Royal Enfield Himalayan Completes 10 Years — From Adversity to Opportunity in the Himalayas

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, and in the case of the Royal Enfield Himalayan it was more like adversity. Siddhartha Lal, Executive Chairman of Eicher Motors Limited (EML), the parent company of Royal Enfield, was riding through the Himalayas when he was caught off guard by torrential rains, and got stuck there as the roads were blocked. It’s reported that in this moment he realised that while Royal Enfield bikes are the de facto choice of bikers for fulfilling their Ladakh dreams, they bikes weren’t ideal for the harsh terrain of the Himalayan mountains. The idea of the Himalayan was born; a bike which will blend with the Himalayas and not go challenging it.

The Inception

With the Himalayan, Royal Enfield was entering uncharted territory. ADV as a segment in India at that time was in its nascent stage with a few offerings from Triumph in the form of the Tiger series and the BMW R 1200 GS being on sale. For this project, Royal Enfield had to take a different approach, and it did so by roping in Harris Performance to help in developing an all-new chassis. The design of the bike was led by legendary designer Pierre Terblanche. For readers who don’t know about Terblanche, he designed iconic motorcycles such as the Ducati 999, Hypermotard, and Confederate X132 Hellcat Speedster. What he came up with was a very industrial design, with function taking precedence over form, and the Himalayan looked absolutely rugged.

The next challenge was even bigger; the heart of the bike. Up until now the UCE was the only engine in Royal Enfield's portfolio, but that was a misfit for an ADV. Royal Enfield wanted to keep the torque-heavy characteristic on its upcoming motorcycle so it went for a long-stroke configuration. Thus the LS410 was born, a 411 cc, single-cylinder engine delivering 24.5 bhp and 32 Nm between 4,000-4,500 rpm. The company opted for an oil cooler as it felt that a damaged radiator in such terrain will not be an easy fix, and wanted to keep the mechanicals simple.

An Inauspicious Beginning

A few days prior to the launch of the Himalayan, Royal Enfield released a promotional video of a prototype enduring some hardcore off-road riding piloted by Dakar racer CS Santosh. In the video, Santosh takes a high jump and on landing, the left footpeg breaks. The video went viral, with many bikers questioning the quality of the motorcycle. Such was the controversy that Royal Enfield had to issue an official statement surrounding the incident: “It’s the torture testing of a prototype, no aspect has been left untouched to give you exactly what you want. We pursued quality to deliver the promise of endurance. This testing proved to us that if you land from a jump that’s 6ft above ground, the footpeg could break, so we made it better and did it all over again and again before we broke out with the #Himalayan.”

Despite this, the bike went on sale on March 16, 2016 at ₹1,55,545 (ex-showroom). Yes, the pricing looks almost unbelievable, but this was prior to 2017 when new regulations pushed the prices of two-wheelers up by over 40 per cent. With such a competitive price, and the fact that it was India’s first indigenously developed ADV bike, sales of the Himalayan began on a positive note. But then stories of the frame cracking emerged, and that led to severe backlash with many bikers doubting the quality control of Royal Enfield motorcycles. The cracks were occurring near the front fork and collar joint, which led to the suspension collapsing.

The Redemption

Quality issues with the Himalayan had a big impact on the company, and this led to a major overhaul with respect to manufacturing and quality control at the RE plant. It also prompted Siddhartha Lal to come up with more stringent quality norms as the company was on the verge of launching the 650 Twins in 2017. In the following years, the quality of the Himalayan improved and sales again grew strong. It became a popular choice for bikers entering the world of ADV riding, and also with bike rentals in the Himalayan regions. Royal Enfield also expanded the Himalayan portfolio by launching the Scram 411. It was basically the same bike but with a 19/17-inch alloy wheel setup and slight styling tweaks to make it lighter and more approachable to riders.

As the Himalayan juggernaut continued, Royal Enfield owners started expressing their desire for a larger and more modern Himalayan. However, the company didn’t rush and took its time in extensively testing the next generation of the Himalayan. Thus the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 broke cover in late 2023. The Himalayan 450 was a completely modern ADV in comparison to the analogue Himalayan 411. It got a modern 450 cc, liquid-cooled engine with ride-by-wire throttle and a 6-speed gearbox. Even with respect to features, the bike was equipped with a TFT screen, multiple ride modes, navigation, switchable ABS and also the option for tubeless spoke wheels. Even the riding dynamics were different with a proper long travel suspension which offers one of the best rides for any ADV bike on sale. And the Scram also made a comeback in the form of the Scram 440 last year as it got a larger engine, 6-speed transmission and slipper clutch to make the bike more appealing.

The Legacy

The Royal Enfield Himalayan was a game-changer in the Indian motorcycle space. Yes, it had its own set of flaws but it showed the world that a mid-capacity ADV bike can be engineered and built in India. The Himalayan also gave millions of Indian bikers access to the world of adventure touring, riding offroad, and discovering a new way of life on two-wheels. The impact of the Himalayan is such that we got to see the advent of bikes such as the Hero XPulse, KTM 390 Adventure range, Yezdi Adventure, Triumph Scrambler 400 and recently the TVS Apache RTX. As a motorcycle brand, Royal Enfield has evolved beautifully from analogue to modern, and the next chapter in its journey will be the upcoming Himalayan 750, which again promises to open up a new avenue for Indian bikers.