I spent the final two weeks in a really unusual world driving a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. It is a new bike to the U.S. however actually not a brand new firm. Royal Enfield is legitimately the oldest repeatedly run bike maker on the earth. The British firm began in 1901 and hasn’t missed a yr of manufacturing since then. A manufacturing facility was opened in India in 1955, and now that’s the place all of the fashions are made. They served the home market nicely, however for years Enfield has been considered solely as a retro model within the west. With the Himalayan 450, that may change. It is a fashionable bike designed within the U.Ok. to serve the journey market. The actual attraction is the worth. The bottom mannequin sells for $5799; principally half the worth of a KTM dual-sport.
To be honest, the Himalayan wasn’t developed from racing inventory like KTM, Husky and Honda dual-sport bikes. It was conceived from the beginning as an journey bike. It comes normal with a rear baggage rack, crash-bars, 4.5 gallons of gasoline capability and a frame-mount windscreen. All that stuff ups the load to over 400 kilos.
As I discussed, I rode the bike for a superb two weeks in a distinct world–I used to be actually within the Himalayan mountains. I couldn’t attend the U.S. press launch of the bike in Park Metropolis, Utah final month and the folks at Royal Enfield then requested if I want to attend one of many firm’s journey excursions. It was known as the Moto Himalaya Mustang experience, which began in Kathmandu, Nepal and trekked to the traditional kingdom of Mustang, proper on the border of Nepal, Tibet and China. I mentioned sure. I’m not loopy.
For now, I’ll save the tales of that experience for later and concentrate on the bike. To be sincere, I wasn’t anticipating a lot. The Himalayan 411 that got here earlier than this mannequin was principally a throwback to a different time. It was low cost, air-cooled transportation however had little else going for it. The 450 has nothing in widespread with that bike. It has what they name the Sherpa motor, which is a DOHC six-speed with fuel-injection. It’s a little bit cumbersome in comparison with a premium-level 450, however in any other case is completely fashionable. It’s mated to a metal body and Showa suspension. The brakes are Bybre, which is owned by Brembo. It has antilock brakes which have 4 user-defined modes. There’s a handlebar change that lets you choose the quantity of intervention at start-up.
When it comes to outright efficiency, the Sherpa motor is correct in keeping with every other EPA-approved 450 within the U.S. It maybe doesn’t have the low-end snap of a Honda CRF450RL, however is in any other case proper within the hunt. Its fuel-injection system is downright superb. Our experience went as little as 2600 toes and as excessive as 15,500 toes above sea degree. It stored going and going. At these excessive altitudes, you lose energy, however the bike at all times ran clear, was simple to start out and by no means stalled or misbehaved in any approach. As soon as we bought down a little bit decrease, we discovered it might crack 160 kph within the filth. No less than, that’s what the digital multi operate instrument up entrance mentioned. That interprets to over 100 mph.
The suspension is one other large win. It’s delicate, however then it must be delicate. After spending hours, days and weeks within the saddle it seems that the Himalayan is a brilliant comfy bike. I particularly appreciated the truth that you can increase the seat top. The bike’s weight is, in fact, its largest disadvantage. There’s no getting round the truth that it’s heavy. Consider a Kawasaki KLR650 and also you get the concept. The Royal Enfield motor has extra peak energy than the Kawasaki, however much less torque.
The massive query that anybody has with bikes that aren’t manufactured in Europe or Japan revolves round reliability. Usually, we are able to’t say a lot about that. {A magazine} press bike hardly ever will get very a lot time. On this case, the Moto Himalaya Mustang experience had a pattern of 17 Royal Enfield 450s, all ridden day after day. There have been no mechanical points. The bikes have been crashed, actually, besides, there was by no means something extra critical than a bent lever or two.
I’ll have extra on the Himalayan within the December problem of Dust Bike. And keep tuned for a report on the experience itself. Man, do I’ve tales to inform!
See you subsequent week!
