Royal Enfield has many new models in the pipeline spanning many different engine configurations, but one of the most-awaited has to be the upcoming Himalayan 450, which has been spotted yet again.
- Himalayan 450 will get larger, more powerful liquid-cooled engine
- Design is an evolution of the current Himalayan
- Spied with a USD fork
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 spied: what’s new?
The design of the upcoming Himalayan 450 test mules doesn’t seem to be a radical departure from the current Himalayan. It still gets a functional design with what appears like steel tubes surrounding the LED headlight (appears to be the same as on the Super Meteor 650), a beaky front fender and a small luggage rack at the rear.
However, the shape of the fuel tank appears to be more rounded as opposed to the flat and angular one found on the current Himalayan, which might entail a change from current 15-litre fuel capacity as well. A bigger tank will be welcome considering that this engine will be much more powerful than the current Himalayan.
Of course, while the design will be an evolution, the liquid-cooled engine it will be powered by will be a much more radical departure from the current air- or oil-cooled unit. While the new mill’s output figures are as yet unknown, it is expected to have a four-valve head and it will be liquid-cooled. With an expected power figure of around 35-40hp, this will be considerably higher than the 24hp, 32Nm figures.
The suspension also is a higher-spec Showa USD fork, instead of the current bike’s telescopic fork. This also seems to be similar to what has debuted on the Super Meteor but in this case, expect much more travel and completely different spring and damping rates. The brake and clutch levers seen here do not feature any adjustability.
The Himalayan 450 will get the first fully digital display on a Royal Enfield and it is expected to have Bluetooth connectivity baked into it, unlike other models that get a separate Tripper navigation pod. The left hand switch cube will likely have the necessary buttons to control this feature. The bikes on test here are running a 21/17-inch (F/R) wire-spoke wheel set-up, just like the current Himalayan although whether this new Himalayan 450 will finally bring tubeless tyres remains to be seen.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450: expected price, rivals, India launch
The current Himalayan is priced between Rs 2.16 lakh and Rs 2.23 lakh and we expect the new Himalayan 450 to cost a good chunk more considering it will pack in a more modern liquid-cooled mill, up-spec hardware and have a great deal more electronics. Expect it to be priced closer to the Rs 3.37 lakh KTM 390 Adventure, but probably not as high. Considering that the bikes spotted testing now appear nearly finished, it is possible that the Himalayan 450 could be launched before the year ends.
All prices mentioned above are ex-showroom, Delhi.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
