Royal Enfield has confirmed it is working on a larger version of its popular Himalayan adventure motorcycle around the architecture of its 650cc twin engine.
Rumours of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 650 have been rife for years, ever since the Indian firm hit the market with the well-received, but decidedly no-frills 411cc Himalayan adventure motorcycle.
Indeed, though the standard Himalayan has won a trusty band of loyal followers with its cheap prices, plucky go-anywhere aspirations and utilitarian design, its rather ponderous 24.3bhp engine has left many crying out for a more powerful alternative.
With this in mind, it has long been hoped Royal Enfield would develop a larger version using the firm’s 650cc twin from the Interceptor and Continental GT, with Visordown indicating in June that plans were indeed afoot.
Now, according to Indian website Bike Wale, these plans have been formally confirmed, together with additional details about what to expect.
Interestingly, Royal Enfield originally had no plans to develop a Himalayan 650 because it didn’t think it could develop it around the larger engine. However, a change of approach prompted Royal Enfield to begin work on it 18 months ago.
Key to the Himalayan 650 project getting the green light was shifting it away from the current model’s rough and tough adventure leanings into a more tour-orientated ‘soft-roader’.
Bike Wale reports that two versions of the Himalayan 650 will be produced, one with off-road capability and another to be marketed more as a Sports Tourer.
With appetite for such a model seemingly very high, for those hoping to see it hit the roads soon will be disappointed with a 2024 date slated for launch.
In the meantime, Royal Enfield’s range expansion will continue with the addition of a Super Meteor 650 cruiser - to be launched at EICMA - and an expansion of the Meteor 350 range.
