Climb every mountain
one that read a toasty 24C on a crisp 7am commuter ride.
A high- intensity headlamp on top of the exoskeleton lights up the track ahead on a moonless night, and 220mm of ground clearance should account for any obstacle you miss.
At the heart of the Himalayan is the all- new LS410 engine, a unit with two standout characteristics.
The first is the low- down torque — the 411cc engine delivers 32Nm of torque at 4250rpm from the single cylinder, four- stroke, single overhead cam engine. Perfect for getting off the line in the city, or powering over rocks up hill in the back country.
On the road however, there’s never any need to exceed 4500rpm. The torque curve begins at 1000rpm and cradles you all the way to 4000rpm before you shift into another gear and start over again. When you reach third gear, the single will turn over effortlessly at 60km/ h and has no trouble cruising at 100km/ h in top gear. In road/ trail bike terms, it’s just about perfect.
The power delivery is smooth and predictable, making this engine ideal for those new to adventure riding or wanting to return to two wheels.
Second standout is the counter balancer fitted to the crankshaft. For a long- stroke single cylinder engine, vibration is almost nonexistent. Sitting at idle, the bike feels composed. The only time I noticed untoward vibration was when rolling off the throttle at highway speed, but that only lasted a few revolutions until the engine gathered itselfagain.
The tank holds 15 litres, providing a range of approximately 450km.
The 300mm front and 240mm rear brake disks do an adequate job of stopping the Himalayan’s 191kg mass but I found the suspension gets confused under hard braking on the road.
Mounting points for saddle bags are found on the exoskeleton frame at the front, underneath the seat and the rear cowling.
The newest Royal Enfield enters a highly competitive learner market but offers much more to its riders.
Not so long ago you had to choose between a bike that was fun on the road, or one that was capable on a trail. Now it appears you can have both. The Himalayan is a multi- tasker, handling off- road trail riding just as easily as navigating through a main centre.