Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 spotted first time in India

Royal Enfield is working on a new more powerful version of the Himalayan. It is expected to be called the Himalayan 450.  Now, the new motorcycle has been spotted on the Indian roads for the very first time. The motorcycle is expected to be unveiled by the end of this year and deliveries could start from early next year. Having said that the semiconductors shortage issue could postpone the launch.

In the picture, we can see that the Himalayan 450 looks like a proper Adventure Tourer. Despite, being a new motorcycle, Royal Enfield has taken some elements from the current Himalayan 411. There is a circular headlamp and if you would look closely, you would be able to see the external frame that is also on the Himalayan 411. This frame helps in protecting the motorcycle in case of a fall and also you can mount jerry cans on it. There is also an additional beak-like mudguard in the front. Then we have the windscreen which is surprisingly smaller than the one found on the Himalayan 411.

It seems like there is a new instrument cluster. It is circular so it could be from the Meteor 350. The handlebar is wide and tall, as we can see from the picture, the rider is sitting very comfortably. There are also split seats. We cannot see the front footpegs in the picture but they should be centre set. It seems like the rear footpegs have been taken from the 650 Twins. The manufacturer might change that once the Himalayan 450 hits production. On the motorcycle, a top box and side panniers have also been installed. These would be the official genuine accessories that Royal Enfield would sell.

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The front-wheel measures 21-inches in size while the rear one measures 17 -inches. Both are spoked wheels, so there will be tube-type tyres on offer. The tyres would be dual-purpose ones. Previous reports said that Royal Enfield has also figured out a way of making spoked wheels with tubeless tyres.

Suspension duties on the Himalayan 450 will be done by thick up-side down forks in the front and a mono-shock at the rear. Braking duties will be done by a disc in the front and a disc at the rear. Royal Enfield will be offering steel braided lines and a dual-channel Anti-lock braking system. There should also be a switchable ABS on offer through which you would be able to switch off the ABS on the rear wheel.

Now, let’s talk about the heart of the matter, that is the new engine. This is the biggest upgrade that we will see. Some people have complained that the current Himalayan 411 feels a bit underpowered because of its heavyweight and less power output.

As the name suggests, it is a 450 cc, single-cylinder unit. Royal Enfield has decided to use liquid cooling for the motorcycle.  Liquid-cooling would help Royal Enfield in extracting more power from the engine. The engine is capable of producing 45 hp but it will be tuned to produce 40 hp. This will be done so that the engine is not stressed and has a better low-end grunt. Because low-end grunt and mid-range is what you need while off-roading and touring. The torque figures are still not known. The gearbox would be a 6-speed unit.

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