More affordable Royal Enfield Himalayan in the works?

- Royal Enfield Himalayan could get a more affordable version

- Is likely to be lighter than the current version

- Might be launched sometime in 2021

Royal Enfield is prepping its armoury and working on new motorcycles that will be launched in the coming years. While we recently reported that one of these could be a 650cc scrambler, we also expect the manufacturer to be working on an upgraded Himalayan that could be lighter and more affordable.

Why? To begin with, the Himalayan is a heavy motorcycle. It is heavier than its biggest rivals- the BMW G310 GS and KTM 390 Adventure. Sure, the Himalayan has the lowest seat height among the lot, but the weight of the motorcycle could drive away first-time adventure motorcycle buyers.  

Furthermore, rumours suggest that the Himalayan could be launched in a 650cc version, but we think otherwise. The mid-capacity adventure motorcycle market does not have many takers and is crowded with multiple options. However, the smaller 250cc segment is almost untouched and currently only has the Hero Xpulse 200 which will soon get upgraded to a 300cc version. 

We expect Royal Enfield to enter that market with a new, possibly smaller Himalayan. Not only will it be more affordable and rake in more profit, but it is also most likely to be lighter than the 410cc Himalayan, thus catering to a wider audience.

If Royal Enfield does decide to launch a more affordable Himalayan, we can expect it to arrive sometime in 2021 and will not only face competition from the upcoming Xpulse but also from the KTM 250 Adventure which is likely to be unveiled by the end of this year.