Dakar-inspired Royal Enfield Himalayan by Fuel Motorcycles looks rad!

Aditya Chatterjee Updated: May 10, 2019, 05:32 PM IST

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is quite a distinct motorcycle in its price range in India, for it offers all the traits of an ADV motorcycle in a budget price. The internet is already flooded with images of modified Himalayans where riders have tweaked its design and performance in some cases to suit individual tastes. One such custom Royal Enfield Himalayan has been designed by Fuel Motorcycles, a Barcelona-based company that is known to make bespoke motorcycle designs along with riding gear that includes pants, jackets, gloves and boots.

In 2013, Fuel Motorcycles organised a riding event, for scramblers and other customised motorcycles, called Scram Africa, that involved a 2,500km ride to South Africa. For the 2019 iteration, the adventure ride will be conducted for seven days, travelling a distance of more than 1,500km that covers both, on-road and off-road. The event is a round trip that is scheduled to start and finish in Marrakesh, a former imperial city in western Morocco. The first round of this event that started on May 4 will end on May 11, while the second leg will start on May 11 and end on May 18.

Fuel Motorcycles has conceptualised and designed a Dakar-inspired Royal Enfield Himalayan, specially for the event, which looks quite rad. While at heart, this RE Himalayan is still powered by a 411cc single-cylinder that churns out 24.5PS at 6,500rpm and produces 32Nm at 4,250rpm to 4,500rpm. However, this one also gets a modified Suzuki RM-Z450 exhaust, for that authentic scrambler sound note. Fuel has also added a Powertronic ECU plug-in to improve the throttle response. In terms of design, the circular headlight has been replaced by a squared enduro compact assembly sans the windscreen. The tank comes with a Marlboro-colour theme, the pillion seat has been replaced by a removable luggage rack. Additionally, the jaricane holder has been repositioned to the rear for additional luggage carrying capacity.

This Dakar-inspired Royal Enfield Himalayan has been designed by Karles Vives, the founder of Fuel Motorcycles. Vives himself rode the machine in the first leg of the Scram Africa rally. Individuals can take part in the event by paying a registration fee of 3,000 per rider (Rs 2.35 lakh) that covers accommodation, food, technical support and more. Only 20 riders are allowed to take part in each leg of the event. Since the motorcycle is a one-off machine, you definitely cannot buy it. Perhaps, take some inspiration to design yours!