All-New BMW F 450 GS Sport vs Royal Enfield Himalayan 450: Price Comparison

BMW Motorrad has recently launched the F 450 GS Sport variant in India. It gets all the bells and whistles of the GS Trophy variant without the Easy Ride Clutch (ERC) system. Here’s how it compares to the top-spec Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Mana Black:

Price

All prices ex-showroom, Delhi

The BMW F 450 GS Sport is Rs 2,50,466 more expensive than the top-spec Himalayan 450 Mana Black.

BMW F 450 GS Sport 

The BMW F 450 GS Sport gets a striking new glossy red paint scheme that gives it a sporty yet premium look. It is equipped with an LED headlight with integrated LED DRLs, and it also gets a muscular fuel tank, a split seat and a wide handlebar that give it a proper ADV look. The bike gets a tall windscreen for added wind protection, along with handguards and an aluminium bash plate. Overall, the bike looks like a rugged and purposeful ADV.

The BMW F 450 GS is powered by a 420cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine. It makes 48 PS and 43 Nm and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox and a slipper clutch. The Sport variant also gets a BMW Shift Assistant Pro, which is a bi-directional quickshifter. However, it does not get the Easy Ride Clutch (ERC) system, which lets you start the bike, change gears and come to a complete stop without using the clutch.

In terms of underpinnings, the bike gets a 43 mm KYB inverted fork with compression and rebound adjustment, along with a KYB monoshock. It rides on a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear wheel with dual-purpose tyres. Braking duties are handled by a 310 mm front disc with a Brembo four-piston calliper and a 240 mm rear disc.

The BMW bike is equipped with a 6.5-inch TFT console with Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation and call/SMS alerts. It also gets a ride-by-wire throttle with four riding modes: Rain, Road, Enduro and Enduro Pro. Other features include all-LED lighting, heated grips, adjustable levers, and a USB Type-C charging port.

In terms of safety features, the bike gets dual-channel switchable ABS, switchable traction control, and a hazard light switch.

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Mana Black 

The Himalayan 450 Mana Black gets a circular LED headlight, a large fuel tank and a large windscreen for wind protection. However, unlike the F 450 GS and other variants of the Himalayan 450, the Mana Black variant gets a special single-piece touring seat and misses out on the rear luggage rack. The special Mana Black colour gives the Himalayan a premium yet stealthy look, which, in our opinion, suits the bike very well

The Himalayan 450 is powered by a 452cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine, which makes 40 PS and 40 Nm (8 PS and 3 Nm less than the F 450 GS Sport). The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox and a slip-and-assist clutch, but unlike the F 450 GS, it does not get a quickshifter.

The bike is equipped with a 43 mm Showa inverted fork, along with a Showa monoshock. It rides on a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear wheel with tubeless cross-spoke wheels as standard. Braking duties are handled by a 320 mm front disc and a 270 mm rear disc.

In terms of features, the Royal Enfield bike gets a 4-inch TFT console with Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, and call/SMS alerts. The bike also gets two ride modes: Eco and Performance. In terms of safety features, it gets switchable dual-channel ABS and a hazard light switch.

BikeDekho Says

Both the BMW F 450 GS and the Himalayan 450 are capable adventure bikes that can also be great mile-munchers on the highway. The F 450 GS, however, has a more touring-biased 19/17-inch wheel setup, while the Himalayan has a more off-road-focused 21-inch front wheel with spoke wheels. 

The main difference lies in their engines, with the F 450 GS getting a twin-cylinder engine that produces considerably more power than the Royal Enfield. Hence, if you want more performance out of your adventure bike, the F 450 GS will have the upper hand. It will also feel more refined because of the twin-cylinder setup.

Even in terms of features, the F 450 GS also has the upper hand, as it gets features like a quickshifter, traction control and even heated grips, which make it more convenient and safer to ride than the Himalayan.

However, at Rs 5.90 lakh, the F 450 GS is one of the most expensive adventure bikes in its segment and is around Rs 2.5 lakh more expensive than the top-spec Himalayan Mana Black. For reference, you can buy the Himalayan 450 and the top-spec Royal Enfield Classic 350 Emerald  which is priced at Rs 2.26 lakh (ex-showroom), and still have money left. 

Infact, as per our Royal Enfield Himalayan 750 price expectation, it will be close to that of the F 450 GS.

In conclusion, if you want a road-biased ADV with lots of features and the premium BMW badge, go for the F 450 GS. 

However, if you want an off-road-biased ADV with good touring capabilities, go for the Himalayan 450. Another thing to note here is that Royal Enfield has a better service network spread as compared to the German brand.