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Royal Enfield pulled off quite a coup when it launched its Himalayan 411 in 2016; oozing with rugged adventure vibes, it found a genuinely enthusiastic following and was a sales success.
It wasn’t perfect of course. It was a little crude in places and certainly not fast, but it was fun, capable enough off-road and could be fitted with bespoke alloy panniers for long trips, even if it wasn’t a great motorway cruiser.
Now it’s been overhauled from the ground up; engine, suspension and frame have all been redesigned, with the team learning from the old model. It’s a refined gem now and makes quite a visual impression - especially when decked out in the fancy ‘Kamet White’ paint job (five colours are available) and with a full suite of luggage.
In place of the air-cooled 411 single making 24.5 bhp there is now a sweet and smooth-revving double overhead camshaft water-cooled 452cc Sherpa single, making a useful 40 bhp and 40Nm of torque, definitely enough to give it a satisfying burst of acceleration. Certainly more than enough to cruise happily at motorway speeds.
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There’s good quality Showa suspension; upside down forks at the front with 200mm of travel, while there’s also 200 mm at the back (an increase of 20mm over the previous bike), where it’s also adjustable for pre-load. There’s an all-new steel frame. And a feeling of quality.
There’s now more ground clearance (230mm), and two different engine modes; Eco and Performance. There’s switchable ABS (useful for off-road riding) alongside a 21-inch wheel at the front, and a 17-inch at the rear and bigger disc brakes. Fuel tank capacity is up from 15 to 17 litres.
First impressions
Although 2kgs lighter than the previous model, it still feels fairly heavy on first impressions - especially when hefting off the (steeply sloped) side-stand, not to mention the tricky centre-stand, which is a bit of a struggle. In fact it weighs in at 196 kgs ‘wet’ - so probably best not to drop it in the mud too frequently.
On the move, however, the feeling of weight instantly disappears; it feels light, balanced and poised when in slow-moving traffic. It has a smooth-changing six-speed gearbox, and there’s a very chic new TFT dash that gives phone connectivity and plenty of data, all controlled via a thumb joystick on the left handlebar.
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Via the Royal Enfield app, it’s possible to connect your smartphone to the TripperDash, for use with Google maps, although - currently - the phone must be left unlocked, sapping battery power. Fortunately, there’s a USBC charging point. The dash worked well with my iPhone 15 Max, although I was glad of my own phone’s decent battery life.
Looks are subjective but few would disagree that the new Himalayan is a good-looker; more cohesive, modern, purposeful, streamlined than the outgoing model. More of a piece.
It rides very well too, in a confidence-inspiring, approachable way that will suit all-comers. During a (very) hot afternoon spent in its entirety negotiating heavy traffic in London, the Himalayan felt very at home; calm and unflustered. At walking pace it felt happy, braking to a slow halt progressively and accelerating to moderate speeds smoothly.
Standard seat
With the relatively high-rise handlebars (not to mention the panniers and extra front ‘saddle bags’ and white and black paint job), it almost felt like a commanding CHiPs cruiser at times. Because of its adjustable standard seat - ranging in height from 825mm to 845 - even shorter riders should find it very manageable. A lower seat can even be specified, at 805mm.
On faster roads the engine revs very nicely and smoothly indeed, partly explaining the new Himalayan’s 25 per cent increase in top speed. It’s no fireball, but there’s always sufficient acceleration in planned overtaking manoeuvres. It can be revved hard but there’s really no need; the spread of power throughout the lower rev range sees to that; another benefit when plugging along off-road. More relaxing, too.
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The screen does a great job of deflecting the wind - and to some extent the rain - and on longer journeys this is a very comfortable bike indeed, enjoyable too. There’d be little trouble riding it for hours on end.
The seating position is good, although those with longer legs might need to stretch them now and again; the footpegs felt relatively close to the seat. In the twisties, the new Himalayan is enjoyable, relaxing and nimble, fun.
It’s also designed to go off-road - far off-road if necessary. I wasn’t able to leave the tarmac but those who have, say it behaves well even if the tyres - more road than off-road focused - clog up quickly in mud. Personally, I’d need the handlebars raised slightly, to enable standing up while off-road. Its rugged crash bars mean it should withstand knocks and drops, without too much damage.
The panniers and top box are a great asset; top-loading and capacious, they are very easily attached, or removed.
The new Himalayan costs from £5,570 for the Kaza Brown model - about £1,000 more than the cost of the old model. But there’s a lot more than £1,000-worth of improvements and new tech on this good-looking, easy-riding, fun-to-live-with bike that should prove equally at home in the city - or on a long tour for riders heading out in the wilds in search of adventure.
The facts
New Himalayan 450, from £5,750 for the Kaza Brown model
Kamet White version £6,250
Engine size: 452 ccs
Standard seat height: 825 – 845 mm
Max power: 40 bhp
Tank range: 250 miles
Annual road tax: £84
Aluminium panniers: £530
Pannier rails: £119.00
Ruroc EOX helmet - flamboyant graphics are this British brand’s USP
It’s all very well having a bike that stands out but what about your crash helmet? One firm - a British one - is capitalising on riders’ desire not just to look great when on top of their machines, but different, too. Very different.
Ruroc, based in Gloucestershire, has made quite an impact on the motorcycle helmet (and clothing) industry with its vivid, aggressively and individually-designed products, most recently with the EOX, a sleeker, even more visually arresting shape than the firm’s Atlas 4.0 offering.
It’s quite a stunner with rakish angles (if it was a car it would be a modified sports coupe), a prominent in-yer-face chinbar and meaty, projecting rear aerofoil.
It’s not just the shape that jumps out however; it’s the firm’s stunning - you might say outrageous - graphics, ranging from the ‘Buzzsaw’ model we tested (resplendent in red, silver and grey, and sporting bloodied rows of metal teeth), through the fang-laden Marvel’s ‘Venom’ to the menacing ‘Wolverine’ number.
Shrinking violets can opt for the - still punchy - plainer ‘Liquid Carbon’, the vivid orange ‘Ignis’, shimmering white ‘Ghost’ and so on. There is no end of graphics choice on this ‘street fighter’ style helmet, recalling the days when DIY-decorated helmets were commonplace.
Underneath the fun outer skin, Ruroc has been busy with the EOX (pronounced ‘ee-yos’). The Carbon Composite shell is made of T300 carbon fibre reinforced with Kevlar, Nylon and Fibreglass to enhance strength, and claimed to be the firm’s lightest yet, weighing an average 1,500 grammes. It does feel light.
Out on the road, the helmet is a mixed bag. Sizes come up tight and fit snugly (you may need to go up a size), aiding stability at speed. There’s a nice, wide-opening visor aperture (good for peripheral vision). It also comes with a clear, reassuringly rugged, distortion-free visor (in addition to a spare, Dark Smoke visor), as well as a Pinlock anti-fog insert, a classy stash bag and smaller, optional cheek pad inserts. Newly-designed, unobtrusive ‘slot-in’ comms systems have also been designed for the EOX, at extra cost.
Paint finish on the test helmet exterior was impeccable, as was the visor mechanism, which worked smoothly and solidly. There’s a big thumb tab for raising the visor and the lining felt reasonably soft though not to the same tactile or – build standard - of a Shoei, for instance.
Downsides? It is noisy thanks in part to the large amount of air finding its way inside at higher speeds, particularly from the top vent. In town, on hot days, this airiness is advantageous - not so on longer, cooler, faster trips when earplugs are absolutely necessary. The chin vent adjustment slider lies inside - not outside - the chin piece. Visually this works but when wearing gloves it is awkward. So is the magnetic Fidlock strap fastener. Familiarity helps but it’s not as easy as a Double-D ring or standard catch; time for a re-think?
It’s pricey; Buzzsaw is £459, plainer designs £399, while fancier graphics are a hefty £539. For most users style will be the overriding issue and this the EOX - in particular designs such as the unforgettable Buzzsaw - has in spades. www.ruroc.com
Hood motorcycle jeans – comfort with safety
Choosing the ‘right’ bike gear is so much more complex than might be supposed, and the more safety conscious we become, the harder the choice. Take jeans; once any Levis did. Today, only someone reckless about their safety would ride at speed in ordinary denim, choosing instead ‘proper’ protective bike jeans. But which?
All makers trumpet their safety credentials but few to the extent of British firm Hood. It’s existed since 1998 but the founders were in the jeans business in the late 70s, building up knowledge, moving with the times and technology, starting with Cordura fabric, later switching to Kevlar, then to a new product, as Chris Easterford told me when I met him at Hood’s Norfolk base.
Underlying Hood’s ethos is their assertion that single-layer jeans don’t match multi-layer jeans which, they claim (backed by a leading independent expert) offer more protection to your skin in a slide. This is because the layers (rather than the skin) ‘slide’ over each other under abrasion, absorbing the force.
Today all Hoods have an outer layer of denim with elastane, nylon and cotton, over ‘Infinity K-tech para-aramid’ which scored 10/10 for protection in an independent Ride Magazine destruction test. And a lining of polyester.
Slide rule
“The rule is, we just don’t compromise on safety and protection,” says Chris, who with his wife Julie runs the mail-order-only business. “Hood jeans provide at least twice the level of abrasion protection compared to any AAA single layer jean” he claims. It’s hard to verify without sliding down the road in different jeans but riders wanting the full, complicated, certification credentials can discover more here: www.hoodjeans.co.uk/k-tech-para-aramid.
How are they in practice? We tried a pair of AAA-rated £189.99 slim-fit SK11s. Stylishly straight in black (blue and navy also available) and close-fitting but not tight, they look very good and are very well made. Two different levels of inserted armour are available; heavier-duty D30 Ghost Level 2 (rather distorting the slimline look at the hips but at no cost to comfort), or slimmer Level 1, offering less protection but a slimmer look. Same goes for the knees where there’s a wide range of visually-aided adjustment to get just the right fit over the kneecap.
The SK11s are heavier and slightly bulkier than most, due to the extra built-in safety. Worn, the weight and bulk largely ‘disappear’ but they retain a reassuringly heavy-duty feel. Extra layers mean they are warmer than some jeans on a hot day, although I still wore them on London’s hottest day of the year without too much of a problem.
They are comfortable and stretchy (though unsurprisingly, not as comfortable as Levis), have capacious pockets, six well-placed belt loops (it’s always wise to wear a belt for maximum safety) and are breathable. Even in the heat. I like them. They can easily be worn all day on the bike.
Hood sells up to 3,000 pairs a year in various styles, so others like them too. The UK’s the biggest market followed by the US. Hood will length-adjust legs at no extra cost and they can be machine washed at 30-degrees. They cost from £149.99.
