The Royal Enfield Himalayan made its way in India in early 2016, satiating the demand for an affordable adventure tourer. While the motorcycle has been around for a while now in India and Europe, the bike has now made its way to the US and Thailand markets. The made-in-India motorcycle is being shipped to the respective markets from RE's Chennai based facility and comes equipped with the updated fuel injection system as well. The Himalayan was launched in Thailand at the 2017 Thai Motor Expo with bookings open for an amount of 169,000 Baht (around Rs. 3.33 lakh) On the other hand, the US price starts at $4499 (around Rs. 2.9 lakh) and is the most affordable adventure motorcycle in the country.
Also Read: Comparison Review: Royal Enfield Himalayan vs Bajaj Dominar
The Royal Enfield Himalayan has earned the tag of being a no-nonsense, no frills motorcycle. The bike, while retaining the brand ethos, offers a utilitarian design coupled with spoked wheels and knobby tyres. The bike has been designed to accommodate the rider and pillion with ease. The Himalayan comes with a host of mounting points for the luggage, while the side guards can also double up as jerry can holders. The instrument cluster is also quite the extensive one and features an altimeter and compass, in addition to the usual list of a tachometer, speedometer, clock and the works.
(The Himalayan was updated with fuel-injection earlier this year to comply with BS-IV norms)
Power output for the international spec Royal Enfield remains the same and the bike uses the new 411 cc single-cylinder, SOHC, air-cooled engine tuned to produce 24.5 bhp at 6500 rpm and 32 Nm of peak torque available between 4000-4500 rpm. The motor comes paired with a 5-speed transmission. The motorcycle uses telescopic forks up front with 200 mm travel and a monoshock suspension at the rear with 180 mm travel, a first for any RE. Braking performance comes from discs at both ends. Much like the Indian version, the American and Thai-spec Himalaya misses out on Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS).
In the US, Royal Enfield Himalayan competes with the Kawasaki Versys X-300 that is also now available in India, along with the Honda CRF250L Rally, BMW G 310 GS and the likes. However, the Himalayan is a good $800-1000 cheaper than the other offerings.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 Launch Details Revealed
Deliveries for the Himalayan in both markets will start sometime in early 2018. Meanwhile, Royal Enfield has a busy year ahead with its new 650 twins - Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650, slated for a global launch. RE boss Siddhartha Lal confirmed to carandbike.com earlier this year that the bikes will be first launched in Europe around April next year while the Indian launch is scheduled for the summer of 2018. The new 650 bikes are expected to be the company's most affordable twin-cylinder motorcycles.
