Royal Enfield has four different engine platforms in its stable and with the exception of the 443cc, single-cylinder engine, all of them underpin multiple models. That will change soon though, as we have learnt that the company is working on a new-age Himalayan 440, internally codenamed D4G. This bike will serve as a spiritual successor to the original 411 and is likely to be launched in the later half of this year.
All prices ex-showroom, Chennai
- Expect styling to be faithful to original Himalayan 411
- Engine and chassis will likely be similar to Scram 440
- Expected to be priced around Rs 2.40 lakh – Rs 2.60 lakh ballpark
RE Himalayan 440: What should you expect?
Will be an amalgamation of Scram 440 and the original Himalayan 411
The Himalayan 411 marked an inflection point for Royal Enfield and was a clear departure from its archetypical bread-and-butter neo-retro models. In the seven years it was on sale, the 411 carved out a niche for itself in the market as an affordable and rugged machine. While the new Himalayan 450 was an undoubtedly faster, more sophisticated and feature-rich machine, it was also tall and heavy, and cost significantly more, which didn’t make it as approachable as its predecessor.
This is exactly what the Himalayan 440 should be able to address, in theory, at least. One of the reasons for the Himalayan 411’s approachability was that it had a low 800mm seat height. The Scram 440 too has a low 795mm perch and you can expect the reborn, simpler Himalayan 440 to continue in that same vein as well.
The Himalayan 411 was a simple machine and the 440 is likely to carry forward those traits. You can expect switchable ABS and the Tripper navigation pod to be carried forward from the Scram on the Himalayan 440 but not features like riding modes and traction control. Similarly, expect the new 440 to have familiar oddball styling like the original Himalayan 411 but with different colours and graphics. It is also likely that it will have the same LED headlight seen on all Royal Enfield bikes of late.
Coming to the mechanical bits, expect the 443cc, air/oil-cooled, single-cylinder engine as well as the 6-speed gearbox to be carried over from the Scram 440. Expect output figures to be the same 25.4hp and 34Nm of torque as on the Scram, with perhaps a small variance on the Himalayan 440. For reference, the Himalayan 411’s engine made 24.3hp and 32Nm of torque and came mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
The chassis too is expected to be very similar but in keeping with its more adventurous intent, the Himalayan 440 is likely to use longer-travel suspension. For reference, the Himalayan 411 used to have 190mm/180mm (F/R) of travel. Expect a 21-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel – like on the 411 – shod with tubed dual-purpose tyres. It is unclear if Royal Enfield will offer cross-spoke rims permitting tubeless tyres on the Himalayan 440 considering its more affordable price point.
Currently, the Scram 440 is priced between Rs 2.23 lakh – Rs 2.31 lakh and the Himalayan 450 costs between Rs 3.06 lakh – Rs 3.37 lakh. Somewhere in between those two models is where the Royal Enfield Himalayan 440 is likely to be positioned when it launches around the second half of this year.
With inputs from KETAN THAKKAR
