Royal Enfield Himalayan Long Term Test: Introduction

There is no doubt that the Royal Enfield Himalayan has been the most talked about motorcycle in India over the last few months. We rode the motorcycle first at the press ride event in Manali, then we had the bike with us for a few days and we did a real-world review of the motorcycle. We also rode the Himalayan and its biggest rival, the Triumph Scrambler 400 X (Yes, both offer a very different flavour) just a few weeks ago.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Wins Bike of the Year at 2024 car&bike Awards

The view from the rider's perch is impressive and gives you the feeling of riding a big, substantial ADV

The Himalayan also mightily impressed the jury at the 2024 car&bike awards, which is why it was adjudged not only the ‘Adventure motorcycle of the year’ but also took home the biggest award of the night, the ‘Motorcycle of the Year’.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Wins Adventure Motorcycle of the Year at 2024 car&bike Awards

On terrain like this, the Himalayan feels at home

Now, we have the bike with us for an extended period of time and we will put the Himalayan through its paces and keep an eye out on how the motorcycle holds up to the rigours over the next few months. It will be the true test of the quality on the Himalayan. The bike will be ridden on office commutes, intra-city rides, long highway jaunts, off-road excursions and much more. To brush up, the Himalayan is an all-new model, which gets the brand-new Sherpa 450 engine. The 452 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor making 39.5 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 40 Nm at 5,500 rpm.

The open roads beckon the Himalayan. We plan to go on a long ride soon

We have had the Himalayan with us for a few weeks now and here are the figures so far. Oh, and so far, the only issue we encountered is that the rear number plate became loose and fell off during our last off-road ride.

• Distance covered: 420 km
• Fuel consumed: 16.15 litres.
• Efficiency so far: 26 kmpl
• Target mileage: 4,000 km

Up next, we plan to get a long distance tour in on the Himalayan. If you have any recommendations, do let us know via our social media handles.