A motorcycle built by Royal Enfield called the Himalayan is marketed as an all-terrain motorcycle. Pricing and availability of the adventure bike will be announced alongside its release in March 2016. With the 400cc Adventure tourer being assembled in India, this bike should be able to command a decent price tag. So how does this bike differ from other bikes? Let’s take a look.
Because Himalayan is the first dual sport bike in India made by any Indian company, there is no competition at the moment, which is a plus for the Royal Enfield Himalayan bike. Developing, testing, and launching this bike took Royal Enfield five years. As CEO Siddarth said today, this is his dream project, and he himself tested it in the Himalayas.
As a result of the radical design of the 411cc, SOHC, Single-cylinder engine, Royal Enfield has been able to produce 24.5 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 32Nm at 4,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm.
At the price point, the Himalayan is a good all-terrain adventure bike. It does everything well, but not well on all terrains. Therefore, if you want an all-rounder that can take you anywhere for around 2 lacs, you should look into Himalayan.
You can choose from Mojo, Thunderbird, and Dominar if you want a tourer. In case you are still skeptical because it is not as good as advertised, the CBR250 might be the answer. Street bikes, such as Duke, Classic 350, FZ 250, Apache 200, etc., should be your choice, depending on your taste.
In 2019, many new bikes will be launched; engine problems currently plague Himalayan, so wait for the Fuel Injected Version’s launch and study customer reviews after two months. With our analysis of various Royal Enfield Himalayan bikes that will be launched in two to three months and our Fuel Injected Himalayan, we are confident that you will make a better decision. You can write about what options are available for customers to choose a bike from on the Bajaj Mall website (you may write about what factors they can use to choose a bike from).
City Ride
It performs extremely well in cities because there are potholes, broken roads, and speed breakers like off-road riding. The adventure bike is easy to handle and doesn’t seem heavy at all. However, the bike tends to get hot a lot, especially in hot weather, making it uncomfortable to ride. The clutch is also on the hard side, which may cause your hand to become numb when you are stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
With the high torque at early RPMs, you can overtake more easily in traffic. Furthermore, when there is traffic on the streets, and you see rough terrain on the road, you can sail right by those muddy terrains. So, the Himalayan is right at home, whether off-roading or hiking.
Highway Ride
In terms of touring, the Himalayan is fantastic, as it has panniers on all sides, which allows you to carry a lot of luggage. The pillion and rider are both comfortable on the seats. As you never know what you will encounter on Indian highways (People, cattle), the Royal Enfield Himalayan bike is extremely stable at 85-90 mph. There’s no vibration in the engine at that speed as well.
At 80–85 kmph speeds, the adventure bike gives 32 kilometres per litre of fuel, and its 15-litre tank gives it a good range. Therefore, fewer fuel stops are required. The rear wheel wobbles when handling twisties at high speeds (80–85 kmph) because of the soft suspension, long height, and not-so-grippy Ceat tyres. Neither the rear wheel nor the front brakes have much bite on the Himalayan, so braking is not great.
Some pros
- There is excellent torque in the low to mid-range. A whirlwind of traffic will get you out of a jam in no time. There is a good throttle response, although it isn’t quite as crisp as a fuel injection system. The ride will also be thoroughly enjoyable in small stretches with unrestricted traffic flow.
- The riding position is comfortable. Keeping your back straight and using high handlebars puts minimal strain on your arms.
- The suspension is sweet. A Royal Enfield with mono shocks! Additionally, the front suspension makes handling bad roads much easier.
- Tires with big radials. You’ll never have to worry about potholes again. It has a lot of grips as well. It is important to trust your tire manufacturer when riding a Himalayan.
- There is excellent ground clearance. Additionally, the clearance below makes it easy to manage water logging.
- In addition to manifold trip meters, large gauges, a gear indicator, and a compass, the cluster is partially electronic.