Royal Enfield Himalayan: the wraps are off!

Most Bulleteers spend the better part of their lives traversing the Himalayas up North, and it only seems fitting that Royal Enfield gave such a enthusiasts a bike to serve the purpose in more ways than one. What has long been found under rigorous testing, has now finally been unveiled to the world.

As one can see, the Himalayan has ruggedness written all over it, right from the headlamp-mounted windscreen, the hefty off-roading tyres to the luggage bags on either sides of the bike. The bikes also employs a 15-litre capacity fuel tank that was designed to be narrow enough so as to help the rider stand on the bike’s foot pegs for longer periods over rough terrain. Sticklers for performance will glad to know that the bike sports a single-cylinder, 4-stroke, 411cc 2-valve motor that is air-cooled with a carburettor as well. With 24.5bhp and 32Nm of torque, ample power is available at the twist of the throttle. A simple instrument cluster shows us the travel time, speed, ambient temperature, direction, service intervals and multiple trp distances. Royal Enfield also claims to have paid a lot of attention to jittering parts, with the aid of modern materials, making it low on maintenance and pretty frugal too. Synced to the Himalayan’s unit, is a 5-speed gearbox, with a cable-fed clutch, with power being sent to the rear wheel via a drive-chain.


Seating seems to have been taken seriously, with the bike offering a comfortable, upright position. The skeleton of the bike is a duplex split cradle frame that is made from steel, and with 41mm telescopic front suspension, and a monoshock with linkage supported by a steel constructed swingarm at the rear, the bike manages to have a towering stance of an adventure touring motorcycle. Also, up-front you get a 21-inch wire-spoked wheel, while the rear gets a 17-inch one. And of course, you get disc brakes, both front and rear.


With this new bike, Royal Enfield has ambitions – and big ones at that. Hero’s impulse has more than just a little to worry about, given how well-made and good-looking the Himalayan is – with its classic adventure bike appeal, harking back to the times when such bikes were a common sight.