Royal Enfield Himalayan Launch on 2nd Feb? To Steal Auto Expo Thunder

Royal Enfield may launch its highly anticipated Himalayan on February 2. The company, on Tuesday, announced that Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO Eicher Motors Limited will hold a press conference on the date, which happens to be days prior to the opening of the 2016 Auto Expo, in which Royal Enfield is not participating. The timing of the event coupled with recent sightings of production-ready versions of the adventure tourer in different parts of the country lead us to believe that the company might unveil this upcoming model.

Thanks to leaked details and multiple spy pictures doing rounds on the internet, including the most recent ones in which a white-coloured bike was spotted completely ready to hit the road, we have a clear idea about the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It will be a very distinctive offering from the existing product line-up of the company. Here is how:

Royal Enfield Himalayan will feature a completely new platform, and fibre has been preferred to metal for certain parts, which could make it the lightest machine in the fleet. The bike will get a proper adventure touring design with comfortable seats, windscreen, luggage panniers, up-swept exhaust, high-mounted front fender and a lot more features that will make it a better option for long tours and off-road riding.

It will be powered by a new 410cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that will be the lightest motor from the company with lesser vibrations. It is expected to make around 28bhp of maximum power and a peak torque of 32Nm. Royal Enfield Himalayan will be the first motorcycle from the company to get a mono-shock suspension setup at the rear and it will get front and rear disc brakes as well.

The bike features a multi-functional instrument console with a combination of analog and digital gauges and various telltale lights, as well as an LED tail lamp. It has a large 19” front wheel and a 17” one at the rear, an ideal setup for adventure touring. Both the wheels will get dual purpose on-road and off-road compatible tyres from CEAT.

We know that Royal Enfield is not participating in the Auto Expo this year, and that could be the reason that manufacturer is launching its awaited motorcycle just a few days prior to the show. Watch this space to find if the Himalayan is launched on February 2, as we have predicted.