Royal Enfield Himalayan

Introduction

This is the new Himalayan 450, and it’s a bike I don’t need to introduce to you, and that’s mainly for two [Applause] reasons. The first is that it’s one of the most anticipated motorcycles of recent times. The second is that Royal Enfield has done a tremendous job showing the bike to the world.

Himalayan engine

The big question that remains to be answered is what it’s like to ride, and to begin; we have to talk about the elephant in the room: that new motor called the Sherpa 450, which is completely new. The most advanced, most modern engine Royal Enfield has ever made. Here are some of the things that are new on this engine that Royal Enfield has never done before, starting from the top; we have ridden by wire a little further down, we have double overhead camshafts, it’s a 452cc engine it has an 11.5 compression ratio which is a lot higher than the old Himalayan 411 which was about 9.5 if I remember right going into the engine we have an aluminum bar we have a forged piston, and this is now a slightly Short Stroke engine the B is now a little bigger than the stroke.

Engine sound

That is all very different for Royal Enfield, and the result is a very different feeling engine, starting with how it sounds. As you can see, this is no longer a slow-revving engine, and it no longer.

Power and torque delivery

This will be a very different experience, but Royal Enfield tells us they’ve tried hard to retain the character and the essence of the old Himalayan. When you study the power and torque curves for the talk, you will see a duality to this engine; you will get 90% of all that talk at just 3,000 RPM. The peak figure is at about 5,000 RPM. However, Peak power comes in at 8,000 RPM, which gives this bike a different sense of character when you rev it out; this motor likes to be revved out. There is a good amount of performance available up top. Still, at the same time, it’s also a tractable engine. If you study the curve, you’ll see it’s a very fat, well-spread curve, available right through the Rev.

Low rpm performance

Range that meaty talk spread Bears out in reality as well, but only above 3,000 RPM, anything below that, and the engine felt quite gutless, to be fair; we were at about 10,000 ft in altitude, and steep uphills in this region are never-ending. There will certainly be some improvement in performance at sea level, but how much remains to be seen for now? This engine feels soft at the low end, and while it certainly doesn’t have that strong low-down effortlessness of the existing Himalayan 411, it is vastly stronger everywhere else. It won’t stall on you easily, either. You can ease the clutch out at idle, and the bike smoothly moves forward without any throttle inputs, and that should be nice and slow-moving.

High rpm performance

Traffic when you cross the 5,000 RPM mark. That’s when you feel a real step in when that Peak talk arrives, and if you keep it pinned, it starts to Surge. You get a nice intake sound that egg you on into revving it to the 8,500 RPM limiter, and it’s surprisingly good fun to ride that way. The nice thing about this engine is that it allows you to chill if you want to, but it also encourages you to ride hard if you feel.

Riding modes, power delivery

Like what’s also new is that Royal Enfield is now given this bike riding modes there are effectively two modes Eco and performance eco mode caps the power and we didn’t really use it up here very much but even in performance mode the throttle response is beautifully smooth and very well judged that being said even in performance mode the throttle action is a little too mellow in the first few degrees of rotation if you’re riding fast whether on road or off it it would be nice to have a more direct acting throttle map and this is something that Royal Enfield could do because this bike already has ride by wire and riding modes nevertheless this is an extremely friendly bike to ride and the power delivery always feels smooth and easy to predict speaking of power delivery it certainly doesn’t have the top end rush and the aggression of the KTM motor and it also doesn’t have that hard-hitting sudden talk that arrives on the Triumph Motor about 3,000 RPM this is all much nicely spread out overall.

How fast is it?

In terms of performance, it might be slower than the Triumph because it carries more weight, but I expect you to get a 0 to 100 time, about 7 Seconds. Royal Enfield tells us that the top speed is above 150 kph, and while we certainly couldn’t test that on these sorts of Roads, what we could see was that 100 kph in sixth gear is at just 5,000 RPM which suggests that a cruising speed of about 120 kph or more should be quite possible. Still, we’ll be looking out for it when we get to ride the bike at home.

Vibrations, gearbox, clutch

Base now this engine does have some vibrations they’re nicely managed you’ll feel them at different areas at different points and they never really stood out or annoyed me but if you try and look for them you will find them Royal Enfield has done some things to try and address this the foot bag mounts themselves have some vibration absorbing dampers the foot bags don’t feel squishy but that does absorb some vibration then you also have these rubbers on the pegs they’re soft which absorbs more vibration and when you stand on the pegs to ride Offroad they compress and give you a little more grip but if you want to take them off you will have to unbolt them and they’re not just the push plug type system and that leaves us with the transmission now Royal Enfield has been making some very good gear boxes in the recent years and this one is to smooth precise no false shifts no false neutrals really quite nice I also really like the clutch the feel is good it’s not too heavy the bite point is really nice to gauge and overall I think this is one of the nicest Roy field clutches that I’ve experienced so far so that’s.

New chassis details

The story with this new engine is that it’s happy to chill if you want, but it also likes to go fast and will ensure you have a good time. That brings us to this motorcycle’s next impressive aspect: the new chassis. This brand-new Steel Twin Spar frame uses the engine as a stressed member, removing the need for a lower cradle. The airbox has now been moved under the fuel tank behind the headstock, while a differently positioned rear shock linkage has liberated even more ground clearance. The wheel sizes are still 21 at the front and 17 at the rear, but the rear tire is wider. The suspension is new now with a nice chunky 43mm USD fork, and the brakes are bigger at both ends, which the old Himalayan needed.

On-road handling, brakes, tires

I think the chassis has proven to be my favorite aspect of this motorcycle on the road the handling is so good it’s surprisingly good we’ve been throwing it around corners High lean angles no sense of doubt in the motorcycle it really holds a line it doesn’t feel heavy it hides the fact that it has a 21in wheel so well in fact you’ll only be aware of that when you’re trying to change direction from one side to the other you need to put some effort into the bars but as of handling motorcycle this is really good complimenting the handling are the new brakes they’re much stronger than the old Himalayan that was a problem on the old bike no longer here again like the rest of this motorcycle they’re not overtly sharp they’re not aggressive but they’re very good they stop the bike well and they have good feel special mention must also go to the new cat tires they’ve been co-developed with Royal Enfield for this bike and they are surprisingly good there were no complaints on the road even at high lean angles on cold Tac and they did a really good job of finding grip in the dry off-road riding conditions that we experienced then again it’s the chassis that really makes a difference.

Off-road capability, suspension

off-road first of all this feels like a Long Motorcycle the wheelbase has gone up compared to the old Himalayan by quite a bit it has a lovely stable feel now yesterday we were riding in a fast group of people lots of dust I couldn’t really see where I was going sometimes you hit a big bump but the motorcycle absorbs that Sudden Impact really well handlebar gets a bit of a shake and you feel the whole bike just take it in and smooth out it’s a great feeling knowing that the bike is so trustworthy you can hit loose rocks and not worry too much the really impressive part though is this new showa suspension it’s 200 mm of travel in the front and 200 mm at the rear the front is the same as the old Himalayan the rear is a little bit bit more now non-adjustable except for preload at the back but the setting is fabulous not too soft you don’t have excessive dive on the road but also not so firm it deals with potholes amazingly well when we first started riding the bike you see these nasty potholes on the road and you go oh God that’s going to be bad but it just sails right through and the same thing applies off-road great sense of composure and a great sense of confidence for you as a rider to me this is undoubtedly the best suspension that you will get on any off-road capable motorcycle in India at this price point I really enjoyed riding this bike off-road now we’ve already talked about the stability and the trustworthiness of it but there is an overwhelming aspect of this being a solid motorcycle you feel like it can take take a drop if you do no worries over there hit something hard it’ll take it you can carry some pretty high speeds on off-road sections there were times when you saw 900 in third gear flat out on Rocky Roads great fun at the same time this is a Himalayan so it’s not a highly spoty aggressive thing up here the altitude has robbed some power so if you want to pass slide it you need to provoke it a little bit but again when it slides it feels beautifully controlled with the length of the chassis when you jump it the suspension takes it really nicely I enjoyed riding it off-road both from a point of attacking a trail but also from an aspect of I see a bad Road come on bring it on let’s do this no worries there’s no stress of riding on any sort of road condition with this.

Rear ABS, ground clearance

A couple more details are that the rear ABS can be deactivated in either riding mode for when you want to ride off-road. If you do so, the front ABS also changes to a less intrusive setting, and finally, with 230 mm of ground clearance, clearing obstacles is no issue, and the main stand no longer clatters and clangs off-road like it used to on the old.

Seating position, adjustable seat height

Bike another aspect that many of us liked was the seating position and for me this was a noticeable improvement over the old Himalayan if you’re someone tall there’s plenty of room for your knee on the old Himalayan my knee would foul on that tank extension it didn’t feel so nice no such problems over here very roomy seat you want to move forward you want to move back lots of room The Handlebar is set at a very comfortable riding position for the road and if you stand up it’s really not so bad off-road either allall Riders may want a bit of a riser but I sort of like this you lean down a bit get some weight over the front end and that gives you more feel now the clever thing here is that the seats are height adjustable as standard standard seat height is 825 mm but you can pull the seat off and there are these simple little adjustments underneath that let you raise it by 20 mm I’ve been riding the high position but I don’t find it too tall and to give you an idea of what it’s like here’s KL he’s 5’9 let’s see what he looks like on the motorcycle with the seat in the high position slightly on tiptoes KL it is off-road right now but he’s been riding the bike in this seat position all day long and he hasn’t had.

For shorter riders?

KL eventually preferred the bike in the lower 825mm seat setting; in that sense, this new Himalayan is a little less friendly than its predecessor. Even though the weight is slightly less than before, this still feels like a bigger bike than the old Himalayan, and at 196 kgs, it’s still a good chunk heavier than the KTM 390 Adventure or the Triumph Scrambler 400x. The good news is that Royal Enfield will sell you an accessory seat with less cushioning that brings the seat height down to 805 mm. Riders shorter than 5′ 8 in will prefer this lower.

Design details

Seat now you’ve already seen plenty of this motorcycle on the internet so I’m not going to go too much into the overall design but I will talk about the things that I like the round headlamp is probably the most recognizable familiar aspect of this motorcycle it is essentially what you get on the super metor but with a different mounting at the back this windc screen does a nice job we have to see what it’s like on the highway but out here it was really quite nice you will get a higher version as an accessory if you wish front fender looks good and these nice chunk Fork protectors look good as well you do have a conventional mud guard out here which will give you protection it won’t let the bike get too filthy that’s a nice practical aspect and the radiator is protected nicely as well Royal Enfield gives you this little guard as standard so you would probably need to buy a radiator guard as an accessory underneath you have a small metal guard here for the header pipe this is plastic and you can buy an aluminium one as an accessory if you wish further back the typical Royal Enfield tank guard it looks nice over here lots of mounting points which I like up here you’ve got standard non-adjustable levers they do look good but I would like some adjustability because there were times when I was standing up and riding and I wish the lever was a little closer further back there is new switch.

Switchgear, TFT with Google maps

Gear this is nice looking stuff it’s inspired by what came on the J series bikes but with a different pattern you have hazard lights out here you have a mode switch out here for the modes and there’s a toggle button on the other end this button allows you to access various menus within the TF display and speaking of this is a 4in round TF display Royal Enfield says it’s the world’s first round TFT display which integrates Google Maps we’re in an area without Network right now so I can’t show you the map we’ll overlay some footage but essentially you use Royal enfield’s phone app which uses Google Maps data and IT projects the map onto the screen that’s a wonderful feature because you don’t need to mount your phone there anymore there are a few things to consider though this display doesn’t have any 4G sim nothing like that all the information comes from your phone now essentially your phone is broadcasting WIA Wi-Fi it is streaming data it’s pulling off Google Maps data so if you keep that full map running for a long time it drains the phone’s battery quite fast and you’ll want to keep the battery on charge there is a little USB type-c charger out here but if you don’t want to keep your phone exposed you can just keep it in your bag with a power bank the new TFT will also support things like call information and but the number of apps supported is limited if you’re connected via an iOS device still this is a very functional sort of feature and it should be appreciated by people who like to go on tour it also compensates for the fact that the Himalayan otherwise keeps it quite simple in terms of features and you won’t get things like traction control or a quick.

Fuel tank claimed range.

Shifter. This is my favorite aspect of the design. I love the look of this fuel tank. It serves two functions out here: it’s nice and narrow, which lets you get your feet down very comfortably, but up here, it’s really wide. Looking at it, you feel you’re on a bigger bike than this. It also holds 17 L of fuel, which is better than its competition, and Royal Enfield says that this bike could have well over 400 km of range depending on how you ride further back.

Tail section, exhaust

Things get simpler. It’s the way of Adventure bikes: the front is a stylish part, and the rear is the more practical part. You have a nice tough grab handle here. It says the maximum load is 5 kilos, which is quite low. It will take more weight than that, but this says 5 kilos Max load for now. Finally, you have no brake lamp. The brakes are integrated into the indicators, so it’s a clean-looking system, and this section does remind me quite a bit of the hunter. Another aspect I like is that the exhaust is really small and slim. The Collector box underneath there is doing a bulk of the work, letting Royal Enfield have a nice, stylish unit.

Tubeless spoked wheels?

The back at this point, you’re probably wondering about the wheels. Royal Enfield will be the very first Indian manufacturer to offer cross-spoked wheels that support tubeless tires; however, these rims are still awaiting bis homologation, so they’re only available on export motorcycles. Hopefully, they will eventually be available in India either on a.

Variants, colors, quality

As a top or accessory-speaking variant, there is only one fully-spaced motorcycle for India, and it’s available in five different color patterns. Quality levels in general, are now at the high standard that Royal Enfield has been achieving off late. This bike also has some nice details like that new forged side stand finish levels are good too but when you examine the smaller details like the bolts and fasteners used, it’s not quite at the level of the new triumphs.

Accessories, Rally Variant

There’s also a big range of well-designed accessories, including touring seat handguards, luggage crash bars, and more. Royal Enfield even has a cool-looking rally variant planned with a flat bench seat and a more racy-looking tail section; however, you can’t purchase these parts as accessories, and you will have to spec the bike with them at the time of purchase through Royal Enfields.

Conclusion

Online may configurator. The last two days with this bike have been wonderful. There is something romantic about riding a bike called the Himalayan in the land of the Himalayas, and it has excelled out here. Yes, it still needs to prove itself in the real world, but I have enjoyed riding this bike so far, and I am optimistic the new Himalayan will replace the old 411, which may upset some purists. In my opinion, Royal Enfield has had the biggest turnaround of any automotive manufacturer in the last ten years. They have earned the right to start making modern and exciting motorcycles like this, which also retain their essence of pure motorcycling. Those who still want the old-school re-experiences can buy the Scram 411 or the j- series bikes because they will remain on sale for the long term.

Does it have character?

When it comes to character, does this bike have the character of the old bikes? If you define character by sound and a thumping engine, no, this is the least characterful motorcycle Royal Enfield has ever made, but I like to define character as a bike that speaks to me. Do I think about it after I’ve ridden it? Do I miss riding it? Do I want to ride it? The Himalayan does tick those boxes, so to me, this motorcycle does have a sense of character of its own.

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 price expectation

Finally, there is a question of price. Royal Enfield will reveal the price at the Ryder Mania festival later this month. They haven’t told us what it is, but we can make a few assumptions. The first assumption is that a 450 single cannot be more expensive than a 650 parallel twin, which means that this will be below 3 lakh rupees the second assumption is that I don’t think Royal Enfield is going to go crazy with aggressive pricing like the Triumph Speed 400 don’t expect something that crazy low however the Himalayan does cost a fair amount less just above 2 lakh rupees and it shouldn’t be a very big step over the old motorcycle my assumption 2.5 to 2.7 lakh rupees we shall see but if Royal Enfield is sensible with the pricing this bike is a winner.

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