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FEATURE I 2024 BIKES OF THE YEAR
I often had to remind myself of the essence of
this topic—it's about enjoyment, not so much
which motorcycle is the fastest, the one that can
jump the furthest or stop the quickest. It's about
the bike that brought us the most pleasure in the
past 12 months. For me that motorcycle was
the Royal Enfield Himalayan.
You can characterize the Himalayan as an
adventure bike, a travel bike or a dual-sport bike;
whichever way you look at it, the Himalayan
excels in all three categories.
It's easy to criticize the Himalayan because of
its non-adjustable suspension and the modest
power of its 450cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled
engine compared to higher-priced multi-cylinder
fire-breathing travel or ADV bikes. Additionally,
the Himalayan lacks advanced electronics and
rider aids. Despite these so-called "shortcom
-
ings," the Himalayan compensates with excel-
lent all-around performance and a price tag
under six grand (starting at $5799 MSRP).
I spent a long day this summer on the Hima-
layan in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, where the
Himalayan felt right at home, and I love its non-
intimidation factor. It has a low seat, is relatively
small in stature, and is light enough to throw
around. It's not what anyone would call "fast."
Still, all the Himalayan's power is useful, and you
do use all of it, which is how I like to ride most
bikes anyway. With the Himalayan, you don't pay
for extra horsepower that you can't use, at least
on the dirt where I'd ride this bike the most.
Plus, the Himalayan is not a motorcycle you're
so paranoid about dropping that you can't relax.
However, I must admit I'm not a fan of the
Himalayan's looks, but, in this case, I can deal
with that. At least I wouldn't worry about dinging
it or getting it dirty. I'd just ride it.
2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan story:
https://www.cyclenews.com/2024/09/article/2024-
royal-enfield-himalayan-450-review/
K I T P A L M E R
FAVORITE: 2024 ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
