Royal Enfield Himalayan - Review

Motor Octane Mumbai

Last Updated : Mar 31 2016 | 2:33 PM IST

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been the one of the most awaited motorcycles since last year. This has been an all-new product launch for the company after the Continental GT, since 2013. The Himalayan is made on an all-new chassis and is powered by a new 411cc engine. We lay our hands on this much talked about bike and find out what makes it different.

Royal Enfield is working towards new generation bikes and engines, not just for the Indian market but even for several new bike markets. The target is to make the same range of bikes for the global market.
The contoured seat and optimized foot peg position make the sitting position upright which is ideal for long distance travel. The seat height of 800mm is ideal for multiple riders. All the instrument panel is easily readable. The instrument cluster helps in keeping track of speed, direction (with the integrated compass), time, temperature and has also got a service reminder. There are also multi-trip meters for calculating trip records. The high-placed headlamps offers a wide spread of light and illuminates the road very well.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Engine and Performance:

The heart of the Himalayan is an all-new 411cc air-cooled, four-stroke, overhead camshaft unit that develops 24.5bhp of power @6500rpm and a torque of 32Nm @4000-4500rpm. This is engine is called LS410, where LS stands for Long Stroke. The engine is tuned to offer good low end torque that help in pottering around with the bike in the city as well as offering decent thrust ones needs on the highway, especially while overtaking. There is enough usable power at lower rpms. Don't expect the bike to shoot off when you wring the throttle. The Himalayan has a laid back acceleration but offers a seamless delivery of torque. This kind of delivery is very helpful while off-roading. It is nevertheless a decent cruiser.

The engine is mated to a five-speed constant mesh gearbox. Its not the smoothest and we found it a bit coarse during shifts.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Verdict:

The Himalayan is a no-nonsense bike. It is built for a purpose and it rightly delivers in those areas. The Himalayan may not be the bike for you if you love to be the first to zip off a traffic signal. Neither is the bike a great looker, if you are looking for beauty. However, if you are an adventurous person and love to try out new places or tours, then the Himalayan makes for a suitable companion. Yes, it does feel wanting in a few areas like gearshifts, lack of ABS and falls a little short on outright power, but when you look at the price tag, it makes very good sense. The Himalayan is a unique product in the country and it is mainly targeted at newcomers to the adventure biking world. A good product to make the community grow.