Updates for 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan
By Ben Purvis
Has written for dozens of magazines and websites, including most of the world’s biggest bike titles, as well as dabbling in car and technology journalism.
11.02.2021
The Royal Enfield Himalayan was a turning point for the firm when it was launched in 2015 – marking the move from purely making retro throwbacks to manufacturing a unique low-cost adventure bike and seeing the increasing influence of the company’s UK-based R&D efforts.
It’s paid off. The Himalayan has proved to be a worldwide sales success for the company, paving the way for even more ambitious projects like the twin cylinder range and establishing the company as a serious international player.
For 2021 the Himalayan gets a selection of subtle but significant updates that make an already appealing package even more tempting.
To appreciate the Himalayan to the full, put aside desires for performance or razor-sharp handling. That’s not what it’s about. Its appeal lies in rugged simplicity allied to daily usability and a low price.
In 2021, the technical side of the bike is effectively unchanged, with 24.3hp at 6500rpm and 32Nm of torque on a plateau from 4000-4500rpm from its SOHC, air-cooled, 411cc single. The latest version of the engine is Euro 5 compliant, though, where the 2020 model was only certified to Euro 4 standards.
Chassis-wise, everything remains as before, with no changes to the steel cradle frame and the simple suspension, with 41mm forks at the front and a straightforward monoshock rear.
So what’s new? The most obvious visual update is the new shape to the Himalayan’s signature front-mounted luggage mount frames, which double as the brackets for the headlights and instrument panel. For 2021, the frames taper towards the bottom, giving a more subtle appearance than the boxy shape used until now.
Harder to spot are the changes to the seat and the screen – both shaped to be better integrated with the styling in 2021 – and the rear carrier which is smaller and neater than before.
On board, you’ll instantly spot the other notable upgrade; an extra instrument bolted to the right-hand side of the clocks. Turn on the ignition and it reveals itself to be a small, colour LCD screen in a circular bezel. This is Enfield’s ‘Tripper’ navigation system, which debuted late last year on the Meteor.
It's a neat solution that’s designed to leverage the processing power of your smartphone, acting as a display for Google Maps-based navigation. You program your route and destination on your phone using a dedicated phone app, and on the move directions are displayed on the Tripper’s tiny screen, with straightforward arrows for directions and a distance countdown telling you how far away the next turn is.
Finally, for 2021 new colours add some visual flair to the Himalayan; a camo-style ‘Pine Green’, ‘Granite Black’, ‘Gravel Grey’, ‘Mirage Silver’ and two-tone ‘Lake Blue’ and ‘Rock Red’ versions on offer.
How much is the new 2021 Royal Enfield Himalayan?
The simple black and grey versions of the new Himalayan cost £4599, while the rest of the colours are £100 more at £4699.
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