A Royal Enfield Will Soon Hunt A KTM 390 Duke

It’s strange to think that in just over a decade, Royal Enfield is ready to go from ‘thump’ to ‘braap’, no? With over a dozen motorcycles in its pipeline and an all-new 450cc liquid-cooled motor near production on the upcoming Himalayan 450, it appears that the next 450cc bike from the Indian marquee will be the Hunter 450. An agile roadster with the ability to challenge the KTM 390 Duke and upcoming Bajaj-Triumph 350 roadster, then!

This upcoming Royal Enfield motorcycle has been spied on twice before; once abroad, and once in India, and both times from what’s visible it’s evident that it will be powered by the same 450cc liquid-cooled engine as the upcoming Himalayan 450. This new motor has the likelihood of churning out close to 40PS, and if so, it will certainly put both the 390 Duke and the upcoming Bajaj-Triumph 350 roadster in its crosshairs. 

But unlike the Himalayan 450, the Hunter 450 seems to be trimming down on some luxuries to cut costs. For instance, it was seen sporting a telescopic fork and not an upside-down unit. Then there are the smaller 17-inch rims with road-biased tyres which will give this bike a great deal of sportiness. All of these telltales are core essence of the Hunter 350 proposition - affordable and sporty.

While the Hunter 450 will not classify as ‘affordable’ (Rs 2.6 lakh), it will certainly be more accessible than the Himalayan 450 (roughly Rs 2.8 lakh) and actively try to undercut the 390 Duke - Rs 2.97 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). With the Himalayan 450 being pretty much production-ready and the Hunter inching closer towards the same goal, it’s safe to say that the Hunter could be launched towards the first quarter of 2024. There’s no escaping the fact that the Triumph-Bajaj bike has manufacturers on the edge of their seats, it has the potential to be the next success story after Bajaj-KTM, hence everyone wants in on the action when the bomb drops!

Moreover, this will be the first bike from Royal Enfield that’s road-centric, with high-performance engine and mechanicals. With the Himalayan 450 catering to off-road and adventure enthusiasts and the Hunter 450 serving the palettes of sporty street riders, it looks like Royal Enfield wants to cover all the bases efficiently.