Living with a… Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 (Month 2)

The original Royal Enfield Himalayan won fans for its endearing simplicity, toughness and sense it could take you anywhere. Turns out there’s only so far a 24 horsepower air-cooled single-cylinder engine can take you once the adventure ends, though, and for the Himalyan 450 Royal Enfield has reimagined all the charm and character of the original with a brand-new chassis, liquid-cooled engine and much-improved cycle parts. I enjoyed riding it on the launch event on a mix of on- and off-road but wanted to know how the Himalayan could cope with more everyday stuff like commuting and all the rest. Especially in the face of a new wave of impressively affordable and well-equipped Chinese adventure bikes like the Voge DS625X and others like it.
Skip to: Month 1 – The road … more travelled Month 2 – Fit for purpose

40-something newbie biker making up for lost time after getting a licence later in life and now enjoying every minute. Life up north means plenty of great roads and tracks to enjoy, bikes also proving a fun, efficient and affordable way to commute over the hill to Autotrader’s Manchester HQ.

Dan says: “Obviously, the first thing I did was run it up and down a couple of muddy tracks close to where I live”

Hands-up, I’ve still not ridden the original Royal Enfield Himalayan 411. But I know folk who have, one pal raving about his experiences riding them in the actual Himalayas, where mechanical simplicity and modest performance are a genuine virtue in the wilds. Closer to home I know of at least a couple of other testers who for whom short-term flings became long-term relationships. This despite the fact its modest 24 horsepower barely gave it enough power to get out of its own way, and was – anecdotally - close to a liability in faster-moving traffic. Fine for pottering around London or trundling along leafy lanes. Not so much if you want to make progress or rack up motorway miles. Without that emotional baggage I had to take this new Himalayan 450 as I saw it when I did the original launch out in Sardinia. It was one of the very first motorcycle launch events I did, and we were pitched right into it with a mix of road and tracks. Given my lack of experience I appreciated the easy-going nature, the combination of long-travel off-road suspension but a relatively low seat making it less intimidating than taller, more modern adventure bikes I’d ridden. I also liked the style, the round headlight and vaguely retro looks combined with a more modern twin-spar frame, Showa suspension and modern conveniences like a connectable TFT dash, rider modes and switchable ABS. At the heart of it the new liquid-cooled Sherpa 450 engine gives the Himalayan the grunt to keep up with modern life, the 40 horsepower and 40Nm within the A2 licence limit but giving decent performance paired with the relatively light sub-200kg weight.

I was excited to ride it on home soil, Royal Enfield supplying my test bike with the additional security of engine protection bars, hand guards and a tie-on tail pack to give me somewhere to stash my waterproofs and lock for the commute. For the fact – practical as they are – I can’t bring myself to use a topbox. And, as I discovered with the Triumph Tiger 900, panniers can limit filtering opportunities on the commute.
Obviously, the first thing I did was run it up and down a couple of muddy tracks close to where I live, just to get into character and all. I’ll need chunkier rubber than the stock CEAT Gripp tyres if I’m going to make a habit of that but it felt a good way to bond with the Enfield, and get a bit of mud on it. And it felt good, the 200mm of suspension travel gobbling up the bumps and potholes, even if the rubber inserts on the footpegs were a bit slippery with my enduro boots. I’ll be removing them if I go off-road again. Riding thus far has taken in a few commutes over the hill to Manchester, which is a good mix of local urban riding, a bit of sweeping moorland road, a short squirt of motorway and then some low-speed filtering in city traffic. First impressions are that the Himalayan is comfy and confidence inspiring in all these situations, the torquey power delivery of the Sherpa 450 engine making it nice and flexible while performance is plenty for keeping up with the flow, even on the motorway. I also enjoyed a sneaky little run out for a Sunday fry-up with my pal Sim, who enjoyed his go on the Interceptor 650 I ran previously so much he ended up buying his own! While hardly adventurous by the standards of what some people get up to with Himalayans it was fun scratching out a new route home, an improvised diversion along a twisty single-track lane with a view over the moors exactly the kind of road less travelled this bike encourages. Even if it’s close to home. Here’s hoping for more of that over the coming months!

Mileage: 850 (on delivery) Fuel consumption: 70.9mpg (claimed)

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Dan says: “The handling is in no way sporty but it’s stable, confidence-inspiring and still fun on a twisty road”

On arrival the Himalayan overlapped with the Triumph Daytona 660 I’d been running, so there was a spell of choosing between the two for the commute over the hill to Manchester. Quite the contrast in bikes, it has to be said! And after a miserable, rain-soaked and somewhat sketchy ride home on the Triumph one night I was glad to switch to the Royal Enfield for the following day, the Himalayan’s easier-going nature much more suited to daily duties than the Daytona’s sports bike vibes. I like the fact the Himalayan has that upright, adventure bike stature. But isn’t so tall the seat as to feel all wobbly and top-heavy at lower speeds. I’d describe it as sitting ‘in’ the bike rather than just on it. I also like the lack of gimmickry. True, it’s got a modern ride-by-wire throttle and two engine modes, along with the ability to disable ABS on the rear brake for off-roading. But it’s still simple at heart, with nothing to distract from the ride. Heated grips would be nice, mind, especially given the shift in season. In their absence I’ve got some RideIron heated gloves to try, which will hopefully keep my hands toastie on the bleak mid-winter moors. While built for off-road adventures I’m also enjoying the Himalayan’s character on the road. With a 21-inch front wheel the handling is in no way sporty but it’s stable, confidence-inspiring and still fun on a twisty road. The Showa suspension may not be adjustable but it’s firm enough not to wallow around and, at the modest speeds it encourages, the Enfield is a genuine joy to ride. True, the single front brake demands a firm hand and I’m using more of the rear brake than I have on other bikes. But that seems to be a Royal Enfield ‘thing’ from others I’ve ridden, and just something you adapt your riding style to fit. Next on the to-do list is to pair my phone to the neat Tripper dash system and try the nav out. At first glance the display mimics a traditional analogue speedo but if you hold down the ‘M’ mode button for five seconds it switches to a full map display, powered by the Royal Enfield app on a connected handset. I tried it on the launch for this and the related Guerrilla 450, which uses the same system. Truth be told it proved a little flaky, the need to keep your phone unlocked for the nav to remain active a bit of a faff. Now I have opportunity to play with it in my own time I’m hoping I can … navigate the system a little more successfully. I’ll report back.

Mileage: 1,374 Fuel consumption: 66.7mpg (measured average) Back to top