2020 BMW G 310 GS VS. KTM 390 ADVENTURE VS. ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
COMPARISON
P92
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is
the wanderlust king. It will make you
wonder where you can go with it,
and how much fun it would be to take
a serious step back and enjoy the
simple act of moving on two wheels.
It's not going to win much, but it is
going to make you smile a lot.
In The Dirt
None of these bikes are a good
replacement for a dirt-focused
dual-sport. There are smaller dis-
placement options out there that are
similarly priced (Honda CRF250L,
Suzuki DR-Z400S, Yamaha
WR250R, Kawasaki KLX250, to
name a few). They will dominate
these bikes in the rough stuff. If you
want a true travel companion to go
longer distances in more comfort,
these are hard to beat regardless
of the surface.
They all have limitations off-road.
But the KTM and Royal Enfield
shined as the most trustworthy
in the rough stuff. KTM takes the
overall win here as the only bike
with off-road specific ABS and
more robust suspension. And while
you can turn off the BMW's, it is
almost impossible to ride standing
up for very long, and its suspension
shows its limits pretty quickly.
The Royal Enfield is the most
comfortable in the test to stand
on, and it's 21-inch front wheel
rolls over the rough stuff more
efficiently. It also has a bit more
suspension travel and ground
clearance compared to the KTM.
As the utility king, we're pretty
sure you could drop the Hima-
layan off a mountain and start it
back up. But its ABS is always
on, making it a bit of a liability
on the downhills or dirt roads to
some extent, it's considerably
heavier, and its brakes aren't
nearly as good. Again, the Hima-
layan likes to go slower and enjoy
the ride. If that's your style, it will
work well for you.
All three deliver
good fun for people
with little or a lot of
motorcycle-riding
experience.
