2020 Royal Enfield Himalayan

There are countless small cc single cylinder motorcycles in existence worldwide. The same however can’t be said for adventure motorcycles. Twins are the more popular choice for their spread of power and torque.

So would a mid range cc single be relevant in the market? Let’s rephrase that, can a middle, somewhere in-between small to mid-range cc machine be relevant?

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is exactly this. A somewhere in between, questionable decision in engine size at 411cc. Is that a good thing? Honestly, how could a manufacturer dare release such an oddball and risk insulting the entire motorcycling civilization? It just barely exceeds the 2a class and sits right at the entry into our class 2 license. Would a millennial with a class-2 license be offended? Could steering clear of this machine be a better choice?

That could be the case. Except, it isn’t an insult.

The fuel injected 411cc lump in the Himalayan redlines at 6500rpm. It’s low revving to minimize wear and tear on an already low cost machine. Simplicity is the name of the Himalayan game. Engine cooling is simply by air and an oil cooler reminiscent of a Suzuki DR650. Goodness gracious! They added a choke on an EFI? Good in the higher, colder climates. We won’t need to use it though.

The Himalayan is very frugal, achieving a claimed 24.5km/L. Cruising on our expressways with around half a tank, that fuel needle barely budged over a good 40km. Very promising.

Weighing in at 194kg and sitting on 17inch rims with a seat height of 800mm, the Himalayan is not meant to be intimidating for many riders. You will understand this when you run a comparison. The stalwart Kawasaki KLR 650 comes with a seat height of around 871mm. The Himalayan is definitely slimmer too, which goes to show the setup is meant for smaller built riders.

Suspension is non-adjustable but don’t boo it just yet. It is soft and plush over some terrain, standing on the pegs adventure style makes bumps more of a “eh, what was that?”. Again, not electronic wizardry but more than sufficient for the job.

An easy to read backlit analogue dash makes reading the display peanuts. It is a refreshing throw back to older machines, against today’s digital LCD dashes and TFT screens. When times were just like the Himalayan, simpler. Included in the dash is a compass. It works pretty easy too. The arrow points North, letters in the display E,S, SW, tell you where the bike’s nose is pointed. Just don’t expect the compass to point you to the nearest potty.

Twenty four and a half horses may not be much. In today’s market , this is barely a little more than a Honda CRF250L. The Himalayan will not win you endurance races. It isn’t meant to. In fact, it appears to be better fitting for anyone learning adventure riding than racing. Dropped the bike? Damaged something? Nah, it isn’t expensive to fix on the Himalayan. If anyone dares argue that this bike is boring, clearly they are not the target market.

Not overwhelming at all, the Himalayan shines in its purpose. Easy to ride, manageable weight, predictable handling. The Himalayan is not prone to overwhelm anyone. Yet it puts the rider in a commanding position at a fair height. The perfect introduction to adventure riding at over 300kilometres on a full tank.

Two things that the Royal Enfield Himalayan with its friendly, non-hasty, off-road prowess are missing though, are breakaway levers and a guard for the oil cooler. These are simple things, yet you wouldn’t want to be caught without them. Break -away levers are manufactured with a deliberate weak point to fracture in a fall, but leave enough of lever behind to use the clutch and the brake levers with 2 or 3 fingers. Experienced off-roaders will tell you that even they fall and these levers save them from being stranded out in the wilderness. The oil cooler guard is sold as an accessory - best to treat it as a necessity though. Falling on the oil cooler side risks crunching it, potentially leaving riders leaking oil or stranded.

In short, if you are getting the Himalayan, just a little extra, just barely a pinch more cash, would get you that Royal Enfield Accessory cooler guard and some aftermarket break-away levers. Let’s call them necessities for anyone wishing to venture off on this beginners adventurer.

So to revisit that question, is it an insult to motorcyclists? No, it’s actually an honest solution we never knew we needed.

Tri333ple - See You On The Road

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Credits: TRI333PLE