With the new Himalayan, Royal Enfield is looking at the global market to offer a unicorn, a motorcycle that can do it all — commute, tour, and go off-road, while keeping performance figures also friendly. In the global market, few motorcycles have earned the reward — Kawasaki KLR 650, KTM 690 Enduro R, and Honda CRF 450L amongst a handful of motorcycles.
With the Himalayan being sold in the global markets, lesser-known manufacturers (in India at least) such as CFMoto, Benelli, Fantic Motor, and Kove, have been busy developing their own motorcycles, with a similar flavour as the Himalayan. So how does the Himalayan fair against its global rivals?
To begin with, all have the same goal, but a different approach. Royal Enfield chose to keep it simple with the Himalayan, giving it non-adjustable USD forks, ride modes, and ABS amongst other basics. However, the suspension is made by Showa, while other components are basic, they are of high quality.
Then comes the engine, Royal Enfield’s first liquid-cooled motor that makes a healthy 40bhp and 40Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed gearbox. Take the competition for example, the new Kove 510X, which makes 48bhp and 45Nm of torque from a 498cc parallel twin engine. The CFMoto MT uses a twin-cylinder setup again, making 43bhp. The Benelli BKX300 makes 28bhp, however, it uses a smaller 292c engine.
While power figures seem to hover in the same space, the capabilities of the motorcycle and the weight come into play. On paper, the CFMoto seems capable, while the Kove tips the scale at 205kg. Then comes the obvious missing elephant in the room — the KTM 390 Adventure.
While the current-gen 390 Adventure may not seem that capable off-road, it has great touring capabilities and decent performance off-road. However, there is a new one on the way, based on the new 390 Duke’s platform and it looks worthy of getting the ‘Adventure R’ badge.
For Royal Enfield, the global market seems to be sorted, as the 650 twins earned the brand a good name and the sophisticated Himalayan has garnered good reviews as well, globally. When the 390 Adventure comes, the competition will get tough, but shaking off KTM as the off-road kings will be a tough call for Royal Enfield.
