Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 vs 2025 KTM 390 Adventure S: Buy or Hold?

The 2025 KTM 390 Adventure S is coming to India in a few weeks, and it will go up against the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. The upcoming 390 Adventure will offer a major upgrade over the current gen KTM 390 Adventure. 

But the question remains. If you are someone who is looking to get an ADV, then you might be wondering if it is better to just get the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 or the new KTM 390 Adventure.

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is the brand’s flagship ADV offering. It is also their first bike to receive a liquid-cooled engine. It features a typical ADV-like design and styling, with a tall windscreen, large tank and overall slim profile.

The bike is powered by a 452cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder ‘Sherpa’ engine which outputs 40PS and 40Nm. The engine offers really good performance and I personally enjoyed riding the bike during my trip down to India Bike Week 2024. 

When it comes to underpinnings, the Himalayan 450 features a 43mm inverted fork and a monoshock. The bike rolls on a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheel setup. Now customers also have the option to go for tubeless spoke wheels as well. Braking duties are taken care of by a 320mm front and a 270mm rear disc setup with dual-channel ABS. 

In terms of features, the Himalayan 450 has quite a bit to offer. It features a TFT console with smartphone connectivity. The console offers full-fledged navigation via Google Maps along with music controls. 

The bike also gets switchable ABS which really enhances the bike’s performance offroad, allowing for controlled slides. Overall, the Himalayan 450 is a potent package and offers good performance both on and off-road.

Upcoming KTM 390 Adventure

The upcoming KTM 390 Adventure S has undergone a lot of changes when compared to the currently available KTM 390 Adventure. The bike features a rally-bike inspired design with the windscreen and vertically stacked LED projector headlight. 

It will be powered by a 398.63cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine which outputs 46PS and 39Nm. We expect KTM to make a few changes to the engine tuning and sprocketing to make the bike a lot more capable off-road.

In terms of underpinnings, the bike has a 43mm WP Apex inverted shock and a WP Apex monoshock. The suspension setup will offer similar adjustment capabilities like the KTM 390 Duke’s with a 5-step adjustability at the front. 

Features wise, we expect the bike to offer a lot more. It will include bits like smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation along with a bunch of electronic riding aids. The electronic riding aids will include things like traction control, cruise control, switchable ABS and the like.

Verdict

The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 starts at a price of Rs 2,85,000 (ex-showroom Delhi), for the base Kaza brown colour scheme. Whereas the 2025 KTM 390 Adventure is expected to be launched at a price that is around the Rs 3.80 lakh (ex-showroom) mark.

When comparing both the bikes, it is clear that the upcoming KTM 390 Adventure will have a lot more to offer. The bike has more performance and also many more features. So if you are someone who wants a bike which will be a lot more capable offroad and also more exciting on road, then waiting for the KTM 390 Adventure makes sense.

But when taking into account the price, the upcoming 390 Adventure S will be over Rs 1 lakh more expensive than the Himalayan 450. This is a massive premium and the difference in performance is not that massive. So if you are someone who just wants a relatively affordable ADV which also offers good performance, incredible ride quality and a decent set of features, then getting the Himalayan 450 today makes a lot more sense.