Bigger Royal Enfield Himalayan in the works, Siddhartha Lal
Royal Enfield entered an all-new segment for with its adventure tourer, the Himalayan. It was a unique offering from an Indian motorcycle manufacturer, as a small displacement adventure tourer motorcycle was never attempted in the country. And now Royal Enfield will be entering a more premium segment with a new and bigger Himalayan with a larger displacement motor, states Siddhartha Lal, MD and CEO, Eicher Motor in an interview with motorcycle-magazine.com. The larger engine Royal Enfield Himalayan will not be an export only but will also be sold in the Indian market, mentioned the MD.
Chennai based Royal Enfield has set eyes on producing 9 lakh motorcycles in 2018. The MD maintains that 350cc is the core segment where the company excels in. However, the 500cc segment which amounts to 10 per cent also has potential. Especially, when the number is 60,000 units a year. This has made the company think and develop a larger engined Royal Enfield Himalayan. Additionally, the new Himalayan will also not just be a flagship model as Siddhartha believes that it will do sufficient numbers in the export and the domestic market.
In the present form, the Royal Enfield Himalayan gets a 411cc single-cylinder motor makes 24.5PS at 6,500rpm and generates 32Nm at 4,250rpm. In our Royal Enfield Himalayan road test review, Shumi had mentioned, With the crispness of a fuel-injection system, 10 more horses and a healthier sounding engine, the Himalayan would not just have been the best Royal Enfield of all, but it might have been the most purchase-worthy, drool-inducing premium motorcycle of them all in India." While Royal Enfield had updated the ignition in the BS-IV Himalayan, the power and torque figures remain unchanged.
It is already known that Royal Enfield will be showcasing two new motorcycles at the upcoming EICMA show next month. Both the motorcycles, believed to be a cafe racer and a retro classic roadster, will be powered by a larger displacement motor. We believe the same might make it into the larger engined Royal Enfield Himalayan as well, though with a tuned gearing to make it more of a highway tourer than an off-road machine. Additionally, we believe the larger engine Royal Enfield will also feature a significant update in the chassis to handle the new motor.