The Himalayan will be the first full sized adventure bike to be sold in its segment in India and is also the most radical offering to be ever introduced by Royal Enfield.
Come 2016 and Royal Enfield will be launching at least one major product every year till the end of this decade and the first of its many new offerings will be the Himalayan adventure motorcycle. Easily one of the most curious products to come from the legendary bike manufacturer, the Himalayan will be the first of its kind adventure motorcycle to be sold in the country and is easily the bravest attempt made by the predominantly cruiser maker. With the official launch quite some time away, our in-house rendering expert Anupam Parihar got down to business taking cues from all the spy shots and has rendered the production spec version to as close as it gets.
The rendering accurately depicts the production ready version of the Royal Enfield Himalayan and is extremely similar to the recently spied test mule seen below. You can see the chiseled fuel tank that neatly carves out space for thigh support, while the raised rear sub-frame lends a step up seat like appearance. The unit integrates the fender and number plate holder, while seats appear to be well cushioned. The exhaust muffler is also positioned higher in a bid to enhance the bike’s water wading capabilities. Further, the bike gets knobbier tyres with a slim front tyre, spoked wheels, higher positioned front fender and protectors on either side. While the front headlight is expected to be carried over from the Continental GT, the tail light could be an all-new LED unit. The visor we guess could be optional on the adventure offering.
Coming to the mechanicals, Royal Enfield has made some radical improvements on this front as the Himalayan will be sporting a new 410cc single-cylinder engine under its belly. The new unit will be replacing the outgoing 350cc motor on all bikes in the future and is said to be oil-cooled, tuned to produce around 29 HP and 40 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Furthermore, the Himalayan will get longer travel telescopic suspension (notice the fork gaiters) and a monoshock setup at the rear, a first for a RE bike. Braking performance comes from a single disc at the front and rear.
The Himalayan is an extremely interesting product for Royal Enfield as the company is trying to make its way into international markets. Having opened shop in Dubai, US and more recently Indonesia, the company is looking to tap the middle-weight segment’s (250-750cc) potential on a global level. Like the Continental GT that made international headlines at the time of its launch, Royal Enfield’s gamble with the Himalayan is expected to do the same when in hits showrooms next year. In terms of pricing, the company did convey recently of a competitive price tag between Rs. 1.65-1.85 lakhs (ex-showroom).
Spy Picture Source – Motor.Vikatan.com