Royal Enfield’s “Built for all roads. Built for no roads.” bike, the Himalayan has been updated to comply with BS6. They were able to achieve this by adding a new catalytic converter and updating the EMS (Engine Management System). There is no drop in power figures and the power delivery is linear once you cross the 2,000 rpm mark and cruising speeds of 90-100 Kmph are very easy to do.
Engine
The engine is the same Air-Cooled, 411 cc, SOHC engine which is now BS6 compliant and produces 24.3 bhp of power and 32 Nm of torque. The engine got fuel-injection with it’s BS4 update back in 2017. The bike is able to cruise on highways quite comfortably in the 90-100 Kmph range and can provide good power on the low-end for those off-road trails.
Chassis, Suspension & Tyres
In the chassis and suspension department it comes with a Half-Duplex Split Cradle Frame coupled with 41 mm travel Telescopic Forks in the front and a 180 mm travel Monoshock at the rear. The bike is decent for riding around the city and is easily maneuverable to filter through traffic. The ride quality is plush over bumps and the bike performs very well on highways and dirt roads. The only flaw here is the massive 199 Kg kerb weight, which can be a problem if you are stuck in a forest alone and the motorcycle breaks down or you take a fall and the motorcycle falls down.
The side-stand has been tweaked to offer more stability on any surface when parked. The bike now comes with a new set of Ceat’s Gripp XL tyres which have block pattern tread. The tyres were able to provide good grip over dry and dusty surfaces. As for the wet grip, we are unsure whether they can provide that level of grip with their block pattern design.
Braking
The braking performance of the BS6 Royal Enfield Himalayan has improved by a big margin, the ABS system has been readjusted and now can be switched off for the rear wheel. We were able to do some good slides with the ABS off and it felt very easy to do.
Final Thoughts
We think that the 2020 BS6 Royal Enfield Himalayan is a good adventure motorcycle but it lacks in some instances and needs more improvement in the handling and features department and other options in the market such as the KTM 390 Adventure, Hero Xpulse 200 and the BMW G310 GS seem like a better choice than the Himalayan.
What Do You Think? Will This Be Your Next Purchase? – Comment Below!
Also See
BMW G310 GS vs KTM 390 Adventure Comparison
BS6 Hero XPulse 200 Pre-Bookings Open
2021 BMW G310 GS and G310 R Spied Testing. Will They Be More Affordable?
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