direct comparo between the ibex and the himalayan! The RE wasn't really on my radar, but now I'm down to choosing between the two.

[@AzPauly]

check out The Fuzzy Biker, he's put like 10k miles on one since late August..I'm also torn..waiting for more comparo's..

[@joellikness2121]

@AzPauly yeah I subscribed to his channel, he is absolutely in love with his. I think overall I'm leaning Himmy, but that 270 degree twin in the Ibex is such a sweet sounding little ripper. And as much as I want to be pragmatic, sound really plays into it.

[@AzPauly]

@@joellikness2121 My Vstrom has a 270 crank an I love it, but it's WAY to heavy and low for anything more than a forest road, I'm still skeptical that a 450 anything can hang with western states open road traffic comfortably for prolonged periods...Fuzzy seems to think so, but I don't travel as light as he seems to..I've done the 650 thumpers-but for me they are miserable after a few hours on the road...

[@steelshooter2289]

looks like I'm not the only one that wants a comparison between this and the Ibex 450

[@GenX80sKid]

Every time I see your intro, 5 minutes later I find myself on Amazon looking for NES systems with Excite Bike pre loaded onto the console...only to return to your video after I see the insane prices being asked for classic NES mini's. Damn I miss that game.

[@advredbikes]

Thanks Ben for that awesome review nice that you got invited to the press launch of that bike and got a lot of time in the saddle. Question does it come with a larger windshield that you know of? Thank you. Looking forward to your next video.

[@luvnotvideos]

Now that you've ridden both, how does the the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 compare versus the CRF Ibex 450?

[@AliM-jp8bg]

Great review - Thanks

[@TobotronPrime]

ridden this bike in the UK, fantastic apart from a bit heavy and those tyres, for the UK off-road you HAVE to change the tyres over else you’re not getting anywhere - knobblies on and it’s fantastic in the mud

[@powmanmoto]

Curious to see your and Ian's take on this versus the new CB500x/NX500.

[@cloud9847]

Dork, hope you see this comment because I need guidance lol. What do you think about the tent system "wingman of the road - Goose". It's a full enclosed system that rolls up and straps down on the back of the bike. I don't see anyone using them but that could be for various reasons.

[@Zhaganashi]

If I had cool products, I’d invite you to every press launch 🙌

[@biswajitbarik1724]

The fender stack was good

[@AdventureAryck]

Great job ❤

[@CraigSmith568]

Curious to hear your opinion on how this compares to the CF Moto 450.

[@TheDogDad]

I want the Dorkster to make a versus video

[@pashnit]

Been waiting for Dork and Ian both to post comparo. Ian is from my area in socal

[@hershchat]

What do you guys not get? China, the country (not the people, who’re great!) is the enemy. Might as well buy exploding pagers. DO NOT PATRONIZE CHINEZE PRODUCTS!

[@urielrgoncalves]

He did a review about the 450 MT a few weeks ago 👍

[@CraigSmith568]

@@urielrgoncalves Yes, but now I want to see how they think they compare to one another.

[@SumPixelz]

3:15 you didn’t think it was worth mentioning that Keanu Reeves was there!!??😮

[@untamedsmiles1338]

Thank you

[@nathanc.6594]

Watching the closing shot of the front of the Royal Enfield it looked as thought one of the bolts for the headlight had come loose. The headlight was bouncing/slash flopping more that I would have expected to see. Did anyone else notice that? It appears that the right side bolt may have fallen out at some point. I can't tell for sure.

[@THE-SHOP]

I have the old 411 I soooo want one of these in the black and gold.

[@johotnanbron8999]

Congrats on your first press launch and the room with a porch,😂!

[@MikeyBikesIt]

Just started watching the channel and dig it so far. Have you ever said how tall you are and what your inseam is? As a shorter guy the seat height on a lot of these sort of scares me away from them.

[@sociopathmercenary]

The BMW G/F650 has a reasonable seat height and those rotax motors are good for a long time. I generally look for bikes that are about 10 years old that are garage queens and have less than 10,000 mi. My budget is usually in the $4000 - 6000 range.

[@nvrmor023]

He's like 5'2" and 380#

[@ne-adv]

Ian, the CFMOTO 450MT, in Australia, they are seeing the subframe filling with water and then rusting rapidly from inside out. The one reviewer doesn't even take the bike off road, but did ride on pavement in the rain. Apparently, it doesn't drain. I'd have mentioned it to Ben, but he's so in love with the IBEX, I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I know Big Rock will take a look.

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

@@ne-adv it’s not the subframe or frame. It the mounting brackets for the skid plate. The FRAME is not getting water inside of it from the photos and videos I have seen.

[@alexjohnson3696]

@@ne-adv this is really inaccurate information. It’s not the subframe at all but a mounting bracket. As soon as CFMOTO became aware of the issue they rectified it. The bike I picked up 3 weeks ago had drainage holes in place

[@ne-adv]

@@alexjohnson3696 Okay. I would suggest waiting for about five years to see what else they missed, forgot, didn't think of. Kawasaki didn't foresee the doohicky. Suzuki didn't foresee the neutral sending unit. What else did CFMoto forget?

[@tin_man9]

Hemi in black for me just picked it up

[@kevinsterner9490]

So glad you got to your first press launch, well deserved. Don’t forget us peons as you move up the ladder of notoriety 😂. Seriously congrats, and good review

[@robbucholtz169]

This was a possibility for me but tbh it's still a thumper. I have a 310GS currently and the vibes drive me crazy. For me, I think the Ibex 450 is the way to go.

[@martyn_g]

Ride it first. The MAD TV guys road one at high speed through the outback, they had no problems with the vibrations. 😊

[@martyn_g]

I also road a DR650 to central Australia- big single, no problems with the vibes.

[@trebep]

So, what would you pick? The Himalayan or the Ibex 450?

[@joshdoddadbod]

Great question

[@alozborne]

Really the only question! I'm betting on the CF Moto, but I think Ian (BigRockMoto) might actually prefer the Himi

[@trebep]

@@alozborne I suspect you are correct. I am leaning CFMoto as it seems it can be ridden a bit more aggressively off-road and where I live, CFMoto dealerships are closer. The Royal Enfield does look pretty sick.

[@NorCalSaint]

@@trebep - What makes you say the CF can be ridden more aggressively? Chris from Bike world mashed the RE on a two day enduro race & it seemed to do very well. Look up "Full Send On The Royal Enfield Himalayan | Rally Time!" if you have not seen it yet

[@slakk5093]

Its a tough call, they are both really good. Some things to consider: CFMoto 450: -smoother parallel twin engine -bigger body work -sit in bike -Better wind protection -Low service interval of 5000km -Adjustable suspension Himi 450: -Better fuel economy -Sit on bike -Less wind protection -Much longer service interval of 10,000KM -Non Adjustable suspension (but very nice setup) Both have similar top speed. Both are nice to stand up on. I have test ridden both for 1hr, went in to the test ride expecting to buy the 450mt but came away from the test ride slightly preferring the 450 himi. I really like the CFMoto for wind protection, but the Himi felt way more balanced at slow speed and had better steering. Did the same slow speed manoeuvres in a parking lot. Himi also nicer to stand on. Now I dont know which one to get haha. Might end up with the Himi due to the longer service intervals

[@domenik8339]

Why is the writing on the dash so small?!?!? They have room to fix it too! What an oversight!

[@raushan4341]

u can select big or small text in setting

[@stefanhansen5882]

Awesome review! Would you also recommend the Himalayan 450 over the CRF300 for a beginner offroad rider (coming from an SV650) who is 175 cm / 75 kg? Thanks!

[@nomading_in]

I'd maybe watch brakemagazines last KZbin feature, which argues the 300 isn't the perfect beginner bike.

[@stefanhansen5882]

@@nomading_in I saw it. Still, he isn't arguing that e.g. the Himalayan 450 would be a better beginner bike.

[@nomading_in]

@@stefanhansen5882 ah nice, and yeah I agree he isn't arguing that directly (although I didn't personally get on with the CRF, that soft suspension is unsettling). One of my first bikes was the last Himalayan, and I'd say that was great for where I was at at the time...the only requirement as a beginner for it I can think of is having strong legs, because you'll find yourself wrestling it upright now and then.

[@Kyrodan022]

If you already had a tiger 900. Would you go down to this bike? You’ve ridden both Dork.

[@starjoke8781]

Hey dork on the road i wanna ride but have never rode a bike before. I have sit on some bike to see if i can even some what have feet touch the ground, so far most bike i have try i can barely touch the ground. The bikes i am thinking of getting when i get my license are the 450 himalayan and dr650, but i try the dr but it was kinda tall for my height, i am about 5'6 or 5'7 not sure exactly but around there. Since the dr is kinda tall for so I was thinking more of 450 himalayan now.

[@EnduroPaul]

Ben, when is the next Friday Night Live? 😢

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

Its really too bad they didn't take this opportunity to get this thing under 400lbs wet. There is something basically wrong with this little adventure bike only being 110lbs lighter than my R1250 GS BMW. Ill keep my old Himalayan 400 as a discussion piece for now. I don't ride it much anymore since building a DRZ.

[@shawnperry5991]

They did cut weight compared to the 411.

[@Catboy-hr2qp]

If you think they can do better why don't you apply to be there engineer? It's not as easy as you think. Plus cg in my opinion is far more important than total weight, a low heavy bike is gonna be better offroad than a higher lighter bike

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

@@Catboy-hr2qp LOL Maybe, my 400 is down to 389 wet. Maybe they should switch to aluminum wheels like Japan did in 1978. ;-)

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

@@shawnperry5991 5-6lbs.

[@ikonoklass]

@@Catboy-hr2qp Yep. It also doesn't have wings or 2-wheel drive. Let's complain about that, too.

[@akiuliano]

Is that a Callahan Auto Parts t-shirt?

[@DouglasRosser]

Round TFT is a little too retro for me, but otherwise a damn appealing motorcycle. EDIT - I have in-laws in Utah, any chance of finding out what routes were taken?

[@DorkintheRoad]

I'd tell you if I knew. I just followed the guy in front of me.

[@olddirtbiker5088]

Ben-How would this compare to the Triumph Scrambler 400X which has the same HP but is perhaps 25 pounds lighter?

[@kittywampus]

First thing people did on the old model was raise that fender. Just pop some spacers in there and it works a lot better. You'd think they would have changed that.

[@DorkintheRoad]

They said 75% of the people who buy this bike rarely take it off road. So most people will never run into the issue.

[@kittywampus]

@@DorkintheRoad LOL there is that

[@jakeviolet2195]

So 75% of their customers are posers? Yikes... I like the bike, but not sure I want to get lumped in with that crowd.

[@slakk5093]

@@jakeviolet2195 same for all ADV bikes. Its just the truth of the segment.

[@The10thManRules]

Get it!

[@Kyrodan022]

Tiger 900 RP or This?

[@defaultuser3410]

Strange that they didn't realize the fender issue when developing the bike, they seemed to have accounted for everything else, like the ABS button for example.

[@jakeviolet2195]

They should have at least made it adjustable, like the Tenere, so you can move it up a notch to make room for knobbies/mud. The RE fender is all one piece with the fork guards, which is a bad design. One of those things I'm sure looked cool on paper, but doesn't work in real life.

[@jessrumblin]

Did you notice the headlight bulb shield/deflector was loose on your tester bike? Hmm QC?…

[@domenik8339]

What QC? RE figures it out later.

[@bugbiteaudio]

So whats the verdict? The CFMOTO Ibex 450 or the Himalayan 450??

[@ctbcab0408]

What’s the aftermarket for RE here in the US?

[@ktmgek]

15:30 Is ure headlight loose?

[@Mark-ou8nu]

Two years later, how does this compare to your modified DRZ 400?

[@kd4yrp]

I’m interested to know your weight and height. I’m 6’2” tall and weight about 245lbs and being a bigger performance can be effected.

[@harshmudgil4140]

Would you pick shotgun 650 over this?

[@matthewlee8917]

Got to ride one last week at Adventure Palooza. Loved it. But to me it’s hideous. Not sure why I just don’t like it.

[@wesbell3628]

How much better is it than a new KLR?

[@dennishughes6793]

Klr650 new around my area with no set up or destination fees 5500 plus tax , that makes it similar or actually cheaper them the RE or cfmoto. Wondering if it makes sense to go with the kawi over unknown quality cfmoto and RE

[@terrarecon]

The KLR650 is solid and reliable. It is however, extremely dated. It's heavier than the RE 450 and more difficult to handle off-road...and pick up if you drop it. Royal Enfield as a company has been pretty good on reliability. I understand your curiosity and whatever choice you make I am sure will be the right one.

[@Slane583]

If these bikes are made for "adventuring" why do they always stick road tires on them? That's like driving around in the winter on icy roads with race slicks, the two don't go together. Axe the road tires, rid of that stupid double fender and put some nice DOT Approved knobby's on it and she's trail worthy IMO. The same goes for the IBEX 450. Get rid of the lame 50/50's and put some decent DOT Approved knobby's on it. If you want it more for road riding you can switch over to some nice tubeless road tires. :)

[@Zhaganashi]

Those low fenders 😂

[@SKgeostrat]

Frankly, good start, but you have a way to go. More structure, more real analysis, less general staements. But, keep going!

[@anthonyperkins6364]

The most asked for Video will be: and we all want to know, how does the RE 450 compare to the CF Moto 450 !!!!

[@ikonoklass]

I heard Ian say it costs $6,000, but I was sure I recalled it costing around $8,000. Checked the website, and sure enough, $6,000 is correct. Did they revise the pricing in light of CF Moto? I was all set to buy an Ibex, but now I'm thinking this might be the better way to go.

[@imonbanerjee2997]

@@ikonoklass no I think it was always 5700

[@terrarecon]

First, thank you for calling this the 'Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.' I keep seeing this mislabeled and it's confusing.

[@mithunkartha]

That fender would be an issue if u r mud bashing.

[@FrankDouglas]

Congratulations on getting to do the Press release. I hate to say it however but I hate what they've done to the looks of this bike.

[@erelat]

Would you all choose this over the Honda CB500/NX500 at ~$1800 more?

[@joshdoddadbod]

Great question

[@macp988]

that honda is surely 10x quality but it's not an offroad bike

[@jakeviolet2195]

You can't ride the Honda on terrain like this. It's a street bike.

[@SomewhereInside]

Plenty of cb500x with crash bars skid plate in Australia that use it off road😮

[@jannis6585]

It works offroad, but more slowly. Its like the Transalp VS Tenere. Both can do it when you want, but you really have to set your riding style. I have the Cb500X. The two Cylinder is great.

[@michaelhayward7572]

Does anybody thrash their bikes within an inch of their lives like its a one day enduro bike? No. These are go anywhere long distance, low mainteance travel bikes.

[@helpfulcommenter]

Looks like a completely different bike from the original. A shame really. Could have just kept making the old one with upgrades and launched a new model with a new name.

[@backcountry4life]

That exhaust is too low

[@jamesonpace726]

Nothing like hearing a greybeard use "sick" as a good thing, but that's where we are now....

[@j0hn22]

Greybeard here. The slang use of "sick" to mean "cool," "awesome," or "good" began gaining popularity in the 1980s. It emerged from youth subcultures, particularly in skateboarding, surfing, and later in snowboarding communities, where it was used to describe impressive tricks or actions. By the 1990s, the term had spread more widely into mainstream usage, particularly through music and street culture, and has since remained a common part of informal slang. Get your own word z-boy.

[@twowheeladventures63]

But that valve check interval . . . and not easy to check like the old one. Most will be taking it to the dealer for that service.

[@TheParaxore]

I've been dabating just getting a built up DR650 instead. Lighter, more clearance and much easier to maintain

[@jakeviolet2195]

One at 6k, one at 12k and another at 24k? That doesn't sound too egregious to me. For most riders, that's once a year. Give you something to do during the winter. Nothing like the CRF450L.

[@twowheeledadventures5615]

⁠@@jakeviolet2195 The CF Moto 450 has its first valve check at 25,000 miles which is likely it’s main competitor. The Tenere 700 has its first check at 25,000 miles. So 6, 12, and 24 is horrible in my opinion for a modern bike. This is not a check like the Himalayan 411 or DR650.

[@chanmoua]

I'm still so sad they ruined the aesthetics of the himalayan

[@Shawn_fast]

I can't get over how ugly it is. But it seems like it would be awesome for newer riders.

[@neilpederson5212]

I really don't like the looks of them. Glad I decided on the cf

[@justinchampion5468]

Hey. As usual, i enjoyed the video, but RE still has a long way to go to earn my money. I mean, for starters, I think the new bike is ugly as heck, and looks far too 'insect-like' for me to want to buy one. Also, At 6:31 - Take a look at the headlamp nacelle! The interior trim is already loose and moving around inside the plastic or glass lens! The same loose trim is visible in other shots. - If RE can't keep the contents of the headlight assembly from separating on a new motorcycle at a presser, how can I be sure of ANY of it's quality hundreds of miles from nowhere? - I'm super-stoked you got to go the press launch, but man RE has a lot of quality problems. - At $4,499? Maybe. At ~$6k+ Forget it.

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

My headlight on my 2022 411 fell apart inside in less then 300 miles, the instrument cluster fogged up about 50 miles later and this is on a bike that's kept in a garage and has never been in the rain. My steering bearings had to be replace in less than 1500 miles, the bike would stall relentlessly with the stock fuel injection, the list goes on. Little things like that is why Id probably never buy another one.