Recently I have ridden four new 400-ish cc Adventure machines , which was an eyeopener as they were all so very different . Each had strengths and weaknesses over the others . This sized machine is the best selling , and still growing , segment of the Adventure market , with riders realising 150-plus horsepower and 230-plus kilo ’ s doesn ’ t necessarily make the perfect Adventure machine , particularly for the truly adventurous . All four machines were completely different with the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450cc being the most traditional and conservative by design . Clearly the old-school-cool retro design of the Himalayan is self-evident . However , the design works for general purpose use and practicality . While some may argue the looks are a little dated … as always beauty is in the eye of the punter paying the money … the sales are huge , with the 450 being the overall best selling bike over 50cc in New Zealand in the month of May .
SHERPA POWER The all-new , liquid cooled Sherpa 452cc engine has a relaxed and torquey power delivery that offers excellent flexibility , great traction and great rideability on all surfaces . A whisker over
40hp at 8000rpm is produced and peak torque of 40Nm arrives at 5500rpm . The gearbox has six speeds and a wet slipper clutch , that all operates rather nicely . Acceleration is perky enough with 140km / h readily reached . So , it ’ s fast enough . The engine feels kinda like an old 500cc single with all the rough edges knocked off , greater smoothness and a little less punch . It has that long stroke feel that gets the power to the ground , reduces wheel spin and lopes along effortlessly . I liked the engine feel , the way it pulses as revs rise . The vice-free , friendly nature of the power delivery is a winner with the ability to keep chugging along in deep soft sand , especially considering the standard road tyres … a stand out .
RIDING ALL TERRAINS I rode road / gravel , sandy whoop trails , some single track and up the beach on the Himalayan . The main limiting factor being the road rubber on the 21-inch front wheel in soft sand making the steering vague in feel and the , not insubstantial , 181kg dry weight . But , amazingly , the chassis steering feel on sand was superior even with road tyres than other bikes I ’ ve ridden with full knobbly tyres fitted .
KIWI RIDER 49