Royal Enfield’s forthcoming adventure bike – Himalayan 450 – will be powered by a liquid-cooled engine, paired with a 6-speed gearbox
Royal Enfield is currently working on a new ADV for the Indian market – Himalayan 450. This upcoming RE adventure motorcycle has been spied during testing a few times on Indian roads, revealing plenty of interesting details, while also fueling excitement among two-wheeler enthusiasts and fans of the brand alike.
Interestingly, there will be plenty of new features on offer on the upcoming Himalayan 450, some of which will be available for the first time on a Royal Enfield motorcycle. The chief among these first-for-the-brand features is liquid-cooling. Thanks to that, the 450cc engine of the bike is expected to generate over 40 PS of peak power and around 40 Nm of maximum torque, and it will come mated to a 6-speed transmission.
The upcoming Royal Enfield ADV is also expected to get ride-by-wire throttle, along with riding modes. Spy pictures also reveal that the motorcycle will get a completely new instrument console, positioned on a tall mount, unlike any other Royal Enfield bike before. As per previous reports, Himalayan 450 will get wire-spoked wheels that are compatible with tubeless tyres, which is a feature only seen on high-end premium ADVs!
We also see that Himalayan 450 will get LED turn indicators and upside-down front forks, which aren’t available on any other Royal Enfield currently. That said, RE’s upcoming 650cc cruiser and bobber – Super Meteor 650 and Shotgun 650 – are expected to launch in the Indian market this year, and these two features could be offered on them.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 will be built on a trellis frame, another first for Royal Enfield. This new frame will offer better stiffness than the half-duplex split cradle frame used by the existing RE Himalayan, which should result in better handling and improved off-road capabilities, and the larger 20-litre fuel tank should improve touring capabilities as well.
Also, this upcoming ADV will get disc brakes on both wheels, with the safety net of dual-channel ABS. Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is speculated to launch sometime during the next year. It will likely be priced around Rs. 3 lakh (ex-showroom), which will put it in direct competition with BMW G310 GS and KTM 390 Adventure.