The Himalayan Raid, with greater focus on off-roading, will be a worthy rival to KTM 390 Adventure in the Indian market
Royal Enfield is working on a more capable and off-road focused version of the Himalayan 450. Purportedly titled as Royal Enfield Himalayan Raid, it could launch in the Indian market as early as next year. Our friends at Bikewale have revealed that earlier it was supposed to launch by late 2026 or early 2027. However, the work on this new bike has been accelerated to make it market ready by early 2026, which is around the same time when Hero Xpulse 421 debuts in India. Here in this piece, we will talk about the Himalayan Raid in detail.
Internally codenamed as ‘Project K1X’, it is being jointly developed by Royal Enfield’s R&D teams in UK and India with substantial inputs from the brand’s racing team based in Europe. The off-road enthusiasts would be thrilled to know that CS Santosh, the accomplished off-road racer, is also a part of the K1X testing team. We had also witnessed Santosh riding the Himalayan 450 a couple of years back before its official launch.
Though Royal Enfield K1X will share almost all the cycle components with the Himalayan 450, they will be more capable and competent. The suspension units at front and rear will be fully adjustable for compression and rebound. The buzz is that the fork tubes will boast of a bigger diameter as compared to the Himalayan 450.
The report further adds that Royal Enfield Himalayan Raid will get rally elements as standard fitment. Presently, these parts which include handguards, rally tail section and seat, are being offered as after-market accessories to the Indian buyers. However, this is going to change with the arrival of the Raid as they would come factory-fitted along with tubeless spoke wheels.
The K1X, in all likelihood, will be powered by the same 452 cc engine of the Himalayan 450, albeit with a slight bump in power and torque figures. It has been learnt that Royal Enfield is carrying out multiple upgrades in the engine to make it even more powerful for the Raid. However, there is nothing concrete on this yet and we have to wait for a few months before any official info emerges on the web.
Since the Royal Enfield Himalayan Raid will be targeted at KTM 390 Adventure, it is expected to launch in the same price range, i.e. around Rs 3.50 lakh (ex-showroom). Royal Enfield has elaborate plans to draw KTM buyers towards it in not only India but also in major European countries. It will be quite interesting to witness how the Chennai-based two-wheeler brand markets and projects the Raid upon its launch in the Indian market.
