Royal Enfield Australia and New Zealand announced the pricing of its new Himalayan Adventure Bike at the 2016 Melbourne Moto Expo.
The new motorcycle was presented to an eager scrum of Australian motorcycle journalists by Royal Enfield’s head of international business Arun Gopa. “Our single biggest insight in all these years of riding, has been that the best motorcycle for mountains like the Himalayas is not the one that tries to dominate its landscape, but the one that is able to go with its flow”.
All of Himalayan’s sums and parts work in perfect harmony to utilize the energy of the terrain it traverses. A grounded stance, terrain tested suspension, dual purpose tyres combined with agile handling means the Himalayan can handle almost any off road environments.
*The Royal Enfield Himalayan will be available in ‘Snow’ and ‘Granite’, late January 2017 with a two year warranty and two years roadside assist in Australia for $6990 rideaway and in New Zealand with a two year warranty for $5990 incl. GST plus on road costs.
The Himalayan – in detail
Built on a rugged duplex split cradle frame designed and developed by Harris Performance, the Himalayan is stable and agile in equal parts. A strong mono shock rear suspension with linkage allows for longer travel and delivers a smoother ride experience regardless of terrain. The Himalayan’s 220 mm ground clearance ensures it gobbles up obstacles comfortably be it in the Himalayas, rocky-river beds or at stream crossings. An optimal wheel size combination allows for better control while riding over rocks and ruts. The motorcycle enables both seasoned riders, as well as riding enthusiasts to explore more with just one motorcycle.
The Himalayan is powered by a completely new and evolved overhead camshaft engine platform that forms the base for its new long stroke LS 410 engine. The all new engine delivers high torque and usable power at lower RPMs. This makes for smooth riding in higher gears at lower speeds, making it easy to climb hills, or to maneuver through traffic. Modern design and materials of the engine translate to increased efficiency and low maintenance, and the engine can go 10,000 kilometres between oil changes.
Touring utility is built inherently into the Himalayan. A 15 litre fuel tank provides a long range of approximately 450 kilometres. Luggage mounting points, for hard panniers, soft luggage and jerry cans are integral to the motorcycle’s design. A simple instrument cluster keeps track of speed, direction, ambient temperature, travel time, service intervals and multiple trip distances. Most importantly, an ergonomic sync between footpegs, handlebar & seat height provide a comfortable upright riding posture that is necessary for long rides. An accessible 800mm seat height with lower mass-balance ensures ease of planting feet on ground for complete control. Royal Enfield Himalayan comes fitted with dual-purpose tyres that lend a confident grip and performance across a range of conditions. In addition to complete braking control, the 300mm front and 240mm rear disc brakes and Dual Channel ABS brakes help to reduce braking effort. Starting from the Bruntingthorpe airfield in UK to the race track in Sriperumbudur, Chennai, India; from off-road terrains to urban settings and then in real world riding conditions in the Himalayas; the Himalayan has been tested extensively by experts, for both off-road and on-road manners.
