One thing we can all agree on is that Royal Enfield’s new 450 Himalayan looks pretty darn attractive right out of the box, its modern-retro vibe turning heads, while offering a significant jump in performance over its predecessor at an approachable price. Introduced last year, improvements include a liquid-cooled powerplant with 65% more power, a weight shed of seven pounds, revised suspension, a beefed-up chassis, modern electronic aids, a six-speed gearbox… the list goes on.

But all of that wasn’t enough for French custom builder Orion Porta of OrMotors who wanted more from India’s darling, creating a rally-inspired custom with increased fuel capacity, upgraded suspension, extensive weight reductions and more punch.

The transformed bike, nicknamed “Dust Trail,” wasn’t built solely for the sake of outward style. Instead, as Porta, who’s shop specializes in classics and retro customs,  told BikeBound, it was “built to promote the off-road capability of the 450.”

Porta was testing an early version of the bike at a local off-road event when he connected with Acerbis to reimagine the 450 Himalayan project—starting by replacing the Enfield’s stock 4.5-gallon tank with a flashy red-and-white 23-liter (6-gal) fuel tank that instantly became the bike’s focal point and set the tone for the entire design. Acerbis fork guards, hand guards, and a bash plate were also added to toughen up the beast. 

Dust Trail’s 43mm stock forks were upgraded with Andreani internals, which Porta says added 1.18 inches (30mm) to the original 7.9 inches of front travel. The rear shock is from French maker EMC, while a new full exhaust system from Italy’s HP Corse was installed, giving the Himalayan a growl that Porta says sounds like “a true enduro bike.”

The compact exhaust pairs neatly with Royal Enfield’s Rally Kit, which includes the rally-style seat, to tidy up the bike’s rear section. Up front, the rally-ready tower setup, sourced from Italian outfit 4K Parti Speciali, reshapes the bike’s cockpit with a CNC-machined mount that holds the original dash in place while expanding its utility. The kit includes dual LED headlights and a low-profile screen, giving the front end a sharper, more purposeful stance.

Continental TKC 80 knobbies complete the off-road-ready package, while graphics provided by Creative Garage complement the bold Acerbis tank.

Perhaps the most significant improvement is the friendly bike’s 46-pound weight reduction—from a curb weight of 432 lbs (with 90 percent fuel) to around 386 lbs. Even accounting for any extra fuel weight, we’re still talking about a sub-400-pound adventure bike. Porta emphasizes that it was the combined effect of all modifications that resulted in such a substantial drop.

While you’re cutting fat, you might as well dial up the punch, right? To complement the HP Corse exhaust system, Porta added a PowerTronic FuelX Pro fuel-injection optimizer—allowing the rider to adjust settings to enrich or lean out the fuel-air mixture according to riding conditions or personal preference—as well as a DNA air filter.

There’s no official word on horsepower gains from the liquid-cooled 452cc Sherpa single, which delivers 39.5 hp and 29.5 ft-lbs of torque in stock form, but Porta says his custom Himalayan probably puts out more due to the full exhaust and tuning upgrade. “The sound is like an enduro bike, and throttle response is very good,” he adds. Thanks to the Acerbis tank, he also claims the bike can cover up to 700 km (a whopping 435 miles) without refueling.

We always love seeing custom adventure bikes—especially when they’re actually being ridden, as is the case with Dust Trail, named after an off-road event in Portugal, “Dusty Trail,” that Porta plans to enter with his Himalayan this April.

Despite the Himalayan project being all about making the 450 more capable off-road, Porta admits he gets a kick out of the attention it draws: “I’m very satisfied by the people who do a double-take when they see the bike.”

Photos by @v_brations

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.