The Affordable Adventure-Touring Bike That’s Perfect For A First-Time Buyer

A well-balanced adventure-touring bike can actually come very close to being a solid one-garage motorcycle. Imagine a motorcycle that is accessible with an affordable price tag, light enough to be an urban runabout, powerful enough to be a capable mile-muncher, and packing solid underpinnings and hardware to confidently catch some air! Only few such entry-level adventure touring bikes actually make the cut, but one stands out. It is the most capable beginner-friendly adventure tourer that does it all. Here’s us telling you what makes Royal Enfield‘s first-ever liquid-cooled ADV a smashing and well-balanced hit.

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A First-Time Buyer Will Love The Affordable Royal Enfield Himalayan 450

Price: $5,799

The ergonomics on the $5,799 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 are well-curated. Its stout fuel tank offers ample gripping area for the knees when sitting or standing. The split seat design offers ample moving space for the rider, and the wide and rider-inclined handlebar ensures the rider triangle is relaxed. The ergonomics hit the middleground of being comfortable for touring and adaptive during challenging off-road runs. Our favorite bit, though, is its factory-adjustable seat height, which can be bumped from 32.48 inches to 33.26 inches in minutes. This is the only adventure tourer under $6,000 that packs a factory-fitted adjustable seat.

TopSpeed’s Punya Sharma, at 5’9″, could have both his feet on the ground without an issue during his extensive test ride of the Himalayan. The higher adjustment would perfectly suit people over 6′ in height. The footpegs are placed right below the rider so that standing up and grazing the trails is as comfortable as the sit-down posture. To top it all up, it has a manageable curb weight of 432.10 pounds, lower than the less-powerful Himalayan 411 that it replaces.

Seat Height, Curb Weight, And Dimensions

Why The Himalayan 450 Ticks All Boxes Of An Affordable ADV-Touring Bike

It’s Peppy, Ready To Take A Beating, Loaded With Tech And Gets A Lot Of Accessories

The sum of the parts of the 2025 Himalayan 450 helps it be an impressive adventure touring motorcycle for a first-time rider. Its robust underpinnings (especially the suspension setup) go hand-in-hand with the ergonomics to offer a confidence-inspiring riding experience. Both Punya Sharma and Jared Solomon at TopSpeed have experienced the Himmi 450’s ease of rideability.

Then there’s the first-ever liquid-cooled RE engine, offering eagerness to escape any situation. Technology features are also loaded to the brim. Finally, there are ample official accessories to transform a dune-bashing Himalayan 450 into a fully loaded adventure tourer. As we said, it is the sum of all its parts.

Peppy And Powerful Single-Cylinder Engine

This engine (called the Sherpa 450) is an all-new ground-up mill. This is the brand’s highest-revving single cylinder yet, with peak power and torque produced at 8,000 RPM and 5,500 RPM. It has a peaky nature, but RE has also tuned its 450cc single to produce meaty mid-range torque. The other end of the spectrum is not shabby either, as you can cruise all day long at speeds of 80 MPH. Full pelt takes you to 105 mph. In simpler words, the Himalayan 450 is both a capable sprinter and a cozy touring machine at will.

Underpinnings Ready To Take A Bashing

Impressing us further is its sturdy underpinnings designed to take a lot of bashing and give you the confidence to catch air. The chassis is a steel twin-spar tubular structure in which the engine is cocooned. Although its suspension setup offers restricted adjustability, it is tuned well to be a capable off-roader and even an occasional corner carver.

Showa has tuned the suspension, and the rear gets a preload adjustment. With 7.87 inches of travel on either end, there’s enough spring force to take plenty of bashing without bottoming out. The Himalayan gets a tried-and-tested 21-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel combination to ace the off-roading part. ByBre takes care of braking duties with a 320 mm disc up front and a 270 mm disc at the rear. Dual-channel ABS is standard, and you can switch it off for the rear.

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Loaded With Usable Technology Features

The Himalayan 450 is packed with first-time features for a Royal Enfield. It has four riding modes, the first-ever feature for an RE (Performance with rear ABS ON/OFF and ECO with rear ABS ON/OFF). Thanks to its ride-by-wire integration (another first-ever for an RE), there is a noticeable difference in throttle response between the ride modes. The most noteworthy feature, meanwhile, is its gorgeous circular 4-inch TFT display with the option to mirror Google Maps.

The only downside is that it actually mirrors the application of your smartphone. This requires the phone to be unlocked, which results in quicker battery drain. But hey, a very conveniently positioned USB type-c port is under the handlebar to juice your device up. Royal Enfield really has thought everything through. A lowdown of the features is given below:

• Four ride modes
• Full map navigation via Google Maps
• USB Type C charging port
• 4-inch round TFT display
• Smartphone connectivity
• LED lighting all around
• Ride-by-Wire

Accessories To Dial Up The Adventure-Touring Game

Royal Enfield offers a slew of touring-focused accessories for the Himalayan 450. These include protection, comfort, and luggage solutions. For those who want to cut the chase and get a fully loaded, touring-ready Himalayan 450, RE also offers an “Adventure Kit” for $2,137.99. This includes a combination of engine and wind protection bits, luggage carriers, panniers, a top box, touring seats, and a bike cover. All Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 accessories are listed below.

2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Rivals

The Off-Road-Ready Royal Enfield Takes The Fight To Capable ADVs

Royal Enfield’s Himalayan 450’s value proposition puts it on the pedestal compared to other adventure-touring rivals in the segment. Its closest rival in pricing is the $5,695 BMW G 310 GS. It is more affordable than the RE, but the 313 cc single has way less oomph. Its underpinnings are focused more on making the baby GS a road-friendly ADV, too. Making matters worse is the fact that It’s almost 10 years old as well, so technology is not up to the mark.

The Kawasaki Versys-X 300 matches the Himalayan’s on-road and off-road capabilities. Its parallel-twin engine is peppy, producing similar horsepower figures. But this is gravely deprived of torque. It is also quite an old motorcycle, with little to no updates since its inception in 2017. Kawasaki seems to have put in on sale just for the sake of it.

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Undoubtedly, the Himalayan 450’s arch-rival is the all-new KTM 390 Adventure, specifically the X variant that starts at $5,899. Although marginal, the RE’s torque is higher than the KTM. Off-roading finesse is better for the RE, too, owing to its 21-inch front wheel and spoke rims. Both have the same suspension travel, meanwhile.

The most expensive rival of the Himalayan 450 is the CFMoto Ibex 450. While the engine displacement is less, the CFMoto utilizes a more refined parallel-twin setup that should give it an edge over the RE. Power and torque are notably higher, and it’s lighter than the Himalayan, too. It is also the only other entry-level adventure tourer with adjustable seat height from the factory. However, the RE still offers more value with a $700 lower price tag.

2025 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Vs Entry-Level Adventure Tourers