Royal Enfield Himalayan
IF THE KTM’S NEAR RS 3-LAKH PRICE TAG IS STILL TOO MUCH FOR YOU, AND YOU are looking for something more utilitarian with better off-road capability without sacrificing on-road rideability, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is worth a look. This is the machine that kicked off the small adventure bike segment back in 2016 and its Rs 1.87-lakh (ex-showroom) price tag makes it an extremely tempting proposition.
Since its original launch, the Himalayan has seen a couple of updates, first with the introduction of fuel injection in 2018 doing wonders for engine refinement and now, with this BS6 version launched just a few months ago adding switchable ABS to the mix. This is the only bike with completely analogue instrumentation and I’m not complaining; the clocks are well-laid-out, attractive, and easily readable at a glance.
With its no-frills attitude the Himalayan looks the most purposeful and industrial of the bikes here, with a design that will probably never look old or outdated. The 411-cc air-cooled single pumps out a modest 24.3 hp, but with 32 Nm of twist available as low as 4,000 rpm, the RE has the most low-down and mid-range grunt of all the bikes here. When pushed, it can propel the Himalayan to 100 km/h in just over 12 seconds, with a top speed in excess of 130 km/h. You can cruise all day between 80 and 100 km/h, beyond which vibrations from the motor begin to feel intrusive; ultimately, the Himalayan proves to be a capable mile-muncher out on the highway, provided you don’t expect to be doing silly speeds for extended periods.
Royal Enfield have succeeded in giving this motorcycle an extremely manageable 800-mm saddle height without compromising on ground clearance, and this makes it comfortable and approachable even for absolute beginners to
Transmission: Five-speed, chain final drive
Brakes: 300-mm disc with Two-piston caliper (F), 240-mm disc with single-piston caliper (R)
Tyres: 90/90-21 (F), 120/90-17 (R)
Weight: 199 kg (kerb) this segment. Suspension duties are handled by a telescopic fork and a preloadadjustable monoshock, with a generous 200 mm of travel up front and 180 mm at the rear. The 21- and 17-inch spoked wheels clearly indicate this bike’s off-road bias, although that large front hoop doesn’t upset the bike’s on-road manners and it handles twisty roads extremely well.
Take the Himalayan off road and it comes into its own. The suspension absorbs everything you throw at it, the knobby Ceat Gripp XL tyres manage to find grip through loose dirt, and those crash bars mean that you can drop it repeatedly without sustaining any serious damage. That large front wheel effortlessly climbs over obstacles and the immaculate fuelling combined with the low-end torque ensures that you feel perfectly in control, even when executing slow-speed manoeuvres in the rough stuff. It is my opinion that the Himalayan is the best-rounded of all the bikes here, combining competitive pricing, fast highway touring ability, and excellent off-road capability.