A Himalayan Achievement
Bike India|December 2023
Expectations are high for the new Royal Enfield Himalayan. Does it deliver? The mountains were the proving ground
Joshua Varghese
A Himalayan Achievement

BACK IN 2016, NOBODY KNEW they wanted a Himalayan. Explorers knew they needed something sturdy and reliable to go anywhere. A motorcycle that would not give up. Royal Enfield took a gamble by developing and launching their first ADV but the rewards they reaped were immense. The Himalayan has enthralled its owners, explorers who rented one, and even yours truly on several occasions. Its versatility and accessibility made it popular in global markets too.

In 2023, the market is better informed and supplied. We have many options fighting for the crown of the ideal ADV. The wait for the new Himalayan was long but it made sense because the motorcycle has a worldwide reputation to uphold now. After a lot of research and development and testing, Royal Enfield took us to Manali for the first ride experience of the production model. All of us had seen photos of the motorcycle being tested but that did nothing to diminish the visual assault provided by the line-up that awaited us in Manali. Of all the colours on display, the one that caught my attention was the black-and-gold paint scheme, the one you see on these pages.

The LED headlight and Showa USD fork are the only new elements in an otherwise familiar front end. Interestingly, Royal Enfield told us that the LED headlight was, in fact, developed for the Himalayan but the motorcycle was being tested for so long that the unit ended up getting launched first on the Super Meteor.

Denne historien er fra December 2023-utgaven av Bike India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 2023-utgaven av Bike India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BIKE INDIASe alt
Tussle for Supremacy
Bike India

Tussle for Supremacy

Having watched the racing action from afar during the first two rounds of the Honda Idemitsu Talent Cup (HITC), we got a chance to take a closer look at the proceedings in round three. Here is how the weekend zoomed past

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Multiple Winners
Bike India

Multiple Winners

The third round of the TVS One-make Championship saw the emergence of multiple winners as the favourites struggled to do the double-race win

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
The Title Fight Becomes More Intense
Bike India

The Title Fight Becomes More Intense

The weekend at Mandalika turned out to be a spectacular display where the title contenders, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia, locked horns while Marc Márquez's and Enea Bastianini's chances at the title diminished

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
Andrea lannone is a WSBK Winner
Bike India

Andrea lannone is a WSBK Winner

Nicolo Bulega, Andrea Iannone, and Alvaro Bautista headlined the weekend for their respective Ducati teams as they blew past the competition on their Ducati Panigale V4 R motorcycles

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Italian Domination
Bike India

Italian Domination

The weekend at Cremona saw the Italian, Danilo Petrucci, dominate his home race astride his Ducati

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
Bastianini Shines in Final-lap Thriller
Bike India

Bastianini Shines in Final-lap Thriller

Just like the previous race at Misano, this one also served up a thriller but for very different reasons. Here is how it unfolded

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
No Dearth of Drama
Bike India

No Dearth of Drama

Marc Márquez had to wait for 1,043 days for his 60th MotoGP race victory, but his 61st race win only took another seven days

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
Kolli Hills on an NX 500
Bike India

Kolli Hills on an NX 500

We rode from Bengaluru to Kolli Hills astride a Honda NX500 and it was a memorable ride for many reasons

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2024
For the Easy Life
Bike India

For the Easy Life

Triumph India believe there is a market for a friendlier version of the Speed 400. Here is what you should know about that version, called the Speed T4

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
The Star Reborn
Bike India

The Star Reborn

We finally got our hands on the new BSA Gold Star 650 and took it for a long spin. Here is our first impression

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024