Royal Enfield Working On A New Himalayan Variant

Royal Enfield updated the fabled Himalayan earlier this year, but it seems like the company still has more to offer from the ADV platform. Images of a test mule of what looks like a road-biased version of the ADV have surfaced. The new Royal Enfield Himalayan GT (not the official name) seems to be close to production and could make it to the showrooms by the end of this year.

The most obvious change comes in the form of new headlight mounting points. Unlike the version on sale now, the GT doesn’t feature the side frame meant to mount jerry cans. Instead, the bike features a plastic cladding which seems to be purely for aesthetics. Look closely, and you’ll notice that the instrument isn’t the same as the current Himalayan. Instead, it will likely be inspired by the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and come with the Tripper navigation pod.

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The Royal Enfield Himalayan GT rides on a 19/17-inch wheel setup (unlike the 21/17-inch setup on the Himalayan). RE seems to have lifted the front wire-spoke rim from the current Classic 350, and the tyre profile suggests the bike will use road-biased rubber.

The bike’s new side panel is distinct from the current model. Other changes include a shorter rear fender, revised indicator mounting points, and the absence of a luggage rack.

Will the GT miss out on the windscreen? We doubt it. Like the Meteor 350, the bikemaker could launch multiple variants, some with windscreen and some without it.

Will Royal Enfield make any change to the engine? Well, we expect the 411cc long-stroke engine to remain largely unchanged, but RE could extract more power from it. Royal Enfield has already been working on extracting more performance from this mill, and if that’s the case, expect it to be slightly more refined as well.

Royal Enfield announced last year that it will launch a new motorcycle every quarter for the next six years. The 2021 Classic 350 launch is close at hand, and will likely be followed by the Roadster 650. We expect the Himalayan GT to follow soon after and be priced slightly lower than the current Himalayan.

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