New Royal Enfield Himalayan review, road test

The big new Himalayan is happy to take on the daily grind as well.

Published on Jan 27, 2024 07:00:00 AM

18,820 Views

New Royal Enfield Himalayan review, road test

New TFT display is one of the nicest you’ll find on an Indian bike.

Quality and reliability have both been good so far. The only quality-related thing, however, that annoys me is the joystick on the left side switchgear, which feels quite fiddly. On the plus side, the circular TFT is superb, both in terms of layout and readability.

The bike has performed flawlessly, with the only hiccup being that it sometimes refuses to change modes until you turn the ignition off and on again. Speaking of the modes, Eco cuts power by 20 percent in the first four gears, but the throttle response in Sport mode is so smooth I’ve never felt the need to use Eco.

Well-thought-out toolkit nicely held in place under the seat.

A few other small things I have noticed are that the luggage rack now says 7kg weight allowance, compared to the 5kg that was on the initial test bikes. That being said, the rack feels solid and I’m sure a few more kilos won’t hurt. In fact, the Himalayan has multiple well-thought-out luggage mounting points.

I also like the fact that the mirrors seem to reduce some of the glare from headlamps at night. The tool kit is another well-thought-out thing and the ease with which ride seat height can be changed is something I like as well because I prefer the taller setting, but the bike is occasionally shared with shorter riders.