Explained: Why the motorcycling world is kicked about the Himalayan 450 that’s set for launch this November

• The Himalayan 450 promises more power to riders for long tours, as was widely sought.
• The tank size, instrument panel and tyres will also see changes to balance ADV and touring needs.
• Biking enthusiasts await the new Himalayan as it tries to bridge the gap between itself and the KTM 390 Adventure.

Royal Enfield began updating itself as a modern bike manufacturer around a decade back but stuck to their core design philosophy of producing easy-to-ride retro bikes. Thus, it was a surprise for many in 2016 that after acquiring the reputed chassis making brand, Harris Performance a year earlier, the 1901-born bike major decided to go with a completely modern looking Himalayan 411. The biking community, however, wasn't complaining as the bike was an adventure touring dual sport motorcycle, a gap that needed filling up. Fast forward eight years and Siddharth Lal’s team is getting ready for major upgrades to enhance performance and live up better to its touring description while having a global ambition.

Such is the fandom of the Himalayan 411’s looks amongst the bike driving community that a section is slightly worried about “too much look change”. Says Abhishek Roy, an avid biker who has done a round trip to Leh-Ladakh from Hyderabad, “Looks will definitely matter. But, if the bike has everything that I’ve picked from the leaked information available, then looks might become secondary.”

So, what are these changes that the biking world is excited about? To understand that we need to look at the Himalayan 411 with which RE won its biggest war in placing itself as a more-than-just-retro manufacturer.

The Himalayan 411: What was amiss?

The Himalayan 411 and its sister, the Scram 411, which was launched in 2022, offered Indian riders who wanted to go off-roading a viable option. The engine, however, has its limitations, as it is air-cooled and, thus, the bike sometimes lacks the required torque needed on long haul rides.

Says Nishant Shukla, a biker who has explored the Western coastal line as well as Rajasthan’s desert terrains on bike, “Since I am not a big off roader, I would also see the highway worthiness of the new Himalayan. If it has ample power/torque. Moreover, the current Himalayan lacks the fancy adventure bike aids such as ride by wire, quickshifters etc.”

The competition has heated up in the ADV (adventure) segment, with the launch of the Yezdi Adventure and Triumph Scrambler 400 X. In the lower rung of this segment, the Hero’s XPulse 200 has done well but the main competition for the new Himalayan will still be the KTM 390 Duke Adventure.

The current 411-cc, single-cylinder engine pushes out only 24.3 horsepower, which translates to approximately 110 kmph cruising speed. Compare this to the KTM 390 Adventure which has 43 horsepower at its disposal. Moreover, after the 110 kmph speed, acceleration is found lacking unlike the RE’s 650 twin-cylinder offerings – the Interceptor, the Continental GT and the Super Meteor 650.

What the market expects from the new Himalayan 450


The new Himalayan, as per media reports, will try and resolve the above issues. Business Insider took a deep dive into this new offering by Royal Enfield:

A liquid-cooled engine

The new Himalayan, is expected to come with a liquid cooled engine, unlike its predecessor. This should translate to longer riding time at a higher torque. It is estimated to produce around 40 BHP and 40 Nm and will be paired with a six-speed gearbox, as per a Team-BHP report.

Multiple riding modes

Auto tracking websites suggest that the new bike will come with three riding modes, which was missing in the previous edition and has riders excited. The bike should be enabled by a first-time ride-by-wire system. Says Roy who is waiting for the bike launch before making up his mind on the adventure bike to buy, “I’m really waiting to test the different drive modes and the ride by wire.”

The modes on offer should support rain riding, off road riding and cruising (normal). The off-road mode when enabled will switch off the ABS (anti-locking braking system) at the real wheel to support deliberate rear sliding.

A bigger tank?

The tank on the new bike, as per leaked images reported by Autocar, looks to be bigger and reports say that it could be as large as a 15-20 litre unit offering longer run time.

Expected launch

Royal Enfield is targeting an early November launch of the bike as per multiple reports. It is noteworthy that the bike manufacturer holds its annual biking event – the Rider Mania – in Goa each year around the same time and the buzz on the street says that the new Himalayan might be unveiled between November 24-26 for the public in full glory.

The global ambition

The top end of the new Himalayan 450, as per reports, will be launched later next year and is codenamed K1X. The buzz on the street is that Royal Enfield has rallying aspirations and might be targeting the coveted Dakar Rally in years to come. The event is open to amateur and professional entries but the latter make up about 80% of the participants.

In fact, one of India’s top offroaders, CS Santosh released a teaser on Instagram of the bike a few months earlier showcasing its agility.

That the company has ambitions to play in the European and American markets is no secret. The company’s 650-cc bikes have been a favourite of sorts for the British market already as they offer decent power with acceleration at a cheaper rate than the Suzuki, Harley, Triumph and Kawasakis.

In 2020, UK’s Motorcycle Industry Association showed that the Interceptor 650 sales were second only to the highly popular Honda PCX 125 scooter.

Tyre changes?

The new Himalayan is likely to stick to CEAT tyres but media reports suggest that unlike its predecessor it will be made from a special compound to support both off-roading as well as highway cruising. To put it in context, the company currently says that the present Himalayan’s tyres are designed 70% for roads and 30% for off-roading.