The 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan Grows Up with Video

The all new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 debuted at EICMA, taking a bold new step forward for an increasingly popular adventure motorcycle platform. For those close to the North American Milwaukee headquarters, Royal Enfield street bikes are a familiar sight. The new Himalayan 450 looks to build on that with an all-new engine, frame, and increased power. It effectively replaces the 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan.

Some ADV enthusiasts don’t pay mind to the Himalayan. Himalayan enthusiasts happily return the favor. Fun, small, and affordable, the Himalayan makes adventure riding accessible to a broad group of riders. Now they get an all-new 452cc DOHC liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that puts out 39.4 hp at 8,000 rpm and 29.5 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,500 rpm.

This is a big bump over the previous 411cc SOHC air-cooled single-cylinder mill that gave out 24.3 bhp at 6,500 rpm and  23.6 lb.-ft. at 4,000 rpm. It would be fair to say that this engine will likely replace the powerplant in other models including its Scram 411.

The new Himalayan 450 also gets a new chassis, with a subframe that’s removable, or more accurately replaceable, in case of crash damage. Front suspension now consists of 43mm upside-down fork with an unchanged 7.8 inches of travel, while the rear sticks with a linkage-type monoshock, now with 7.8 inches (7 inches previously) of travel. The redesigned tank is flared and broader, giving knees a little additional win protection. It also holds 4.5 gallons, or 0.6 gallon more than the previous one. Also, it kinda looks the business, in ADV terms.

Wheelbase has been increased, from 58.0 inches to 59.4 inches. Weight has actually been reduced by 7 pounds, which is something. The seat has been redesigned, with a seat height of 32.4 inches and an available low seat coming in at 31.7 inches. Both can be adjusted to add up to 0.8 inch. It’s almost an inch higher than the previous Himalayan, but overall the dimensions remain highly accessible. Off-road inspired footpegs have removable rubber inserts for when off-road adventure calls.

Instruments have also been redesigned, with a 4-inch round TFT display that integrates all warnings, settings, and even a navigation system powered by Google. That’s a good thing, since some proprietary nav systems (cough, BMW) aren’t the best. A new ride-by-wire throttle allows for three riding modes, while the taillights are now integrated with rear turn signals. Altogether it’s very modern, sleek, and contemporary.

Royal Enfield is never a slouch when it comes to livery and accessorization. To that end, a total of five options are available: Hanle Black, Kamet White, Slate Poppy Blue, Slate Himalayan Salt, and Kaza Brown. The Kamet White has a winter camouflage-inspired design. Perhaps best to avoid ADV trails near the disputed Kashmir region with that one.

Price and availability have not been announced yet, but Royal Enfield generally brings a high bang/buck ratio, so expect something slightly more than the $5,449 MSRP for the 2023 Himalayan.