Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 (2024 – ) review

What the original Himalayan lacked in style it more than made up for in charm, its deliberately functional looks shouting its credentials as a workhorse adventure bike designed for the hard miles on far-flung roads, paved or otherwise. This new one sticks to the same formula and, at a glance, carries the same proportions with a trad round light up front, low-slung seat and tough, off-road optimised ride height based around a big 21-inch front wheel for bashing over the rocks and ruts the long-travel suspension will eat for breakfast. But the frame is now more sleekly integrated into the looks, the seat is on a bolt-on sub-assembly and the forks and rear shock are now proper Showa items for improved performance on and off the road. A small but significant price increase now means it competes with big boys like BMW, Triumph, KTM and others but, on the face of it, Royal Enfield has successfully modernised the utilitarian looks without diluting what made it so distinctive in the first place.

Off-road bikes like this with lots of ground clearance and suspension travel can often be intimidating for smaller riders for their tall seat heights and sheer size. Something BMW addresses on its all-conquering GS adventure bike with clever technology like variable height suspension and other expensive wizardry but Royal Enfield, in endearingly straightforward form, deals with by dropping the seat between a long wheelbase. While a little taller than the previous Himalayan the standard seat height of 825mm is still pretty accessible for a bike of this nature, an optional low seat dropping that to just 805mm while the slim frame means even shorter riders can comfortably flat foot it at a standstill. Taller riders can, meanwhile, go the other way and raise the seat to 845mm, meaning anyone can get comfortable on the Himalayan. Serious off-roaders can also option an enduro-style bench ‘Rally’ seat, trading comfort for chuckability. Whichever suits your needs the commanding riding position is also confidence inspiring whether riding the urban or actual jungle.

True, luggage comes extra but at around £900 for in-house sourced aluminium panniers, top box and the kit to mount them to the bike won’t break the bank. As it comes you get the distinctive front guards/racks, a small screen that does a surprisingly effective job of keeping the wind out of your face and a standard centre-stand to help take the faff out of regular maintenance like cleaning and oiling the chain. The standard Tripper display also means you can navigate straight off the dedicated phone app, which is handy whether you’re on an urban commute or longer tour alike. Beyond that existing Himalayan owners love to personalise their bikes and Royal Enfield has consulted widely with them to ensure this new one is a blank canvas for even the wildest of two-wheeled adventures.

For all its charm the original Himalayan was lacking in both accelerative and braking power, Royal Enfield identifying it needed to seriously upgrade performance in all respects to appeal to a wider audience. Enter the new Sherpa engine, a liquid-cooled 452cc single-cylinder with modern bells and whistles like a six-speed gearbox, slipper clutch, ride-by-wire throttle, rider modes and a whole 40 horsepower. A big step up from the 24 horsepower of the previous air-cooled chugger and more flexible as well given the new one has already matched the previous bike’s peak torque before hitting 3,000rpm. OK, performance is still on the chilled side and the 196kg weight means it doesn’t feel anything like as lively as the similarly powered Triumph Scrambler 400 X. But on or off the road there’s now the grunt to make proper progress, while a chunky ByBre caliper grabbing a single 320mm front disc addresses the previous braking issues. The rear brake is also noticeably powerful and, in isolation, can run without ABS for off-road riding.

With 200mm of suspension travel front and back and its unapologetic off-road focus you might expect the Himalayan to wallow about a bit on the road. Our lead rider’s chilled pace on the twisty road sections of the Sardinian test ride didn’t push the bike too hard but, even so, it’s clear the damping from the Showa fork and linkage-driven rear shock strike a good balance of support on smooth tarmac and bump-swallowing compliance when the going gets rowdier. The off-road spec 21-inch front wheel is unusual in this small adventure bike class, with most rivals like the Triumph and KTM 390 Adventure using a 19-inch one instead. Accordingly, the Himalayan responds better to a relaxed and deliberate riding style but the low seat, long wheelbase and all-round friendliness mean it’s more fun than you’d credit on the road while still being properly capable off it.

True, the new Himalayan can’t quite match the old one’s frankly astonishing affordability. But you’re getting a lot more bike and the starting price is still under £6,000, which still feels a steal given where this bike could take you. In terms of maintenance you’re trading the old-fashioned, fix it with a hammer simplicity of the old one for modern bike convenience and servicing may end up being a bit more expensive. But the Himalayan is still a simple bike, its relaxed riding style meaning you should be able to go a long way between fill-ups.

Owners of the previous Himalayan loved its rugged simplicity, and the sense if anything did go wrong out in the middle of nowhere you’d be able to keep it running with even basic tools and mechanical knowledge. The introduction of a modern – and more complex – engine may be a cause for concern on that basis, and the truth is until the bike has been used and abused by owners like the old one we won’t know if it’s as tough. But Royal Enfield has poured a huge amount of effort into stress testing the new engine, knowing that the Himalayan’s reputation stands or falls on it being reliable.

Perhaps of greater significance than on other Royal Enfields given the new and as yet unproven Sherpa engine the three-year warranty is a welcome reassurance, and is transferrable to a new owner if you sell the bike within that timeframe. In terms of servicing once through the initial ‘break-in’ check at just over 300 miles in normal usage you’ll have to take it in every 6,000 miles or annually, whichever come first. Given the distances some folk cover on their Himalayans that may come round sooner than you think, likewise if you’re using it hard in extreme conditions.

Famed for its simplicity and developed with the mantra ‘everything you need, nothing you don’t need’ the new Himalayan sticks to the no-frills formula, while at the same time introducing a host of modern features that mark a big step up from the old one. These include Performance and Eco rider modes you can cycle between on the move and rear ABS off settings for each you can only select at a standstill. Biggest news is the circular Tripper TFT display, which links to your phone via the Royal Enfield app, can project music and navigation in the screen and is controlled by a slightly flimsy feeling joystick on the left side of the bars. Powered by Google Maps it’s a neat feature, though dependent on phone signal for navigation. So, perhaps, better for riding on the beaten track rather than off it. Beyond that you get a small fly screen as standard and the distinctive front racks either side of the tank, the huge accessories range meaning you can add further protection as required or tailor your Himalayan into ‘Rally’ or touring biased trim as your needs demand.

The polar opposite of the highly complex and expensive machines like the BMW GS, Ducati Multistrada Rally and others that dominate the top-end adventure bike market the Royal Enfield Himalayan instead celebrates its simplicity, ruggedness and affordability. True, the price has increased to the point where it now competes with some big-name modern bikes from the likes of Triumph, KTM and others but it’s still incredible value and has an extra level of all-terrain capability thanks to the longer-travel suspension, 21-inch front wheel and additional ground clearance. Great for those planning expeditions into the wild while the extra performance of the Sherpa engine, the improved brakes and more capable suspension mean it can keep pace with commuting and other day-to-day riding demands in a way the previous Himalayan could only dream of.