Rumors have been swirling around for years about a super-sized Royal Enfield Himalayan 650, an adventure bike that would put their popular parallel-twin engine to good use. As we reported in 2021, Royal Enfield had two large dirt-oriented models in mind, one of which turned out to be the Bear 650 scrambler. The other has just been spotted during testing in southern Europe and appears to be the Himalayan 650 many have been waiting for.

Appearing uncamouflaged and near-production ready, the spied Himalayan is equipped with spoked wheels and a large bash plate to tackle rugged terrain. However, the attractive half-fairing, larger upright windshield and 19”/17” wheel setup are clear concessions to road-going comfort. The test mule’s bodywork also provides a more retro look than the freshly-revamped Himalayan 450 while a new mirror design improves rear visibility. 

Although the bike in these photos does not have luggage other than the case strapped to the pillion seat for collecting testing telemetry, it clearly has mounting points for that purpose. The rider’s seat is a stepped-down design, improving comfort while making the bike more accessible to riders of smaller stature. While the tires on these bikes may or may not be the type that will eventually come with the production model, they do look very road oriented. All in all, the Himalayan 650 appears destined to be more of an adventure touring bike than a dirt-oriented machine like its smaller round-the-world-ready sibling. 

The upside-down front forks look similar to the Himalayan 450, although there appears to be top caps that may offer some preload and/or damping adjustability and they are undoubtedly tuned for the larger, heavier 650. The frame appears all-new, as well as the swingarm and the rear shock. Showa components would not be surprising, as these are what the 450 uses. Another strong indicator of the Himalayan 650’s enhanced road performance is the dual disc brakes on the front wheel, a first for any Royal Enfield. The “Bybre” name embossed on the calipers is an abbreviation of “by Brembo”— the brand’s Indian-made brakes dedicated to small-to-medium displacement motorcycles and scooters. Several other Royal Enfield models already use them, including the INT 650, though not in dual form.

The test mule uses Royal Enfield’s 648cc parallel twin, which produces 47 horsepower in other models. The Bear 650 saw a torque increase to 42 lb-ft from 38 in the INT650 and it would be reasonable to expect the new Himalayan to also see different tuning, perhaps even a bored out engine like the one previously unveiled.

The exhaust is unique, wrapping around the right side of the bash plate rather than behind it, then running to a high-mounted muffler. The Bear 650 caught some criticism for its low-mounted muffler, and while Royal Enfield defends that choice on the scrambler, they have put it up high where it belongs on a Himalayan, similar to the 450. The oil cooler is also in a new location, likely to ensure airflow around the fairing and bash plate.

Royal Enfield uses the same rear turn signals that double as brake lights found on the smaller Himalayan, which makes sense from both branding and parts bin perspectives. A rectangular instrument cluster is visible, likely a fully- digital TFT unit angled toward the rider. This is a different display than the round one of the Himalayan 450. The size of the gas tank is hard to determine from these photos, but hopefully large enough to go at least 200 miles on a tank, or at least four gallons, assuming the same 50 MPG or so as this engine gets in other Royal Enfield models. 

From what we can see here, the new Himalayan 650 looks poised to crush street miles more comfortably and explore trails at a casual pace. While it’s already missed the late 2024 release date, this unmasked test bike looks set for production. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait much longer to see this eagerly-awaited model hit the market.

Photos by Stefan Baldauf

Author: Justin Hughes

Justin has been an automotive and motorcycle journalist for the past 10 years. After learning to ride on a series of Suzuki GSs, he took up touring on a Honda Silverwing and PC800 before turning his attention to off-road adventures. His racing experience is mainly with cars, although he did do a track day once on a KLR650. He has traveled with his cat, Lister, to 44 states in his “moto-glamping” camper van, Smokey Da Van, with his V-Strom 650 in tow.