Key highlights
- Royal Enfield Himalayan 440 launched at Rs 2.29 lakh
- It features several changes over the original Himalayan 411
- Learn all the differences below
Royal Enfield has once again launched the first-gen Himalayan in India, but this time with a bigger engine and a few changes to make it more suitable for its ‘affordable off-roader’ tag. The new version offers some big and some small changes, including the technical upgrade, hardware update, and features, as compared with the Himalayan 411.
1. Bigger engine, more power and torque
The first, and the most substantial change, is the bigger 443cc engine. It is essentially the 411’s block, but the bore and stroke have been increased to improve power and torque. The bigger displacement is supported by air/oil-cooling, which allows it to produce 1.3 bhp and 2 Nm more than the Himalayan 411.
With that said, the low compression ratio still means that it will offer a healthy low-end torque. In fact, it makes 25.4 bhp and 34 Nm of torque as low as 4,000 rpm, which indicates its laid-back performance for any terrain. Another big update is the addition of a sixth gear. The previous Himalayan 411 came with a five-speed gearbox, which felt out of breath on the highways. The new Himalayan 440 comes with a six-speed gearbox like the Scram 440, which will ensure lower RPM for relaxed highway touring.
2. Improved braking power
The new Himalayan 440 uses a reworked braking system. It comes equipped with a 300 mm front disc brake and a 240 mm rear disc brake. A dual-channel ABS is also offered as standard equipment. The front brake features a floating-type four-piston Bybre caliper, which is similar to the Scram 440. This setup helps offer spot-on braking power to control the bike immediately.
3. Redesigned instrument console
Now, some may not like it, but the new Himalayan 440 features a new instrument console. While there is still demand and love for the original console design of the Himalayan 411, the new model uses a new semi-digital console that has been carried forward from models like the Meteor 350.
This dual-pod console features a main pod that gets an analogue speedometer and an LCD that displays the vital information, including the gearshift indicator, odometer, service indicator, tripmeters, etc. On its right side, a small oval Tripper digital pod has been added that offers turn-by-turn navigation via Bluetooth smartphone connectivity.
Apart from these three major changes, the bike also gets three new colours: Mustang Brown, Nelong White, and Sela Black. The graphics have also been updated for a refreshing look. The new Himalayan 440 continues to ride on 21-inch front and 17-inch rear tube-type spoked wheels.
Also read: Updated Hero Mavrik 440 spotted at a dealership, relaunch soon?
