Royal Enfield Himalayan

Welcome to the Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle overview. 2017 is indeed the year of the small capacity adventure motorcycle, Kawasaki, Suzuki, BMW ironically also made in India have all new entries to the class. Sure there have been trail bikes that have been available for decades but they are more for real trail rides than long distance cruising. The adventure motorcycle is one to pick for long distance touring in any condition or terrain meaning they have more refined engines, suspension and designed to have luggage systems attached to them.

I can’t really say much about the Himalyan because it is still new and I’ve only seen it at the motor show, whilst I’ve seen the other models in the showroom. So based on specifications it is a decent enough motorcycle but what sets it apart is the pricing.  The Royal Enfield Himalyan costs a mere $5990. Yes that’s right, this is the cheapest adventure motorcycle currently available on the Australian market. While it is not the best looking motorcycle on sale it’s looks are deliberate but not achieving the BMW design aesthetic.

Thankfully The Himalayan is not a barebones model rather one that is specifically designed as a adventure motorcycle. For example it has a ambient temperature gauge and even a compass, extra bar work is all there for hard luggage systems, covered front forks and a sump protector. The only thing that I could puzzle over was the location of the oil and air cooler radiator thing.

Overall the Himalyan seems like a decent adventure motorcycle with the only question being long term reliability. After all reliability is key to adventure motorcycles after all even if it’s bargain priced under $6000. If the Royal Enfield company is serious about this model it could be that start of something good.