Launched at an introductory price of Rs 2.69 lakh, new Himalayan will easily acquire lead position in sub-500cc ADV segment
Royal Enfield Himalayan has been a popular choice for enthusiasts, owing to its off-roading capabilities and affordable pricing. The journey continues with the new Himalayan, with the brand new and tech-loaded Sherpa 450 engine, offering more power and new set of features. It will primarily rival KTM 390 Adventure and upcoming Hero Xpulse 440.
New Himalayan 450 – A meaningful evolution
All-new Himalayan 450 has been launched at Motoverse 2023, which is Royal Enfield’s biggest motorcycle festival. Before its launch, the new Himalayan 450 was showcased at 2023 EICMA. The brochure had revealed exploded view of all accessories. Now, Royal Enfield has revealed pricing for most of its accessories.
For starters, there are accessory lineups – Adventure and Rally along with miscellaneous accessories. Adventure lineup of accessories is the most extensive of this bunch and Royal Enfield has revealed pricing for all of these. Panniers, top box, pannier rails, top box mount, inner waterproof bags, windscreen and adventure seats for rider and pillion are main highlights.
In Rally lineup of accessories, Royal Enfield has revealed prices for underbody protection and handlebar pad. There are more interesting accessories in Rally lineup. These include knuckle guards, single-piece rally seat, tapered handlebar, rear rally mudguard and extended rally gear lever. Pricing for these are yet to be revealed.
Other miscellaneous accessories include ORVMs, engine guards, headlight grill, radiator guard, fancy oil filler cap, LED fog lights and tail pack. Pricing for fog lights and tail pack are yet to be revealed. Credit to Royal Enfield for taking inputs from globetrotters, explorers and athletes. The feedback has helped identify Himalayan’s strong points that could be carried over and areas that could be improved upon.
All of that has gone into the development of the new Himalayan 450. New Himalayan 450 seems more relevant for global markets too, with strong export potential. The smaller capacity 411cc Himalayan was popular, to begin with. However, enthusiasts faced limitations with low power output when compared to rivals like KTM 390 Adventure.
Specs, powertrain and rivals
New Himalayan 450 has ample power and torque reserves. The 452cc, liquid cooled Sherpa 450 engine churns out 40.02 PS of max power and 40 Nm of peak torque. In comparison, KTM 390 Adventure has a 373.27 cc engine that makes 43.5 PS and 37 Nm. Other key highlights of new Himalayan 450 include a new 6-speed gearbox, ride-by-wire feature, new TripperDash and more. The bike works for both seasoned adventurers as well as budding enthusiasts.
In India, Himalayan 450 is available in three variants – Base, Pass and Summit. Base variant has colour options of Kaza Brown and Slate Himalayan Salt, priced at Rs 2.69 lakh and Rs 2.74 lakh, respectively. The Pass variant has the Slate Himalayan Poppy Blue colour option, priced at Rs 2.74 lakh. The top-spec Summit variant has Kamet White and Hanle Black colour options, priced at Rs 2.79 lakh and Rs 2.84 lakh, respectively. These are introductory prices valid for Indian consumers till December 31st, 2023.
For motorcycling enthusiasts, Royal Enfield has also announced the Himalayan Adventure calendar for 2024 – 2025. A total of 10 rides are listed, covering some of the most scenic locations across Leh, Ladakh, Kargil, Nepal and Tibet.
