India’s Royal Enfield has been on a tear recently, debuting popular new models like thejust-introduced Bullet-homage 350 Classic,Scram 411,350 Meteor,650 twinsand of course the popularHimalayan 411 ADV platform. Now, more rumors are swirling that the company will debut a new Himlayan with a new, liquid-cooled 450cc plant. It could also signal Royal Enfield’s intention to take on the powers that be in the Dakar rally and other races.
According to a “world exclusive” video (below) posted April 13th from the usually reliable Indian motorcycle publicationBikeWale,upcoming “Himalayan 450 Raid” will feature tech and performance that’s next-level for Royal Enfield and closer to parity with established Dakar competitors like Honda, KTM, and others. Rumors about the bikefirst started swirling earlier this year.
Instead of a built-to-last-forever air-cooled two-valve power plant, BikeWale says the upcoming 450 will feature an all-new 40hp liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine to go with its modern rally-raid style, 5.2 gallon/20-liter gas tank, ride-by-wire throttle with three ride modes including an off-road setting (with rear ABS-off option), slipper clutch, six-speed gearbox, a modern digital instrument stack, USD forks, and a 21/17-inch wheel combo. Stock tires will likely be more aggressive for off-road riding as well. Take a look:
BikeWale also posits that there is yetanotherhigher-end 450 Himi in the works, codenamed K1X, that may debut in 2025 or later. It will be evenmore核心的越野,可能的选项al aux tank in the tail, higher-spec suspension, and tubeless spoke wheels. BikeWale takes this prognostication a step further to say it shows that Royal Enfield is looking to get into rally racing with the upcoming higher-spec 450 K1X.
That would be a huge move for Royal Enfield, which has until recently been a producer of charming, affordable and stylish urban-focused middle-weight motorcycles that grew out of their historical and iconicBulletand Interceptor machines from decades ago. But after Royal Enfield wasbought up by India’s Eicher Group in 1990,classic Enfields of old were dragged into the modern age with disc brakes, fuel injection, ABS and other touches, while still retaining their classic appearance.
However, Eicher is a highly competitive multi-billion dollar public company and a thoroughly modern maker of commercial vehicles from trucks to buses and beyond, so it should not be a surprise to see them push Royal Enfield into the modern age—and even take the brand racing, which they are now doing with astrong flat-track presence. They also have a close relationship with US-based Polaris by way of a partnership in India. Polaris, of course, is another massive multinational company that makes a wide range of engines, from the V-twins in the Indian motorcycle lineup to the power plants in its wide range of off-road side-by-side machines and the street-legal Slingshot. Between Eicher and Polaris, there’s a非常deep well of combustion technology for Royal Enfield to draw from in spooling up the new 450 Himis, and neither company is shy about competing in the modern marketplace.
While Royal Enfield has not confirmedanyof the details of the BikeWale video or any of the rumors around the Himalayan 450, we’d be very surprised if this was all smoke and mirrors. With the recent debut (and popularity) of the 411 Himalayan, the 650 twins (of whichthere will be a 650 Himalayan) and even the beginner and budget friendly Meteor 350, it seems Royal Enfield has rounded out their modernized “classic bike” offerings and are now focusing on a tech-forward and racing future. Could racing be the next big frontier for Royal Enfield? Race on Sunday…
We have emails into Royal Enfield asking for confirmation and will update as we know more.
