Royal Enfield Himalayan Base

autocar.india

•3d

A first motorcycle purchase is a big milestone in life, and it seems like you're not sure which style of bike to go for, so we'll give you a vast list of options to choose from.Since you said you've always wanted a Harley-Davidson, we'd advise you to try the X440 T out. This is a comfortable, characterful and capable motorcycle, and if you're not interested in outright top speed, it will be a good option. In a similar vein, if you want something in the neo-retro space, the Royal Enfield 350s are a lovely option and hard to ignore.If you want something with a little bit of pep in its step, then the 350cc Triumph 400s like the Speed, Scrambler, Tracker, etc. are really nice bikes (although if you don't have a dealer in your city, it wouldn't be advisable to buy them). The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is another really nice bike and packs in serious performance so if you do get it, have your wits about you when you whack open the throttle. The RE Himalayan 450 is a completely different proposition to all of the aforementioned bikes and is a jack-of-all-trades sort of bike. Unless you're really going to venture off-road or do long rides, it may not be the right tool for you - as a first-time buyer. Something lighter, nimbler and more straightforward is a better bet.If you don't want to spend more than Rs 2-2.50 lakh on your first bike, then something simple like a Bajaj Pulsar N250SS, Dominar 400 (350cc), TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and similiar bikes will keep you happy until you're ready to move up too. A test ride will be key to determining, first, what sort of bike you are after and second, whether you want to spend its asking price or not. Happy trails!

autocar.india

•12w

Since you want comfort as a top priority in your next purchase, the two bikes that will deliver that much better than the others in your shortlist are the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and the 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X. The Himalayan is more adept on the highway front, but the Scrambler is the better city bike, so depending on where you spend more time, pick between these two. The TVS Apache RTX 300 is a phenomenally capable bike (especially for the price), but its engine feels a little dull once you spend some time with it. If you are okay with that, then as an overall package, the TVS is quite hard to fault. If you decide you want something more road-biased, then the 350cc Triumph Speed 400 and Honda CB350RS are good options to consider. We'd skip the RE Meteor models because the Super Meteor has stiff rear suspension, and instead of the Meteor, look at the Classic / Bullet if you want more comfort with an old-school relaxed retro vibe. These are all very different machines within a broad price range, so depending on the segment you are looking at specifically, we'd advise you to take test rides of the options above and then make your decision.

autocar.india

•17w

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is one of the most sorted sub-500cc, single-cylinder adventure tourers in India and will make for a good step up from your Dominar. While the performance on tap will largely be the same, the Himalayan's suspension and seating comfort, as well as overall quality levels, will definitely feel a tangible notch higher than the Dominar's. We'd recommend you go for the Himalayan right now over the upcoming Norton Atlas because the latter is likely to be in a different price bracket entirely. Also, its India launch timing and service reach remain shrouded in mystery, and for a daily rider, those legitimate concerns matter more than a feel-good brochure.

autocar.india

•19w

Whether or not you want to keep your Hunter and supplement your garage or have only one bike to handle everything is a personal decision, and we'd advise you to evaluate your priorities and make that decision.What we can tell you is that the 398cc KTM 390 Adventure will be more fun than the RE Himalayan 450 with its explosive top-end rush and significantly lower weight. If you do choose to keep the Hunter, then going with a machine that's markedly different in character and from a different brand makes more sense, so you get to choose between two distinct flavours of motorcycling as and when you wish.