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Royal Enfield has been developing the Himalayan 750 for quite some time, and we recently got an opportunity to see the motorcycle up close at the Himalayan Base Camp. The motorcycle was displayed alongside other versions of the Himalayan, and while we did not have the keys or get to ride it, we were able to examine the prototype closely.
There are still several details that Royal Enfield has not revealed, but the motorcycle does give away quite a few of its features. Here is what we spotted.
The Himalayan 750 will be the first Royal Enfield motorcycle to feature traction control. There is a dedicated button on the left-hand switchgear, which makes it quite clear that the system will be easily accessible while riding.
Royal Enfield has not revealed how many modes the system will offer, but given the presence of a dedicated control, it is possible that the Himalayan 750 could have different traction-control settings. Road, Rain and Off-road would be logical options, although we will have to wait for official confirmation.
Having a dedicated button also means riders should be able to change the setting without having to dig through the instrument menu.
The right-side switchgear gets a dedicated cruise control button. There is also a toggle switch that can be used to increase or decrease the set speed.
The same switch appears to allow the rider to resume cruise control after it has been disengaged. For a motorcycle that is expected to spend a lot of time covering long distances, this should be a particularly useful feature.
One of the most noticeable changes is the new LED headlamp.
Royal Enfield's LED headlamps have not always been particularly impressive when it comes to outright illumination, and touring riders have often ended up adding auxiliary lights for better visibility at night.
The older halogen setup had one benefit in that the bulb could be replaced or upgraded relatively easily. With an integrated LED unit, replacing the complete assembly is generally the only option when you want to make a significant change.
We hope the new unit on the Himalayan 750 is considerably more powerful than Royal Enfield's current LED setups. For an adventure tourer that could be ridden on remote roads at night, good lighting is an important feature.
The Himalayan 750 gets upside-down forks at the front and a monoshock at the rear, with both sourced from Showa.
The Himalayan 450 already has an excellent suspension setup, so expectations are high for the larger motorcycle as well. However, the Himalayan 750 appears to have been developed with a more road-focused character, so its suspension could be tuned slightly firmer than the 450.
What is particularly interesting is the adjustability. Both the front and rear suspension appear to offer adjustment, while the rear gets a remote adjuster. This should make it easier to alter the setup according to luggage, pillion use or riding conditions.
The Himalayan 750 prototype we saw was also fitted with a tyre pressure monitoring system. This should be useful on long-distance trips, where a gradual loss of pressure can otherwise go unnoticed.
We also spotted a red light blinking near the instrument cluster. We did not have the keys, so we could not verify the system, but it appears to be an immobiliser indicator.
The prototype was running a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel, both alloys. It was also fitted with Vredestein Centuro tyres.
This setup gives us another indication of where the Himalayan 750 will sit in Royal Enfield's line-up. It looks less focused on serious off-road riding than the Himalayan 450 and more geared towards road-based adventure touring.
In other words, this is shaping up to be a soft ADV rather than an outright off-road machine.
The Himalayan 750 uses the same basic display as the Himalayan 450. That is not necessarily a bad thing because the 450's screen is one of its better features.
It gets proper Google Maps integration, which is useful for touring. The joystick can take some getting used to and can occasionally be fiddly, but the overall functionality is quite good.
The Himalayan 750 could also get additional information and functionality, particularly since it will have riding modes and traction control.
One small but thoughtful detail is the use of folding foot brake and gear levers.
On an adventure motorcycle, a fall is always a possibility. A folding foot lever can move out of the way during an impact rather than snapping off, potentially saving the rider from being stranded over something as simple as a broken foot lever. The brake lever on the motorcycle was also adjustable.
Based on what we saw, the Himalayan 750 appears to be taking the Himalayan formula in a slightly different direction.
The 19/17-inch wheel setup, alloy wheels and road-oriented tyres suggest that it will be more comfortable on the highway and on long touring runs, while features such as cruise control, traction control, TPMS and fully adjustable suspension should make it considerably better equipped than the existing Himalayan 450.
It still retains enough adventure-bike hardware to handle bad roads and light trails, but the focus seems to be shifting towards long-distance touring rather than outright off-road ability.
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