Back in October of last year, rumors about Royal Enfield (RE) developing a 650cc Himalayan circulated among news sites in India, indicating that the Interceptor and GT 650’s platform will soon have an adventure bike cousin. RE fans from all over, including here in the country, were very excited and were looking forward to the upcoming middleweight adventure bike from India.
Unfortunately, these rumors were debunked by none other than the executives from RE during the opening of Royal Enfield Quezon City. During the Q&A portion with the RE executives from India (via Zoom), we asked if there is indeed a 650cc version of the Himalayan that is being developed and their answer was a straight no.
450cc
Here in the country, the Himalayan’s 411cc air and oil-cooled, single-cylinder powerplant make it very much legitimate expressways-legal motorcycle. However, even with that displacement, its output only figures at 25 Ps and has a top speed of only about 130 kilometers per hour.
Compared that with KTM’s 390 ADV which packs about 45 Ps of power and a top speed of about 170 kph, the Himalayan is no match when it comes to expressways speed. Even BMW’s R 310 GS packs a bit more power at 36 Ps with its smaller 313cc displacement.
Good news though, as RE is reportedly planning on updating the Himalayan after all, albeit only to a few more cc’s to give it a little more punch.
Just recently, Indian motorcycle news site Bike Wale has reported that a new Himalayan 450 is in the works, with a possible release in early next year (2023). Bike Wale was also generous enough to render a model based on the information they have, and the Himalayan 450 doesn’t stray away much from the current “Hima”.
It would still use 21-inch wheels for the front, while the frame will utilize a Trellis design. As for the engine, it was said the Himalayan’s new powerplant will easily churn out 40 Ps and it might also use liquid cooling and a six-speed transmission.
If this will go into production, let's just hope that RE will also improve the Himalayan's overall weight by shaving off a couple of kilos to make the upcoming bike lighter than before.
