Ever since the Royal Enfield Himalayan was launched back in 2016, it has become the de facto adventure bike for touring aficionados
Though the initial lot of the motorcycles was beset with myriad of issues, which have been resolved over the years. It even got a minor update last year, and now the bike is almost sorted. What it still lacks is top-end grunt needed to make brisk progress on highways. To address this shortcoming, a new Himalayan with a more potent engine is in the works.
The new bike, rumoured to be called Himalayan 450 , will have a 450 cc liquid-cooled engine compared to the present one’s 411 cc air and oil-cooled. This new motor is expected to churn out more power and torque, around 40 bhp and 45 Nm, compared to the present Himalayan’s 24 bhp and 32 Nm.
Not only will these figures endow the Himalayan 450, with higher highway speeds thanks also to a new 6-speed transmission. The enhanced torque will help the bike tackle tough mountain passes high up in the Himalayas more easily.
New Himalayan 450 to be feature-rich
Upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 has now been spied again. Latest spy shots are credit to Akshai (the_nakedwolf). Hat tip to automotive enthusiast Bhart Vyas for sharing the update. Apart from a more powerful engine, the Himalayan 450 will also get the latest features sported by other bikes in this segment like ride-by-wire throttle and riding modes like road, off-road and rain.
There will be no need to manually switch off ABS at the rear like it is on the Himalayan 411 while going off road. Select the off-road mode and the rear ABS switches off automatically. Another touring-friendly feature on the Himalayan 450 will be the large 20 litre fuel tank, which is 5 litres more than that on the existing Himalayan.
The instrument cluster will be vertical, similar to the one seen on the Yezdi Adventure and it would be modern with a full digital TFT cluster displaying comprehensive information though it is yet not clear whether it will be a colour display. On the looks front, the Himalayan 450 will be bigger than the present in every aspect one and come fitted with bigger upside-down forks at the front, which would make for better handling characteristics.
The bike is expected to have a 21-inch wheel at the front and a 17 incher at the back but the tyres will be designed to perform equally well on tarmac as well as the rough unlike the Himalayan 411 on which the tyres are more road biased. The Himalayan 450 will have a strengthened frame which would enhance its load carrying capacity and this will allow carriage of more luggage and other stuff like fuel packs etc.
For increasing comfort while riding in cold, the bike will come with heated grips as an option along with variety of handguards, handlebars etc which are part of a pretty long list of options to be made available by Royal Enfield.
Himalayan 450 Raid
Royal Enfield is also simultaneously working on a more potent version of the Himalayan 450 called the Himalayan 450 Raid. This bike as the name suggests will be earmarked for serious off-road events like the Dakar Rally. Himalayan 450 Raid will have enhanced power output, ruggedized suspension, tubed spoke wheels among other features which would it at home in the gruelling Dakar Rally. However, the launch of this version is some time away, expected in 2025-26.
The present Himalayan 411 could have reached the end of its evolution cycle and may be retired when the Himalayan 450 is launched. Though price of the Himalayan 450 will be known near its launch, it can be expected to be priced about Rs 30-50k more than Himalayan 411. In this range, it will be a serious contender for the likes of KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G 310 GS.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
