Earlier this year, Royal Enfield launched the updated iteration of the Himalayan. While the updates were comprehensive, we were left wanting more. When Himalayan was first introduced, it was riddled with issues but RE rolled out timely updates and its latest avatar has turned out to be better than ever before. It has become smoother and now it also comes equipped with a Tripper navigation pod. While there is currently no information regarding RE developing an updated version of the Himalayan, our reader Vicky has managed to capture a test mule of a Himalayan out on the highway.
We recently reported that RE is indeed working on swapping its acclaimed 650cc twin-cylinder mill in the Himalayan. The more powerful version of the Himalayan hasn’t been spied testing, not even on a single occasion. Part of the reason behind this could be the fact that it is not being developed on Indian soil. Reports suggest that it could be developed at Royal Enfield’s technology centre in the United Kingdom.
A road-biased version of the Himalayan?
The Himalayan in its current avatar is one serious off-roader and it actually comes into its own when the tarmac comes to an end. The test mule featured here has a smaller front tyre unit. Himalayan’s amazing off-road credentials are majorly attributed to its 21-inch front tyre. Royal Enfield could be developing a slightly road-biased version of the Himalayan for those who prefer on-road riding dynamics more than outright off-road capabilities. What makes us believe this even further is the absence of front fork gaiters and a windscreen. This does look like a prototype but it could be possible that these visible changes also make it to the production-spec version of the same. Moreover, the Himalayan’s signature exoskeleton has made way for newly designed tank shrouds. It could have been done to make it visually different from the standard Himalayan.
An updated powertrain?
While we do want to believe that the test mule spied by our reader is the Himalayan 650, the engine block’s size suggests otherwise. By the looks of it, it does look similar to the same 411 cc single-cylinder air-cooled SOHC four-stroke engine that powers the current iteration of the Himalayan. While RE has made minor tweaks to the engine since its inception, it has largely remained the same.
It could also be possible that RE is working on an evolved, modern version of the same engine. The company completely overhauled the 350cc mill that it plonked in the Meteor 350, providing it with crisp acceleration, improved refinement and also reduced emissions. RE could give similar treatment to the Himalayan’s powertrain. If it is indeed the case, we can expect the updated Himalayan to be a lot smoother and refined than before. And who knows, maybe RE’s engineers could also manage to squeeze out more ponies from the powertrain!
Also read: This Is How The Updated Royal Enfield Classic 350 Sounds Like!
However, these are mere speculations and we will have to wait for more information to flow in before we can confirm anything.