2023 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 | Now officially revealed

I don't think the tank "guard" is actually a guard or crash protector. It looks more like a cosmetic element combined with the function of offering a location to hang bags or extra fuel cans.

It's location is above the radiator so it's unlikely it will protect the radiator in a fall.

The engine is a stressed member of the chassis which means that without the engine, the chassis by itself doesn't have enough strength to carry the rider, etc.

The tank frame is fixed at the bottom to the chassis/engine locating point. This means that in a crash, if the tank frame is so strong that it doesn't bend, the crash forces will be transmitted to the chassis and engine damaging them. So I prefer sacrificing the tank frame to protect the more important and expensive parts of the bike.

Replacing a tank is any cheaper and easier than replacing the engine or chassis.

As for the bracket itself, the design looks a bit crude, but it is designed to allow water to flow out of the joint so corrosion should not be a concern. Someone suggested M-seal to close the hole. That's probably a good idea if the appearance is a problem.

I did not get this, if the tank is strong enough to not bend why will the impact be transmitted to the downstream components? Will the tank not simply absorb the impact?

Sir, with all due respect, I think we are getting confused.

A component which is flexible, elastic or soft, flexes/crumples and absorbs the shock.

A rigid component retains its shape, is unable to absorb the shock and hence it transmits the shock further to softer components.

Imagine a shock absorber. Simply put, it compresses and absorbs the shocks. Had it been rigid, it would have transmitted the shocks to the chassis directly.

In this case, we are talking about the tank cage/frame/rack. If it is rigid, it will transmit the shock from the fall directly to the chassis. In case it is soft, it will bend/deform thereby absorbing the shock and keep inner components safe.

In actual, during a fall, the parts which hit the ground are the handlebar ends, the engine/leg guard, the footpegs and the rear grab rail. The tank cage/rack might never come in contact with the ground at all during a fall. Somebody who has seen the new Himalayan physically can comment on this.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Okay, Ladies and Gentlemen, here comes the real review.

Itchy Boots reviews the New Himalayan after riding it over a variety of terrains for the last month and 4500+ kms:

I took a few minutes to check out the unwieldy panel gap which was pointed out by fellow TBHPians. What I noticed was that
- Yes, there is a consistent panel gap on the external frame on both sides of both the motorcycles that were on display.
- However, the pictures that we had thus far on the forum, were only of one end of the Y joint.
- At both the other ends, there is enough of a gap for water, sand, earthworms and slush to get out of. The other gaps are not as big as the one that is most easily visible (and shared earlier on this thread), but yes, everything will flow through that Y joint.
- Net net, I wouldnt be worried about this gap being an issue. I can understand why owners would want to cover it up / seal it. If I were to own a fully specced out Kaza Brown Himalayan 450 ( ), this panel gap would be the furthest thing from my mind over a multi-year ownership period.

Will miss Itchy Boots. And, I admire her for using the bike to the hilt. The protection has taken quite a hit.

Attached Thumbnails

 

 

 

I got a few minutes to browse through the multi-layered digital dash on the Himalayan 450. Bear in mind, that I come from the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 world where the old old school twin clocks were known to
a. Show the most basic information
a. Let some condensation in, if you were in a really cold hill station and
b. Lose the chrome rings surrounding them, because you know character .....

In comparison, this digital dash looks and feels like its been built by the best Japanese engineers in the world.


I didnt get time to fully explore the menus but
- the start up transition is very cool.
- there are 2 home screens. You have to long press the M button on the right to switch between them. Again, the transitions are smooth.
- In both home screens, you can then toggle through

1. Trip 1,
2. Trip 2,
3. Fuel Range (in km),
4. Fuel Consumption (in kmpl),
5. Voltage (What a God send!),
6. Service Due In (Both in Kms and Days!!) and
7. Engine Temperature.

- In addition to this, there is a detailed Settings menu as well. In this, you can toggle through and customize

1. Appearance
2. Trip Preference
3. My Vehicle
4. System
5. Information
6. Favorites

I need to spend at least 15 - 20 minutes to properly explore and fully wrap my head around all the available customization under the above list. I also need 15 - 20 days to wrap my head around a digital dash of this brightness, clarity and depth of settings on a Royal Enfield motorcycle!

Home Screen 1 - Trip 1


Home Screen 1 - Trip 2


Home Screen 1 - Fuel Range


Home Screen 1 - Fuel Consumption


Home Screen 1 - Voltage


Home Screen 1 - Service Due In


Home Screen 1 - Engine Temperature


Home Screen 2 - Trip 1


Home Screen 2 - Trip 2


Home Screen 2 - Fuel Range


Home Screen 2 - Fuel Consumption


Home Screen 2 - Voltage


Home Screen 2 - Service Due In


Home Screen 2 - Engine Temperature


This Is The Settings Menu


Scrolling Down


All The Way To The Bottom

Having spent some more time with the Himalayan 450, here are some updates to the points that I mentioned in my earlier post

- Initially, I felt that switch gear felt built to the offered price point but the rest of the motorcycle, felt like it was clearly built to a much higher price point. Eagled eyed and vastly experienced TBHPian man_of_steel told me over the weekend that the joystick to navigate the menu was one thing which would likely get sticky over a period of prolonged usage. When I got some time to scroll through all the menus, to no surprise, I found that man_of_steel was right on the money. With just 2 days of heavy usage, the joystick wasnt all that easy to navigate and press down on. With gloves on, it is likely to become more difficult. Perhaps there is a knack to it. If so, I will need some time to learn it.
- On my second roundabout with the Himalayan 450, I found myself automatically placing my legs behind the foot pegs. Phew! I dont think that I will have to worry about my calves crashing into the foot pegs.
- This panel on top of the tank was fine for the bike's price point. That said, I would have liked for it to have a smaller panel gap.


There is an official looking brochure floating around with the prices of the accessories. The numbers are on expected lines. That said, potential owners are unable to customize their Himalayan 450 on the online portal, as the selected accessories say Coming Soon. So, it looks as though owners from initial batches will have to take delivery of their stock bikes and spec them up, once the parts are available in showrooms.

I will probably take a few test rides and if all goes to plan, will book myself a fully loaded Kaza Brown Himalayan 450. Until then, I have to keep fending off the non-stop questions from my friends on my Booking ID(s even???) and my position in the booking queue .....

Thanks to neil.jericho, shyamg28 and few other fellow BHPians for posting so much of details about the bike. But these are coming in bits and pieces.

When are we going to get a comprehensive review of the bike? Like we used to get earlier. I'm sure a lot of people like me are waiting for the same and take a call on whether to go ahead with the purchase.

aviator1101, to the best of my knowledge, Royal Enfield did not invite TBHP for the official test ride of the new Himalayan 450. Why? I do not know. That is the reason why there is no comprehensive Official TBHP review of this eagerly anticipated motorcycle.

Im sure that if Royal Enfield's media team can hand over test ride bikes of the Himalayan 450 to either one or both of our forum's expert motorcycle reviewers - Axe77 and Crazy_Driver, we will all be treated to a top notch Oficial TBHP review that can rival any other on the internet.