Royal Enfield Australia has confirmed that it will release its lightly updated Himalayan adventure bike in the coming weeks, priced from $8190 rideaway in base white/grey colours.
The new Royal Enfield Himalayan will also be available in red and blue for an extra $200, while the more premium black and green paint jobs top the range at $8590.
At a virtual media event, Royal Enfield told INFO MOTO that the Himalayan has been one of the most critical bikes to its success in the Australia and New Zealand markets, which it attributes to the bike’s simplicity and price-point.
According to Royal Enfield, the Indian bikemaker is on target to surpass 2000 Himalayan sales in Australia and New Zealand before year’s end, helping its position among the ‘top five brands’ in the aforementioned markets.
As previously reported, the new Royal Enfield Himalayan moves over to Euro5 with a number of minor updates, including enhanced suspension with a new rear monoshock, a new rear carrier, a revised seat and ergonomics for improved comfort, a redesigned windscreen and the inclusion of switchable ABS at the rear-end.
The new Himalayan also adopts the brand’s Tripper satellite navigation system, which recently debuted locally on the all-new Meteor 350 cruiser.
This Google-based Tripper navigation system shows basic turn-by-turn map information on a dedicated gauge, using GPS data from the rider’s smartphone.
Outputs from the bike’s 411cc single-cylinder engine remain unchanged at 18kW and 32Nm, although it now meets Euro5 emissions standards.
Earlier this year, Royal Enfield released its final Classic 500 variant, the Tribute Black Limited Edition, which is still available in very limited numbers from $9590 rideaway.
Just 240 Tribute Black units were allocated for Australia and New Zealand, marking the end of the popular Classic 500 platform that launched almost a decade ago.
A Royal Enfield spokesperson told INFO MOTO that the Classic 500 will make way for a number of new models this year that better suit changing customer tastes and tightening emissions regulations.
The next new model will be the Classic 350, which now rides on the brand’s J Platform, and is planned to hit Aussie showrooms before year’s end.
Styling is reminiscent of the outgoing model, however, the new bike benefits from a more modern twin-downtube frame and motivation from the brand’s latest 15kW/27Nm 349cc single-cylinder engine.
The new-generation Classic 350 also sees improved brakes, ergonomic changes, a more comfortable seat, as well as the inclusion of the Tripper navigation dial as an optional extra.
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
