Royal Enfield Himalayan launch in March

Easily among the most awaited bikes of 2016, the Royal Enfield Himalayan finally broke cover prior to the 2016 Auto Expo. Although the Chennai-based bike maker didn’t participate in the Auto Expo, it set the right mood for the big event. Reason? The Himalayan is India’s first fully homegrown adventure motorcycle. 

To some the minimalistic design of the Royal Enfield Himalayan might look odd, but it is one of those motorcycles that grows on you over time. The split, seat, the brushed aluminium finish exhaust, the spoke wheels as well as the raised front mud guard, all ensure that it has the looks to compliment its adventure DNA. 

The Himalayan comes with an all-new 411cc single-cylinder air-cooled unit that makes 24.5PS of power and 32Nm of torque. As opposed to the other Royal Enfield motorcycles’ push road architecture, the Himalayan sports overhead cams. Moreover, to keep vibrations in check, RE has also fitted the engine with a counter balancer. This engine comes mated to a 5-speed transmission.  

The Himalayan gets a semi-digital instrumentation with an analogue speedo and tacho and a digital trio meter. Interestingly the Royal Enfield has also fitted the cluster with an altimeter knowing that a lot of its buyers will ride to the Himalayas and other hilly areas. 

Up front the Himalayan comes with telescopic suspension while at the back it gets a monoshock setup. This is the first RE motorcycle to come fitted with a monoshock rear suspension. Royal Enfield will bring in the Himalayan next month at around Rs 1.80 lakh.