Royal Enfield Himalayan Glimpses Of A Faster Future

The second-gen ADV excels in most departments, shows promise in a few, and raises a rather interesting question: why doesn't Royal Enfield make faster and sportier motorcycles?

- Niraj Kakade

Zooming down a nearly deserted highway on the second-gen Royal Enfield Himalayan, I finally understand what "the mountains are calling" means. But just as I start belting out my best rendition of Born to be Wild, I hit a traffic jam. Suddenly, my adventurous high plummets faster than a lead balloon. It's almost metaphorical, reflecting my month-long journey with the new Himalayan.

Anticipation inevitably leads to expectations. Ever since the second-gen Himalayan was announced, those expectations peaked so high, that it would be really challenging for the new-gen model to climb it. Royal Enfield had a mountain to climb; perhaps that's why they named the variants-Base, Pass, and Summit.

The first step they took was to move from the Himalayan's boxy design to a more rounded one.

The problem is, the distinctive boxy look of the first-gen Himalayan made it instantly recognisable, even from a distance. On the new-gen, though, I doubt the feeling would be the same. I've seen the Himalayan go from a blurry spy shot to having it for testing, yet I still can't decide if I like its design. It's imposing, sure. Is it good-looking? I don't know.