Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Review: 2024's Best Mid Adv?

This is the brand new 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and as soon as I swung a leg over it I knew straight away that it's far far better than the air-cooled Himalayan that went before it. And so the real question now is whether it's good enough to go toe-to-toe with some of the other competition in the middleweight adventure market, some of which are really quite good. So in this video we'll go through absolutely all of the details to find out. Now by the way I'm tracking my ride today with Kalamoto so huge thanks to them for sponsoring this video. In my opinion it's the best way to plan your motorcycle rides because they've got their own dedicated algorithm developed specifically for bikes. It seeks out the best twisties and bends and so you never have to ride a boring straight road again. There's a code in the description below where you can get a 30-day free trial so you may as well give it a go and if you like it there's another code for 10% off a premium membership. So do check it out I'm sure you'll love it and once again a huge thanks to Kalamoto for their support. Now look for me the number one thing that absolutely needed addressing from the 410 Himalayan was the engine and I mean sure it did have that really solid chugging low-end torque but if you needed to get a bit of speed up out on the open road it really did quickly run out of puff and it wasn't helped by the fact that that bike is up around the 200 kilogram mark. So thankfully this bike gets a brand new engine completely redesigned from the ground up. Now it's a 450 so there is a little bit more displacement but also it's liquid cooled which means they can push it that little bit harder and the result is really quite good. It still has plenty of that bottom end that makes it feel like a Himalayan and it makes more peak torque than most of the immediate competition. The thing is when you get into the upper half of the rev range it really keeps pulling and it actually feels quite plucky. There's now pretty much 40 horsepower on tap so not far off double the 410 and that makes it feel more comparable with the competition and much more usable at higher road speeds. I just couldn't see myself wanting to ride the previous generation when it was loaded up with luggage on a weekend away but this one feels like a proper little capable adventure bike. Now naturally with it being a single it's not exactly the smoothest engine in the world. There are plenty of vibes through the pegs especially when it's working a bit harder at motorway speeds but most of the other bikes in this market are singles as well and so I guess it's somewhat par for the course and you do get the rubbers in the pegs which do make it bearable. Now I really like the gearbox on this bike it's very slick and easy and the clutch is nice and light too and easy to control with these nice chunky levers that feel really nice in the hand. Then the gear shifter it really takes very little effort with your foot and it has a nice little snick to it that just gives you that reassurance that you've gone into gear. Another thing I like as well is the sound that you get from this slim silencer it's got enough bass to it to sound satisfying under acceleration. Fuel economy is good as well it's perhaps not quite as frugal as the previous gen but you do get a nice big 17 litre tank so that should be more than enough for some light adventuring and touring and so look overall I think this engine is a big success. Nice to use, decent enough on torque and power for this category of bike and so I'd say at least on a par with some of the other options on the market from the likes of KTM and Triumph. You've got a similar story with the chassis as well it's a lot like the Himalayan with that off-road focus, with a tall stance, plenty of suspension travel and ground clearance, spoke wheels and the 21 incher at the front and look that rugged versatility was a big part of the 410's appeal and so it's totally logical to make sure that this bike ticks all the same boxes but I will say almost everything about it has been specced up a bit. Brakes are and they give you a little more stopping power and the Showa 43mm upside down fork has more quality to the ride. Then there's also the option of tubeless spoke wheels on some of the colorways and so that should make punctures quicker and easier to repair for the majority of riders and it's definitely something I'd be speccing up for the relatively modest price bump. So it is indeed like the OG Himalayan but just on steroids that means it still stands out against the competition as one of the most off-road capable and so it's definitely the one to look at if you want a genuine adventure all-rounder as opposed to something like the Honda NX 500 which has a bit of the adventure image but realistically is more suited to road riding. Now on the flip side because of its off-roadiness, the big front wheel, the long suspension, this isn't going to be the sharpest handling when it comes to riding on tarmac and so if that's the majority of use you might want to look elsewhere but if you do have your heart set on a Himalayan then all these little improvements that they've made have led to a much more pleasant bike to ride than the 410. The only slight disappointment perhaps might be the weight. It comes in at 196 kilograms curb and so that is realistically on the heavier end for this style of bike. Now I was a little bit surprised when I read that because it's only a few kilograms lighter than the 410 and yet visually it looks significantly lighter but I guess you've still got this fairly robust build and it is built to a price ultimately. Still I think it's acceptable for the size of bike, acceptable for the price and more than manageable for most riders. To go with the adventury image you've got an appropriate riding position with wide high bars that will accommodate you standing up and then also those removable rubbers in the pegs so you can get a bit of grip but look this is a mid-capacity bike and as such you probably don't want to make it too intimidating. Realistically although it is suitable for any size of rider it will of course be specifically of interest to those who are a little shorter in the leg. So in my opinion it's great news that you've got a healthy range of seat heights with the standard seat being adjustable between 825 and 845 mm and the low seat accessory taking another 20 mm off so you can go between 805 and 825. Now I really like the riding position on this bike and I'm happy with that standard seat and I think it'd be pretty decent for sort of moderate distances but I would just caveat this all by saying it's not really up there with a larger capacity adventure bike for the serious distance stuff. I'd like cruise control for example, I'd like a bigger windscreen, I'd like fewer vibes from the engine but then in the context of the price considering what you're paying for it I think it's still pretty impressive. Now TFT displays are becoming increasingly common at lower and lower price points now but specifically with this one I think Royal Enfield have done a really nice job. It's a nice balance of modern with all the menus and connectivity features but then also this slightly retro inspired design to the interfaces and of course the round shape of it as well plays into that vibe. Now through this you've got a couple of riding modes to choose from so performance or this like eco mode I mean with 40 horsepower on tap it's probably not that necessary to use the eco mode but maybe it'll come in handy every now and again. You can switch off abs at the rear wheel in either mode as well and then also there's a few different themes and layouts to choose from. Now you can also hook it up with the Royal Enfield app to get navigation right there on the screen but personally I prefer to use the quad lock mount on the handlebars because you've got that USB-C port right there anyway so it's really easy to hook up and that means I can navigate with something like Kalamoto that I mentioned and leave that main dash nice and big with the fundamental riding information on it. I also like the styling of the new switchgear too although I will say I would like a bit more of a reassuring press sensation on some of these buttons. The lighting looks neat especially the integrated taillights at the rear and overall I'd say it's very nicely put together on the tech front. Again a big step up from the 410 and while the competition might have little advantages here and there it's certainly in amongst them. As I've said I wasn't massively impressed by the previous gen in terms of the ride but one of the things it did have on its side apart from the price was the looks. It had this cool utilitarian retro kind of vibe to it in a nice selection of different colour choices. This bike continues the theme there are the side racks the round headlight with the shorty rally style screen and overall it has to be said a fairly similar stance but as you can see a lot of the shapes in the bodywork have been stretched out and slanted and just generally made more contemporary. I'm not sure that I was immediately sold on the looks of this bike when I first saw the press images when they announced it but I've got to say seeing it here in the flesh now especially in this colourway which I really do like it does actually look pretty good and I think the details help and also there are particular angles like the rear three-quarter where it looks quite adventury. Compared to something like the KTM 390 Adventure this is much more my cup of tea and in my opinion it looks the more refined motorcycle in terms of the visuals. So it seems like the theme of this video is that they've taken the essence of the old Himalayan and preserved it but then just enhanced it and slightly modernized it and I think that's certainly true of the looks. With the new generation of bike usually comes a big price hike and yes this bike is indeed almost 20% more expensive which does sound like a lot but thing is that's until you remember that the 410 could be had for under 5 grand and so this one still comes in well under 6 for the most basic finish. Personally though I think I'd be going for one of the more premium options like the Kammert White not only because I like the paint job but also for those tubeless spoke wheels as a massive improvement in convenience. Even at that price it's still less than the KTM 390 Adventure, less than the Honda NX500 and it isn't much more than the far less techy and much less off-road spec'd Triumph Scrambler 400X. But ultimately the question is should you consider buying one of these new Himalayans against some of the competition? Well look here are four good reasons to go for this one if you're shopping in the mid-adventure bike market. Number one would be that extra versatility and off-road capability that you get with this bike. Number two would be if you're looking for the most value for money. Three if you like the slightly more traditional side of motorcycle design and number four if you like the character of the original Himalayan 410 but you just want a bit more performance. As always though I'd love to know what you guys think of it so do let me know down in the comments below and if you want to see some of the other best new adventure bikes on the market for 2024 then I'll put our full list on the screen now so you can give it a click and give it a watch in case you haven't already. Do hit subscribe as well if you want to see more of the latest motorcycle reviews like this right here on YouTube. Many thanks for watching today and we'll see you in the next video.