Review: 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

Royal Enfield motorcycles are a peculiar lot. After folding in the U.K. in the 1970s and transferring tooling, IP, and so forth to its partner factory in India, the company operated for decades in static seclusion within India’s massive domestic motorcycle market.
Annual sales volumes ran to hundreds of thousands of what were essentially post-war bike designs. It was only when the Indian transportation conglomerate Eicher took over in the 1990s that the company was modernized.
In 2016, with a new state-of-the-art factory in Chennai and an aspiration to sell at volume beyond India’s borders, Royal Enfield brought the Himalayan 411 ADV bike to world markets. The plucky “Himmie” 411 found a fan base outside of India—never mind that it could barely do the speed limit while flat out on most modern freeways.

Now, Royal Enfield has debuted the Himalayan 450, featuring the company’s first-ever liquid-cooled motor, alongside an upgraded, modern Showa suspension, a competent tech suite, and a $5,799 price tag—just a few hundred dollars more than the 411. I recently journeyed to the Utah mountains to sample the new Himalayan 450 on what appeared to be a typical fun day ride.
It turned out to be much, much more challenging.
Tech Overview
Powering the new Himalayan is Royal Enfield’s very first liquid-cooled engine, the 452cc Sherpa. All of the company’s previous engines going back to 1901 have been air-cooled.
This new single-cylinder powerplant features a four-valve head, fuel injection, and 11.5:1 compression, which yields 40 claimed horsepower and 30 lb-ft of torque. Both of these statistics are huge improvements over the air-cooled 411cc original motor.
Throttle-by-wire is another first for the company. The six-speed gearbox includes a slipper clutch.

The steel-tube frame comes courtesy of Harris Performance, which is owned by Royal Enfield. Showa suspension front and rear gives 7.9 inches of wheel travel. However, only the rear monoshock is adjustable, and even then only for preload.
The seat also has two-position height adjustability between 32.5 and 33.2 inches. Upper crash bars with mounting loops for gear are standard and protect the 4.5-gallon gas tank, which Royal Enfield claims enables a range well over 200 miles.
Up top, the Tripper Dash—a single four-inch round color LCD—sits behind a small standard bug screen. It can show navigation driven by Google Maps when connected to a smartphone, and a highly legible analog-style tach and speedo when in default mode.
Two ride modes, Eco and Performance, allow for turning off ABS and traction control to the rear wheel. Switching between the modes is done through a small joystick on the left bar cluster and some buttons on the right. Front-wheel ABS remains active but is reduced. Changes can only be made while the bike is stopped.

Down and Dirty
My trip into Utah’s alpine backcountry began with some highway miles on US 40, riding under partly cloudy skies at about 8,000 feet of altitude. Having ridden the Himalayan 411 somewhat recently, the differences were immediately obvious. The new 450 easily revs well past 90 mph at altitude, whereas the 411 could barely hit 75 mph running wide open at sea level.
Highway riding aboard the 450 at the speed limit or just above is relaxed and smooth, with only a slight buzz in the pegs when revved close to the 9,000 rpm redline. For this XL-sized rider, the 450 was unexpectedly roomy and comfortable.
My bike had a few accessory catalog doodads, including a taller rally seat, taller windscreen, and—thankfully—a set of lower crash bars. I also had racks for hard panniers, but none were attached.
Eventually, I turned onto a dirt road that traced along a small river in a deep canyon. Thunderclaps began to echo off the canyon walls as towering dark clouds surrounded the group of test riders. Soon, heavy raindrops pelted down, at which point I realized my bike’s 21- and 17-inch wheels were shod with stock issue CEAT Gripp Rad tires far more suited for pavement than dirt—never mind Utah’s very slippery clay-infused mud. I pressed on anyway.

After traversing a long water crossing, I emerged onto a road muddied by the passage of previous riders. My front wheel skimmed the edge of a deep puddle and lost traction, sending myself and the 450 to the ground in an instant.
A bit dazed but unhurt, I was able to right the bike, but the rear brake pedal was now bent 90 degrees upward, rendering it useless. At a morning briefing, the Royal Enfield folks had stressed that many of the 450’s vulnerable parts were made to bend and not break, so I stood on the mild steel lever and forced it back into position. I was able to ride it that way for the rest of the day without issue.
The rest of the off-road portion of the ride included numerous challenges, including technical climbs on heavily rutted jeep trails, more water crossings, and numerous muddy danger zones. Several riders ended up crashing, some with minor injuries.
This was not a beginner-level ADV outing by a long shot, and the 450 soaked up remarkable abuse. Yet, it never really missed a beat or had a problem.
Despite the outmatched CEAT tires, the Himalayan 450 was remarkably agile on dry dirt. Once we were back on pavement, the tires were truly in their element, enabling cornering speeds many adventure bikes would find tough to match.

Well Worth It
Muddy and tired after a long day of challenging passages, most riders I talked with agreed. The Himalayan 450 was far more capable, powerful, comfortable, and durable than expected. It’s also a good-looking bike, with a splash of retro style missing from most competitors.
Is it worth buying? Most heartily, yes—and it’s a bargain at that. Just be sure to carefully consider your tire choices.
Technical Specs
+ powerful modern engine, high-performance Showa suspension, capable off-roader, well-sorted tech package, highly competitive price
– non-adjustable fork, heavily road-biased stock tires, no cruise control
Distributor: Royal Enfield
MSRP: $5,799
Engine: Sherpa, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, 4-valve, DOHC
Displacement: 452cc
Power: 40hp @8,000rpm; 30lb-ft @6,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed, wet multi-plate, assist and slipper clutch, chain final drive
Weight (wet): 432lbs
Seat Height: 32.5in
Fuel Capacity: 4.5gal
Fuel Consumption: 45-65mpg (observed)
Fuel Grade: regular
Colors: Kaza Brown, Slate Himalayan Salt, Slate Poppy Blue, Hanle Black, Kamet White (available later)