Pushing the 2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan to the Limit

Adventures are, in part, defined by your budget. And in adventure motorcycling expenditures can swell at a dizzying rate. It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that you need a multicylinder beast with an 8-gallon tank and 60 liters of storage. Don’t forget the adaptive cruise control, ride modes, electronic suspension, and any number of added creature comforts. Add it all up and it’s easy to spend more money than you would for a small RV. And you haven’t even hit the road or dirt.

Royal Enfield’s Himalayan 450 is the fix for ADV inflation with a starting price of $5799—even the most expensive off-the-floor option is just $6099. But is it as capable, comfortable, and adventurous as motorcycles costing three or four times as much? We decided to push the 2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 to its limits to find out. Money in your pocket means more travel and parts, while a lower cost means more riders entering the amazing world of adventure motorcycling.

Royal Enfield’s Himalayan 450 is a significant performance upgrade from the previous air-cooled 411cc version. The old model, introduced in 2016, has an old-school look and charm likened to a Series 3 Range Rover or Willys Jeep. Its new shape is a contemporary iteration—think Defender or Wrangler. This new model is a huge jump technically with a new liquid-cooled DOHC engine, TFT dash, ride modes, and modern suspension. Prior to riding the Himalayan 450, we ran it on the Cycle World Dynojet 250 dynamometer and it produced 37.4 hp at 7700 rpm and 27.4 lb.-ft. of torque at 5800 rpm. That’s 15.6 hp and 6.9 lb.-ft. more than the model it replaces—nearly double the horsepower. Impressive.

In his first ride review of the Himalayan, Editor-at-Large Blake Conner said, “Make no mistake, this is a legitimate ADV bike. It may be scaled down and relatively simple compared to the bulk of the market’s offerings, but that in and of itself gives it a foot up in certain situations, especially off-road, where low weight and good agility count a lot more than raw power.”

And that is what prompted this test: I wanted to see how it would perform from the most mundane road ride to full-on enduro. The plan is to push the Himalayan till it can’t go any farther. Could it be a real performer in the ADV world on top of being a tremendous value?

Our test ride begins in south Orange County, California, and then winds through the mountains east of the coast on street and dirt roads on the way to MotoVentures in Anza. There, the trials for the RE increases in difficulty with two-track, single-track, and sand washes. If it makes it through all that, a hard(ish) enduro loop will be the final boss.

On the road, the Himalayan’s Sherpa 450 engine is more than happy popping from light to light in town and it has enough legs to run with traffic on the freeway. Passing above 75 mph is a challenge but possible—given enough room to execute. Engine vibes are well damped until you hit the top of the rev range, and even then they are not numbing, just notable. A flat, wide torque curve starts around 3000 rpm and carries past 7000 rpm, but the engine’s happy place is around 5500. Two ride modes—Performance and Eco—only alter the character of delivery and not maximum amount of available power. Both modes also offer a rear ABS on or off option.

Despite the suspension being nonadjustable except for rear preload, ride quality on the road is excellent. Action front and rear is balanced and plush on chewed-up pavement and is controlled on large dips. Even when pushed hard in corners, the suspension is supportive and controlled. A small amount of wiggle in the chassis reveals itself when snapping the bike from side to side while playing canyon racer, but given the bike’s mission as an adventurer, this is a great-performing chassis. Just stop short of supermoto.

When it’s time to slow down, the ByBre front twin-piston caliper squeezes a 320mm front disc. Strong braking power and easy modulation are pluses, but initial softness in response takes some time to adjust to. Invoking front ABS requires a fairly solid pull on the lever in normal traction conditions. A single-piston caliper controls the rear brake and a solid stomp will find the rear ABS easily. Switching off rear ABS allows more exploration of the traction limit with good modulation and control.

A somewhat narrow handlebar is an easy reach for this 5-foot-10 rider. We ran the seat in its tallest position (33.3 inches) and even then the space from seat to pegs is not especially roomy with motocross boots on. It’s not particularly cramped, but even an extra inch would be welcome. The lowest position is 32.5 inches. Wind protection from the small vertical windscreen is adequate until you hit freeway speeds, at which point continual windblast is the order of the day.

The round TFT gauge is bright and easy to read, and smartphone pairing is straightforward. Once connected, Royal Enfield’s Tripper app allows for Google-based navigation via mirrored screen or turn-by-turn prompts based on rider preference. Tripper relies on your phone’s navigation so battery drain can be high. And while there is a USB Type-C connector to keep your phone charged for a long ride, being wired to the bike is a poor stopgap measure considering the refinement of the dash unit.

Overall, on the pavement the Himalayan 450 has enough power to do adventure bike work, is comfortable enough for a long day, and it handles well when the road goes ‘round things. A high-speed sport-tourer it is not, but moderate your expectations on the high end and it’s livable as a mile eater. Is it as comfortable as a big-bore ADV? No, but mainly because of how thick your wallet is thanks to the savings.

Gravel roads are the bread and butter of adventure motorcycles, and this is where the majority of ADV riders get their kicks. The bigger the bike the more momentum there is, which can make limited traction situations even trickier. Traction control and off-road ABS can do a lot to help with these bigger, more powerful bikes. The Himalayan has no TC, but thanks to the engine’s broad torque spread, modulating the throttle to control the rear tire is a doddle. We found Performance mode to offer excellent throttle response, but Eco’s more subdued delivery is there if you need it.

Front ABS can’t be disabled, but thanks to great feel and easy modulation, managing front traction while braking is easier than it should be on the street-biased Ceat tires. Given available skill and experience, running rear ABS off is the jam to allow for controlled slides. The rear brake pedal has welcome travel and progressive control, which helps avoid unwanted lockup. We ran rear ABS on also, and found the ABS kicks in quickly and frequently.

Moderate bumps and holes on the dirt and gravel roads leading to Anza give the first glimpse of the Himalayan’s off-road potential, and it’s looking good. Even with my 235-pound frame the 43mm Showa SFF inverted fork and linkage-equipped Showa shock soak up chop and dips. There’s no harshness in the damping, and the units control both compression and rebound effectively as they move through 7.9 inches of travel.

Dirt-road dancing on the Himalayan makes the case for the smaller, lighter, and more manageable choice provided by Royal Enfield. What will eat more miles before the trail starts? Will you be more comfortable on a big Beemer? Possibly, but not enough not to wonder: How many gallons of fuel can you buy with $6K?

MotoVentures has a large network of trails that include two-track, single-track, and sand washes to test the Himalayan 450. First up are relatively quick two-track trails that have a mix of rocks, rain ruts, and sand to keep you on your toes. As the bumps get moderately bigger the Himalayan remains composed. As the difficulty increases, suspension performance becomes all the more impressive as it matches bikes costing significantly more.

Sandy corners start to show the limits of the Ceat Gripp tires, at least at near–dirt bike speeds. OK, fine. But adventure speed is where we’re working and the goal is to arrive—not win a trophy—and the tires are pretty effective here. You don’t have to go artificially slow to maintain grip, especially at the front, but leave the berm-banging behind. You begin to bump into ABS in those sandy corners as well.

Standing ergos are serviceable, but a taller and wider handlebar would afford more leverage and add a bit more comfort on long sections that demand you to be off the seat. The footpegs are big enough for support and control with riding shoes and are great with MX boots, though we recommend removing the rubber inserts for more bite from the teeth.

Big bike or Himalayan on two-track? The scales are beginning to tip in Royal Enfield’s favor. Its smaller size, friendly engine, and surprising suspension are dirt ready. How many dirtworthy tires can you buy for $8K?

Adventure motorcycles have become remarkably capable off-road, and even the biggest bikes in the class can typically handle single-track. But there is no denying that lighter, narrower bikes make more sense as difficulty increases. The Himalayan weighs 417 pounds with its 4.5-gallon fuel tank empty. For comparison in the same no-fuel condition, a Honda CRF300L is about 300 pounds, a KTM 500 EX-C is about 240, and a BMW R 1300 GS is about 530. So the Himalayan is heavier than those dirt-oriented machines, but significantly lighter and less bulky than a big twin.

And the Himalayan’s slimness is a strength when trying to stay on a 12-inch-wide trail. You can adjust your line quickly and the bike responds well to footpeg inputs as you hunt for traction. It’s now hammer time for the Himalayan. Whoops and jumps are everywhere. Again, the suspension performance surprises. The 7.9-inch suspension travel ultimately limits extreme performance, and slamming into dirt bike–deep whoops at speed finds the end of the stroke. But even when it bottoms, the RE remains stable and doesn’t swap or wallow badly thanks to a 26.5-degree rake and 5.0-inch trail paired with a 59.4-inch wheelbase. This bike punches far above its class in the dirt.

Deep sand washes can strike fear into the hearts of ADV riders, but fear not with the Himalayan. While, yet again, the Gripp tires make it more difficult than it can be, the Royal Enfield tracks straight and doesn’t wallow in the sand if you keep the speed up. Ease up on the ride-by-wire throttle and the bike will wiggle a bit, but it won’t sink like a big ADV.

The Himalayan is far more capable than some of the most popular big-bore and middleweight ADVs, even with its nonadjustable suspension. Just think of the suspension upgrades you could do with the extra cash in your bank account.

Where will the limit be for the 2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan? Heading into a very steep enduro section strewn with boulders an issue pops up on the dash in the form of a yellow check engine light with limited throttle response. A quick return to Royal Enfield reveals that an ABS wheel speed sensor connector was loose and full of dirt. A brisk clean and the test was on again.

And the rest of the test was quite short, while the Himalayan was up for more difficult terrain, the tires could no longer find traction as the angle of attack was greater than 45 degrees. Even with reduced tire pressure there just wasn’t enough friction to make any more progress. The Himalayan in stock trim has met its match: steep and loose extreme enduro trails. And that’s really down to the street-focused tires, which do make the most sense for most buyers.

Who would have thought it would make it this far? With a good set of off-road tires, there’s even more potential here. The Himalayan’s excellent suspension works in whatever mess you throw it. Its smooth, torque-rich single is easy to control, as is the slim chassis. Royal Enfield has managed to give the ADV world an affordable, high-value alternative to the big-ticket bruisers, doing most adventure jobs effectively and some with real excellence, particularly on the road less traveled. I know how I’d use my extra cash after a Himalayan purchase: knobbies!