Custom Hardcore One-off Royal Enfield Himalayan Looks Dakar-ready

If Royal Enfield ever decided to take part in the Dakar rally, this is ideally what the Himalayan should look like

• Spanish riding gear maker, Fuel has turned the Himalayan into a retro-enduro bike.
• Power has been bumped up thanks to a new ECU and a new exhaust.
• Neat styling changes lend a compact look.
• Sadly, it is just a one-off.

Royal Enfield aptly named its off-roading motorcycle the Himalayan. With the sole purpose of conquering the Himalayas, Enfield’s adventure tourer is one of the most capable motorcycles off-road that’s made in India. And Spanish riding gear maker, Fuel Motorcycles, has taken it one step further to create a one-off retro-scrambler to test it out in one of the harshest conditions on Earth, the old Paris-Dakar rally route.

The creation looks a bit more purpose-built than the standard Himalayan. Changes come in the form of knobby tyres from Pirelli and a whole new front fascia. The round headlamp and windshield has been ditched. In its place comes a small rectangular light and a small shroud that you would find on enduro motorcycles. Plus, a large motocross front fender was just what was needed to keep the retro vibe going on. The stock bars have made way for a flat, wide unit from Tommaselli, with proper knuckle guards.

The custom bike also gets rid of the fuel tank protectors. On the left, you will notice that Fuel has used one of the protectors as a pannier mount. No rear seat here. In its place comes a flat metal sheet with a removable luggage rack. A tail tidy unit with a small LED tail light and LED turn-indicators complete the rear end.

Fuel has not tweaked around much with the powertrain. The Himalayan now gets an exhaust unit from the Suzuki RM-Z450 which has been modified a bit to suit the 411cc LS motor. Plus, this baby gets a Powertronic ECU. It has bumped the power by a bit, but Fuel has not revealed by how much. But the main reason behind using the ECU was to improve the fueling. No other performance mods have been carried out. One of our grouses on the standard Himalayan is that it doesn’t get switchable ABS for some shenanigans on dirt. But luckily, the rear ABS can be switched off on the custom bike.

Fuel Motorcycles is a Spanish riding gear brand which specialises in catering to the scrambler audience. Apart from making stylish gear, it also hosts an annual Scram Africa rally, the 2019 iteration of which will be held in Morocco. The rally has certain sections coinciding with the Merzouga rally stages, which uses part of the route that the Paris-Dakar rally used to traverse through. 

Source: BikeEXIF