The new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 offers more performance and power, along with new technology and features that make it a very impressive adventure motorcycle.
For decades, heading to the Himalayas on his bike has been nothing short of a pilgrimage for a Royal Enfield owner. So much so that when it comes to motorcycling in India, the names Royal Enfield and Himalayas seem almost made for each other, and in keeping with this passion, the Royal Enfield Himalayan was born in 2016, which is an adventure tourer bike from the company. It was specifically designed for touring the Himalayas, which Royal Enfield owners have been doing for decades with the 350cc and 500cc models. But, today we have a revised Himalayan, which is an all-new bike. Today we will ride it and talk about what has been improved, what is good, what is great, and what could have been even better. The New Himalayan retains its familiar looks and design. But some important changes have been made, so let’s find out about them.
Engine and power
The Sherpa engine produces 39.5 bhp of power and 40 Nm of torque.
The new Himalayan gets an all-new 452cc ‘Sherpa’ engine, which also doubles up as the stressed member of the chassis. The Sherpa 450 engine produces 39.5 bhp of power at 8,000 rpm and 40 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. The liquid-cooled engine is almost square, and has a larger bore and shorter stroke than before, offering more power and better torque figures across a larger rev range. The Himalayan 450 that comes with the Sherpa 450 engine surely makes commuting easier
Suspension
The suspension has also been changed, with two Showa forks at the front, which has increased the ground clearance. Braking has also been improved with larger disc brakes at both ends. The feature list has been enhanced with an all-new Tripper Dash with three layouts, including Google Maps.
The throttle is now ride-by-wire, and there are two riding modes, with Eco Mode reducing power in the first four gears and coming with a softer throttle response. Overall, the new Himalayan feels fresh and new in many ways. The suspension has also been changed. Up front you get two Showa forks, which also increases the ground clearance
Design
It definitely looks sharper, more powerful, and better than before, and comes with a great road presence. Personally, I really like the look of the bike, and the more time I spent with it, the more I started to like the design. Dimensionally, the new Himalayan is only 3 kg lighter than the current Himalayan, which weighs 196 kg, but if you look at it, it has better suspension and better brakes. Overall, it is a completely new package, and it also gets a bigger 17-litre fuel tank, so you can go longer distances with a full tank.
Ride and Handling
When driving, the new Himalayan immediately feels ‘different’ than before. With a shorter stroke and higher revs, the engine performance is completely different. With almost 40 horsepower more power and the same amount of torque, the new Himalayan performs better than expected and stands out on the road. The motorcycle’s handling is excellent, giving confidence and stability around corners. Braking performance is also impressive, with the larger discs being more refined than before. With a shorter stroke and higher revs, the engine offers excellent performance. With around 40 more horsepower and the same amount of torque, the new Himalayan performs better than expected
presentation
Now let’s talk about the engine performance. The performance of the new Himalayan on the road is definitely much better than the current Himalayan. One thing to note is that we are driving this bike at an altitude of about 10,000 feet, which is about 3,000 meters or more above sea level. So, according to Royal Enfield, you will not get the full 40 horsepower power given by the engine due to a lack of oxygen at that altitude. So in this environment, the engine is generating only 28 horsepower. But we will give you complete information about the engine performance when we get a chance to ride it on the road for a long time.The performance of the new Himalayan is definitely better than the current Himalayan
The main highlight of the bike is the new liquid-cooled engine. Now, it’s got a nice powerband. The powerband starts at around 3,000 rpm and goes all the way up to 7,000 rpm, so it’s fun when you twist the throttle and push it and you keep pushing it, but there’s no loss in performance, and that’s really impressive performance in a mid-range motorcycle. The motorcycle performs well up to 2000 rpm and feels a bit sluggish below that. However, on the other hand, once you go below 2,000 rpm, it feels a bit sluggish. This is something you need to keep in mind. Mind you, if you keep riding at 2,000-3,000 rpm, you won’t feel the difference. On bad roads, the new Himalayan feels like a completely different bike.
Off-roading capability
But one thing you have to keep in mind, especially if you are starting off-road riding, is that you can turn off the rear ABS on the rear wheel while riding off-road. But the brakes are great, on and off the road. But once you turn off the rear ABS, the rear brake pads are sintered pads which are of pretty good quality, so they have a lot of bite. Even if you press it once, it still grabs the wheel and surprises you with its braking strength. The suspension helps soak up all kinds of bumps, and the chassis maintains a level of stability that gives you ultimate confidence
estimate price
With the kind of technology and features the new Himalayan now comes with, it will definitely be more expensive than the current Himalayan, but there won’t be much of a difference. We estimate that a price of 2.70 lakh or 2.80 lakh (ex-showroom) will make it a great value package considering the features it offers. At those prices, it will not only compete with every other motorcycle in its price segment, but also with middleweight adventure bikes that cost more than twice as much.
conclusion
The new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 has been improved in every aspect, be it performance, be it handling, or be it off-road capability. It is a completely transformed adventure bike that has no comparison to its previous model. It has done wonders for its performance, capability, and technology. In my book, as a multi-tasking adventure bike, the new Himalayan 450 is absolutely perfect when it comes to performance, handling, and capability. With more performance, new technology, and cool features, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 has become almost the perfect adventure bike in India and around the world right now. Yes, high praise, I know. But that is exactly how impressive this two-wheeled Himalayan Sherpa is.