Royal Enfield Himalayan
Royal Enfield HimalayanRoyal Enfield

UPDATES: 12.57 p.m. IST-- Royal Enfield launched its highly anticipated Himalayan adventure tourer in India Wednesday, March 16 with a price tag of Rs 1.55 lakh (ex-showroom Maharashtra). The Himalayan, first unveiled in February, is the company's first offering in the adventure motorcycle segment.

Highlights of the Himalayan launch event.

12.50 p.m. IST-- The Himalayan launch event concludes.

12.46 p.m. IST-- The deliveries of the Himalayan will begin by March-end.

12.44 p.m. IST-- Bookings for the new Himalayan will be open from March 17.

12.38 p.m. IST-- The Himalayan has been launched at Rs 1.55 lakh (ex -showroom Maharashtra).

12.37 p.m. IST-- Royal Enfield Himalayan has been priced at Rs 1.78 lakh (on-road Mumbai).

12.32 p.m. IST-- Royal Enfield first started testing the Himalayan in May 2014.

12.21 p.m. IST--The Himalayan boasts ground clearance of 220mm.

12. 17 p.m. IST-- The star of the show -- the new Himalayan -- takes the centre stage.

12.14 p.m. IST-- The Himalayan hopes to create a new segment in the Indian two-wheeler market.

12.09 p.m. IST-- With the Himalayan, Royal Enfield wants to promote leisure motorcycling in India.

12.07 p.m. IST-- The Himalayan has been built from ground-up.

12.03 p.m. IST-- Royal Enfield's unique approach helped the company to expand in India as well as in the international markets, says Rudy Singh.

12.00 p.m. IST-- Rudratej Rudy Singh, president, Royal Enfield takes over the stage from Siddhartha Lal.

11.57 a.m. IST-- The company currently has 500 dealerships across the country.

11.56 a.m. IST-- Royal Enfield will set up a third manufacturing plant in Vallam Vadagal.

11.50 a.m. IST-- Siddhartha Lal, CEO Royal Enfield and Eicher Motors, is on stage to talk about the new Himalayan.

11.49 a.m. IST-- Royal Enfield says that the company's Oragadam facility produces one motorcycle in a minute.

11.48 a.m. IST-- Now a short AV about Royal Enfield's journey is being played on the screen.

11.47 a.m. IST-- The Himalayan launch event begins.

11.42 a.m. IST-- The grapevine also has it that the Himalayan will be priced at Rs 1.64 lakh.

11.34 a.m. IST-- The latest rumour is that the Himalayan has been priced at Rs 1.55 lakh. We will have to wait a while to get the official pricing.

11.30 a.m. IST-- Royal Enfield will reveal the price of the Himalayan shortly.

11.22 a.m. IST-- The Himalayan is powered by a 411cc oil-cooled single-cylinder engine tuned to dish out 24.5bhp at 6,500rpm and 32Nm torque between 4,000 and 4,500rpm, paired with five-speed transmission.

11.17 a.m. IST -- The Himalayan is expected to boast a price tag in the range Rs 1.65 lakh to Rs 1.85 lakh.

11.13 a.m. IST-- The launch of the new Himalayan is quite crucial for the company since it is Royal Enfield's first attempt in the adventure motorcycle segment.

11.06 a.m. IST-- The Himalayan launch even will kick-start in a few minutes from now.

10.59 a.m. IST-- The Himalayan launch event will be held in Mumbai Thursday.

Original Story:

Iconic motorbike maker Royal Enfield is leaving no stone unturned in its attempt to grab a neat pie in the lucrative Indian two-wheeler market. The latest venture of this Chennai-based bike maker is the new adventure motorcycle, the Himalayan.

The Himalayan, the company's first attempt to set foot in the uncharted territory of adventure motorcycles, is all set to begin its journey on the Indian roads Wednesday, March 16.

The Himalayan, first unveiled in February, will go on sale in India March 16. It is the first purpose-built motorcycle of the company in the adventure-touring segment and is expected to set a new benchmark in the same segment with an affordable price tag. From the word around the web, the new offering of Royal Enfield is likely to get a price tag in the range Rs 1.65 lakh to Rs 1.85 lakh.

The adventure tourer of Royal Enfield has already captured the imagination of the biking enthusiasts in the country with its styling and performance. As far as the performance of the Himalayan is concerned, powering the adventure motorcycle is a 411cc oil-cooled single-cylinder engine tuned to dish out 24.5bhp at 6,500rpm and 32Nm torque between 4,000 and 4,500rpm, paired with five-speed transmission. It is built around a new double-cradle chassis, designed by Royal Enfield-owned Harris Performance and measures 2,190mm in length, 840mm in width, and 1,360mm in height (fly-screen top). It has a wheelbase of 1,465mm and offers a ground clearance of 220mm.

The Himalayan employs a 300-mm disc brake at the front and a 240-mm disc brake at the rear and comes with 41-mm front forks and a monoshock at the rear. The Himalayan rides on a 21-inch front wheel and a 17-inch at the rear and features semi-digital instrumentation cluster with an analogue speedo and tacho and a digital tripmeter. The motorcycle's instrument cluster also features an altimeter.

With the Himalayan, Royal Enfield also introduced a range of accessories including metal panniers, riding gear, apparel and jackets.

Stay tuned for more as we bring to you live updates from the launch floor of the Himalayan.