I can't remember any motorcycle launch in recent times being anticipated as highly as
the new Royal Enfield Himalayan
its of-course the first all new motorcycle from the brand in a really long time
but more importantly this is the first
purpose-built adventure tourer made in India
so Royal Enfield claims that they
have perfected this motorcycle by testing it meticulously across all sorts of terrain
and to test the same we've been invited to the very land that gives this motorcycle its name
the Himalayas
well the conditions aren't great as you can see this carpet of snow
there is rain, its cold, wet and of course there is a lots of slush and black ice on the roads
but we couldn't have asked for better conditions to test this motorcycle, you know
so is this really the bike that we've all been waiting for, let's find out
the styling of the Himalayan is extremely simple
a round headlamp with a tall windscreen
a rather slim fuel tank with well-designed knee receses
a scoop seat, mounts for panniers which are on offer as accessory
LED tail lights
and a tall stance for the long travel suspension and beak in front, completes its adventure tourer look
the word Himalayan is etched across the front beak, fuel tank and rear mud guard in an interesting way
and it looks nice
I also like the fact that, there is barely any breakable plastic on the motorcycle
the Himalayan gets additional mounts for jerry cans on both side of the tank which is thoughtful
now clearly Royal Enfield has gone in for a minimalistic approach
as compared to the bigger, far more expensive adventure tourers
which should work well in the Indian context
the clocks are the most comprehensive ones we've ever seen on a Royal Enfield
and they offer a lot of information
the design on the clocks is an interesting one too
and apart from the usual speedo, odo, tachometer and fuel gauge
the Himalayan's instrument cluster also
includes a separate port for a digital compass that tells you the direction that you're riding in
another display below the speedometer includes a digital gear indicator
two trip meters, average speed readout, side stand indicator, a clock and a temperature gauge as well
now that's a lot of information
the engine on this motorcycle is an all new 410 cc
producing 25 PS of power at 32 Nm of torque
and for the first time Royal Enfield has also employed an oil cooler
I've been riding the bike since morning
and what I can tell you that this is probably the smoothest engine from Royal Enfield yet
it feels refined
though I wish there was some more power
and the throttle response was slightly crisper
well that said
this bike is aimed at buyers graduating from a smaller machine, say a 150cc
and the power feels apt for that segment of buyers
the engine does have a nice torqy feel to it
and the bike was perfectly at ease climbing up steep inclines even in second gear
unfavorable conditions in the morning
meant we couldn't really ride the bike hard
but later in the day the skies cleared up
allowing me to have some fun on tarmac and off-road trails as well
the ease with which the engine offered performance was likable
and even a novice rider should be able to open the throttle on dirt or slush confidently
while it wasn't exactly possible to test the Himalayan's highway manners
on the narrow winding roads around Shimla
I did manage to gauge the fact that the bike will be at ease
being ridden all day at 80 to 85 kmph
slightly taller ratios for 4th and 5th gear should make it even more relaxed though
I am sure a lot of you are curious about the exhaust note
now if you come looking for the traditional Royal Enfield thump, you will be disappointed
let me tell you the Himalayan sounds really nice
i like the way it sounds at idle and even on the go there is a nice throtty feel to the note
the riding position on the Himalayan is as you'd expect of an adventure tourer
its got a tall stance you sit pretty high
though I like the fact that the seat height is just 800 mm
which is just perfect for us Indians who are not as tall as the Europeans
the handle was tall
and also the fact that the seat is very comfortable has let me sit
in it and ride the bike comfortably for at least a couple of hours without even wanting to take a break
the fuel tank is a bit difficult to grip
when standing up and riding on the foot pegs on bad roads
and that's because of this panel right below the rider's seat
cos it is wider than the fuel tank
but that said otherwise the seat is very comfortable
like the fact that there's a bit of support from the pillion seat and make
for a nice posture, a comfortable one
and I can really imagine myself putting in a lot of miles
on this motorcycle at a strech on an open highway, without having to stop for hours at an end
i am pleasantly surprised with the amount of confidence the Himalayan inspires with its kind of handling
and I am pretty sure right now, that this is easily the best handling motorcycle from Royal Enfield till date
credit that to the amount of testing gone into developing its chassis
the 41 mm forks upfront which offer 200 mm of travel
the mono-shock at the back with an 180 mm travel
and the mono-shock by the way is first for any Royal Enfield ever
also a lot of confidence comes in from the 21 inch wheel in the front and a 17 inch wheel at the back
which inspires a lot of confidence especially when riding on dirt or slush
due credit also goes to the dual purpose Ceat tyres
that do a wonderful job of inspiring confidence
be it on wet roads, snow, slush or dirt
dual purpose tyres are know to scare the average rider from pushing hard on wet roads
but the Ceat tyres allowed me to ride fast, brake hard and lean easily into corners on tarmac
the tyres performed even better on gravel
offering enough confidence to let me open the throttle wide
especially with the 21 inch front wheel
there was infact never a moment throughout the ride
when I felt unsure about what either end of the motorcycle was doing
and it felt fantastic
the suspension works brilliantly on a variety of terrain
with a commendable mix of comfort and sportyness
I really didn't had to back off the throttle unless absolutely needed
as the 41 mm forks provided good cushioning wherever I chose to go
the suspension even allowed me to ride he Himalayan like a street bike
with its engaging feel and I did like the experience
the brakes work well offering ample retardation irrespective of what terrain you ride on
though some more bite would've been welcomed
RE has obviously put in thousands and thousands of kms testing the motorcycle on all sorts of terrains
and that certainly shows in the Bike's handling
so is this the motorcycle you should be looking at if you wish to go touring and explore the world on 2 wheels
i think yes
the Royal Enfield Himalayan has a lot going for it
I like the way it handles, its got decent performance, good brakes, chassie, nice style
and it a carburetor instead of fuel injection
that means you could sit and work on it
and tune the carburetor to your liking in the remotest of places
and its got a 14 liter fuel tank
so that means even if the tank is full, the bike isn't gonna be too heavy
and RE is claiming a 400-500 km tank range, which is fantastic for touring
and unlike the super expensive, large capacity, heavy adventure tourers on sale currently
this one is smal, compact
it handles well and is easy to ride for anybody
and ofcourse it is significantly inexpensive than those said tourers
the Himalayan becomes all the more luring when
when you consider its price of just 1.55 lakh ex showroom in Mumbai
I think that's a cracker of a deal for a bike
that redefines adventure motorcycling in the country with its accessability
the build quality is also really good
as the bike took all of our thrashing yesterday without a hitch
with this bike, I can say that the Royal Enfield has a winner on its hands
and I can imagine a lot of bikers and enthusiast hitting the road or the Himalayas, with the Himalayan