Upcoming Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Rivals: From KTM to Kawasaki

The second-generation Himalayan is probably one of the finest and most modern at-par Royal Enfield (RE) motorcycles in the market at the moment. It has not just debuted features on behalf of the marque but has also tried to redefine and change the description and image of the brand in the domestic market.

Without swaying away much from its retro lineage, the new Himalayan 450 looks sophisticated, is feature-rich, and at the same time is rugged enough to take on daunting terrains. Qualities that would any day convince riding enthusiasts in our country to put their money in. But as the competition takes its natural course, several other manufacturers have also taken note of this. What are those, and will they be better than the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450? 

Hero XPulse 400

The Hero XPulse 400 is the much-awaited surprise. Just like the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, the XPulse 400 will also debut a new, bigger 400 cc, liquid-cooled engine, and will be one of those few Hero bikes to be built around a trellis architecture. A lot will ride on the shoulders of the XPulse 400, for just like the massively popular XPulse 200 4V, the former will also be entrusted to crack the exciting segment of 400 cc ADVs for Hero Motocorp to top the sales charts. But the project has faced lots of delays owing to engine rework and we are hopeful that the biggest ADV offering from Hero is able to make its global debut by end of this year. 

2025 KTM 390 ADV

Speaking of cracking the 400 cc segment, the KTM 390 ADV has been at the forefront of it all, infusing a bit of ‘anarchy’. By slapping that hooligan of a 373 cc engine to that potent trellis architecture with longer travel suspension- the 390 ADV has become the perfect upgrade for highway touring and more. 

Taking this winning formula up a notch, KTM is slated to introduce a second generation 390 ADV by the end of this year. Featuring a complete new body design with a much more pronounced beak this time, it will now be powered by the new LC4 399 cc  engine that the brand introduced with the third-gen 390 Duke. The new engine should not only offer great performance but also make the 390 adv more tractable. Other notable updates could include longer suspension (with adjustability), new subframe, better brakes and more electronic goodies. The test mule has already been spotted, and you can find more details about the bike here. 

Kawasaki Versys-X 300

Yes, the Versys-X 300 is expected to make a comeback to our shores after its brief stint back in 2018. Test mules of the ADV were spotted in India in February 2024, indicating an imminent launch shortly. Mechanically, it will be powered by the same 296 cc, parallel-twin engine that also does duties in Kawasaki Ninja 300, therefore its 39 bhp/ 26.1 Nm output might feel a bit paltry in comparison to the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450’s  40 Nm/ 39.5 bhp output. But since this is a Kawasaki, the Versys-X 300 will look sharper, and appealing for sure. The biggest flack faced by the Versys-X 300 was for its rather high pricing that led to the dismal sales. It seems Kawasaki has localised a few of its components to make the pricing more competitive, something that it achieved with the Ninja 300. How much the price drop will be and whether that affects the quality of the motorcycle is something we would have to wait and watch.