One of the biggest launches of 2025 can be seen as an intermediate and affordable 'jack of all trades'
Without a doubt, one of the biggest launches of 2025 in the Brazilian motorcycle market, if not the biggest, was the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. The intermediate arrived here with a very complete proposal for offroading, but without losing the function when it comes to everyday life or travel.
On a trip from Betim (MG), towards Tiradentes, among other routes, I drove, representing AutoPapo, more than 500 km with the model and managed to get my impressions about it.
SEE ALSO:
Prices and versions of the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450:
The model that already existed in other parts of the world and received the Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) award in 2024, honors this merit. I immediately emphasize that it does fulfill all the functions it promises and not that it is free of defects, but the positive points are many.
Starting with comfort, lightness and size. At first, in urban traffic, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is already good for all rider sizes.
Its 82.5 cm seat height adjustable to 84.5 cm make the intermediate model accessible to those who are not so tall, but do not bother the larger ones. In the comfort seat the Indian also got it right and riding on it, even for many kilometers, becomes an easy task.
For those who drive in urban traffic, its width is also interesting. The very off-road and thinner structure allows its 85.2 cm (handlebars and widest point) to be easy to maneuver between cars. I had a model equipped with side cases, which gets in the way, but certainly without them everything would be different.
At high speed, these patterns hold up well. Perhaps the biggest points of discomfort are the model’s levers and grips. I always criticize Royal Enfield for that, after all, especially on the brand’s 350 these are very hard. In the new Himalayan, as well as in the 650, they come a little better, but still without excellence.
The wind against the chest at high speed is also a relatively negative point, after all it is not one of the tallest roaders at the front. However, in line with this, what positively surprised was the engine that, even though it was a 450 cm³ single-cylinder (large size for only one displacement), did not bother the vibration at high speeds.
Curves and chassis with the model are easy points even with its almost 200 kg. In this aspect, the only bad part is maneuvering it without using the accelerator – backwards or with it off.
The 21-inch spoked wheels at the front and 19 at the rear bring a perfect set for passing over rough terrain, potholes or even hitting the road. And detail, even with this engine it doesn’t “jerk” at low speed.
In technology, Royal Enfield tried, but did not deliver with excellence. The TFT panel is complete and stylish, but the mirroring with the smartphone fails, because when you lock the cell phone to run, the GPS also goes off.
In summary, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 does live up to the Indian prize it received, Of course there are points for improvement, but for about R$ 30 thousand what do you take today in Brazil?
