T
here are very few names in motorcy-
cling that command the respect of
Royal Enfield, especially across the
Indian subcontinent. "Made Like a Gun"
was the company's slogan for genera-
tions (it was actually for the Bullet model,
but was unofficially adopted for the entire
company), and it's been a long, hard road
to get into the North American market.
RE reappeared on this side of the
Pacific three years ago, under the guid-
ance of then CEO Siddhartha Lal (he's
since been replaced by Vinod K. Dasari),
with the Himalayan the leading light in a
six-bike line up alongside the Interceptor,
Continental GT, Thunderbird, Classic, and
the redoubtable Bullet.
The Himalayan is knee-deep in one of
the most competitive arenas in the mod-
ern motorcycle market in the small-capaci-
ty adventure sector. Around the same time
the Himalayan hit the market, BMW came
out with its G 310 GS, a year later Honda's
CB500X and Kawasaki's Versys 300-X,
and this year, KTM with its 390 Adventure.
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 19 MAY 12, 2020 P53
The RE Himalayan
might not fit the same
bill as what's coming
from Japan and
Europe, but it's pretty
capable off-road.
