Larger Capacity Royal Enfield Himalayan Is Coming

Published May 26, 2017
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2 min read

Bigger engined Himalayan confirmed, other select RE models to get engines larger than 500cc as well

There have been pictures of a Royal Enfield Continental GT test mule floating around the interweb for a while now, with a supposed 750cc twin heart, which pointed out towards Royal Enfield's plan of developing large capacity bikes, larger than their flagship 535cc single. However, there was no official confirmation from Royal Enfield about this until now.

In a recent interview with Motorcycle Magazine, Siddhartha Lal, MD and CEO, Royal Enfield, confirmed that large capacity bikes are on the anvil -- capacities over 500cc but not exceeding 750cc, as he believes good sales volumes for Royal Enfield lie between the 350cc to 750cc bracket.

According to Siddhartha Lal, select Royal Enfield models including the Himalayan will benefit from the larger capacity engines with more performance. This is good news for prospective Himalayan customers who liked the product but were put off by the performance.

While there is no mention of the expected launch date for these motorcycles, going by the test mules seen testing in Spain and more recently near the Royal Enfield factory in Tamil Nadu, the launch could be very close. In fact, going by the test mule's current status from the pictures and its mass market appeal internationally, a larger capacity Royal Enfield Continental GT might just be unveiled globally at the upcoming 2017 EICMA motor show in October, with a possible India unveil at the 2018 Auto Expo in February next year.

Now, there is a high possibility that the cafe racer-Continental GT will be the first bike to get the larger engine, making its way to the market before the Himalayan. Also, the Continental GT and the Himalayan are the only two products in the Royal Enfield range that employ a dual cradle frame developed by Harris Performance, which could do justice to a high-performance motor.

Looking at the future, we can also expect Royal Enfield to consider the Continental GT's chassis to start a new family of high-capacity motorcycles, possibly coming up with a scrambler version and a retro-styled street naked that could compete against the Ducati Scrambler and Triumph's Street Twin, respectively. Royal Enfield has the capacity to sell these bikes at a highly competitive price, the main USP being value-for-money thanks to local manufacturing.

Watch this space for more updates.

Images courtesy: mcn.com

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