A morning in "Little Madras", Melbourne...hehh??

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
They call it Chennai now...
The place, where a legend lives... something that started life over 100 years ago in the UK, at the start of motorization...and mobility of the masses.
They still make it pretty much the same way it was done 70 years ago...and to me Chennai, India will remain Madras to the day I'll pop the clogs...screw the new-agers.


A spur-of-the-moment thing, a Saturday morning that somehow was free of shopping, weekly chores and the usual running-around.

"I REALLY wanna have a look at that little Himalayan400, where the hell can I find one?"
A quick ring-around found a few on the floor at the Royal Enfield Australian HQ in Richmond, Melbourne.
Which is also a pretty recent addition to the slowly growing number of dedicated Royal Enfield-only stores around the globe.

And lemme tellsya....if there's a SINGLE drop of old-school-motorcycling blood in your veins, you will NOT get out of this joint for lunch. In fact, they'll have to drag you away by your hair, or ears... or something.

It's simply the most "comfortable" bike-shop I've been to over the last 30 years. It's simply.....SIMPLE, spacious, classic, enough oil+rubber smell to make you walk around and around ...and around again. No pressure, no bulldust, no shitty Espressos from the Yuppie- counter.

This is clean, airy, no frills, no push, high-competence... and genuine old-school motorcycle grunt to the bone marrow.
If your bike-life easily mixes black fingernails, filthy bandaids on bloodblisters and thumping Singles with superbly crafted and finished Blackwood counters and coffee-tables, leather-covered RE helmets and canvas/ leather riding gloves.... get your arse across to: :clap::clap::lao:lao

MID LIFE CYCLES
28 Cremorne St
Cremorne/ Richmond VIC 3121
PH: 03 9421 3765


While bike-compliant in Madras...

EnfieldMel1a.JPG



it's not quite ATGATT around Melbourne.....and who cares, really?

The Himalayan turns out quite an "adult" bike in size and dimensions, despite the 400cc single.
In short...it's COMFORTABLE with a capital-C. EVERYTHING bloody fits and falls to hand.
Standard kit are:

Braided brake lines both ends
Alu-Bashplate (absolutely sufficient to jack the bike up for servicing...or beach the donk on a log/ rock at 40kmh due to being a cradle frame with full tubes underneath the engine)
Centre-stand
30 second access to battery and air-filter
low-placed oil-drain plugs for fast oil changes, oil-screen filter removable within 20 secs/ 2 bolts
ALL bolts on the bike are metric hex heads...no crappy Phillips and stupid Torx etc
Factory rear rack
Factory rear pannier frames mounting lugs
Common + cheap H4 headlight globe
Very comprehensive instrumentation incl. fuelgauge, clock, twin trip meters etc etc
21/17 wire wheels on BEEFY 3mm stainless steel spokes
S/S exhaust (header +separate can)
removable rubber footpeg inserts on cleated steel pegs....brake + gear levers are flat steel (easy to fix with basic tools in case of damage).
Factory mounting points + lugs for various types of crashbars
Top racks at front designed to carry fuel+water containers
OEM-Tyres are Indian CEAT (Pirelli made in India)
Seat removal with ignition key, no tools needed... allows access to tools/battery and air-filter from top.
The list never stops the longer one looks...


In short...what the little Himalayan might lack in "sophistication-hooray" and hi-tech flim flam is made up for 3 times over in practical and service features by its engineering-fathers ....and would drive the Husky TR-design-monkeys to suicide within 10 minutes of looking at it :doh::doh:
It's just....BRILLIANT!
No hi-tech, no FI, no HP, no grunt/kick/giga-Brembos and 2 dozen riding modes....but all + everything needed to function as a good+honest ADV-bike is there.....OEM+stock!! No extra $$ for basic "bling" needed...it's already there!

All in a $7k ride-away package.
That also keeps both feet on the ground due to the low seat-height +shape.

Can't wait to ride this little sucker!! :clap::clap:


More pics coming...
 

ozav8r

Tour Pro
Can't wait to ride this little sucker!! :clap::clap:
Look forward to hearing if your enthusiasm holds after you have (hopefully) managed to control the entire stable of 24 1/5 horses:woot: It looks very cool, I freely admit and as you say - it is most probably an incredibly easy bike to live with:so
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Really.... :clap:

Now that would be a first for me......

Mate...go and have a squiz at this, I'm sure you'd LOVE it!
Actually...you and K1W1 are about the same height, he' wandered through the door 10 mins after Goodie and I got there.
Check with him.
While the seat height on paper might not look that much different to other bikes, the shape and overall fit are as any bike-seat should be shaped ( if a bit soft, maybe).
They really got their shit together!
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Look forward to hearing if your enthusiasm holds after you have (hopefully) managed to control the entire stable of 24 1/5 horses:woot: It looks very cool, I freely admit and as you say - it is most probably an incredibly easy bike to live with:so

Credit where credit is due...those guys have done a fantastic job in creating something that covers an incredibly extensive set of items and came up with a product that's one hell of a bargain in a package that really "shouldn't be".

If that bike hangs together ok for a number of years and comfortably gets to a top-speed sufficient to overtake a truck at full tilt on a Fwy...while keeping its "dirt"-promises (and the chassis is supposedly designed by Harris/ UK)...it's all good in my book... and the KLR will get the flick.
 

Hytram

<-- now went that way
It's simply the most "comfortable" bike-shop I've been to over the last 30 years. It's simply.....SIMPLE, spacious, classic, enough oil+rubber smell to make you walk around and around ...and around again. No pressure, no bulldust, no shitty Espressos from the Yuppie- counter.

you have to get down here

http://newatlas.com/antique-motorcycles-moorabbin-melbourne/47482/

had a look the other day, freakin WOW :glu :glu

Mid Life Cycles, been meaning to drop in there for a while now, but always driven past it thinking it a Rich man's Cafe racer type of place


as for the Himalayan, if it didn't have the Royal Enfield Romanticism to it they would already be stacked 10 at the tip. 200kg wet, 24.5hp and Indian reliability? It's going to be one one hell of adventure!!

that's Postie bike Power to weight!!

but the postie bike, and that's a proven winner, who though such a bike should be so good?


give me a WR250R :endu
same price, 6 more HP, 60kg less and real suspension


but I do get it... I really do :chug:


and with Victorian speed limits soon to be 60kmh across the board, these could be the next big thing... to ride them to stack them 10 high at the tip :bees:
 

Sir Francis

Displaced person
Credit where credit is due...those guys have done a fantastic job in creating something that covers an incredibly extensive set of items and came up with a product that's one hell of a bargain in a package that really "shouldn't be".

If that bike hangs together ok for a number of years and comfortably gets to a top-speed sufficient to overtake a truck at full tilt on a Fwy...while keeping its "dirt"-promises (and the chassis is supposedly designed by Harris/ UK)...it's all good in my book... and the KLR will get the flick.

And there in lies the rub.

The sexy Conti GT was balls to the wall trying to stay in front of Melb traffic and that's the high Performance 29hp engine.....

Safer better b cheaper to stick with a used k-lar 650

I stopped by A1 today the SWM are comfortably off my radar now.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member

Gulppp!!



Mid Life Cycles, been meaning to drop in there for a while now, but always driven past it thinking it a Rich man's Cafe racer type of place

If you're not into "this RE-thing".... it doesn't matter, I guess.



that's Postie bike Power to weight!!
but the postie bike, and that's a proven winner, who though such a bike should be so good?

Bingo!!
Looking back at how much fun we've had with "The Midgets" (@ ~110kg and a laughable 7.5hp through a semi-auto-clutch) those 24.5hp seem just about like overkill. :bs

Seriously though...in the real world and @184kg wet incl. most of the bling we tend to bolt onto "our super-lightweights!!" (like the screen/ctr. stand/rear rack/ bashplate/ etc.....it's actually not all that far out of the ballpark for it's engine size!! Considering details, it's on a par with the KLE500!:eek::clap: (with the practical details a mile ahead).

But just like the AJP/ SWM newcomers of late, I'm NOT convinced of backup/ longevity/warranties/ residual values etc etc




I stopped by A1 today the SWM are comfortably off my radar now.


Thoughts?


Reckon I'll be sticking with my DRZ. :thumbs:

Good choice :clap:...just not quite the tourer/ lugger for the longer trips.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Himalayan 400....
Not just a stock-item, but also ridiculously easy to use :clap:
Ctr. stand


EnfieldMel23.JPG


Behind the exhaust-shield....clamp for a cheap+easy slip-on muffler.

Practical...oil-level check and simple steel brake-lever with biiig contact-pad.
Tucked in line to oil-cooler, easy spark plug access. Air-screw at carb for easy access, side cover hides the battery.

EnfieldMel25.JPG



Braided brake lines, fork gaitors

EnfieldMel26.JPG


Oil-cooler and double-cradle frame with integrated bashplate, this thing can take a whack in the guts without flinching.



EnfieldMel27.JPG



Steel braces to attach extra fuel or water containers...or just some soft-bags.


EnfieldMel28.JPG



Alloy-cast fork-brace



EnfieldMel29.JPG



Seen any cheap+shitty Phillips-head screws yet?
Right!
 
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