As the largest bike here with the biggest fuel capacity, the Himalayan marks itself out as the most touring-focused motorcycle.
Published on Nov 04, 2023 07:00:00 AM
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At long last, all the details about the hotly anticipated Royal Enfield Himalayan 452 are now out in the open, including detailed specifications of the company’s new flagship ADV. We pit it against its chief rivals to see how it stacks up on paper.
| RE Himalayan 452 vs rivals: powertrain | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Himalayan 452 | Triumph Scrambler 400 X | KTM 390 Adventure SW | BMW G 310 GS | |
| Engine | Liquid-cooled, 452cc, single-cylinder | Liquid-cooled, 398cc, single-cylinder | Liquid-cooled, 373cc, single-cylinder | Liquid-cooled, 312cc, single-cylinder |
| Power | 40hp at 8000rpm | 40hp at 8000rpm | 43.5hp at 9000rpm | 34hp at 9250rpm |
| Torque | 40Nm at 5500rpm | 37.5Nm at 6500rpm | 37Nm at 7000rpm | 28Nm at 7500rpm |
| Power-to-weight | 204hp per tonne | 216hp per tonne | 246hp per tonne | 194hp per tonne |
| Gearbox | 6-speed | 6-speed | 6-speed | 6-speed |
In terms of pure performance, the KTM 390 Adventure has the upper hand here. Not only is it the most powerful motorcycle here, but it’s also very nearly the lightest, meaning that it has the best power-to-weight ratio of this bunch, by some margin. But since these are off-road bikes, there’s more to them than just outright performance. The KTM’s motor is known to be a little flat at the bottom, and you see this in the RPMs at which it delivers peak output – both the KTM and the BMW serve up their best fairly high up in the rev band, meaning that they’re not ideal in tricky low-speed off-road situations.
The Triumph Scrambler 400 X and the Himalayan 452 are better off in this regard, and quite evenly matched too. Both deliver a healthy 40hp at 8,000rpm, but the Himalayan has an advantage on the torque front – both in terms of the output as well as how early it’s delivered. Its hefty kerb weight means that its power-to-weight ratio is at the lower end, but it should prove to be the friendliest, most apt engine here when it comes to off-roading. The next section sheds some light on why the Himalayan is as heavy as it is.
| RE Himalayan 452 vs rivals: dimensions and weight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Himalayan 452 | Triumph Scrambler 400 X | KTM 390 Adventure SW | BMW G 310 GS | |
| Ground clearance | 230mm | 195mm | 200mm | 220mm |
| Seat height | 825-845mm | 835mm | 855mm | 835mm |
| Kerb weight | 196kg | 185kg | 177kg | 175kg |
| Fuel capacity | 17 litres | 13 litres | 14.5 litres | 11.5 litres |
One contributing factor to the Himalayan being 11kg heavier than the nearest rival is the fact that it carries considerably more fuel – 17 litres – than any of the other bikes here. It also marks itself out by being the most off-road focused bike here by offering the tallest ground clearance of the lot, and the only standard seat that offers height adjustment. At 855mm, the KTM has the tallest seat – a byproduct of it having to use the 390 Duke’s frame. If you’re not built very large, the BMW should be the most approachable bike of this lot, with a lithe 175kg kerb weight, though this does come at the cost of fuel capacity.
| RE Himalayan 452 vs rivals: underpinnings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE Himalayan 452 | Triumph Scrambler 400 X | KTM 390 Adventure SW | BMW G 310 GS | |
| Suspension (f/r) | Upside-down fork / monoshock | Upside-down fork / monoshock | Upside-down fork / monoshock | Upside-down fork / monoshock |
| Tyres (f/r) | 90/90-21 / 140/80-R17 | 100/90-19 / 140/80-17 | 100/90-19 / 130/80-R17 | 110/80-R19 / 150/70-R17 |
| Brakes (f/r) | 320mm disc / 270mm disc | 320mm disc / 230mm disc | 320mm disc / 230mm disc | 300mm disc / 240mm disc |
Once again, the Himalayan announces itself as the most off-road focused machine in this group. You see this in the fact that it’s the only bike here with a 21-inch front wheel, and in how it offers the largest rear brake disc here. The other noteworthy standout here is the 390 Adventure, which is the only bike here to offer adjustable suspension, both front and rear. It also became more off-road focused recently with the introduction of wire-spoke wheels (which the Himalayan also gets), while the Triumph and the BMW roll on alloys. Also worth noting is that the Himalayan doesn’t yet come with tubeless wire-spoke wheels in the Indian market, but the company will sell it with tubeless wire-spokes overseas, and is in the process of homologating the parts for sale in India as well. Once that happens, it will be the only machine at this price point (and in fact many segments higher as well) to offer tubeless wire-spoke wheels.
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