Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Incoming

Since the entry of the 650 twins in the Royal Enfield bloodline, enthusiasts have been salivating over the idea of a similar-sized ADV too, perhaps a Himalayan 650. While that really wouldn’t be an ideal offering, it seems that the bikemaker could now be searching for a sort of middle-ground in the form of a Himalayan 450. 

The CGI doesn’t do much justice, but it goes without saying that the Himalayan 450 will feature a rather lighter and revamped design compared to the current-gen Himalayan. It’s also expected to pack better touring and off-roading credentials to ruffle the KTM 390 Adventure’s feathers. 

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The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450’s single-cylinder motor is expected to dish out a bit more power than the current Himalayan’s unit. Moreover, it’ll be lighter and also benefit from liquid-cooling rather than an air/oil cooler. 

This’ll aid the performance and help it keep up with the rivals. Besides, Royal Enfield also largely caters to the European and other countries apart from India. So the inclusion of more tech and features would justify the premium that those markets pay. 

The new design also calls for better underpinnings like a new chassis suspended on a USD fork and more potent brakes as well. We also expect Royal Enfield to equip the Himalayan 450 with traction control and even ride modes.

Currently, the Himalayan retails at around Rs 2.14 lakh, so Royal Enfield could price the Himalayan 450 around Rs 2.70 lakh (ex-showroom). While that’s pretty close to the current asking price of the Interceptor 650 – Rs 2.85 lakh (ex-showroom Chennai) – the timely price hikes will make the middle-weight more expensive by the time the Himalayan 450 makes its debut in 2023.

And if Royal Enfield is to use the new 450 platform to produce multiple models, a sports tourer and a rally kit similar to the Hero XPulse 200 can’t be ruled out as well. It’s likely that the RE Himalayan 450 could make its debut around the same time as Heo’s upcoming new 300-400cc ADV.

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