BS6-compliant Royal Enfield Himalayan gets mid-cycle facelift

The Royal Enfield of today is (thankfully) a far cry from the brand’s image of yore, partly with their enthusiasm to keep bettering their products. It seems like just yesterday that the Meteor made an appearance and now the Himalayan BS6 already gets a few updates (read: a dose of the winning formula) with the inclusion of Tripper navigation, redesigned tank guard/luggage frame, lowered pannier base plate (behind the pillion seat) with an additional plate to better secure the luggage, tinted flyscreen, new colour schemes, and finally a swig of the MIY (Make It Yours) brew. Phew! As a result, the price sees a significant bump, from the earlier price of approximately Rs 1.91 lakh to the current Rs 2.01 lakh (ex-showroom, Chennai).

The changes in detail

We start off with the biggest change: the Tripper navigation pod. Now, it makes sense on something like the Himlayan, built to munch miles. What seems a bit amiss, however, is the placement for the pod itself, which juts out the right side of the cluster, looking more like an aftermarket attachment than a factory-fitted option.

The next significant change is the redesigning of the tank guard/jerry-can mount/ luggage frame, which has been shortened. This is because the earlier design would hit the knees of taller riders, something that RE has rectified now. Another change is the tinted flyscreen, a natural choice considering it served more as a way to protect against windblast than something the riders would actively look through.

The three new colour schemes – Granite Black (mix of matte and gloss), Mirage Silver and Pine Green – now raise the total number of colour options to nine, from the previous roster of six colours (Snow white, Granite Black, Rock Red, Lake Blue, Gravel Grey and Sleep Grey). And speaking of customisation, RE has added the Himalayan to its gamut of MIY (Make It Yours) programme, which means prospective customers can now choose a host of accessories, including a touring mirror kit, comfort seats, handlebar brace and pad, additional aluminium panniers and mounting kits, all of which can be configured from the RE App, the brand’s website and at the dealerships as well.

As mentioned, however, the Himalayan stays mechanically identical, utilising the same 411cc single-pot 5-speed fuel-injected mill making 24.3bhp @ 6500rpm and 32Nm @ 4000-4500rpm, with a 199kg kerb weight unchanged from its BS6 iteration.