Royal Enfield’s New Himalayan Open for Preorders

Royal Enfield New Zealand has opened pre-orders for the first shipments of Himalayan 450 units, on a first-in, first-served basis.

Pre-orders for the first shipment of the new Himalayan are now live at www.royalenfieldmotorcycles.co.nz. Or you can visit your nearest Royal Enfield dealership.

You can secure your new adventure ride with a refundable deposit of $500. Initially available in New Zealand in four colourways (Kaza Brown, Slate Salt, Slate Poppy Blue, Hanle Black), the first shipments of the Himalayan 450 are due to be delivered to pre-order customers from early March 2024.

Pricing begins at $8990 plus ORCs for the Kaza Brown monotone paint scheme, while the dual-tone blue and grey variants are $9250 plus ORCs. The black version is $9490 plus on-roads. It features premium two-tone paintwork. Back in the day, the first-generation model cost $7690. So with almost twice the power, and all the other upgrades the price increment seems modest.

There’s more though, for five fortunate customers across Australia and New Zealand who pre-order and purchase the new Himalayan online will be offered an invitation to attend the official Australian Launch Event in 2024.

To recap on the second-gen Royal Enfield Himalayan, it features an all-new 452cc “Sherpa” single-cylinder motor that outputs 40bhp (30kW), almost double that of the air-cooled 411cc engine, and 40Nm of torque arrives at 5000rpm. The ride-by-wire throttle incorporates four ride modes.

The added engine output is courtesy of liquid cooling, double overhead cams and a four-valve cylinder head. A slipper clutch is new, and power is fed to the rear wheel by a six-speed gearbox. 

A steel twin-spar frame supports the engine, while up front are 43mm USD Showa forks, and a 21-inch wheel. At the rear are a 17-inch hoop and monoshock. There’s said to be 200mm of travel each end and ground clearance is up slightly to 230mm. The engine is fed by a 17-litre fuel tank.

There are two seat options, both adjustable. The standard pew ranges between 825mm and 845mm in height, while the low seat option is adjustable between 805mm and 825mm. Wet weight is 196kg and there’s a new four-inch TFT screen that incorporates a fuel gauge.

Other features include LED lighting and a USB-C socket, a Tripper dash for nav, music and calls, and on/off for the rear wheel ABS.

Accessories include an adventure screen, headlight grille, touring mirrors, a silver radiator guard and engine protectors, and a top box and pannier option.