[2] The Himalayan differs considerably from the other motorcycles offered by Royal Enfield – most of which are various incarnations of the Bullet utilising the same frame and engine – in terms of its chassis and powertrain.

Pierre Terblanche, formerly of Ducati and Moto Guzzi among other companies, headed Royal Enfield's design team during development of the Himalayan.

[3] The 2021 model got significant upgrades such as the Tripper navigation system powered by Google Maps (same unit offered in new Meteor) and a redesigned jerrycan mount.

Upon its introduction, the Himalayan was praised for its good suspension and off-road ability, while some criticism was directed to the relatively low power output of the engine.

It was noted that the quality of parts was not up to the mark and in 2017 some users filed lawsuits to either demand compensation or return the bike for refund.

[7] On 24 November 2023, Royal Enfield launched its new model, Himalayan 450/452 from price starting 2.69 lakh onwards.

The Himalayan's engine was designed and produced by Royal Enfield 'from the ground up' and shares little to no parts with other contemporaries in the company's line-up.

This engine has a single overhead camshaft, thereby moving away from the traditional pushrod design that had been used by the company from 1955, starting with the original Bullet up to the contemporary Classic series.

It includes an analog speedometer and tachometer, with a digital display for the odometer, gear position indicator, trip-meter and Ambient temperature gauge.