Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 caught in action for the first time ahead of launch

Despite its shortcomings, the Himalayan has been a huge success for Royal Enfield. The manufacturer is currently working on a new 450 cc platform which will spawn several motorcycles. The first one will be the Himalayan 450 which many people are excited about. The motorcycle is expected to get unveiled later this year. Now, CS Santosh, an accomplished supercross & rally-raid racer has uploaded a video on his social media in which he can be seen riding the upcoming Himalayan 450 quite aggressively.

One of the biggest gripes that people have from the current Royal Enfield Himalayan is that it is too heavy and underpowered. The manufacturer will be fixing that by using a new larger 450 cc engine. It will be the first liquid-cooled motor from the brand. The power outputs are not yet revealed but they are expected to be around 40-45 bhp and 40 Nm of peak torque. The engine would be tuned for low and mid-end grunt so it can tour without the engine facing any stress. Moreover, the low-end grunt also helps while off-roading. The new engine is expected to come with a 6-speed gearbox.

When compared the current Himalayan uses an oil-cooled 411 cc, long-stroke unit that produces around 25 bhp of power and 32 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

The design of the Himalayan 450 will again follow function over form philosophy. It will come with an external cage that not only protects the motorcycle in case of a fall but the riders can also mount jerry cans on it for carrying additional fuel.

The Himalayan 450 comes with an LED headlamp that is taken from the new 650 Twins and the Super Meteor 650. Apart from this, the motorcycle will have brake lights integrated into turn indicators, a tall windscreen and a larger fuel tank. It has been confirmed that the motorcycle will come with tubeless spoked wheels. However, recently the test mule that crashed was equipped with tube-type tyres. So, there is a possibility that there will be multiple variants on offer.

Expect the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 motorcycle to cost much higher than the 411 models currently on sale. The existing models are priced at ₹2.16 lakh (ex-showroom). The new generation motorcycle is likely to be priced north of ₹2.50 lakh (ex-showroom).