The only official news that the Himalayan 450 exists is in this short and very brief video published on the official Royal Enfield social channels last week.
Everything else we know about the bike is rumors, photographs, and patent information gathered by journalists. Today, however, we may have some of the most revealing images of the bike, after the Asian website RushLane obtained some pictures, taken while one of the new machines was being stored.
The bike is parked next to a row of what appear to be the Super Meteor 650, and although there is nothing factual we can say about the bike’s specifications, the photos give a very clear view of the new machine we may choose.
For starters, it’s not a simple design that will stray away from the Himalayan concept’s roots, and we already knew that anyway. The bike’s style is much more a case of evolution, not revolution. However, the fuel tank is new and looks much larger than the tank of the previous model.
It is also the first clear image we can have of the new water-cooled 450 engine, and, as expected from such a radical change from the previous one (the previous bike has a 410cc air/oil-cooled unit), it is something completely different. At first glance, the engine casing on the right side looks very much like the item found on the J-series bikes, such as the Hunter 350 and the Meteor 350. The elimination of the engine cooling fins has also given it a more modern look (compared to the previous cooling fins), which almost gives the feeling of improving the overall look of the bike.
Another change is the switch to a TFT instrument panel, which is not really a surprise. There are a number of new models in the Royal Enfield range with a TFT, and given that this should provide the bike with turn-by-turn navigation – a must on a modern adventure bike – it can only be a good thing.
The only other aspect we can deduce from the images is that the frame of the new bike has a USD fork, not the telescopic items found on the old machine. We can’t tell if there is any adjustment at the front, but they are forks with a robust look, between 43 and 45 mm is what we estimate.
The RushLane team also revealed a supposed date when all the interesting information will be made public, with rumors that November 1st will be the launch date. This means that our first opportunity to see the bike will probably be at the EICMA show in Milan, in the second week of November.
