The Royal Enfield Himalayan has finally entered the Indian two-wheeler market with an aggressive price point of 1.55 Lakh (ex-showroom, Munbai) and 1.78 Lakh (On-Road). The bike was one off the most awaited launched in 2016 and is the first ground-up, new Royal Enfield motorcycle to be launched in India. That said, the company has confirmed that the bike will not be sold in Delhi City and the reason given to us by it was that the Himalayan is not BS4 compliant.
However, the available in the NCR region like Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida at a price of 1.79 lakh (on-road). As of now customers in Delhi will only be able to see the bike on display at Royal Enfield outlets but cannot purchase one. The company also said that it is working on the BS4 compliant version, which should be ready to go on sale by April 2017.
(Royal Enfield Himalayan Launch)
Royal Enfield has hardly left anything to our imagination and the bike was unveiled a day before the 2016 Auto Expo commenced. Having disclosed all the technical specifications then Royal Enfield has waited for more than a month to officially launch the bike along with the prices. The Himalayan has been one of the most anticipated launches of 2016 and is the first purpose built motorcycle to be introduced by any Indian manufacturer. The Himalayan will cater to those who have been looking forward to buy an affordable adventure tourer.
At the heart of the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a 411cc air-cooled, single-cylinder engine with an overhead crank and carburetor that produces a healthy 24.5bhp at 6500rpm. Now don’t be disappointed by these figures because at the end of the day the Himalayan is built for munching miles rather than win races and that is exactly what the bike is capable of doing with its massive 32Nm of peak torque which is achieved at 4500rpm.
The low-end torque is impressive and comes in handy as you navigate through dirt tracks at low speeds or climb steep ascents. Unlike most of the other Royal Enfield motorcycles out there, the Himalayan’s engine is smooth and feels much more refined. This can be seen when you start the engine as the carbureted motor puts out a relatively strong exhaust note with the occasional ‘thump’ to hear that will not disappoint RE aficionados who want to hear the bellow of the engine.
The Himalayan is built on an all-new frame and comes with features that have been developed for the sole purpose of making the bike a highly capable off-roader. The purpose built motorcycle comes shod of 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear wheels wrapped with dual purpose tyres from CEAT, a 15-litre fuel tank, 41mm telescopic front forks with 180mm travel, a Royal Enfield-first monoshock suspension at the rear and an underbelly skid plate. It also gets a ground clearance of 220mm, which is actually more than some of the Compact SUVs on sale here.
Other features include a long visor, wide handlebars, upright riding position, new semi-digital and semi-analogue instrument cluster. Apart from that, the standard instrumentation also includes a compass and gear indicator which rings in a new generation of bikes from RE. We can tell that the company is moving in a new direction with this bike and is taking care of the needs of its customers. The Himalayan will be available only in two colours – Snow and Granite and will come with a range of accessories, apparels and gears for enthusiasts.
The bike gets some strong metal frames on both sides of the tank and a large grab rail with a carrier to attach panniers and extra fuel cans. Royal Enfield also conveyed that it is likely to launch a fuel injected version of the bike with ABS sometime soon. The bike is future ready with provisions already made for the same. Certainly, the Himalayan is a big step up for the manufacturer.
[“source-auto.ndtv”]