Royal Enfield Himalayan

The Royal Enfield Himalayan looks more of a raw adventure tourer and its design is indeed a no-nonsense one. The front is highlighted by a rounded headlamp along with a tall windscreen to protect the rider from windblasts at high speeds and mud splashes during off-roading. The motorcycle gets luggage panniers and has also a provision to fit petrol cans in case of long distance journeys. The large 21 inch wired wheel upfront has been fitted to take on the uneven surfaces with ease and offer a comfortable ride quality. 

The bike has been fitted with split step up seats that come well padded and offer optimum comfort to the rider and pillion. In terms of features, the Himalayan has been integrated with a highly informative cockpit that comes with a useful geographical compass as well. Furthermore, the motorcycle receives an LED tail lamp as well. 

The Himalayan houses a 410cc, single-cylinder, air and oil-cooled motor mated to a five-speed transmission. The fuel-injected engine makes 24.8PS @ 6500rpm and 32Nm of torque @ 4250rpm. When launched, the Himalayan came with a carburettor but now it gets fuel-injection to clear the BS-IV emissions norms.

This is the first modern Royal Enfield motor to do away with push rods instead using a chain-driven overhead camshaft. The engine is called LS410 where LS stands for long-stroke. The long stroke nature allows the motor to develop its peak torque and horsepower at low rpm which is quite useful in off-road riding conditions.

According to Royal Enfield, power has deliberately been kept low on the motorcycle so as to make its performance more accessible to newer riders graduating from smaller bikes. The new engine uses a counterbalancer to smoothen out vibrations. Interestingly, the top-end of the engine is air-cooled while the bottom end of the engine i.e. the crankcase uses oil cooling.

The Himalayan feels unlike any other Royal Enfield bikes, it is more refined though not as refined as say, an equivalent Japanese bike. The bike features tall gearing which makes it relaxed during highway runs. According to our tests, the carburetted Himalayan could do the 0-100kmph run in 12.27 seconds and achieve a true top speed of 122kmph.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is bolted on a half duplex split cradle frame and comes equipped with 41mm conventional telescopic forks upfront along with a monoshock for the rear. The stopping power to this motorcycle is delivered with the help of 300mm disc brake upfront that pairs with a 240mm disc at the rear. ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) is not being offered even as an option.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan comes with a powerful 12V H4 60/55 W headlamp that offers good illumination at nights. Furthermore, the unit is enabled with Automatic Headlamp ON (AHO) feature that means it stays always ON, no matter it is day or night. This is done in order to improve the visibility of the vehicle and hence, avoid chances of being hit by another. The bike comes equipped with a 300mm disc brake upfront along with a 240mm disc unit at the rear that indeed offers a decent stopping power and stops the bike as and when required.