It is apparent that Royal Enfield is preparing for the Dakar Rally 2026 with the Himalayan 450 as the base platform. To prepare for the ultimate rally, Royal Enfield has participated in the Rally de Cuencas in Spain with a rally-prepared Himalayan 450, piloted by CS Santosh.
While the motorcycle is in the early stages of development, the rally-specced Himalayan 450 has clearly been stripped to the bare minimum, missing a fair bit of the stock bodywork. Meanwhile, the stock cycle parts have been swapped with performance-oriented ones for competition use.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 With Tubeless Spoke Wheels Launched; Prices Start At Rs. 2.96 Lakh
The motorcycle is equipped with long-travel suspension at both ends, a taller handlebar, a flatter seat, rally-spec tyres and an Akrapovic exhaust system. While upgrades to the engine are unknown, expect it to be belting out 10bhp+ over the stock output of 40bhp.
Keep watching this space for more details and information on the rally-spec Himalayan 450. Currently, it is too early to give a timeline as to when Royal Enfield will consider introducing the production version of the motorcycle, but expect it to be sometime next year.
