Royal Enfield is rapidly growing the Indian company into a truly global player. Not known for taking technological leaps, the new Sherpa 450 engine, a single piston 4 valve, is now liquid cooled – a first for Royal Enfield (RE). The ride-by-wire throttle, four-valve head has twin overhead cams and electronic fuel injection.
Power to the wheel is through a multi-plate clutch with slip and six-speed transmission to the chain final drive. The bike has a broad torque band while the bike is actually ten pounds lighter and now puts out 40 hp with 29.5 lb.-ft of torque. The Harris Performance designed chassis is much improved, with a twin-spar, tubular-steel frame and steel swingarm. Showa SFF front forks allow 7.9 inches of travel with a rear Showa monoshock allowing 7.1 inches of travel.
The bike has a 21-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear with tubed tires using aluminum-spoked rims. RE will have an option for tubeless cross-spoke wheels. The bike, according to Cycle World is very stable.
Braking is provided by ByBre (an Indian-market brand owned by Brembo) with a 320mm disc in the front, a twin-piston caliper, and a single-piston caliper of 270mm in the rear. It has dual-channel ABS, which can be switched off at the rear. What is great for those of us with shorter legs, is that the Himalayan offers a low seat at 31.7 inches. With a weight of 432 pounds, this bike should be easy to throw around off-road.
One of the big changes is in the Himalayans electronics. The bike has a TFT display, smart phone connectivity, Google Maps Navigation and joystick-controlled dash navigation. There are four rider modes.
Additionally, there is a USB-C charging point and full LED lighting. The Himalayan is a totally brand-new bike, but still more about functionality than fancy electronics.
While I have not ridden the bike to date, (snow being my constant companion at the moment), I do have a plan to ride the bike and provide a review of the riding experience.
The riding review, published in Cycle World includes the following comments:
“The engine is flexible and offers a broad spread of power, and we have to cut it some slack during our day that topped out at more than 11,000 feet of horsepower-draining elevation.”
“A really pleasant surprise on the asphalt is the competence of the chassis. The frame is rigid and the front-end geometry provides good stability, while still allowing the bike to easily be flicked into those hairpins without a ton of effort at the bars…If we had one thing we would ask for from the chassis, it would be some rebound damping to keep the bike from pogoing after a harsh G-out or sharp bump.”
Highway travel is not this bike’s happy place, and acceleration is modest at highway speeds, but on gravel roads and rough terrain, the Himalayan is at home. The Himalayan has a top speed of 100 mph, which is ample for maintaining highway speeds, however as a single cylinder engine, I imagine that passing other vehicles is not something one should expect the Himalayan to be good at.
Conclusions according to Cycle World
According to Blake Connor (November 27th, 2023, in Cycle World)
“Make no mistake, this is a legitimate ADV bike. It may be scaled down and relatively simple compared to the bulk of the market’s offerings, but that in and of itself gives it a foot up in certain situations, especially off-road, where low weight and good ability count a lot more than raw power.”
In Canada, the Himalayan sells for $7,199, which is a great price for a capable off-road motorcycle, that includes a full 3-year warranty. In addition, there is a wide range of accessories for those who tour or spend extended periods off-road.
I will definitely have more to say about the Himalayan this spring once I get the chance to ride and review the bike.
Ciao…
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