The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been unveiled a day before the 2016 Auto Expo in India. The Himalayan is a first adventure tourer from the iconic bike maker, it will be officially launched with the price-list in mid-March probably on March 17, 2016.
The Himalayan is a new sub-brand under the Royal Enfield. It should not be confused with the ‘Himalayan’, which is club created by the Royal Enfield owners across India, either called ‘Himalayan Odyssey’ or ‘Royal Enfield Himalayan Thumpers’. These club sometimes arrange rides for owners of Royal Enfield to Himalaya’s and organize activities that enhance the biking experience.
Coming back to the Himalayan bike, it is an all-new motorcycle that is said to have not used a single part/component from any other Royal Enfield motorcycle. It is purposely fed with a carburettor, instead of fuel-injection to make the bike easier to fix, especially in remote areas where fuel adulteration and even availability of spares and skilled mechanic can be an issue.
Based on a half-duplex split-cradle chassis, the Himalayan is suspended by a 41 mm fork that has 200 mm travel, and as a Royal Enfield first, suspension duties at the rear are taken care of by a monoshock on swingarm that has 180 mm wheel travel. It boasts of a ground clearance of 220 mm. It rides on a 90/90-21’’ tyre, while at the rear, the Himalayan gets a 120/90-17’’ tyre. Stopping power comes from a 300 mm disc brake up front and a 240 mm disc at the rear.
Powertrain-wise, the Himalayan sports an all-new 411cc single-cylinder engine, named the LS410, where the ‘LS’ stands for Long-Stroke – almost a tradition with Royal Enfield engines. This air-cooled engine delivers 32 Nm of torque from 4,000 – 4,500 rpm and a moderate 24.5 BHP at 6,500 rpm. This unit is mated to a 5-speed gearbox that transfers power to the rear wheel via a chain drive.
The Himalayan is offered in two colour options – Granite and Snow. It weighs 182 kg and gets a 15-litre fuel tank with a touring range of 450 km. It sports a 10,000 km oil change interval and a 25,000 km spark plug change interval. The absence of the ABS even as an option comes as a surprise, but there are plans to offer as it will be mandatory soon.
To read more on Royal Enfield Himalayan, Click here
Also see: Royal Enfield Himalayan’s instrument cluster, launch on Feb 02
GALLERY: Royal Enfield Himalayan
