Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS Review: Bajaj Dominar rival ridden

Launched in 2016, the Royal Enfield Himalayan opened up a completely new segment of motorcycles in India, that of entry level adventure motorcycles. However, the bike came with its own share of issues and shortcomings. Over the years though, the company has worked hard to iron out the niggles and even gave it fuel injection earlier this year. A few weeks back, the ABS equipped Himalayan was launched and this is what we rode recently.

As visible in the video above, we rode the Himalayan ABS over four different terrains of grass, sand, gravel and cemented roads. The Himalayan gets a dual channel ABS set-up which means ABS works on both front and rear wheels. There is no other change to the motorcycle. One grouse we have is the fact that unlike the BMW 310 GS, the Himalayan does not come with a switchable ABS which means riding in extreme conditions like snow and ice can be tricky as the ABS sensors will keep lifting off the brake pressure.

Retailing at Rs 2.1 lakh (on-road), the Royal Enfield Himalayan still makes for an excellent purchase. It does not have any direct rival as of now and the BMW 310 GS is almost double the price. We love the way the Himalayan rides over no roads with the suspension chewing up undulations perfectly well. The Himalayan continues to be powered by a 410cc single cylinder motor that puts out 24.5 bhp of power and 32 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

I owned one in 2016 but sold it soon enough due to issues cropping up. That said, when I rode this ABS version, I could make out the changes done by Enfield in terms of refinement and peppiness due to fuel injection in place. So if you are in the market looking for a bike that can satisfy your touring fantasies, the Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS makes for a great buy. Do check the video right away!