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The first comprehensive review of the most awaited motorcycle this year, the Royal Enfield Himalayan adventure touring motorcycle. We rode the bike around Shimla for a couple of days. We test drove the Himalayan in rain, slush and even snow and here's what we think about it! Royal Enfield launched Himalayan as one of its kind motorcycle. It looks different, it rides different and of course, it feels different from all the existing Royal Enfields. The Himalayan breaks all the stereotypes to become something that Indian market always needed. Looks: The Himalayan has this no-nonsense looks, It looks simple, and purposeful. It is an adventure motorcycle than get things done with ease. It has round headlamp with adjustable visor on top to protect the riders from oncoming wind. The 15-litre tank is not shaped in the most elegant way, but has mounts to carry extra litres of fuel for that journey to unknown. The visible chassis is all-new that cages the all-new oil-cooled engine that is painted in black and double-seat with provision for panniers is all the new Himalayan has to offer. The minimalistic design makes the Himalayan a great touring-tool. The negative-print stickers on the tank, and front and rear mudguards add a classic look to the motorcycle. Royal Enfield has also added an advanced digital-analogue console that puts every information that you will ever need during a motorcycle trip. The console has analogue speedometer, tachometer, and fuel gauge, while all other information like temperature, average speed, time are shown on a LCD screen within the speedometer. The Himalayan also features a digital compass. The wheels are also of different sizes, the front one is of 17-inch while the rear is 21-inch, both have spokes and get Ceat off-road tyres. The gear-lever and the rear brake lever are made up of steel without any rubber cover to add ruggedness to the machine. Even the rubber on the footpegs are removable to add more grip during wet conditions. The motorcycle also gets first-ever monoshock coming from Royal Enfield factory while the front wheels are attached to telescopic suspension. It also gets disc brakes for both front and rear but no ABS as of now. Overall, the Himalayan is not made for looks, it is built for a purpose and it succeeds very well doing that. Engine and ride: The new Himalayan draws power from an all-new engine. The LS 410 engine is a long-stroke engine. The single-cylinder engines gets oil-cooling system along with air-cooling. It is uses two-valve Single Overhead Cam to boost the lower end power of the motorcycle and has a carburetor that is good for 12,000 feet in stock tuning. It is the smoothest engine ever from Royal Enfield and a counter-balancer takes care of all the jittery vibrations that the Enfields are famous for. Back to the engine – we love the way it pulls from 2000 rpm onwards till about 5000 rpm – the low and mid range is definitely punchy and will be a boon while riding on roads like these. Now Royal Enfield has done very smart designing for the machine. The tank is slim to accommodate the stand-up riding position. The bike has ground clearance of 220 mm but the seat height is just 800 mm for better control. Riding the Himalayan is as easy as it can get. It has good low-end torque that helps through sticky riding conditions. The engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox but we could not go past the third one because of the riding conditions. The first gear is very tall. It pulls the motorcycle to above 50 kmph, this can be both good and bad depending on the situation you are in. The gear shifts are smooth and the clutch is moderately heavy but a lot more lighter than other Royal Enfields. The grip from the tyres are phenomenal and the suspensions are perfectly set-up. Infact, this is the best thing about the bike – throw it into corners that are imperfect or ride the bike through never ending potholes and the Himalayan will make it look all too easy. And the tyres are simply wow – the bike in rains, in slush and in fresh snowfall and the tyres simply did not give up. And the motorcycle is very flickable, it does not take much time to change direction and stays stuck to the ground giving riders a lot of confidence. Also, there is no ABS, and the front brakes lack bite, the rear ones are not that great either. You have to devise a way to make both of the brakes work together in sync but you do get used to it. Verdict: The Himalayan is a great adventure motorcycle and a complete package, it has a potential to become the first adventure machine for many riders and we may see many Enfield riders upgrading to this new machine purely because of the capabilities it has in it. Know more about Royal Enfield Himalayan at : https://www.bikedekho.com/bike/royal-...
