My love for Royal Enfield's Himalayan 450 adventure motorcycle is pretty well-established at this point. In fact, I gave it an award a year or so ago, and really haven't stopped thinking about it since. The out-of-the-box capability of this motorcycle, coupled with its introductory price point, well, that just makes it one of the best motorcycles of all time.
And if you think I'm being hyperbolic, go read the torture test I put it through on my first ride review. Jumps were slayed, rivers were conquered, and I legit fixed it with a stick after binning it out of a mud puddle that was a good foot-plus deep. It's an amazing machine straight from the factory.
As with all things, however, you can better it. And one dealership out of the United Kingdom thinks it has the best-ever Himalayan 450 around, and will now sell it to the public. Say hello to Cooperb Motorcycles' "Phantom" Himalayan. All right, the name sounds rad, but the spec sheet really seems to imply this could be the best around.
The basic idea behind the Phantom is to build a rally-ready motorcycle on the Himalayan 450 chassis. It's not a bad idea, as the base motorcycle is already a solid entry into the space. Cooberb, however, takes it far further than you'd imagine, but keeps the entry-level price tag.
According to the dealership, the Phantom package nets you a ton of accessories and add-ons, including a K-Tech RCU RAZOR LITE EVO rear shock, the dealership's own bar risers in 10, 20, and 30mm options, its Front Hose Relocation Kit & Front Lower Mudguard Delete, and a set of Pivot Pegz. There's also a suite of extras from Acerbis, including handguards, a larger 23-liter tank, Upper Fork Guards, Short Gaitors, chain guide, skid plate, the brand's X-Power Engine Cases, and its Radiator Mesh protection.
Cooperb also added Royal Enfield's rally seat, an HP Corse exhaust, DNA Combo Induction Kit, Fuel X Pro Plus, and a set of Bridgestone AX41's or similar. Lightweight wheels are also available in an 18-inch option. "WE ALL OWN, RIDE & LOVE HIMALAYAN'S - it's our religion!" states the company's site.
That's a helluva parts list, and one that ignites the imagination of what you could do with the motorcycle with all those changes. Honestly, you could probably conquer the world, as in Hannibal could've left the elephants at home when he went into the Alps.
As for price, it's double the normal Himmy MSRP. Wildly, though, that's still under $12,000. Honestly, this motorcycle is such a bargain. The only problem is that you can't buy the Phantom here in the States, as it's a dealer special. That said, you could probably outfit your own Himalayan like the Phantom if you scrounge the internet enough. So if you'll excuse me, I have some scrolling to do.
