Royal Enfield also wants to focus more on electric motorcycles. Founded in England in 1901, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand, which has been selling bikes with ancient technology for decades, is planning an electric offensive. The Indian manufacturer has already presented the finished Flying Flea FF.C6 and Flying Flea FF.S6 and plans to sell them from 2025. Now the traditional brand has published new pictures of the electric Himalayan.
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The electric motorcycle seen in the pictures is a prototype of an adventure bike called HIM-E (for Himalayan Electric). The HIM-E was recently shown in a modified version at the Royal Enfield event in India. The battery became larger and sat deeper, the electric motor moved over the sprocket and the frame supports were changed.
modern design
The design of the HIM-E is much more modern than the Himalayan 450 with a reciprocating engine; Its outline borrows heavily from the Yamaha 700 Tenere, although the humpbacked “tank” is merely a dummy and the seat extends almost to the steering wheel. The head is enough. The frame appears to have been minimized; Here the battery is used as a supporting element. Only one aluminum support is installed on each side at the bottom, but there is still a common rear frame under the seat. The swingarm is elaborately built and sizable, but trimmed for lightweight construction with holes and struts.
Suitable for off-road use
A thick upside-down fork with long spring travel guides the front wheel, which looks as high quality as the rear Öhlins shock absorber with pressure compensation tank. The 21-inch wire-spoke wheels at the front and 18-inch at the rear show that Royal Enfield is serious about the off-road suitability of its electric bike. Unlike the Himalayan 450’s rims, the English SM-Pro rims are mounted in the middle, indicating tubular tyres.
The front wheel fenders and the tightly cut rear including the short license plate holder are also quite up to date in terms of styling, while the round headlight looks nostalgic despite being equipped with LEDs. Luggage rack is a must in India, although it is still quite small on the HIM-E. The front panel is said to be made of organic hemp fibres.
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Crash bars and engine protection as standard
Royal Enfield seems to have included generous engine protection and crash bars as standard – which is definitely important for riding on rugged Himalayan roads with high risk of falls. The windshield seems a bit makeshift, but since it is attached in the same way to the Himalayan 450, it could definitely be going into series production, after all, it is tall and rises sharply for good protection from the wind.
The driver sits “inside” the motorcycle; The seat has a pronounced hollow so that even short people can stand safely. The handlebars are wide and have a high angle, making it easier for the driver to control while standing as he does not have to bend deeply, but rather keeps his upper body straight. For the front brake, Royal Enfield uses a tried and tested Nissin brake caliper. Information in the cockpit is provided by a rectangular TFT display – a first for Royal Enfield.
Help from Stark Future
Royal Enfield has not yet revealed anything about the power of the electric motor or the energy content of the prototype’s battery. But the brand had already taken a stake in the start-up “Stark Future” in Barcelona some time ago, which had developed an electric motorbike “Square” with a power of up to 59 kW and which attracted a lot of attention in the industry. The Indians were concerned about technology transfer, as the development of HIM-E takes place at the headquarters in Chennai and the engineering office of “Harris Engineering” in England. It now belongs to Royal Enfield.
Endurance test in the Himalayas
The development team is testing in the Himalayas, where passes reach more than 5,000 metres. Growth can hardly occur in harsh conditions such as rough gravel roads, river crossings and cold. However, HIM-E may suffer from the specific problem of short range, as the weight of the vehicle with a very large battery would be too high for off-road operation. It is not known what compromise Royal Enfield is making in this regard. However, the HIM-E also had to undergo extensive wind tunnel testing at the factory, after all, good aerodynamics reduce power consumption;
Series production not yet confirmed
Royal Enfield does not reveal how far the prototype has progressed. Statements regarding series production vary; First the manufacturer said that the HIM-E would not go on sale, later the Indian business press reported that the HIM-E would be sold as a series bike from 2027. However, Royal Enfield has already announced that it will invest at least 150 million euros in the development of electric motorcycles in 2023, so it would be strange if it simply ported the long-advanced HIM-E technology to other models. Used as a carrier.
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India needs electric vehicles to tackle smog
The chances of success for the Royal Enfield HIM-E are not bad at all. Unlike many electric motorcycles, which were developed by small start-ups and then quickly vanished into obscurity, Royal Enfield, which sold over 920,000 motorcycles in 2023, is financially backed by a solid conglomerate: the Eicher Group. India’s largest agricultural machinery manufacturer.
Unlike Europe, where electric motorcycles lack acceptance, electric motorcycles are also politically desirable in India. The air pollution in India’s metropolitan cities is truly breathtaking; The capital New Delhi is also considered to be the dirtiest city in the world, sometimes poisonous smog remains here for several weeks. So the government is planning to ban motorcycles and scooters up to 150 cm3Which includes most Indian motorcycles with combustion engines, which will be banned in cities in the future. How realistic the implementation is remains to be seen, but at least it will help improve air quality for smog-stricken Indians.
maybe a trendsetter
Of course, Royal Enfield has not commented on the price. However, what can be said is that if the Himalayan Electric hits the market, it will be unaffordable for most Indians. But in a country with more than 1.4 billion inhabitants, where about 17 million motorized two-wheelers are expected to be sold in 2023, there is a growing wealthy middle class that could help HIM-e achieve significant sales. Who knows, maybe India will give a new impetus to electric motorcycles that will set a trend across the world.
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