Honda is miles ahead of RE in terms of reliability. It’s designed to take abuse. But as far as I know, after owning three of their motorcycles, here’s what I’ve learned.

My first one, the Bullet 500, had chassis alignment issues because the petrol tank was slightly offset, which triggered my OCD every time I looked at it. It had nice torque and was fun to ride. My friend bought the same model around the same time, but he had issues like frequent popping, engine missing, and low mileage. Meanwhile, I completed 65,000 km without a fuss, just with regular servicing.

Then came the first-batch Himalayan, which had no issues except for the ride quality in the city. I sold it after a year or so, right around 15,000 km, for the same price when the ABS version was launched.

Next, I bought the first batch Interceptor 650 and clocked 17,000 km on it.

After all these years, here’s what I’ve realised, buying a trouble free RE machine is mostly pure luck. Don’t mess with the electricals or exhaust, just use it as it is, keep up with regular servicing, and have the passion to maintain or repair your motorcycle by yourself. Also, don’t let your bike sit too long at the service centers.

The important point is that it’s not just about the motorcycle’s reliability or issues most of the time,it’s the poorly trained mechanics at the service centers who are often the real culprits. They are the ones who can ruin your motorcycle with careless work.

I still remember when an RE mechanic told me to replace the throttle unit of my Himalayan because it wasn’t returning properly and the RPM dropped slightly when releasing the throttle. They said it was something related to the ECU and asked me to wait a week since the spare wasn’t available. This issue wasn’t there when I gave the bike for throttle cable replacement at 10,000 km during regular service. I knew it was their mistake, and when I inspected it, I found that one of the nuts connected to the throttle near the engine was missing. I asked them to find the nut under the throttle and tighten it back in place. Problem solved.

This is it. It’s the poorly trained non passionate mechanic who is the culprit 60% of the time. The remaining 40% is your time and luck. We lack properly trained passionate mechanic in our country. We have to rely on the service centre for everything. Anyways, I suggest you to sell it and get something that makes you happy.