BACK IN 2016, NOBODY KNEW they wanted a Himalayan. Explorers knew they needed something sturdy and reliable to go anywhere. A motorcycle that would not give up. Royal Enfield took a gamble by developing and launching their first ADV but the rewards they reaped were immense. The Himalayan has enthralled its owners, explorers who rented one, and even yours truly on several occasions. Its versatility and accessibility made it popular in global markets too.
In 2023, the market is better informed and supplied. We have many options fighting for the crown of the ideal ADV. The wait for the new Himalayan was long but it made sense because the motorcycle has a worldwide reputation to uphold now. After a lot of research and development and testing, Royal Enfield took us to Manali for the first ride experience of the production model. All of us had seen photos of the motorcycle being tested but that did nothing to diminish the visual assault provided by the line-up that awaited us in Manali. Of all the colours on display, the one that caught my attention was the black-and-gold paint scheme, the one you see on these pages.
The LED headlight and Showa USD fork are the only new elements in an otherwise familiar front end. Interestingly, Royal Enfield told us that the LED headlight was, in fact, developed for the Himalayan but the motorcycle was being tested for so long that the unit ended up getting launched first on the Super Meteor.
This story is from the December 2023 edition of Bike India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2023 edition of Bike India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BMW F 450 GS Concept
EICMA 2024 IS GENERALLY NIRVANA FOR MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS as they're treated to plenty of new machines from a number of manufacturers. BMW Motorrad are one of them.
Toprak is the 2024 World Champion
Toprak Razgatlioglu took home his second World Superbike Championship (WSBK) title after a good battle with the Italian rookie, Nicolo Bulega of Ducati.
A Toprak Sandwich
The battle for the title heated up as Toprak Razgatlioglu won Race One and Race Two while Nicolo Bulega won the Superpole Race in Estoril, the penultimate round of the 2024 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) season.
Navaneeth Wins Double
Navaneeth Kumar S, Rohan R, and Yogesh P were the winners in the second round of the J K Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup INDIAN RACING
Ross Branch and Team Hero MotoSports are the new FIM World Rally-raid Champions
TEAM HERO MOTOSPORTS was founded in 2016 and Ross Branch joined in 2022. Since then, he has been a Hero MotoSports rider and their years of toil have borne a particularly sweet fruit: Ross Branch and Hero MotoSports are now the FIM World Rally-raid Champions.
The Rise of a New 'Rad'
Reise Moto invited us to the COASTT High Performance Centre in Coimbatore to experience their all-new radial road tyres, the traceRads.
Feels Like Graduation
The third and final round of the TVS Young Media Racer Programme (YMRP) saw us take P2 in the race and P3 in the overall championship. Here is how it went off
In the Shadow of the Colossus
TVS have given the base Jupiter a complete overhaul, including a new engine. We had checked it out on a closed course back in August. This time we let it loose on the urban jungle and observed if it could survive there
Pay Win
THE ATHER RIZTA WAS LAUNCHED TO much fanfare in April this year and then we got to sample it for a short burst in May.
Agile and Aggressive
The Kawasaki KLX 230 is a superbly built dual-sport that has the ability to take on some big hitters in our market. We hopped on it for a while and kicked up some dirt at the Prodirt Adventure Park.
