Royal Enfield Himalayan Spotted Almost Production Ready

SPIED: Royal Enfield Himalayan production ready test mule spotted, likely to lose the trademark thump

Royal Enfield Himalayan Spotted - Almost Production Ready (5)

As the Royal Enfield Himalayan approaches its new rumoured launch date, spy images of near production ready model continue surfacing on the Internet. The motorcycle was spotted on the production line in September 2015 while the launch date was rumoured in November. However, for reasons unknown, the launch is now reportedly postponed to the 2016 Auto Expo in Delhi.

The latest set of spy images come courtesy avid Motoroids reader Vishal Venugopal who spotted this upcoming adventure tourer near Tamil Nadu. Esho also suggested that the motorcycle has lost the trademark Royal Enfield thump which isn’t particularly surprising as the Himalayan will feature an all-new powerplant, which may have a character of its own. Also, the new Himalayan will be a tourer and a relatively quiet exhaust note will be appreciated by the riders.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Spotted - Almost Production Ready (7)

Moreover, this is also for the first time that we have spotted the motorcycles with a proper, pre-registration TC number plate, instead of a sticker on the tail. Does this mean that the Himalayan has reached into its final rounds of tests? We sure hope so. We can also see an LED tail-light with eight illumination points on this upcoming motorcycle which is a welcome change.

Click here for a detailed report on the Himalayan’s instrument cluster

The new Himalayan series is expected to draw power from a newly developed 410cc engine with an oil-cooler which is rumoured to deliver 24 bhp of power. The engine is also expected to receive a five-speed transmission.

Royal Enfield Himalayan Spotted - Almost Production Ready (3)

As reported earlier, the Royal Enfield Himalayan will be available in two variants – an adventure tourer and a street focused version. The motorcycle in the new set of spy images appears to be the adventure model but without the full set of equipment. The adventure tourer variant is aimed to devour lesser known roads, and will come packed with features such as a windscreen, luggage panniers (as options) and a high raised mudguard. The street focused avatar, on the other hand, is expected to roll out of the showrooms sans the windscreen, luggage panniers, a conventional front fender and a relatively cheaper price tag. The two variants may also get different varieties of tyres of suit their character better. While we cannot be entirely sure, this specific variant seems to be running CEAT Vertigo off-road tyres.

The motorcycle was earlier spotted on the production line and is rumoured to make its debut at the 2016 Auto Expo. According to previous reports, Royal Enfield intends to price the Himalayan below the psychological barrier of Rs 2 lakh and in fact, according to insiders, may well be priced between Rs 1.65 lakh to Rs 1.85 lakh.

What are the things you would expect RE to take care of before they launch the new model? Do let us know via comments. Rest assured, even RE is listening.

6 thoughts on “SPIED: Royal Enfield Himalayan production ready test mule spotted, likely to lose the trademark thump”

  1. For the Adv Tourer:
    1) While the bike needs to have a decent ground clearance, please don't put the seating position high. Our average inseam is not that tall, in India.
    2) Yes, a new smoother revving engine is a welcome change. If people want a thump, they can still buy a bullet.
    3) Sort out the well known niggles that RE bikes are associated with.
    For the street version:
    1) Keep it a scrambler or a flat tracker looking bike. You have a cafe racer already (well, just about, which by the way could also do well with this free revving engine), so why not a scrambler?
    2) Put a 700 cc mill romoured to be under development into this one.
    3) Keep it as bare bones basic with out adding too much cladding or metal. Just like the custom Triumphs.

    Most of all, for both bikes, QUALITY of parts and workmanship has to be top notch. PLEASE.

    Look forward to see these two bikes then!
    Cheers,
    Kamran

  2. Thanks for the sweet shots. I'm waiting for RE Himalayan since long now. Only thing that's bugging me is , if it is as heavy as it's cruiser counter parts (classic or thunder bird) , then it will be hard to control/balance for people like me (70 kg). I am saying hard to balance because, I am habituated to off-road bikes like Impulse, which are much less on weight and easy to manoeuvre on un-even grounds. Please do reply with the updated on kerb weight (+full tank) for RE Himalayan.

  3. Dear RE,
    Please
    1. Stop the oil leak
    2. Reduce vibrations
    3. Realistic braking power i.e. better brakes, abs, tyres
    Regards

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