Himalayan 411

This is the motorcycle most of our guests already mean when they say Spiti. Tall, slow to get flustered, and happy on a day that is half broken road. It is not the fast one, and we do not pretend it is.

First Spiti ride, or anyone who wants range without the newer bike’s price.

What the maker publishes

• Engine. 411 cc air-cooled single, the one Royal Enfield built for this kind of road
• Output. 24.3 bhp and 32 Nm, published for the India Himalayan 411
• Weight. 199 kg kerb
• Fuel. 15 litres
• Ground clearance. 220 mm
• Seat. 800 mm
• Wheels. 21 inch front, 17 inch rear, spoked

Royal Enfield, Himalayan 411, India specification.

How it behaves up here

Five is the right tool. One means we will talk you out of it. This is our yard, not the brochure.

The pass is what it was drawn for.

Long travel and a 21-inch front wheel.

It will, if the rider is calm. The engine is cold-blooded first thing.

Honest, not quick. A long tar day is a long tar day.

Upright and roomy. The seat is a full day, not a sofa.

Soft bags, not a family’s suitcases.

Slim, and you can put a foot down.