Even though Royal Enfield brand is criticised a lot due to its quality, we have to give it to the company for being innovative. Royal Enfield became the first company in India to offer an adventure tourer and kickstarted a new segment which is currently being chased by many international manufacturers. Royal Enfield Himalayan is a revolutionary motorcycle. It gives you all the things that you will ever need for your touring and is extremely practical. We rode the motorcycle in its natural territory of the Himalayas and here is what we think about the bike.
Looks
The Himalayan breaks all the stereotypes connected to the Royal Enfield brand, and it looks way modern. The purpose built bike gets simple bare bone designs that will still turn heads because of its uniqueness. The motorcycle comes with different wheels, the front being 21-inch and the rear is 19-inch. The motorcycle gets a ground clearance of humongous 220mm.
There is a single round headlamp up front which gets a small windscreen. The front also gets a secondary mudguard in a beak form, which has become a norm in all the adventure motorcycles. The tail-lamp is all-LED and gives a unique character to the Himalayan. The motorcycle comes with a 14-litre fuel tank which is good for 400 km – 450 km depending on the way you ride. If that feels less, there are guard rails to hang your fuel containers on the either side of the tank.
The instrument cluster is a hybrid one and is the most modern cluster that you will see on an Enfield. There are a large speedometer and an LCD screen that shows various information like gear position, trip meters, odometer, ambient temperature, clock, average speed, service indicator and side stand indicator. There is a small dial that acts as a tachometer and two smaller displays that show fuel level and digital compass respectively. The instrument is quite loaded.
Engine and ride
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is powered by an all-new 411cc single-cylinder, air plus liquid cooled engine which gets fuel supply through a carburettor. The engine develops a maximum of 24.5 bhp at 6,500 rpm while the torque peaks at 32 Nm. This is an LS series engine which comes with Overhead Cams instead of pushrods. It makes the engine lose out on typical Royal Enfield thump, but the engine is a lot smoother and does not vibrate like the other motorcycles from the brand. Also, the Himalayan comes with an only electric start; there’s no kick-start offered.
Even though the motorcycle gets high ground clearance, the seat height is low, which makes it immensely easy to ride and control. The handlebars are positioned to give you a relaxed riding position, and the footpegs are placed in a way that you can stand on them easily. The motorcycle weighs 182 kg, but it feels light once it is in motion. The Himalayan is not nimble and would not change directions quickly, but it does not require a huge effort to ride.
The motorcycle comes with 41mm telescopic forks at the front that offer 200 mm of travel. It makes the Himalayan very comfortable. The rear suspension is a mono shock and offers 180mm of travel. Both front and rear tyres get disc brakes, and the tyres are dual purpose with spoke rims.
Should you buy it?
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is an all-you-need motorcycle, it is versatile and will do everything that you will ever need to do on a bike, except track riding. The Himalayan is priced at Rs. 1.73 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. However, it misses out on few important features like ABS and fuel injection. If you are a person who loves to take long rides and use the motorcycle mostly for exploration, Himalayan is the perfect one to suit your needs. If you are more of a city dweller, there are other options like Mahindra Mojo or Bajaj Dominar that will keep you happier.
