TESTED: Royal Enfield Himalayan 411

Right here’s what Chris Moss has to say about his time spent with the Himalayan 411:

The Himalayan has a wholesome and dependable following and it’s simple to see why. Troublesome to match to most different bikes available on the market, its uniqueness provides it an actual benefit and distinct attraction. Solidly constructed, its sturdy, utilitarian type is in contrast to some other, and gives the look you could possibly chuck it out of a aircraft, with the one factor more likely to be broken being the bottom! Not dissimilar to a military automobile, the ‘fit-for-desert-war’ look is emphasised by the color scheme of our take a look at bike, labelled by Royal Enfield’s catalogue as ‘Dune Brown’. Fitted with non-standard arduous alloy panniers, the Himalayan’s industrial-like look is accentuated all of the extra by these helpful aftermarket carriers, as it’s by the hewn-from-granite look of the sizeable black-finished, air-cooled engine.

After just a few hours on the Enfield, I made a deliberate be aware to my voice recorder to not prioritise analyzing its dynamic properties. The Himalayan merely shouldn’t be assessed by its efficiency alone, fairly just because there’s rather more to it than that. It is a pretty, endearing, character-laden machine that oozes persona and attraction. It shortly seduces you into approval, simply because it did with all of us. This isn’t a motorbike you fee solely by its spec sheet.

Now I do admire not everybody will see it fairly as positively, and you probably have any want for pace, even of a reasonable stage, then this isn’t the bike for you. It’s in all probability the slowest of the quartet, however let me remind you once more, that’s not the usual by how the Himalayan needs to be solely judged. The 411cc air-cooled, 2v motor is sluggish to rev and easily can’t be hurried. I’d say it gathers pace greater than accelerates, besides, it nonetheless has some partaking options. Fuelling is crisp and clear, and the forgiving single pulls properly sufficient to negate the necessity for a busy gear-changing foot. It’s fairly clean, very frugal, and makes a pleasant noise. There’s completely little doubt it’s extra at dwelling on narrower, quieter, sweeping backroads, like a lot of these on the Northumberland 250, that it’s sitting on quicker, straighter stuff. Actually, staying properly away from prolonged stints alongside motorways is nice recommendation I’d say.

I don’t like utilizing them on any bike at one of the best of instances, however on the Enfield route alternative is a extra vital issue, and multi-lane highways merely don’t will let you admire its virtues to their fullest.

Fortunately, we used it in an space the place you could possibly find it irresistible extra, and it fitted in completely with the Northumbrian routes and landscapes, usually commanding extra consideration than any of the others each time it was parked. On the transfer, it’s tempting to be crucial of the efficiency of a number of the Enfield’s key parts, however as I had a quiet moan concerning the brakes and suspension not being pretty much as good as they could possibly be, I used to be reminded of one other important issue mandatory to place opinions into context, the Himalayan’s worth of simply £5049. On a ‘you pay for what you get’ foundation, the slight inferiority of the suspension’s motion, and picket really feel of the brakes actually don’t deserve an excessive amount of criticism. And to offer that evaluation additional perspective, neither once I was using it extra keenly on the highway, or when the others took it off-road, did it get into any main difficulties. I merely made allowances for the brakes and did my greatest to just accept the ‘crashy’ really feel of the suspension over rougher terrain. It’s not like they aren’t match for objective. Actually, Charlie regarded proper at dwelling on the Enfield once we returned to one of many long-distance trial’s particular assessments to evaluate the bike’s off-road skills nonetheless additional. The grunty engine and decrease seat peak little doubt taking part in a component in his consolation with the bike.

Every time I used to be on the Himalayan, I couldn’t assist however get pleasure from it. The wind safety from the display is respectable and useful, as are the seat consolation and really relaxed using place, together lending themselves properly to giving the bike some extra severe longer distance potential, albeit at a extra sedate tempo. Maybe its general easy-going nature is the Enfield’s secret to completely happy mile-eating. By very hardly ever taxing the thoughts, primarily due to its relaxed really feel, and persuasive potential to make you journey extra gently, journeys are typically notably much less intense and annoying. I do know each time I acquired off it, I simply felt like I’d been on it for a couple of minutes no matter whether or not it’d truly been far longer than that. As psychological vitality savers go, the Himalayan scores very properly. It’s only a pretty, very endearing motorbike.