It was just yesterday that the Royal Enfield launched the much-awaited Himalayan 440 in India. It has an ex-showroom price of Rs 2.29 lakh. It is based on the same formula as the original Himalayan 411. The company has now released the first official TV commercial (TVC) of the Himalayan 440.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has a solid reputation and cult following in India. The original Himalayan was first launched in 2016, with a 411cc engine. This year, the nameplate is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Cumulative sales have crossed 3.2 lakh units globally, showing just how popular the Himalayan nameplate is. Before you get confused, this figure is inclusive of the 411 and the 450 that came later.

The Himalayan 450 came in November 2023. It was a major improvement over the 411 and replaced it- a move that many did not approve of. The Himalayan 411 had a fan following of its own. Fans wanted the company to bring it back. The video starts by portraying this public demand.

The video shows the Himalayan 440 in its natural habitat- the Himalayas. Three Himalayan 440s are seen riding through winding ghat roads. They move through well-paved sections and broken patches with equal ease.

The bikes are seen doing some crazy off-road runs. On rough sections, the riders are seen standing on the footpegs. The original Himalayan’s riding position and overall ergonomics offered great support for such maneuvers. The 440 seems to have kept the same safe.

The riders also do some crazy stunts and jumps on rough terrains, showing how flexible, agile and rugged the motorcycle is. In the end, we see text on the screen that reads ‘Back where it belongs’, underlining the same.

Royal Enfield launched the Himalayan 440 at the inaugural Himalayan Basecamp in Ladakh. Like the original Himalayan, this motorcycle also features a simple, accessible adventure tourer design. It prioritises usability over unnecessary engineering complexity.

There are a bunch of changes that actually matter, though. The Himalayan 440 gets a new 443cc single-cylinder, long-stroke engine, shared with the Scram 440. It generates 25.4bhp at 6,250rpm and 34Nm at 4,000rpm, and comes paired with a six-speed transmission.

Royal Enfield has tweaked the gear ratios to make low-speed riding easier and enable smooth high-speed cruising – in simpler terms, these have been revised to better suit the character of the motorcycle. According to Royal Enfield, this engine has improved NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) levels than the 411cc unit.

Just like the original Himalayan, this engine refrains from chasing outright performance and has more usable torque and tractability. This makes the overall riding experience similar to that of the original Himalayan- a proposition that fans absolutely loved, back in the day.

On the visual front, the 440 retains the original Himalayan’s time-tested design and upright riding position. The headlamp is now an LED unit, the instrument cluster is new, and comes with Tripper navigation and type-C USB charging/ It is based on a half-duplex split-cradle frame with 41mm telescopic forks at the front and a linkage-type rear mono-shock. The front suspension offers 200mm of travel whereas the rear has 180mm on offer.

The front tyre is a 21-inch unit while the rear gets a 17-inch wheel- spokes at both ends. The bike has a ground clearance of 220mm and a seat height of 800mm. The fuel tank can accommodate 15 litres.

The brakes have been upgraded on the new motorcycle. The 440 gets a 300mm front disc with a two-piston floating calliper and a 240mm rear disc. Dual-channel ABS is on offer, and is switchable as well. This would give riders better control on off-road terrains.

Royal Enfield is also offering a range of official accessories on the new Himalayan 440. These range from panniers and top boxes to touring seats and other equipment. This motorcycle comes in three colours- Sela Black, Mustang Brown and Nelong White. These can all be seen in the above video. Bookings are already open and you can reserve yours through dealerships or through the company’s official website.