Rally-spec Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 debuts in Spain

The Himalayan 450 rally bike made its debut at the Rally de Cuencas in Spain, with CS Santosh at the helm.

Royal Enfield plans to enter the 2026 Dakar Rally with a Himalayan 450-based bike. It recently made its debut at the Rally de Cuencas in Spain, with CS Santosh at the helm.

Images from the rally suggest that the rally-spec Himalayan 450 is still being developed and is far from being ready to tackle the gruelling stages of the Dakar Rally. The prototype has minimal bodywork, a circular headlamp, and a flat seat.

The rally-spec bike is equipped with long-travel suspension with a beefy telescopic fork at the front and a mono-shock at the rear. Another key difference between this bike and the road version is the Akrapovic exhaust, which should help boost the overall performance of the engine.

Speaking of the engine, the rally-spec Himalayan appears to be powered by the familiar 452cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine. On the road bike, this engine develops 39.5 BHP and 40 Nm and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox via slip-and-assist clutch.