Royal Enfield Himalayan among list of motorcycles that can't be sold in New Delhi
The Royal Enfield Himalayan will not be sold in New Delhi, at least in its current state of tune. The Himalayan's 24.5PS 410cc engine is BS3 compliant and according to the current regulations in New Delhi, the motorcycle cannot be registered there. Along with the Royal Enfield Himalayan, there are 41 other motorcycles affected by this rule.
So far, Indian cars are expected to comply with BS3 and BS4 norms while the motorcycles just have to pass BS3. However, from April 1, 2016 all new two-wheelers should comply with BS4 norms or they cannot be registered. SIAM has apparently raised this issue with the Delhi RTO, since this is affecting the income of manufacturers who will not be able to sell their motorcycles in the region. However SIAM is yet to receive a response from the RTO authorities. While there is no official communication from the Government on the same, it is the NGT which is banning the registration of new BS3 compliant bikes.
The new Suzuki Access 125 as well as the Bajaj V15 are also part of the list of bikes banned from being registered in New Delhi. Interestingly though, the old BS3 Suzuki Access can still be registered.
Motorcycle manufacturers running BS3 engines are required to upgrade their engines to comply with BS4 norms by April, 2017. Royal Enfield is expected to update the Himalayan engine to conform to BS4 norms soon.
Siddharth Lal, CEO and MD of Eicher Motors said, "The Royal Enfield Himalayan is registered across all the states in India and will be available in a phased manner. In the case of Delhi, the Himalayan as of now is not being registered as the NGT's decision came in last minute. It is available in NCR for testing and booking. We are working with the authorities to resolve this situation along with several other manufacturers who are facing the same issue."
The Royal Enfield Himalayan however, can be sold in the neighbouring Gurgaon and Noida markets. Honda, among many of the other manufacturers had already started switching to BS4 norms at a steady pace. The Honda Unicorn showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo was a BS4 compliant model and Honda is planning on starting deliveries by August, 2016.