Royal Enfield Confirms 650 cc Himalayan

[advrider]

If you’ve always wanted a Royal Enfield Himalayan but felt it is underpowered, there may be good news for you.  Multiple outlets report that the Chennai India-based manufacturer is giving the green light to a 650 cc engine version.

According to Bikewale, new details are emerging on the larger displacement machine.  And, the new machine will carry the 650 cc parallel-twin engine found in the company’s INT650 and Continental GT.

Although Royal Enfield has said, it is working on many new models, developing a larger engine Himalayan wasn’t in their plan.  But it now seems that a 650 cc powered Himalayan will be built.  The critical driver changing their strategy is apparently the Himalayan’s perceived poor highway cruising speed.

More power

The larger 650 cc lump would nearly double the current Himalayan’s hp figure.  The current 411 cc Himalayan delivers about 24 hp and 24 lb-ft of torque.   If equipped with the current 650 cc parallel-twin engine, the bike will provide about 47 hp and 38 lb-ft of torque. That’s a significant increase.

The larger engine Himalayan will reportedly get its larger engine from Royal Enfield’s INT650/GT models.

However, introducing the 650 cc lump into the current Himalayan is not all sunshine and unicorns.  The bigger powerplant will likely increase weight substantially.  And the current Himalayan is not known to be a lightweight machine.

Heavier and softer

And according to Bikewale, it seems that Royal Enfield knows this too.  As such, Bikewale says that “…this bike won’t be a proper ADV like the current Himalayan.” While they don’t say what constitutes a “proper ADV” bike, we get an idea of the bike’s potential design philosophy.  Bikewale says:

“…according to our sources, there will be two variants on offer – one with alloy wheels and one with spokes. The alloy wheel variant will be positioned as a sports tourer and the spoke wheel version will be called the adventure tourer. But Royal Enfield won’t market this Himalayan like the way they did for the 410 version. So they are mostly likely going to play it safe and launch a road oriented bike and a soft roader. “

And to back up their claims, Bikewale says that the new version will get a 19-inch front wheel in place of the current Himalayan’s 21-inch unit.  But they do say that the new version will get better in some areas. For example, the new Himalayan will reportedly get more ground clearance, better brakes, traction control, multiple riding modes, a TFT display, and Bluetooth connectivity.

If you are wondering when the new 650 cc Himalayan might arrive, Bikewale says it will be released in India in the last quarter of 2024.  Royal Enfield’s pricing is target is said to be around ₹400,000 (~$5,330).

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