To Royal Enfield it or not?
I have had this beauty for just over 3 months now, and it has been all good so far. Before I bought the bike I had done my bit of R&D on what I wanted in a bike, my budget and zeroed in on the Royal Enfield Himalayan and thought I’d share some insights with y’all.

Royal Enfield is known for its fair share of bikes that it produces over the years with consistent quality and innovation that makes it a tough competition for others. With its most recent being the interceptor twins and our very own Himalayan (BS-VI).

The very first of its kind under the class of Adventure Tourer, the Himalayan first made its appearance in early 2016 and from there it has always surprised all those who thought this bike couldn’t get a hold in the market. If you’ve or haven’t owned this machine yet, you ought to know these 5 things you probably didn’t know….ready? Here goes…

1. The Most Affordable Adventure Tourer in the Market

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is the most affordable Adventure Tourer in its class. The 411cc engine is one of its kind, by that I mean it gives seamless performance as well as efficiency, more ‘responsive’ if I can put it right. Did you know that it has an external cooling system for the crankcase oil which helps in controlling the temperature under the harshest conditions and improves performance and reduces wear and tear. With the amount of things and upgrades RE came up with on the Himalayan gives its rivals a run for their money.

2. Dual Purpose Tyres and Loads of Accessories

The Royal Enfield Himalayan comes with the stock CEAT dual purpose tyres which has a great impact on the overall riding comfort and performance. Be it snow, gravel, sand, slush, smooth tarmac or our city roads full of potholes, the Himalayan can take it, also making it one of the best handling motorcycles made by Royal Enfield.

As we all know that all Royal Enfield bikes are highly customisable this makes everything more fun, so with a new adventure tourer on the block you ought to have the best accessories available and the brand offers a great deal of customisation options, so if you’re looking for a bike to customise with loads of neat touring accessories at affordable pricing, the RE Himalayan would be a good choice.

3. Touring and Fuel Efficiency

When I say bike, most of us (especially in India) wanna know “Kitna deti hai?” [Hindi for “what’s the fuel efficiency?]. With a tank capacity of 14 litres the Himalayan gives you almost 32 to 35 kmpl which makes it your everyday purpose bike and a great riding companion too when going for those long ones…Pssst!! If you didn’t know this gives you an approximate range of 450-500 kms between every refuel.

With the new refinements made to the engine there are no vibrations felt so less fatigue and it comes equipped with a rear monoshock suspension first of its kind made by RE which means one can really spend some good time on the roads. And the telescopic long-travel forks in front, making it a mean touring machine.

4. ABS to the Rescue

Royal Enfield thought of introducing the Himalayan with ABS. But the turning point was when they thought of making the ABS switchable in the new Himalayan BS6 models, which meant turning the ABS off for the rear wheel only that only made off-roading more fun.
5. Made for Everyone and Anyone

Like its slogan…’Made for all roads and no roads’, this bike is made for all. By all, I mean anyone who wants or looking to upgrade to a bigger, powerful entry level adventure tourer.

If you’re up for an adventure and are looking at affordability then this is the perfect bike for you. The best part about the bike is that it’s strong and will stay with you for a long time (user/rider dependent), plus who doesn’t like a good looking bike screaming adventure every time you’re sitting astride the saddle… 

About the Author – Kaiwan Elavia

A true Bawa by heart, Kaiwan has had a passion for riding bikes ever since he saw his grandfather’s vintage Royal enfield bullet. Since then, he has had a chance to ride many bikes, from cruisers to cafe racers and currently he owns an adv bike which he is trying to get familiar with. A Post Graduate from IIT (Dhanbad), then as a budding Geologist, worked a few years in the mines of Indonesia and then returned home, got himself another Masters degree in Business Management and currently, works at a senior level in an MNC to take care of his family and his bike. When not riding Kaiwan spends his time exploring his “Writer’s” side by dropping a few words here and there creating blogs