This is possibly the first time we are seeing the upcoming Himalayan 450 in such detail. This spy shot of the motorcycle standing at a petrol pump in the UK finally offers a clear view of its new liquid-cooled heart and new hardware.
The Himalayan 450 has been spied in India a few times now in the past couple of months, but mostly on video. And it is unorthodoxically fast for a Royal Enfield. This successor of the Himalayan is gearing up to take the ADV’s abilities to a whole new level thanks to that liquid-cooled engine, an absolute first for Royal Enfield, which is likely to make the same power as the KTM 390 Adventure.
The liquid-cooled single is housed inside what appears to be a double-cradle frame with a bolt-on subframe which is yet another first for Royal Enfield. Another notable change is the rear monoshock. While the current Himalayan has a link-type monoshock, this one is seen wearing a swingarm-mounted unit working alongside a long-travel USD fork.
Even the design of the motorcycle seems to be a departure from the current format, especially because of the new fuel tank and front brace. Despite it running the same 21-inch front and 17-inch rear wire-spoke rims, the upswept tank gives the motorcycle a tall ‘rally bike’ stance. The headlight, flyscreen, and instrument console appear to be similar to what we currently get on the Himalayan, though we expect the final production version to sport revised hardware.
In its current guise, it appears almost production-ready, which means Royal Enfield might launch it earlier than we anticipated. We are expecting the Himalayan 450 to be priced at Rs 2.8 lakh (ex-showroom), with a launch in the second quarter of 2023.
Moreover, news of the all-new Hero XPulse 400 being spied in Leh having surfaced, has us already quite chuffed. The Indian ADV segment, thus far limited to the KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G 310 GS, is finally witnessing an influx of mid-capacity, performance-focused options!
image credit: Siddharth Pathak
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