Riding Northeast Utah on Royal Enfield’s new Himalayan 450 

Ripping down Utah State 40 through the vast and beautiful Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, our motorcycle entourage suddenly arrived at our dirt turn-off. Pulling over before descending into the deep and somewhat narrow canyon, our Royal Enfield group leader gave us a few pointers about the route they’d scouted the day before, then down we rode into the ravine. The ride on 40 had been glorious, over the hills and around the lakes in this portion of northeast Utah. The warning signs at the beginning of the off-road section of our ride alarmed me, however. “Travel At Your Own Risk”, “Dangerous Road Ahead”, among others had me wondering why I was here. I’m primarily a street rider, and I feared this segment might take me way out of my wheelhouse and skill level.

We had been invited by Royal Enfield Americas to their 2024 Himalayan 450 North America press launch, and with two of Road Dirt’s more skilled dirt riders, Ted and Neale, unavailable for this event, it fell on me to make the trip. Yet I had looked forward to it, having experienced and enjoyed the original Himalayan 411 a few years ago. This all-new Himalayan is completely redesigned and engineered from the ground up, bearing little in common with its first-gen predecessor save the name and exhaust note. More on that later.

Riding the Himalayan 450 deeper into the canyon, and getting more comfortable in the dirt.

We rode the bikes deeper into the gorge, the small, lightweight, single thumper Sherpa 450 engine churning out torque, chugging along over sand, gravel, wet patches, and occasional mud with a planted, solid feel. I breathed deeply, relaxed my vise grip on the handlebars, stood up on the serrated footpegs, and let the little ADV move around and do its thing beneath me. Although this is an entirely different motorcycle than the original Himalayan, the DNA of its ancestry lives on in this second generation bike. I know its almost cliché to say it, but riding the Himi 450 was confidence-inspiring. Given my limited off-road chops, I was feeling more at ease as we rode deeper into this small section of the Utah BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) astride these new Royal Enfields.

Somewhere in the canyon lands of northeast Utah. Photo by Punch PR.

Like many of my generation, my brothers and I grew up on minibikes and small displacement dirt bikes. Banging around in the woods on these as kids, none of us had any formal training in off-road, aside from how to clutch shift and use the brakes, taught by our dear old biker dad. I “outgrew” motorcycles for a time until into my 30s, when I became enamored with street riding. What limited experience I’ve had dirt riding in the years since has come when I’ve traversed gravel roads in my state of Georgia, or when we at Road Dirt have been loaned a dual sport or ADV.

Yet here I was, riding a brand new RE Himalayan 450 down into a remote canyon deep in northeast Utah, traversing a section of the famed BDR. I chuckled in my helmet at the irony of it, as my comfort level increased on the bike while riding along the long, winding canyon road.

From the presentation the night before. A decidedly different motorcycle than its predecessor.

This Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 was being conceived even as the brand rolled out the original Himi 411 in 2016. Engineers and designers at the research and design center in England, after the first gen 411 took the ADV world by storm, were already discussing and drawing ways to improve upon the amazing little motorcycle, as gear heads are bound to do. Why leave well enough alone, when you can try to make it even better?

So make it better they did.

In the years that followed, those Royal Enfield designers and engineers set about building an all-new motorcycle, rather than merely a cosmetic redesign or incremental improvement as so many other brands do with a bike. After years of development, Royal Enfield rolled out the new Himalayan 450 first in India then the Asian market last year, then here in the Americas for 2024. They lowered and centralized mass, made the frame narrower at the meeting of tank and seat, and moved the airbox on top of the motor underneath the tank, improving rider ergonomics significantly. Suspension, brakes, shifting, ground clearance and fuel capacity have all been improved, and this new version is also more aesthetically pleasing in its lines and color schemes than it’s utilitarian, military-looking predecessor.

A beautiful new motorcycle, and a powerful new motor. Time to go dirty them up a bit.

The bike runs the completely new Sherpa 450 powerplant, a four valve, six gear, water cooled mill making about 40 hp. That may not sound like much, but considering the 411 made about 22 hp, it’s a pretty dramatic improvement in performance. I felt it immediately upon hitting the road earlier that morning, pinning it in each gear as we rocked down the highway, topping out at about 90 mph with the tach still showing room for more, having not even reached redline. How they have extracted that much more performance from the new single is astounding, the above engine facts combined with new gearing and tuning providing a dramatic torque curve and power output jump.

It’s a remarkable performer, on road or in dirt.

As we rode farther, we started to climb into the hills, and the dirt road became single track. A heavy rain had apparently blown through the night before, rendering much of the uphill climb quite adverse and at times treacherous. Mud holes, slick clay sections, deep rain gulleys, and tree debris caused many if not most riders to go down at some point on the climb, sliding out or tipping over on the difficult terrain. I dropped my bike twice, covering myself and the bike in grey Utah mud, but the bike chugged on when uprighted, refusing to concede to the elements. So neither did I. I needed help in some heavily technical sections, the RE guys and gals spelling me when necessary. Yet the bike is very forgiving to ride, rolling along and carrying me further despite my dirt rider inexperience and twitchy mistakes on occasion.

I had to swap bikes with one of the RE lead riders when I dropped mine earlier, and bent the foot shifter. Got this one rather filthy as well. Grimy bikes, gorgeous views.

Again, confidence-inspiring.

At the top of the mountain range, the views were worth the pain and effort. This part of northern Utah is vast, open beautiful hill country, as far as the eye can see. Bikes and riders were covered in mud, a bit dented, dinged, and scraped, like us riders, but intact. We relished the sunshine, warmth, views, rehydration, and the little beasts that brought us here. These Himalayan 450s are truly two wheeled “tractors” as I’ve heard some dub them, making their power down low when called upon, with a wide mid-range for road flowing.

Speaking of road, we eventually exited the off-road and BDR section, making our way back to Daniel Summit Lodge outside Heber City. The roads out here are made up of a coarse, grippy amalgam, and the wide sweepers though the hills made for a spirited pace. It was a glorious way to end the day, chasing our Royal Enfield ride leaders through the seemingly endless curves back to “base camp”. The bikes can dive deep through corners, accelerate enthusiastically out, and drop over easily into the next curve. And passing slower trucks and campers is effortless, unlike the first gen 411.

Riding back toward Daniels Summit Lodge- dirty, tired, sore, but with a full heart and a more confident wrist in the dirt. Photo by Punch PR.

These 450s are equally at home curve carving on tarmac as they are climbing single track out in the wild. Small, simple, solid, easy to ride, easy to maintain, and supremely affordable, the new Himalayan 450 takes everything that was so game-changing about the 411 platform and takes it to new heights. Here’s just how affordable- they MSRP here in the U.S. for $5800 base model with, get this, a 3-year, unlimited mile, front-to-rear full warranty. That is just a big “we dare you to try one” from Royal Enfield, these folks are so passionate about this bike. And after riding one in the conditions we traversed, I get their attitude. Heck, I’d buy the bike simply because of the confidence it gave me as I rode it, helping me improve my impoverished off-road skills. I did things I’d never done on a dirt bike before, on a motorcycle that is so easy to ride for a beginner and still enjoyable for a seasoned veteran.

So much fun.

They already offer a pretty wide array of accessories for the Himalayan 450, including package sets of kit in “Adventure Touring” and “Rally”. This year also sees the introduction of their new “TripperDash” tech, which allows a full Google Maps interface from your phone right on the single round TFT display, thereby keeping your phone and electronic gadgetry in your pocket or bags. I didn’t synch mine with it (my iPhone is needing replacement soon), but a few others did, and it works remarkably well. Music, maps, calls, texts, all can be displayed on-screen in an unobtrusive manner, while still staying focused on the road (or the lack thereof).

I must admit, this bike was so much fun, wherever I pointed it. Even through flowing streams. Photo by Punch PR.

The 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is a truly remarkable small-displacement motorcycle. Conceived in central England, built in India, and made for the toughest riding conditions on the planet, my time with the bike left me thoroughly impressed. I’ll likely stay a mainly road rider, yet if I bought a general purpose bike to improve my off-road chops but could still thrash on curvy pavement, I’d say the new Himi 450 would be my tool of choice. It’s that good.

Huge thanks to the Royal Enfield North America team for putting on an outstanding event, and to Daniels Summit Lodge for a beautiful place to stay.

Rob

*For more on the new Himalayan 450, click here:

Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

Check out our video review here: