RE Service Camp with The Himalayan Tribe

THT has been my man-Friday for anything related to my Yeti, the Himalayan. Two weeks ago, THT and Royal Enfield met up at Borivali Service Center for a training camp. Unfortunately I missed that. During the question answer session, the discussion turned to issues everyone faces.

Yeti about to be stripped down

Taking a stone from the rock solid guys who were there, RE worked out details and collaborated with THT for a service camp. The date was 5th of Feb, 2017. And I had my clock ticking. And tongue watering. I had many issues with my Himalayan, and could not wait for the day.

Mechanic Mohsin working on a #montuned Himalayan. Picture copyrights Pooja Sahni © 2017 Waiting in anticipation! RE Himlayans parked outside Ishna Wheels. Picture copyrights Pooja Sahni © 2017 Ishna Wheels, the bay. Picture copyrights Pooja Sahni © 2017

The Himalayan Tribe is big!

The day started at 6.30 am for me, a quick bath and couple of calls later, I was joined by Saurab Choughule, a fellow Dombivalikar at 7 am. And off we went, reaching the venue at 8.45 am joined by 12 more riders on the way. It is fun to ride the same make model bikes together – the jaws were dropping on the road.

The first thing I noticed up on arrival was the banner! A co-branded banner put up by Royal Enfield had THT logo! I could not believe it, and so did so many of us. It is a first for RE to do that, as long as all our memories put together. Soon, everyone one was given tokens to bring their bikes in back to back. Mechanics specializing in Himalayan were called from service centers across Mumbai to be present at Ishna Wheels Service Center with 12 bikes were worked on at any time.

The Service Camp & #montune

RE anticipated 30 to 45 bikes to drop in, but almost double the number showed up. At last count, they were 78! THTians volunteered with queuing up vehicles, moving them around and with refreshments etc. Bigger draw for many was to get #montuned. Now for the unintended, to be #montuned is to get your Himalayan engine tuned by Monish Patel, a.k.a. Monty. This guy is a gem. He was instrumental in getting RE to arrange for this service camp, and we had a RE guy from Chennai headquarters visiting us at the camp.

He tore his knee ligaments (mind you, all of ’em) a week before at THT’s off-roading event in Rajmachi. And he was right there, in all his flesh to continue to do what he does the best – tuning Himalayans. On his four wheels and one chair, he was flanked by his equally passionate wife.

Passion is all the fuel that was needed to have this burst of energy, and brotherhood to bond. So much that RE RSM Mr. Dhaval went on saying “We could not have done this without you guys!“. And his word meant something.

Volunteer, and Passion

You can talk about things, and then you can do things. I for one, never opted to volunteer. But at the scene, Satyakam, a Champion in making friends, was quick to tag me as one. There were more than 20 of us who volunteered. We were helping with creating Job Cards, queuing vehicles, calling out names at their top of voices, lifting vehicles, managing traffic outside the Service Center ally, getting food, running errands, you name it and we have done it.

Passion is all the fuel that was needed to have this burst of energy, and brotherhood to bond. So much that RE RSM Mr. Dhaval went on saying “We could not have done this without you guys!“. And his word meant something.

The Service and Spares

It was 4’o clock in the evening when my bike was queued up to repair set of issues and I had one too many (took 3 hours to get most of it done). Starting with the clutch and gear shift issues, the one that took the longest. RE had ordered for 50 sets of clutch assemblies, however something south of 30 only arrived. Which meant that many who hoped to have resolved their gear shift and clutch issues would go home without resolution. But let me tell you something, if you have a Himalayan, you better get the assembly upgraded for free, under warranty from the nearest service center… it makes your gears BUTTER SMOOTH!!!

Yeti Stripped down

I had broken my rear mudguards, without an accident and hence got them replaced. RE Himalayan has three attachments for the rear – one is the metal piece, second is a plastic one where the number plate is attached and the third is a light on the number plate – all three had to be replaced.

I discussed and showed my rear tire to both the ASM and TSM about the cut due to a puncture. I had issues with the degradation (thank you F1, to teach us about degradation) and the cut given how thick the tire is. My original request to replace the tire under warranty at Pooja Motors, Dombivli was rejected. However at the camp, it was promptly approved – and I was told that my request was originally approved as the ASM recollected it being approved by himself. This baffled me, and I am sure this will be spoken about during the meetings internally held. I ended up getting a brand new tire, and a tube (and helped a fellow THTian get one for himself as well).

Then when it was time to put everything together back again, I took a look at the oil. Oil had gone really bad to think it was only 2000 kms old. Told this to the ASM and he promptly checked the last oil change in the data base – validated if I was right – and asked oil change to be done for free!

I had an issue with tappet noise on my Himalayan. It was being addressed in the service center, however it comes back again after 200 to 300 kms. So at the camp again, I asked them to look at it. While the mechanic attempted it again, I was not satisfied. Again, the ASM Mr. Dhaval was super quick to add “I will get the new engine head delivered to your nearest service center this week, you can get it replaced there this weekend”. You know, I never expected that!!

Got #montuned

As I already said, getting your Himalayan tuned by Monty Patel is the best thing to happen to Himalayan since its launch. The engine pick up has gone up drastically, and there is a huge difference in all gears. Coupled with the change in clutch assembly, the ride has absolutely transformed into something awesome. Cannot thank Monish enough for everything. From getting the group together, getting RE to set up this camp and to his now famous tuning to fellow THTians for free! This man has deservedly received tons of appraise and love from all THTians.

The Dude Monish ‘Monty’ Patel… someone edited this picture that was received as a forward. I can credit the original pic where it is due, if someone can point me in that direction.

A fellow THTian, Lifestealer, has compiled a video about this experience and here it is for you! You can subscribe to his channel to get regular updates on his voyages, tips and tricks about RE Himalayan. Savor the moment, look at the reactions and feedback from those who made it to the camp!

Thanks Royal Enfield!

Last, but definitely not the least, let me thank all of those who were involved from Royal Enfiend and Ishna Wheels whose support was absolutely critical in getting this camp organized and a success!

It is a wrap! Let me know what you think about this in comments below. If you are interested in being part of THT, please let me know via the comments below. Of course, subject to you owning a Royal Enfield Himalayan.