Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

What to know about the Himalayan 450

The Himalayan 450 is the motorcycle that ended Royal Enfield’s single-cylinder compromise. The liquid-cooled 452cc engine revs into a band the old 411 never reached, torque comes on twice in the rev range, and for the first time the marque’s adventure flagship can be ridden at a genuine pace along a ghat road rather than merely endured to the top of it.

The chassis matters more than the numbers. A 43 mm upside-down fork, 240 mm of travel at both ends and a lighter perimeter frame give it manners off tarmac that the rest of this segment does not attempt; the 21-inch front wheel rolls over ruts that would upset a sports tourer, and ABS that can be switched to an off-road mode lets the rear wheel step out on gravel in a controlled way.

The trade-offs are height, heat and cost. The 825 mm saddle is a real handful below average rider height even with the lower option, exhaust heat finds the right shin on a slow climb, and a liquid-cooled engine with an IMU asks for a larger service budget than an air-cooled Enfield. It is a tourer that wants riding rather than accessorising.

• 240 mm of suspension travel front and rear
• Cornering and switchable ABS from a six-axis IMU
• 17-litre tank sized for long pass crossings