Before Bruce Lee arrived on the scene, the biggest man in the room was considered the most powerful. But the lean and muscular Lee proved that power has little to do with size.
The Himalayan 450 is just like Lee. Day-long rides on it barely tire you, and its 452-cc engine (40 PS and 40 Nm) has enough grunt to keep it neck-and-neck with 1,000-cc-plus Ducatis and Triumphs.
But can it be improved? Royal Enfield thinks it can, and the answer is the Mana Black edition. Priced at Rs 3.4 lakh, ex-showroom, it is inspired by the rugged Mana Pass in Uttarakhand connecting India and Tibet, and we tested it in the Nubra Valley in northern Ladakh.
What are the changes?
Draped in a deep stealth black finish with matte detailing, Mana Black is equipped with black rally handguards, a black rally seat for enhanced grip, a rally mudguard designed for rugged trails, and tubeless spoked wheels.
How does it ride?
On highways, the third, fourth, and fifth gears are a surprise – from about 40 km/h to well beyond 100 km/h, the power delivery is insane. The 70-100 km/h acceleration in fifth gear happens in the blink of an eye, while the windscreen effectively reduces wind blast.
On wavy mountain roads, its cornering ability and the Ceat tyres turned riding into nirvana.
What about the seat?
Its single rally seat has altered how the bike handles, rides, and feels under you. Because it is ‘single’ – and not two seats for the rider and pillion – it lets you slide freely to balance the bike off the road. While the firmer foam doesn’t have low-speed plushness, its extra density reduces lower back fatigue during day-long rides. In addition, the seat is higher (860 mm) compared to the regular Himalayan 450 (825-845 mm), creating a more relaxed knee angle, and it is tapered at the front, allowing your thighs to grip the fuel tank securely when standing on the pegs off-road.
Why the Mana Black?
It is pricier than the regular Himalayan 450 (Rs 3.08-3.22 lakh), but the comfort it offers is in the same league as high-end adventure tourers. Ultimately, it’s all about accessibility – give it to a seasoned rider, an adventure biker, or an urban commuter planning to upgrade to an ADV, and all would be at equal ease on it.
