Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 2024 Review

Royal Enfield is not mucking about. After 123 years, the longest running motorcycle brand in continuous production has released its first liquid-cooled engine, the Sherpa 450. This dual over head cam (DOHC), 4-valve donk boasts 452cc with a bore and stroke of 84mm x 81.5mm.

Big whoop, right? Other brands have been pumping out 450cc liquid-cooled engines for yonks. Yeah, we all know that, but Royal Enfield has placed this engine in the all-new Himalayan 450 which may well dominate the small to mid-size adventure market.

Adventure simplified

The adventure bike market is flourishing and plenty of riders out there love to flex their adventure ego with a big bike loaded with even bigger features and functions. Large capacity adventure bikes are cool and come with appropriate price tags, but they can be a bit too much for most riders who want to add some real off-road into their adventures.

To be brutal, some of the big-capacity adventure bikes are about as much fun as gastro in real off-road circumstances. You’ve got to be honest with yourself. Either you are a really good rider, or your idea of adventure riding is dressing up in adventure gear to ride on roads. It’s kind of like doing a boxercise class and calling yourself a boxer.

Bigger isn’t always better. This is where the small to mid-size adventure machine can shine. There are two factors that attract riders to this category and that is ease of operation due to manageable mass (meaning both the physical size of the bike and power output) and an affordable purchase price. The Royal Enfield Himalayan has both of these in a very well executed package.

Royal Enfield is making a big deal of this bike, so much so, it held a world launch in the Himalayas in late 2023.

More recently Royal Enfield Australia hosted a bunch of moto journalists in the Victorian High Country for the official Australian launch, where the new Himalayan was put to the test. Adding importance to the whole show was the attendance of RE staff from the RE design centre in England and senior staff from RE’s Australia Pacific office in Thailand.

Real deal

The first version of the Himalayan was released in 2016. The simple design and mid-size capacity was an instant hit with riders the world over. With time comes evolution and RE decided the Himalayan needed more refinement, not just with the new liquid-cooled engine offering more performance, but more style, better function and more appeal.

The new model sure does have more character and it’s clear the development by chief of design Mark Wells has injected a lot more cool-factor into this bike.

There’s an element of tough in the appearance of the new Himalayan and it is much more attractive to the eye with the new 17-litre fuel tank shape, the crash bars around the fuel tank and slick under-slung exhaust adding to the appeal. 

Aesthetics aside, the Himalayan boasts plenty of features including 21/17-inch wheels which makes it feel and perform more like an off-road bike than a road bike and this is a very good thing if you plan to ride on dirt.

The steel frame combined with the 43mm USD Showa fork and rear shock provides a super comfortable ride. The forks are separate function units and although they do not offer any adjustment, they provided excellent performance on our ride. The shock is mounted on an almost horizontal angle and, although only offering spring pre-load adjustment, it’s equally up to the task as the fork.

We enjoyed sealed main roads, dirt roads, gravel tracks and some filthy rocky and very steep mountain four-wheel-drive tracks with washouts and erosion mounds. The small chatter and loose rocks were soaked up without deflection or hesitation which was comforting. One particular rocky river crossing was navigated with zero fuss. The Himalayan is planted and comfortable, even when enjoying some simple jumping off erosion mounds.

Performance

Although not dripping with features that most of us will never use, the Himalayan offers around 450km from the 17-litre fuel tank. The 452cc DOHC four-valve engine is fed by a 42mm throttle body and offers more power and more torque than the previous model. You won’t be ripping endless power skids on this bike but you can cruise comfortably at 120km/h on open roads and there’s enough torque to haul your fat arse up just about any hill.

With a kerb weight of 196kg you need good stoppers and the 320mm front and 270mm rear disc brakes are more than capable. We rode down some steep hills with slippery dust over rocks and it was here that switching off the rear ABS was crucial. If I have one criticism of this bike, it is that the rear brake is too good. I struggled with feel on the pedal and in the dirt, the rear brake was either on or off unless I was super careful with the application.

On the plus side of things, the 230mm of ground clearance was ample and I like the air intake location of just beneath the fuel tank. This means air filter maintenance is less frequent and on the off chance you do lay the bike over in a creek or river crossing, there is minimal risk of drowning the bike as the fuel tank crash bars will prevent the bike laying completely on its side.

Fine features

The Himalayan comes with a side stand and center stand. If you cop a flat tyre, the center stand will come in handy. The seating position is excellent and the seat itself is very comfortable. The 825mm seat height is adjustable up to 845mm and there is a low seat option of 805mm for those who got ripped off in the leg department. There is a rally seat option in production to be released soon.

The four-inch TFT display is very good with smart phone compatibility that enables you to use Google Maps and Spotify and there’s a C-type USB charging point to keep your phone full of juice. As RE put it, “Everything you need. Nothing you don’t.”

I should mention this bike offers four riding modes, however, I only tested the full-power mode on this test ride, although, I did switch off the ABS via the easy-to-use handlebar controls.

At just $8,990 ride away with a three-year unlimited KM warranty and three-year roadside assist, this LAMS approved adventure machine sure does offer a lot. The 10,000km service intervals are not going to send you broke and when it comes to choosing the right bike, the Himalayan offers four color options, all inspired by typical and equally unique natural beauty of the Himalayas such as my favorite, the Slate Salt. Ever sat at a dining table with Himalayan rock salt on offer?

As the slogan goes, the Himalayan is “Built for all roads. Built for no roads.” This bike is a very comfortable and capable machine for on and off-road use.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid cooled, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves
Capacity: 452c
Bore x stroke: 84mm x 81.5mm
Compression ratio: 11:5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection, 42mm throttle body, ride by wire system
Lubrication: Semi-dry sump

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 29.44kW (40.2hp) @ 8000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 40Nm @ 5500rpm
Claimed fuel range: 450km

TRANSMISSION
Type: 6 speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet multiplate, slip & assist

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Steel twin spar tubular frame
Front suspension: 43mm upside down fork, 200mm travel
Rear suspension: Linkage type mono-shock, 200mm travel
Front brakes: Hydraulic disc brake, 320mm ventilated disc, double piston caliper 
Rear brakes: Hydraulic disc brake, 270mm ventilated disc, single piston floating caliper
ABS: dual channel, switchable
Front tyre: 90/90-21”
Rear tyre: 140/80-17”

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Ground clearance: 230mm
Wet weight: 196kg
Seat height: 825-845mm standard (805-825mm low option)
Wheelbase: 1510mm
Fuel capacity: 17 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $8990 ride away
Colours: Kaza Brown, Poppy Blue, Himalayan Salt, Hanle Black, Kamet White
Warranty: 3 years unlimited kms + roadside assist