Himalayan: Another Beastly Beauty from Royal Enfield

BENGALURU: Royal Enfield recently released one of the most eagerly awaited motorcycles in 2016, just a day before the commencement of this year’s Auto Expo. Titled the ‘Himalayan’, it is the first ever purpose built motorcycle to be launched by an Indian manufacturer in the country. The bike which is priced at 1.55 lakh (ex-showroom) and 1.78 lakh (on-road) will not be sold in New Delhi as it is not BS4 emission norms compliant. Delhiites won’t be disappointed for long as the Enfield executives are already working on a BS4 compliant model which will be launched around April of 2017.

The Himalayan combines long-travel suspension, natural upright riding position, a durable engine, all of which add up to make a long ride quite comfortable. The bike comes with special parts whose sole purpose is to make the ride as comfortable as possible.

Engine

The bike has a 411cc air-cooled, 4 stroke, single cylinder engine with a maximum power of 24.5 BHP at 6500RPM along with a torque capacity of 32NM at 4500RPM. It comes with a wet clutch and a 5 gear transmission. It also has a 3-piece construction shaft combined with a counter- balancer and few moving parts to eliminate unwanted vibrations, thereby promining a smooth ride. One disappointment for few bikers would be that the engines are carburetor based. But they needn’t be downhearted as the company has promised a fuel-injected version in the near future along with ABS, which is not available with the current version.

Chassis and Suspension

It features a robotic-welded, half-duplex split cradle frame for greater precision and strength. The chassis is designed to keep the rider centered for a better responsive handling. It also has a telescopic front suspension with 41mm forks and a monoshock rear suspension with linkage.

Other features

The motorcycle includes a long visor, wide handlebars, upright riding position and new semi-digital instrument cluster. The standard instrumentation also includes a compass and gear indicator. It has a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear wheels wrapped with dual purpose tires from CEAT and a 15-litre fuel tank. It also has a ground clearance of 220mm, rivaling many SUV’s. Additionally it gets some strong metal frames on both sides of the tank and a large grab rail with a carrier to attach panniers and extra fuel cans. The Himalayan will be available only in two colours - Snow and Granite and will come with an additional range of accessories, apparels and gears for enthusiasts.

It can now be safely presumed that, with the release of the Himalayan, the Royal Enfield is venturing into a whole new category of motorcycles and one can only hope that they continue manufacturing the kind of bikes we have come to love and expect Enfield to make.

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