The new Royal Enfield Himalayan certainly is one of the highly anticipated motorcycle launches of 2023. By the weekend, at Royal Enfield’s annual Motoverse (formerly known as Rider Mania) festival, prices for the new Himalayan will be announced, more precisely on the evening of November 24. The new Himalayan 450 will replace the outgoing Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 and offers a significant step up in performance, features and kit as we discovered in our first ride review. Considering the improvements in performance and capability, as well as features the new Himalayan will come with, it is expected to be priced at a premium. Even Royal Enfield boss Siddhartha Lal left no doubt at the launch ride of the new Himalayan that it will not be as affordable as the outgoing Himalayan. So, how much more expensive can we expect the Himalayan 450 to be?
Also Read: Top 5 Features Of Royal Enfield Sherpa 450 Engine
New Sherpa 450 engine is liquid-cooled, with a four-valve head and makes 39.5 bhp and 40 Nm.
The new Himalayan is powered by an all-new 452 cc, single-cylinder engine, Royal Enfield’s first liquid-cooled engine and also employs a four-valve head with double overhead cams. A look at the engine specifications reveals what seems to be a definite improvement over the LS 410 engine of the first-gen Royal Enfield Himalayan. With the Sherpa 450, Royal Enfield claims 65 per cent increase in peak power, 25 per cent increase in peak torque and 25 per cent increase in maximum engine speed. In numbers, it makes 39.5 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 40 Nm at 5,500 rpm. Along with the engine, the chassis, suspension, brakes, electronics and features are all-new on the Himalayan 450, which now gets ride-by-wire, a slip and assist clutch and two riding modes. Also introduced is a new TFT Tripper dash with full-map navigation powered by Google maps, an industry first.
Also Read: Top 5 Highlights Of The New Himalayan
Prices for the new Royal Enfield Himalayan expected to begin at around Rs. 2.65-2.70 lakh (Ex-showroom).
Let’s look at the price bracket of Royal Enfield’s closest models, as well as its closest rivals in the same price bracket. The current Himalayan 411 is priced at Rs. 2.16 lakh (Ex-showroom), while prices for the flagship 650 Twins begin at Rs. 3.03 lakh (Ex-showroom) for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. We believe the new Himalayan 450 will be priced below the Interceptor 650, even if it will be more expensive than the current Himalayan. Then, there’s also the made-in-India Triumph Scrambler 400 X to be considered, which has been priced at Rs. 2.63 lakh (Ex-showroom). Considering the longer travel suspension, more ground clearance, electronics and other features the new Himalayan will get, an ex-showroom price beginning at Rs. 2.65-2.70 lakh will not be unreasonable.
Having said that, Royal Enfield has always known to price its products aggressively, so a base price of Rs. 2.60 lakh (Ex-showroom) for the new Himalayan 450 cannot be ruled out as well. Of course, more details will be available once prices for the new Himalayan are announced on November 24, 2023. For now though, the new Himalayan will not be available with tubeless cross-spoke wheels in India, even as an option, which will take a few months’ time to be homologated and offered to customers. So, if you’re one of those who can’t do without tubeless tyres, your wait will need to be a bit longer, possibly till the first quarter of 2024. However, for overseas markets, the new Himalayan will be offered with tubeless tyres in the top-spec variants.
