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The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 has been spied in two new colour options, as well as in the paint that had been seen in recent promotional material.
That light grey scheme Royal Enfield used in a teaser released earlier this month for the upcoming Himalayan 450 also features a kind of ‘digital camo’ graphic on the tank and side plate, as revealed by the new spy photos published by Rushlane.
The newly found colours include a smart-looking black and yellow design with gold wheel rims and a contrasting grey scheme that uses red accents on the side plates, tank, and black wheel rims, and the same shade of red for the Royal Enfield logo on the crash protection.
Other than the paint, the bikes appear identical, indicating the colours are a lone choice, not one as part of a wider pack or spec level, as has been seen on some of Enfield’s other models such as the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 which has different colours between the Supernova, Stellar, and Fireball specs.
Official information remains thin on the ground for the Himalayan 450, with the Indian manufacturer set to reveal more details at the bike’s official launch on 7 November 2023.
Previous communications from Enfield about what has become one of its most anticipated models have included almost nothing at all, apart from confirmations that the bike exists and that the aforementioned 7 November date is set for its official launch.
It has, however, been in action, at least in pre-production form, as the motorcycle and travel YouTuber Itchy Boots was able to take an early version of the bike for a ride through Himalayan mountain roads. Leaks have also suggested many details about the bike, including its 21-inch front wheel and 452cc engine capacity.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 ridden in YouTube video
We’re only just a few days on from the first proper official look at the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, and now a video published by the YouTuber Itchy Boots shows the bike being ridden along some Indian mountain roads.
The roads in question offered the bike a mix of terrains to handle, from two-lane asphalt stretches to rocky trails where you’d struggle to go two-wide.
8edf.png "Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. - Itchy Boots/YouTube")
Credit: Itchy Boots/YouTube
As a more adventurous Himalayan, the 450 should be expected to contend well with such conditions, and it appeared to. “The bike handled so nicely,” was the brief summary by Noraly Schoenmaker (AKA Itchy Boots), who also commented on what she felt was a notable increase in power over the existing Himalayan.
For now, that’s as much as we can glean regarding how the bike rides, as the traditional media launch hasn’t taken place yet. It’s also worth noting that the motorcycle Schoenmaker rode in the video was a pre-production model, not the final version, so there may be some revisions and/or refinements made by the time the production versions are rolling out, and so the video cannot be treated as a straight review of the bike.
Visordown will be on the global press riding launch of this bike, so hang tight and we’ll be bringing you a proper, full editorial and video review once that’s happened.
Lead image courtesy of Itchy Boots/YouTube.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 first official look
Since the first rumours of the bike began to circle, the Himalayan 450 has become one of the most anticipated motorcycles - everyone has known it exists, but the manufacturer has remained resolutely secretive.
Finally, though, we have our first official look at the updated Himalayan, whose visual certainly doesn’t dance around its category, especially with the fairly substantial crash bars around the top of the fork, redesigned compared to its predecessor.
Its ‘beaked’ front end means the Himalayan 450 adheres to the standard of contemporary adventure bikes, while the single, round headlamp design featured on the previous generation Himalayan remains. The previous generation’s conventional fork, though, is replaced by a new telescopic unit.
The overall stance of the bike is less ‘square’ than the previous edition, too, especially around the front of the engine, where a radiator now allows for the cooling vanes on the block itself to be removed.
Finally, the bike is finished in white paint with a digital camo graphic.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 stats leak
With the reveal of the all-new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 looming, a leak provided us with numerous details about the bike.
Asian website RushLane has gotten hold of a copy of the homologation document, which lists the engine capacity as 451.65cc. The document also notes that the engine produces 29.44kW (39.5bhp) at 8,000rpm.
Interestingly, the bike is homologated as a ‘Himalayan 452’, matching the (rounded up) engine capacity. We can’t yet be sure if that’s the name the new Himmy will be marketed with - such a move would match what Royal Enfield has done with the Scram 411, but the company may still go for Himalayan 450. We’ll have to wait and see.
The current Royal Enfield Himalayan
The leak also provided us with some measurements. The bike will be 2,245mm long with a 1,510mm wheelbase, and 852mm wide. The height is 1,316mm as standard, or 1,415 if the optional taller screen is specced. All of that makes the Himalayan 450/450 longer and taller than a KTM 390 Adventure, but a little narrower.
Royal Enfield Himalayan 450/452 image leak
A few weeks ago, we had our clearest pictures yet of the bike, after RushLane had acquired some images, taken while one of the new machines was being stored. The bike was parked up next to a row of what looked like Super Meteor 650s and the pics did give a very clear view of the new machine.
For one, this isn’t a clean sheet design that is going to take the Himalayan concept away from its roots, and we sort of knew that anyway. The styling of the bike is very much a case of evolution, not revolution. The fuel tank is new, though, and seems much larger than the peanut-style tank on the old bike.
It is also the first clear view we can get of the new water-cooled 450 motor and, as you’d expect for such a drastic change from before (the previous bike has a 410cc air/oil-cooled unit), it’s a totally different looking beast. At first glance, the right-side engine casing looks very much like the item found on J-series powered bikes, like the Hunter 350 and Meteor 350. Removing the cooling fins from the motor has also given it a more up-to-date look (compared to the cooling fins before), and that almost feels like it lifts the overall look of the bike.
Another change is a move to a TFT dash which is really no surprise. There are a load of new models in the Royal Enfield range featuring a TFT, and given that this should give the bike turn-by-turn navigation - a must on a modern adventure bike - it really can only be a good thing.
About the only other thing we can glean from the images is that the chassis of the new bike features proper USD forks, not the telescopic items found on the old machine. We can’t tell if there is any adjustability at the front, but they are hefty-looking forks, between 43 and 45mm is our best guestimate.
These details add to previous ones, including a 21-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel, and a single rear shock. Dual-channel ABS has also been rumoured, as well as a ride-by-wire throttle.
Royal Enfield 450/452 release date
7 November is set to be the go-live date, confirmed by Royal Enfield. That means our first chance to see the bike in-person will likely be at the EICMA show in Milan in the second week of November and, as ever, Visordown will have boots on the ground to bring you all the news as it happens.
Royal Enfield Guerilla 450
It has also become clear, as reported by Motociclismo, that the Himalayan 450 will not be the only new bike from the Indian brand to use the single-cylinder 450cc engine. The registration in India of the name 'Guerilla 450' would suggest another bike, presumably a derivative of the Himalayan, is also on the way.
The word 'guerilla' can be used in a number of contexts, but is perhaps best associated with outnumbered resistance fighters repelling large invasion forces, using irregular strategies and making the exploiting their knowledge of the terrain to attempt to overcome the invaders. Its use in the context of naming this motorcycle would suggest it to be more off-road-oriented than the Himalayan, but there are no solid technical details available yet - of course we are still almost two months out from the launch of the Himalayan 450 itself.
Additional reporting from Matt Robinson and Simon Hancocks
