Enfield’s new Himalayan can cross deserts, so surely the MCN250 won’t hold any fears?
How will Enfield’s cheap, cheerful adventure bike cope on the MCN250 test?
Before you set off on the MCN250 you inevitably start to form an impression of what the day will entail. To cover the route it takes a minimum of seven hours, including a few breaks as even the hardiest of bladders can’t take that kind of restraint, but the kind and size of bike can alter this time. A couple of days before the ride the weather forecast enlightens you with what mother nature has in store, giving you a fair idea of the level of misery likely to be involved, and that’s you all set to go. Armed with the Royal Enfield Himalayan, the day before setting off on the MCN250 I wasn’t exactly looking forward to what lay ahead…
As well as the chance of morning frost and a maximum temperature of 8ºC, rain was forecast and the roads were already covered in winter slime. Add a 411cc singlecylinder and the signs weren’t great for an enjoyable ride. If I did it in under eight hours without frostbite I’d be doing well.
And the omens weren’t looking good. The Enfield burst into life easily enough, but then stalled. Moving the choke lever I tried again with the same result; the choke appears to do nothing to the engine’s idle speed. No matter, with a top-up of fuel at the start of the MCN250 (the warm Enfield was now ticking over perfectly) and after a fight to zero the trip due to the hideous plasticy reset button we were off. Plodding along towards Northampton in a row of commuter traffic the Enfield was a genuine surprise. While at low speed it feels light, at 50-60mph it’s stable and despite a low (for an adventure bike) seat height of 800mm it is roomy and comfortable for a sixfooter like myself. But the biggest surprise was the single-cylinder motor, which, although spending its entire time near its 6500rpm redline, was almost vibration-free. I was expecting to have white fingers and blurred vision due to the vibes, but that’s far from the case and the Himalayan is remarkably refined. But it has to be said, the Enfield’s not the fastest machine out there. While I was happily sitting at 60mph, overtakes were out of the question as with just 24.5bhp on tap the Enfield needs 125cc-like levels of preparation and run-up to get past fast-moving traffic. Deciding to enjoy the ride, I amused myself
looking at the compass. Its digital arrow points due north and the display tells you your direction. Well it did until it threw up an error code, which apparently can be rectified by riding around a roundabout a few times to recalibrate the compass…
On the back roads that lead from the Super Sausage to Banbury the Himalayan reveals another unexpected side. Usually a budget bike comes with budget suspension, which delivers a bouncy ride and pitches back and forth, but not the Enfield. Despite lacking adjustment, its forks are impressive, soaking up bumps without introducing much wallow, while the rear shock seems set for ‘larger’ riders. It’s a very competent back road ride bike that can be ridden briskly without a pitching sensation threatening to induce seasickness. The front brake is terrible, though. It took a full four-finger tug of the lever with all my strength to get the front tyre squealing and the ABS chiming in on a dry section of road. It’s possible the ABS isn’t the best either as it lets both tyres lock briefly before cutting the braking force.
‘It delivers more than its bargain price tag suggests’
Onto the M40, and with every mile I can feel myself warming to the Enfield. With the engine now sitting on its redline, vibrations are minimal and, although I’m cold, I can’t fault the Enfield’s ergonomics, and I’m a set of brush guards and heated grips away from total commuter comfort. This is a bike that delivers more than its bargain price tag suggests.
With the dull motorway cleared, the faster Cotswold back roads once again highlight the Himalayan’s poise. And it’s lack of power. When roads are clear you can throw it about, storm into flowing bends and make the most of its light weight and effective suspension. But when there’s a slow car the fun stops and it becomes a frustrating procession as you wait for a straight road long enough to build up the momentum
to overtake. I often end up wishing for a bit more performance, nothing drastic or it would ruin the bike’s balance, but enough to dispatch cars doing 55mph without having to crawl past. That said, it is remarkably frugal so that may be a factor in Enfield’s decision. Even being hammered pretty much constantly, the Himalayan never dropped below 59mpg and at some points even touched 70mpg. On a steady commute I reckon 7080mpg is achievable, which is great news for your wallet.
As our day progressed, the Enfield really started to grow on me. And in a good way, not like an unpleasant fungal infection. Carving through Milton Keynes’ many roundabouts its light clutch and reasonable acceleration was handy, the clocks are nice and easy to read and even when night drew in on my ride home its main beam was pretty good, although dip was a bit poor. And all this on a bike that costs only a touch over £4000 to buy brand new. But is it a machine worth spending even that reasonable amount on?
I like the idea of a small-capacity middleweight adventure bike and if you want an easy-going, all-rounder with character that can handle a commute and take on a bit of green laning while hardly costing the earth to run, insure and buy, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is a good option. But is it a better option than the more expensive Suzuki V-Strom 250, Kawasaki Versys 300 or BMW G310GS? That would require a group test, however, the Enfield is the cheapest and it is the only one of the four that comes with a compass should you have a terrible sense of direction or all the GPS satellites fall out of the sky.