Spy Shots Show Royal Enfield’s Rumored Himalayan 450?

[advrider]

British outlet MCN is showing photos of a bike it says is Royal Enfield’s “Rally-raiding” prototype. For spy shots, the pictures are pretty clear. MCN says the images were taken about a week ago at a gas station in Lutterworth. Interestingly, that location is not far from Royal Enfield’s UK Technology Center.

New engine?

Although there’s no clear indication of the bike’s engine displacement, it has been widely rumored that the new bike will get a new 450cc water-cooled, single-cylinder engine to make its power output more competitive with the likes of the KTM 390 and BMW G 310 GS. Those bikes make about 44 and 33 bhp, respectively.

Better suspension

Fitting the current mode of a “proper” adventure bike, the new machine gets a 21-inch spoked front wheel with a 17-inch spoked wheel at the back. There is also a more robust upside-down fork to deal with less-than-perfect roads. At the rear, there’s a right-side mounted shock that seems to attach the swingarm to the frame beneath the bike’s fuel tank. MCN says that it will likely be adjustable for at least preload.  In the braking department, the bike gets two discs, one at each end of the machine.

There’s also a larger fuel tank that extends beneath the rider’s seat. The the extra fuel should hopefully help the new bike extend its range over the current Himalayan.

There are some other less exciting details like a stubby upswept exhaust and some rather basic-looking switchgear and dash. This bike will not likely be packed with rider aids. Royal Enfield is known to generally stick with simplicity over complexity.

When/If

There are no details as to when and if this machine is what Royal Enfield plans to bring to the market as a replacement for or to complement the current Royal Enfield Himalayan. Unfortunately, when asked about the new bike, Royal Enfield has no comment. So we will have to wait and see what the Indian brand has up its sleeve.

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