You'll tear your breeches!

[Talon]

I’ve been researching the Himalayan recently . It gets very good reviews . The only thing that goes against it for me is it’s relatively low powered . I’d prefer a bit more oomph for overtaking if it was my daily ride . As a green lane / bug out bike though it looks superb and very capable . After driving a BMW car recently I’d be hard pushed to try their bikes . I hope you have fun on the Enfield Mort. My next bike will be a Bonneville .If I ever get to the stage where I can afford a secondary bike for bug out or general fun I’ll be picking up a Himalayan .

[Mortblanc]

Think about it this way Talon,

For the price of the Bonneville you can buy a RE Himalayan and a RE Interceptor 650!!

There are several firms that are producing performance gear for the Himy at this point, including one firm that is producing a piggyback ECU that reprograms the 400cc motor to unleash the power that is actually built into the machines and stifled by the EU smog regulations. There is a lot more power in the engine than the listed numbers.

[Midnitemo]

i wondered why they went for such a modest output , i should think 28 to 30bhp should be easily attainable , my only concern would be losing the low end torque by chasing the top end horsepower....we've seen it time and again with tuning , they can become peaky and less fun to ride except when you're screwing the nuts of it and that's only a small percentage of it's usual usage.

[Mortblanc]

I believe that the controlled output of that engine is to match one of the license restrictions on horsepower/age/experience you folks have.

There is no other reason for a 400cc engine to produce the same hp output as a 250cc bike. Choking the output might allow people with a lower rated license to use the bike.

I am not sure about that but it has been my suspicion.

People outside the UK are getting big power jumps by changing the exhaust and using the aftermarket ECU. That is one of the beauties of computerized ignition, you can dial in the specs you want with a computer.

I know they choke the little 50cc scooters and 125cc bikes to death to keep them inside the regulations.

It may be that if they tune it to get another 15-20 hp it flies over the allowed EU emissions standards.

I do know that my bike will run 80 mph rather than the 65-70 claimed by most of the cycle press. I can cruise at 65 all day long. So far my riding has been on the back roads of Kentucky, which almost qualifies as a third world nation and has road surfaces like those that the bike was designed for, in India, so lack of passing power has not affected me.

I know they choke the little 50cc scooters and 125cc bikes to death to keep them inside the regulations.

BTW, your 125 bikes are better than our 125 bikes! You get as much HP out of your 125cc machines as we do from 250cc bikes. You have a better selection available too!

Since we do not have a graduated license system or age restrictions for the most part 125cc bikes are not required as a step in the process and they are not allowed on our high speed motorways, so they are not popular over here. Most people start on some small dirt bike in the back yard, back field or motocross track, and as soon as they get their license they are on a full sized bike of 250cc or larger.

Things have changed a lot since I was a kid and now people refer to 650cc monsters a "starter bikes".

[Midnitemo]

The biggest stumbling block with the motor is being 2 valve not 4 valve as regards tuning for more power , absolute performance would require more air to flow , one inlet valve isn't going to be ideal , looks like Enfield designed it to be a lugger rather than a charger from the get go , performance off road bikes of similar capacity make around 50 or so bhp but they are liquid cooled 4 and in yamaha's case 5 valve designs with massive throttle bodies . liquid cooling allows for tighter tolerances leading to higher compression , these machines are pure bred race bikes and not really much use to you , if it were mine i might try a slight upgrade on the ecu and perhaps an aftermarket muffler that's a bit lighter and less restrictive but that's as much as i think i'd do , perhaps aim for another 4 or 5 ponies......i am envious of the low down torque , my BM needs a fistfull of revs to pull away cleanly without stalling and it is finnicky about being in the right gear.

[Midnitemo]

The UK engine restrictions are currently 125cc not exceed 15bhp but there is a power to weight ratio involved so sports 125's like the yamaha yzf 125 are 14.6 hp because they are not heavy enough but a couple of others which are cruiser/adventure types are the full 15bhp , most normal 125's are 10 to 13bhp , the next stage of restriction is an a2 licence which restricts you to 47 bhp until you take a further test for unlimited bhp , prior to the 47bhp limit we had a 33bhp limit for newly qualified bikers that lasted for 2 years after passing on a 125cc then you became unlimited with no further test required.

[Midnitemo]

oops i did it again....Britney wasn't it? no seriously whilst in for a warranty claim on my Africa twin(new wheels front and rear as Honda neglected to build them with stainless spokes and nipples first time around) i spied the most amazing condition Honda ANF 125 on a 2002 registration , 17 years old and it looked brand new , turns out it had languished unloved in its crate at the back of the warehouse til last year , it has 175 miles on the clock and i am now the second registered keeper , didn't need it but i had to have it , another prepper bike that would be more easily operated by a non biker , its pre catalytic converters and pre fuel injection so no fuel pump.....simple as a simple thing with great build quality.