BS VI-COMPLIANT ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN TO BE LAUNCHED IN JANUARY 2020, WILL GET ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT

The Royal Enfield Himalayan could possibly be the first BS-VI compliant product from the Chennai-based manufacturer, when it launches sometime in January 2020. Test mules of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Thunderbird 350 have sure been spotted several times, but interestingly, Royal Enfield seems to have managed to keep the updated Himalayan under tight wraps. That said, Royal Enfield will be equipping the updated, BS VI-compliant Himalayan with additional equipment, including a hazard switch that will allow riders to have both turn indicators flash together, a feature seen usually seen on premium motorcycles, as far as two-wheelers go. The Himalayan is positioned as an adventure tourer and basis customer feedback the manufacturer will be adding the functionality. More importantly, the BS VI-compliant Himalayan is also expected to sport switchable ABS.

Current ABS calibration on the Himalayan is suited more to riding on tarmac, which does not work too well on dirt, or off-road. But if ABS can be switched off, that will enhance the bike’s rideability off-tarmac by allowing riders to lock the rear wheel and thus change direction quickly if required. We’re also expecting Royal Enfield to offer the Himalayan in new paint schemes in India, including the ones displayed at the Milan Motor Show last month. The bike will remain identical to the current, BS-IV version and will continue to use the same 410cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine but Royal Enfield will be making the engine smoother. One can thus expect the BS VI-compliant Himalayan to feel more refined than the current one. Of course, the BS-IV version itself was a quantum leap over the BS III version on this front, so it should be interesting to see how much better the BS-VI version of the engine will be. That said, it is unclear at the moment as to whether the engine’s current outputs of 24.8PS and 32Nm will change or not.