Royal Enfield HIMALAYAN officially unveiled

Royal Enfield unveiled the much awaited Himalayan in Delhi today. The looks and exhaust sound of the bike were already all over the internet in january itself, but the one unknown aspect was the price, and RE decided not to reveal it!

The Himalayan looks like a baby Triumph Tiger, with tall seating and high ground clearance. It comes with an all new LS410 which is a 411cc, single cylinder, long stroke engine. Like all the REs ever made, the long stroke engines are good for producing a lot of torque in the mid range while compromising on power. This makes sense given the fact that the Himalayan is an adventure bike. The 32Nm of torque is delivered as early as 4000 rpm, making cruising and city commutes easy, not to mention the the extremely comfortable ergonomics. 

The motor produces 24.5hp of max power at 6500 rpm, which means you don't need to rev its nuts off to get going. Sadly RE decided to stick to good old fashion carburettors for fuel delivery functions. Carburettors don't work well in high altitude locations, but RE seems to have tested this bike thoroughly in the Himalayas, which remains to be seen. On the flip side, using carburettors and 2-valve cylinder heads, reduces the final cost of the bike. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                    
The USP of the Himalayan is its off road capabilities. This is achieved by using huge 41mm telescopic forks with 200mm of travel and a monoshock with 180mm of travel at the rear. With 220mm of ground clearance, you need not worry about scraping the belly. The chassis was developed with the help of Harris Performance from UK. The 21" front and 17" rear tyres add to the go-anywhere nature of the Himalayan. 
As seen in the images, this bike comes with a lot of accessories. RE will unveil the pricing in march. Lets hope that the price is below the 2L mark. 

Mahindra Mojo Review

Before you judge the Mojo by the pictures, try to check it out in person. This is that one bike which you absolutely need to swing a leg over before you judge it. I had the opportunity to take this bike for a test ride. Here's what I think about it-

Styling

Like I said, you need to see it in person. It actually looks good, especially in red and white. The humongous headlight assembly might look a bit out of proportion, but overall it is cool. The bike has two exhaust pipes, which gives it that big bike look, even though its a single. The tail end is the best part. It comes in three different colours- black,red and white. In my opinion the red is the best because it has a black frame while the other two have golden coloured frames. 

Ergonomics

This is one of the aspects where the Mojo excels. The handle bar is wide and high. The seat is low enough for any rider height. Hence, the riding position is upright and very comfortable. The footpegs too are in line with the riders knees, giving the rider a natural seating position. The suspension is soft and has lots of travel, the Mojo glides over bad roads. This bike comes with Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres which are rated as one of the best street tyres. This bike like all other Mahindra vehicles was made to be rugged. But the bike becomes heavy because of the use of heavy metal parts. The tank has a massive 21 litre capacity, which adds to the weight- 182kgs wet. But this also means the bike will be planted at high speeds. All these features a make this a really good touring bike(apart from wind protection). 

Performance

The Mojo's engine was developed with the help of Engines Engineering, which is a company that makes moto3 engines. The 295cc engine makes 26.82 hp at 8000rpm and 30nm of torque at 5500rpm. You might think that 26hp for a 300cc bike is less, but it has crazy amount of torque which will keep you happy in any gear. The strong mid range and tall gearing means you dont need to change gears very often. And while you are at it, this motor will keep your ears happy too. The twin exhausts sound good. This liquid cooled, fuel injected motor is economic too.

Verdict

If you are looking for a relaxed bike with good power, this bike is worth a shot.