New Royal Enfield 450 roadster spied testing in Spain
New spy shots of a bike seemingly carrying Royal Enfield's new water-cooled 450cc engine have been revealed while the bike was testing in Spain.
Royal Enfield has been spotted testing a new 450cc roadster-style bike in Spain, indicating the possibility of an incoming 450cc platform.
The Himalayan is undoubtedly one of the flagship models of the current Royal Enfield roster, but its 450cc update has been long-awaited. The engine that will be used in the Himalayan 450 will also be used in other models, it seems.
Spy shots published by Cycle World show a roadster-style naked motorcycle with a water-cooled engine reportedly of around 450cc. Overtly not a Himalayan, the motorcycle points to the possibility of a range of bikes on the way from Enfield using the water-cooled 450 platform.
In fact, the photos are a confirmation of a theory that was generated by the leaking of a Royal Enfield document published on Rushlane which detailed Enfield’s plans for its various platforms, including the 450.
The 450cc engine seen in the Cycle World photos show a DOHC configuration, and previous speculation about the engine has its output set at around 40-45 horsepower.
As for the chassis, there are seemingly elements carried over from other Royal Enfield models, such as the 300mm single disc front brake with sliding calliper that is taken from the Scram 411. Additionally, the frame is a steel tubular design common with the developing Himalayan 450.
As for the suspension, the front is a standard telescopic fork, unlike the USD design on the Himalayan 450, while at the rear there is a single shock absorber connected directly to a straight cast-alloy swingarm.
Royal Enfield’s 2023 range was presented last month at EICMA, where it revealed the new Super Meteor 650. None of the upcoming 450cc bikes seen so far were presented there, meaning there is still development work to be done on them. A 2024 launch might be more realistic, but there is also the chance we might find out more about Royal Enfield’s anticipated 450 range in late 2023.
