KTM 390 Adventure will likely get two brand new rivals in the form of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and Hero Xpulse 400
KTM India has the 390 Adventure as one of its popular offerings in the domestic market. The 390 Adv is a practical motorcycle that can tackle both on- and off-road scenarios and it is packed with all the necessary equipment. It appears that the 390 Adventure will face stiff competition in the next calendar year in the form of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and the Hero Xpulse 400.
1. Royal Enfield Himalayan 450:
Both motorcycles have been spotted testing multiple times and they are expected to reach showrooms in 2023. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 will more likely be positioned above the existing Himalayan 411 and it will be powered by a new 450 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine, which could develop a maximum power output of around 40 bhp.
The upcoming Himalayan 450 could cost around Rs. 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom) and it will feature elements such as an LED headlamp, off-set rear monoshock suspension and upside-down front forks. It will draw heavy design inspiration from the Himalayan 411, which spawned Scram 411 a while ago. A hardcore variant of the Himalayan 450 will arrive in the future.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 looks to be based on brand new architecture and thus we can expect it to be lighter than the Himalayan 411 with improved handling characteristics and off-roading abilities. It will more likely be introduced by the third quarter of 2023 while the Hero Xpulse 400 is widely expected to arrive in H2 2023.
2. Hero Xpulse 400:
It will act as a flagship adventure touring machine from the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer and spy shots indicate the presence of an LED headlamp, an LCD instrument console, a tall windscreen, a tall handlebar position, wire-spoked front and rear wheels, a dual-channel ABS system, a long travel suspension, a side-mounted exhaust unit and so on.
The success of the Xpulse 200 could prompt Hero to aggressively price the upcoming dual-purpose adventure touring motorcycle and word on the street is that a 421 cc single-cylinder engine capable of around 40 bhp could be used. It must be noted that RE is also developing a 650 cc Himalayan and it will only arrive in the future.