Royal Enfield Himalayan 650: New details surface

In 2017, Royal Enfield CEO Sid Lal stated that his company was working on a more powerful version of the Himalayan that would use the parallel-twin engines that debuted on the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 later that year. Now, a report by Indian Autos Blog (IAB) has confirmed that while the uprated Himalayan 650 is currently not a part of the bikemaker’s short-term plans.

When asked by IAB about the possibility of the twin-cylinder Himalayan 650, Royal Enfield President Rudratej Singh said, “No plans on that at this point in time in the short term.” Mr Singh stated that Royal Enfield is busy working on the launch of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650.

While Mr Singh statement rules out any instant updates for the Himalayan in terms of the engine, it does not rule out the bike altogether. Also considering what Sid Lal told Motorcycle Magazine about the Himalayan in 2017, we can be sure that the twin-cylinder adventure bike will eventually make it to the Royal Enfield lineup sometime in the near future.

Another factor that works in the favour of the Himalayan getting the new parallel twin motor is the fact that the new Interceptor and Continental GT 650 share the same basic double cradle chassis except for the duplex structure up front. Also, Royal Enfield developed the new engine with the single idea of expanding its range and the powerplant is expected to make its way on to many Enfield bikes in the future.

The new parallel-twin engine should help the Himalayan do better in terms of performance, something that has been touched on multiple times especially by foreign riders. Considering that the new 648cc engine makes 22.5 bhp and 20 Nm of torque more than the Himalayan current 411 cc single, we expect those complaints to be shut down for good.

When it does arrive, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 650 is expected to sport dual-channel ABS and while the wheel sizes are expected to remain the same, the more powerful Himalayan should feature better tyres with higher speed ratings and better grip especially while off-roading. The Himalayan 650 is also expected to get an upgraded suspension setup as well.