-Appears to be in near production form
-Based on the Himalayan 450 platform
-Launch expected in a few months
The Royal Enfield Roadster 450 has been spotted testing yet again but this particular test mule appears to be close to production ready. There’s very little camouflage to disguise the bike and the spy shots show one of the clearest details about the upcoming 450cc street bike.
The bike’s design appears to be neat and simple. Starting from the front end, you’ve got a round LED headlight that seems like the same unit you see on the Himalayan 450. It is flanked by LED turn indicators above which is the circular instrument cluster. This might either be the circular unit from the Hunter 350 or the TFT display from the Himalayan 450. We think it might be the latter.
Move to the side and you’ve got a teardrop shaped fuel tank that appears to have the right proportions in comparison to the rest of the bike. Speaking of, the side panel is quite small and you’ve got a similar tail section as on the Himalayan 450, replete with the integrated tail light and indicator cluster. On the whole, the bike seems to have a cohesive design.
Under the bodywork, the frame should be derived from the Himalayan 450 while the subframe should be different to go with the bike’s roadster application. The bike is possibly riding on 17-inch wheels shod with a 140-section rear tyre. The bike has disc brakes at both ends and dual channel ABS should be standard.
We expect the Roadster 450 to be powered by the same engine you see in the Himalayan 450. It is a 452cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that makes 39.47bhp at 8,000rpm and 40Nm at 5,500rpm in the ADV. We could see Royal Enfield tweak the engine’s state of tune and possibly the gearing to offer the intended performance and rideability of a roadster.
The Roadster 450 might be named the Royal Enfield Hunter 450 and may be launched in a few months. It will go up against the Triumph Speed 400 and Husqvarna 401.
