EVOLUTION OF THE HIMALAYAN
Back in 2016, when Royal Enfield released the first 411cc, air-cooled iteration of its now revered Himalayan model, the company’s designers made the point that, back then, they “were designing a bike that people didn’t know they wanted”. And it’s fair to say that Royal Enfield did a bloody good job of that because, in the years since, that original Himalayan has gone on to become an unmitigated success for the British-born brand now domiciled in India.
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In other words, the bulk of the hard work and foundations had already been laid for Royal Enfield’s subsequent Himalayan 450 model – the much-evolved and soon-to-be-released new Himalayan model that has created quite the stir since its unveiling in late 2023.
“Since the whole adventure category has evolved – be it the riders, their way of riding and the terrain they go through – then of course the motorcycle also needs to evolve,” explains the brand’s Product Strategy Lead, Anand “Andy” Raj.
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For more revealing insights into the 2024 Himalayan 450 – from its design philosophy to component spec to durability testing in the Himalayan Mountains – tune into this revealing podcast with Anand Raj as he talks candidly about the development process behind both the original Himalayan and the all-new, much-evolved Himalayan 450.
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Making this podcast even more fascinating is the fact that Raj’s journey with Royal Enfield’s Himalayan model started back in his college days, when he was asked to build a motorcycle specifically for touring the Himalayas.
For more design team insights into the Himalayan 450 – what inspired the model and interesting details about its development and testing process – check out this podcast with fellow Royal Enfield designers, Steve Everit and Ed Cobb.
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