Royal Enfield has begun dispatching BS6 versions of its existing motorcycles; and following the launch of the BS6 Classic 350, the BS6-ready Himalayans have begun reaching dealerships. Besides the obvious upgrades to the engine to comply with the new emission norms, Royal Enfield has also taken the opportunity to refresh and improve its Adventure Tourer.
To begin with, the BS6 Royal Enfield Himalayan gets a hazard warning light on the right switch cube. Interestingly, the hazard lamp was available in the Himalayan that debuted, back in 2017. The hazard lamp switch was dropped by Royal Enfield when the Himalayan was upgraded to BS4. It now makes a comeback in its BS6 avatar. Given the conditions (read high-altitude passes, low-visibility areas) that Himalayan owners ride in, especially up north, the hazard lamp is quite a nifty feature to have. The company has also taken steps to improve the battery efficiency in the BS6 Himalayan by introducing a setting that switches on the headlamp only after the motor comes to life. Previously, the headlight came on as soon as the ignition key was turned to ON. The instrument cluster too undergoes a minor change and now gets a completely white-backlight setup.
The brakes have also been worked upon and the new ones are said to offer stronger braking. The Himalayan’s brakes were not upto the mark when it debuted and Royal Enfield has been working on improving them – the case in point being the BS4 Himalayan. The best bit, however, is that it gets switchable ABS, which allows riders to slide the motorcycle while riding off-road.
Besides these changes, Royal Enfield also seems to have worked on customer feedback. The side stand, for instance, has been redesigned to ensure that the bike has a slight lean when parked. This should make it easier to mount and dismount the motorcycle.
Finally, the Himalayan will be available in three new shades – Ocean Blue, red and grey. These three new colours were showcased at the 2019 EICMA in Milan and provide more options to customers looking to buy a Himalayan in shades different than the standard black or white.
Bookings for the BS6-compliant Royal Enfield Himalayan will begin soon, in the last week of January 2020.
Ved Janve
Vishal Venugopal
Dinshaw Magol
