CarBrandLogos archive · Royal Enfield · 2016
Built for bad roads first and image second, which is why it worked.
Discover the storyPhoto: Ashley Pomeroy · CC0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Royal Enfield Himalayan, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
Royal Enfield's range had been variations on a slow single-cylinder roadster for decades. The Himalayan of 2016 was the first motorcycle the company designed for a purpose it had not addressed before: riding long distances on poor surfaces, particularly in the mountains its name refers to.
2016 Royal Enfield Himalayan · Ashley Pomeroy · CC0
02
The original used a new 411cc air-cooled single, the LS410, with a long-travel suspension, a half-duplex split cradle frame, a 21-inch front wheel and a low seat that suited riders who were not tall. Power output was modest and deliberately so; the engine was tuned for pulling from low revs rather than for a headline figure. Early bikes had build quality and electrical problems that Royal Enfield spent a couple of years correcting.
03
What it got right was the concept. Adventure motorcycles had become large, heavy and expensive, and the Himalayan offered the format at a fraction of the price and weight, which made it a favourite for Himalayan and trans-continental trips and for riders learning off-road.
04
The 2023 replacement kept the name and rethought everything else, with a liquid-cooled 452cc twin-cam engine, a six-speed gearbox, upside-down forks and a round TFT display. It is a more capable and more conventional motorcycle, and considerably faster, which some owners of the first one regard as a mixed outcome.
At a glance
Produced
2016–2023Technical specification
From the journal
Contemporaries from the 2010s
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