The Himalayan Problem For Royal Enfield

Inspired by the story of a female rider riding all across India to prove that India is a safe country for women, I’m thinking of riding my Enfield all across India to prove that it’s a reliable motorcycle. Who’s with me? 😉

Before you guys start laughing you should know that the 2012 Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350 in the picture above took me up to Marsimik La, the highest motorable road on the planet sitting high up in the Himalayas at 18,953 feet. I dropped the bike twice on my way up there. But it never let me down. Even at that high altitude, with the Twinspark engine completely cold, it started using the electric start at first attempt. I was advised to keep a small screw driver at hand to tune the carburetor as I climbed up the mountains. I didn’t need to touch the carburetor at all. The engine ran perfectly from sea level to more than half the altitude of a cruising jet liner without any problems.

I guess my point is Royal Enfield motorcycles have improved over the years. But unfortunately they will need to carry the baggage of unreliability for some time to come until they prove themselves on and off road.

I hope the upcoming series of videos of the Himalayan start showcasing the strengths of the motorcycle. People really don’t want to see how spectacularly an Enfield failed during testing. They want to see how it surpassed the tests with flying colours.

I’m eagerly waiting to test ride the Himalayan.