Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 teaser reveals the segmented LED headlight, launch could be sooner than later
Royal Enfield has put up a teaser of the upcoming Himalayan 450 for the first time on its social media handles hinting a launch soon. The teaser has revealed the kind of headlight the off-road adventure bike is going to sport.
For the first time on a Royal Enfield, the Himalayan 450 is going to get an LED headlight. It had many segmented elements inside like the Bajaj Dominar series and should be bright enough for adventure duties.
Just a little earlier, the bike was also spotted undisguised production-ready in the UK. Royal Enfield is usually known for making everything macho. But, such a strategy will change with the launch of the Himalayan 450 as the latest adventure bike is every bit un-Royal Enfield.
Bearing no resemblance to the existing oil-cooled Himalayan, the 450 will be a giant step-up with segment standard technologies. The exhaust looks sleek with a tiny muffler cover and a big leap forward from Royal Enfield’s usual design language.
The use of tiny muffler means the bike will be well refined with a mild exhaust note similar to the Japanese bikes that sport tiny mufflers.
The Himalayan 450 will get a liquid-cooled single cylinder engine that is likely to deliver 40 HP and 45 Nm. The motor might be mated to a 6-speed transmission. All these are first for a Royal Enfield which are the reasons the 450 is every bit un-Royal Enfield.
The tyres used in the spotted bike are not full-fledged off-road tyres but similar to those seen on the KTM 390 Adventure meaning they are designed to do high-speed duties in addition to off-roading.
But, unlike the KTM, these tyres would be slapped on to 21-inch front and 17-inch rear rims on wire-spoked wheels for tackling rough terrains. The USD forks at the front are a welcome addition for surefooted off-road experience.
The rear has some resemblances to the Yezdi Adventure. For example, the short curved rear fender is a trait seen on the Yezdi. The spotted bike has conventional box-section swing arm.
As far as features are concerned, Royal Enfield is expected to offer a host of them along with customisation, a trend started with the Meteor.
There might be ride-by-wire throttle, riding modes, and switchable ABS too. The chiseled tank is expected to be 20 litres in capacity which should compensate range issues due to drop in fuel economy from the bigger engine.
