Want adventure but on a budget? The Royal Enfield Himalayan could be just the ticket.
There are very few names in motorcycling that command the respect of Royal Enfield, especially across the Indian subcontinent. “Made Like a Gun” was the company’s slogan for generations (it was actually for the Bullet model, but was unofficially adopted for the entire company), and it’s been a long, hard road to get into the North American market.
RE reappeared on this side of the Pacific three years ago, under the guidance of then CEO Siddhartha Lal (he’s since been replaced by Vinod K. Dasari), with the Himalayan the leading light in a six-bike line up alongside the Interceptor, Continental GT, Thunderbird, Classic, and the redoubtable Bullet.
The Himalayan is knee-deep in one of the most competitive arenas in the modern motorcycle market in the small-capacity adventure sector. Around the same time the Himalayan hit the market, BMW came out with its G 310 GS, a year later Honda’s CB500X and Kawasaki’s Versys 300-X, and this year, KTM with its 390 Adventure.
It could be argued, especially in the case of the BMW and the KTM, that these bikes are aimed more at the performance off-road sector, while the Himalayan takes a more relaxed approach to adventure touring. It’s a bike designed to take on the Himalayas in comfort—ready to race; this is not.
