Scotland, Vincents and a classic movie

What better way to tour than on a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle?

 This summer's vacation in the western isles of Scotland left me with a taste for Scottish heather ale and new respect for riders of vintage British motorcycles. 

I personally didn't ride; I drove, enough of a challenge for an American getting used to staying left and shifting with my left  hand. 

Still, I was filled with wonder at the wonderful (narrow!) roads of the island of Mull and the sight of two Vincent motorcycles in the colorful port of Tobermory on Mull. 

This was quite a summer vacation for a resident of Florida. It was a big change going from a place of oppressive summertime sun to a place where any sunshine at all is a welcome godsend. 

Rain didn't prevent this Vincent from taking to the road.

A special treat was making our way to spots on Mull used in the making of the 1945 movie "I Know Where I'm Going," staring Roger Livesey and Wendy Hiller.

If you've seen this classic movie, you know that it also stars the awesome Highland geography of Scotland and the wild sea that surrounds Mull.

Driving through that geography means miles on end of single-track roads, diving into occasional pull-outs to avoid on-coming traffic. If no pullout is close you may have to back up to find one.

The single-track roads we encountered on our vacation seemed just as narrow as they were in the 1945 movie!

Walking along a single-track road on the island of Mull.

"You're TOO CLOSE on my side," my wife would shout.

"I'm too close on my side, too," I'd respond.

There was no room to spare, and here we were driving one of the smallest cars Americans have seen: a Fiat 500.

Respect for people who do this daily.

And respect, too, for the riders of the Vincent motorcycles we saw, and not only because of the roads. The weather was a factor too.

"You'll have to wipe the rain off the seat," a wife advised a rider preparing to mount.

Vincent on tour, in Tobermory, island of Mull, Scotland.

But, oh, the glorious melodic sound of that Vincent V-twin as the he rode off.

I could develop a taste for that sound.

First, though, I'd like to quench a different taste developed in Scotland: for Scottish heather ale. The whiskey is fine, but the heather ale is heavenly.

Sizing up the new Himalayan 450

At 6-foot-2, with size 13 boots, Jalopnik's Bradley Brownell rode the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 all day.

 Royal Enfield officially unleashed its new Himalayan 450 adventure bike to the U.S. on trails near Park City, Utah. With an MSRP starting at $5,999, initial reviews were enthusiastic. Very. 

I've already featured Jonathon Klein's rave review in RideApart after he rode the Himalayan 450. 

Here are additional excerpts from those first reviews and from Royal Enfield's own announcement. 

"This is a machine that will fit right into any garage and onto any North American road or trail, combining rugged capability with refined design to ensure our riders don’t just conquer their journey—they’ll dominate it." Nathan Kolbe, Head of Marketing for the Americas Region, Royal Enfield

At 5' 4" Staci Wilt of Ride to Food found the Himalayan 450 fit her. 

"The Himalayan 450 is very approachable for shorter-statured riders like myself (I’m 5’4” with a 30” inseam), having a 32.5 – 33.3″ adjustable standard seat height. There’s also a low-seat option available, which I did not have the option to test out. I’m not flat-footed, but I can easily get one foot on the ground with the standard seat in the low position. The Himalayan 450’s seat is also quite narrow compared to the larger ADVs I’ve ridden, which does help." Staci Wilt, Ride to Food

"I liked this bike a lot, and I even liked the tires—but if I was planning to ride off-pavement with this machine, I’d replace them quickly, to avoid the rapidly-heading-one-direction–then-rapidly-heading-another-direction experience. Aside from that, the little niggles can mostly be forgiven because of the price tag of $5,799 in the U.S. At least, I think so. That price tag is in the same ballpark as the Honda CRF300 Rally, Kawasaki KLR650 and Suzuki DR650, and on paper, the Royal Enfield offers more than those machines—except years of reliability on the record." Zac, Adventure Rider

Rob Brooks of RoadDirt finds the Himalayan 450 "beautiful."

"What really impressed me was the confidence that this motorcycle instilled in me. We were ripping through some dirt trails at pretty high speeds. We even took on some technical sections of steep uphill and downhill riding. We crossed through mud that was as slippery as ice, and not once did the Himalayan feel unsettling, or unmanageable." Jared Solomon, TopSpeed

"The bike easily cruised at 75 mph as we rolled up on a tanker. I didn’t think the ride leader would pass the truck, seeing as our group was large, but away he went. A downshift to fifth was necessary, but the Himalayan eagerly accelerated to 85 mph, and the pass was stress-free. I would later discover that with my 5’11” frame at 161 pounds, the bike topped out at 96 mph." Seiji Ishii, Gear Junkie

Notice that the Himalayan 450 is doing this on street tires.

"Another major highlight of the new 450 is its full color Tripper dash, a 4-inch round TFT display that looks like it was pulled from a bike twice the Himalayan’s asking price. We felt the display did a great job of putting all the most important bits front and center (speed, tach, gear indicator, and fuel level) while removing any unnecessary info-clutter from the equation." Kurt Spurlock, Motorcyclist

"The Himalayan is just a touch over 400 pounds, while a new BMW R 1300 GS Adventure weighs in at 593! This is a light and manageable bike on the trail, and when you inevitably drop the damn thing in the muddy rain, you won’t need a helper to lift it back up." Bradley Brownell, Jalopnik

Here, from Big Rock Moto, is how the Royal Enfield Himalayan stacks up against single-cylinder adventure bikes from competitors:

A more comprehensive chart is on Big Rock Moto video.

Here, also from Big Rock Moto, is the most comprehensive U.S. YouTube review I found of the Himalayan 450. This video actually demonstrates how easy it is to pick up the Himalayan 450 after a fall!

He said THAT about the Himalayan 450?

One moto-journalist fell hard for the Himalayan 450 off-roader.

 Jorge Pullin was right. Telling potential customers they are "idiots" if they pass up the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is an unusual way to praise a motorcycle you tested. 

Jonathon Klein sampled the Himalayan 450 on treacherous trails in Utah, and concluded this: 

"Seriously, if you buy a new adventure motorcycle that isn't a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 in the year of our dark lord 2024, you're a moron. It may just well be perfect. At least, that's how I feel after flogging the ever-living hell out of it and not finding a single flaw." 

His lengthy review appeared in RideApart. 

It is noteworthy because, as he relates, he at first doubted the Royal Enfield had much to offer adventure riders. 

"'It's a scrambler for folks that want to cosplay as adventurers,' I whispered to myself as I looked over the bike in the conference room. "

He then uses an expletive to admit how wrong he was about that.

A big reason from his opinion, Klein explains, is the Himalayan 450's price tag.

Royal Enfield formally introduced the Himalayan 450 in the U.S. on Aug. 25, 2024, in four different colors varying in MSRP from $5,799 to 6,099. Two more options, one including tubeless tires, will come later.

See your dealer for details. But, first, read Klein's rave review for inspiration.