2020 Royal Enfield Himalayan has been recently launched in India. It isn’t entirely a new motorcycle but does get various added features and colours. Most importantly, it now runs on a reworked engine.
Don’t get too excited. It isn’t the new 650cc parallel-twin engine which we have seen in the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. In fact, it is the same 411cc, single-cylinder engine which has been powering the Himalayan ever since its inception. However, the catch here is that this engine is now more eco-friendly.
You see, India will implement more stringent and stricter BS6 (Bharat Stage 6) emission norms in the country from 1 April 2020. These regulations are similar to Euro 5 standards. So all the automobile companies are converting their products to comply with the updated regulations if they want to continue to sell in India.
2020 Royal Enfield Himalayan complies with the BS6 emission norms and to achieve that RE had to do implement some changes. Consequently, the bike is now heavier by 5kg and also produces marginally less power than before – 24.5bhp to 24.3bhp. Fortunately, 32Nm of torque remained unaltered. We will let you be the judge as to how these changes would impact the bike’s performance.
Apart from the reworked engine, the new Himalayan gets switchable ABS, redesigned side stand for better stability when the bike is parked, and white backlight in the instrument console. RE also tweaked the electronics. Now, the headlight switches on only when the engine is running which helps in saving the battery.
2020 Royal Enfield Himalayan gets three new colour options – Gravel Grey, Lake Blue, and Rock Red – which RE showcased at the EICMA 2019. The rest of the bike remains unchanged.
