QUICKSPIN I 2 0 2 2 R OYA L E N F I E L D H I M A L AYA N
P86
First gear is low enough to crawl up almost
anything. However, I found the gap between first
and second to be somewhat wide at times, most
notably on the dirt, especially while climbing
small hills. I quickly learned that, when in doubt,
shift up and second gear will usually do the trick;
when you think the engine is about to stall, it just
keeps plugging away (with a bit of assistance
from the clutch). Otherwise, the five-speed trans-
mission works in harmony with the motor.
I spent a good chunk of time on the pavement
aboard the Himalayan and found it quite pleasant.
For a small-bore single-cylinder four-stroke, vibes
are very acceptable up to its 6500-rpm redline.
The bike is plenty fast enough to keep up with the
traffic flow, though I would always seek out the
back routes on this bike and do my best to avoid
the busy open highways it were was my bike.
Although I wasn't on it long enough to calcu-
late, I do know that our 2020 Himalayan
