I have never been a big fan of adventure motorcycles. However, in recent years, I have dedicated more attention to this segment. Not because it is booming and almost every manufacturer now wants to produce adventure-style motorcycles, but because I am genuinely interested in exploring new options and opportunities to travel. When I think about adventure motorcycles, names like BMW, Honda Africa Twin, Triumph Tiger, or Yamaha Tenere come to mind first. Royal Enfield as a brand would never cross my mind in the first place, not to mention Himalayan. That is purely due to my lack of knowledge, as I surround myself with specific motorcycles and do not look around for what else is available.
As you already know, I enjoy travelling and organizing trips to new places a few times a year. Sometimes, we even do tours so that anyone can join. A friend told me he wanted to do tours on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. I became curious about what bike he was talking about. Surprisingly, this motorcycle has a large following base, making it quite popular. I was surprised to learn this, especially when EICMA 2023 happened and the new Himalayan was introduced to the public, grabbing so much attention that even the new BMW stayed in the shade.
photo credit: Royal Enfield
Of course, I spent some time learning about this motorcycle and was genuinely surprised by its offers. This bike is in a tough spot competing with Honda and several Chinese brands. Still, at the same time, I think this is one of the best bikes you can buy at a price point of under 6000 dollars. It is equivalent to the newly announced Triumph Scrambler 400X, which will be super popular, especially in India.
So why I am impressed with Royal Enfield? First of all, the overall package is something that I appreciate. Tubeless spoked rims, Google maps and connectivity, newly designed robust engine, versatility, and more power than the previous generation. Based on what I see, these bikes are built to last, as their primary market was India for a long time. So, price, versatility, and reliability are the main priorities.
I am looking forward to trying one, and I will write more about it shortly after sharing some of my impressions with you guys.
