2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan Review and Updates

[MotoNews]

Published in: Bikes

Royal Enfield's 2022 Himalayan adventure dual-sport bike leads the charge in offering fun, wallet friendly value with even more features this year. It's great when a company listens to customers. In the past several years the 411cc, 24hp Himalayan has seen regular updates from the factory largely based on rider feedback. From the addition of switchable ABS to improved shifting, the 2022 Himalayan upgrades some past features and gives us an newly integrated spin on navigation for a minimal bump in price.

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Aside from some hardware changes which we'll get to shortly, the most exciting 2022 update revolves around the new "Tripper" navigation system. Marked by an extra fully digital gauge pod on the  right side of the main cluster, this new navigation assistance system syncs via bluetooth to your smart phone through the "Royal Enfield App - North America"  which you can find in both Android and Apple markets.The app itself uses Google Maps technology to provide arrow based turn-by-turn navigation without having to mount your phone to the bike itself, exposing it to various forms of damage. Thankfully, it's not too complicated so lets take a look at some usage details below. 

• Royal Enfield App Tripper Navigation System Basic Instructions

 1) Download the "Royal Enfield App - North America" app -- After downloading the app on your phone, you'll need to make an account and sign in. It will ask you to approve constant location information acess as well as to manage phone calls. It thankfully does not ask for access to scrape your contact data and send it back to the mothership for "your convenience." This process is based on an Android device so Apple users may have a slightly different experience.

2) Getting Directions -- Input a desired destination in the search window and select your desired location. (As of the time of writing, it will only accept Google's searchable address results, not decimal coordinates.) Then simply tap "Get Directions" and it will calculate and display a route.  

To add a stop or waypoint, tap "Add a Waypoint" and it will insert a stop between your origin and final destination location. If you add another stop, it will add it again, but may push your final destination off the displayed area so be sure to scroll down the waypoint list and make sure you haven't lost it. There doesn't appear to be any way to manage or move the waypoints around so be sure to enter them in the right sequence. 

Also don't miss the three menu dots next to the final desitnations name. This opens up a handy list of navigation options which also includes avoiding highways, tolls and ferries.  

3) Starting your Navigation - - After your route is worked out in the app, be sure the bike is on and booted up. Then tap the  "Navigate" and it will send your route to the bike's Tripper nav pod. If it is not conntected, it will automatically take you to a connection page to find and hook the system up. When you see the large arrow(s) show up on your nav pod, you're ready to ride!

As long as you have decent data access, the app itself is quite quick and painless to use but be sure to not turn off your bike as it will lose the connection and you'll have to pull out the phone to get it going again.

For a first time launch, the app performed better than expected during the test. That said, there are some areas for improvement. First, the setting button should be displayed on all screens and not only accessible through the profile page. This is where you choose your distance units (miles/ft or kilometers/meters) and you'll need to change this in the US as it defaults to metric.

Second, without a long term test of the app we can't comment on battery drain which will depend on more than just the app power usage. Anything which is constantly reading and transmitting data will place some stress on the battery so please be aware of this if using a phone with less than half charge. Last but not least, we'd like for the waypoints to be movable and have the destination search system accept decimal coordinates. These are nice features for fun things like geocaching and back country navigation.

As professional knit pickers, we'd also really like to see the pod screen make more complete use of the digital real estate. The area in the bottom half which bears the Royal Enfiled logo, would be great for more information like the current time or ETA while navigating. Also, we'd like to see the pod placed on top of the instrument cluster in easy view and not to the side where it can be blocked by various bits we like to attach to the handlebars. Last but not least, we emphatically support removing the quirky compass on the instrument panel and replacing it with either an analog or digital oil temperature gauge. All in all, Royal Enfield's Tripper app system is off to a great start with some room to grow and improve. We can't wait to see how people use this IRL and what features get added down the road.

• New Colors and Physical Updates

Aside from geeking out on some software bling, the 2022 Himalayans come with a few important changes onthe body. For taller riders with sensitive knees, Royal Enfield reduced the size of the upper side guards by a few inches to create more leg room. We don't think anyone will complain about having more room, but it's worth noting that making saddle changes can also help dramatically with this. While some people think these bars are mostly cosmetic or to only mount the light, we can say from experience that they work well as actual protection.

  

Carrying luggage on the back just got a whole lot better. A newly revised rack is much stronger and also lower profile. Carrying cpacity more than doubles from 3kg (6.6lbs) to 7kg (15.4lbs). The old rack had an unsupported bend in it which could be subject to breaking if too much force/weight was placed on the back. Most asphalt surfers wouldn't have to worry about this, but anyone who mules our their bikes on bad roads know what a bottomed out shock can do to your frame and rack mounts.  

 

The seat foam was updated to be slightly firmer. As a heavier rider, my butt couldn't tell much of a difference but lighter riders may find it more noticable. For those spending long days in the saddle, upgrading or customizing the stock seat is one of the first things we recommend. 

 

In 2022, Royal Enfield also introduced a few new slick colors to the lineup including Pine Green, Granite Black and Mirage Silver. Rock Red, Lake Blue and Gravel Grey remain from the previous models. While Rock Red is our favorite of the color options, the new Pine Green really checks the box for those grooving out on paramilitary builds.   

 

At the end of the ride, it was clear someone is listening to their customer base and upped the offerings again on the Himalyan to keep it the number one selling bike for the brand in the United States. With some new bells and whistles, regular improvements and now a wide assortment of colors, these likely won't last long on showroom floors. Kudos to Royal Enfield for going above and beyond by adding the Tripper feature and some much appreciated updates for a minor 300 dollar increase, making the MSRP only $5,299, with three year warranty and ready to navigate! For more info, visit: RoyalEnfield.com and to compare how far this bike has come, check out our review of the 2018 Himalayan.

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Quick shout out to the Royal Enfield Crew who hosted the junket. First, none of this would be possible without Bree Poland, who holds events which feel like family reunions. Based on the amazing spectrum of people who showed up, there's an passionate community developing around the brand and the Himalayan. Responsible for more than just North American markets, she's constantly travelling around the world making sure people know about, and love their bikes. If you see her on the road, be sure to say hello!

Also got a chance to catch up with Jesse Kimball (@GeoMotoADV) who is a cultural mainstay for the Himalayan in the US. He recently organized Royal Enfield's latest "Epic Rides - Alaska" series which we'll hear more about very soon! Last but not least, really happy to meet Ian Schoenleber from "Big Rock Moto" on YouTube. We had some great conversations about the challenges of making content in the modern mediascape.

   

 

 

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