Meet Himalati: the Himalayan 440 Royal Enfield never made
How a second-hand Himalayan 411 from Delhi became a 6-speed Himalayan 440 in Assam, what it cost, and how it rides.
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Look at the cockpit and you’ve already guessed the bike: an OG Himalayan. But there’s a catch. This isn’t a Himalayan 411 any more. It’s a Himalayan Latitude 440, with a 440 engine and six gears, and the old-school dash I love. This is how it happened.
Years of “some day”
For three or four years I had a strong fascination with motorcycles, adventure motorcycles especially. I really wanted one, but time, convenience and money kept getting in the way. I also already had a Gixxer 150 for my daily office commute, so it’s not like I had no bike at all. I was making do. Deep inside, though, I wanted an adventure bike, and I spent those years watching every launch, review and ride video on YouTube.
By late 2023 the interest was serious, but the Himalayan 411 had already been discontinued and the Himalayan 450 was on its way. So I waited.
Why not the 450, the 390 Adventure or the Scram?
The Himalayan 450 arrived, I took a test ride and loved it. It’s an awesome bike. But on-road it came to almost ₹4 lakh, and after that I’d still need riding gear and a helmet, which is a lot of extra money. It didn’t fit my budget. Then came the KTM 390 Adventure: same story.
Then came the Scram 440. Royal Enfield took the 411 engine, changed the bore and made it a 440. There were some early issues, they got fixed, and the reviews were positive: a no-nonsense bike. Bikes are full of tech now and the raw, mechanical feel is fading. If you want something simple that any roadside mechanic can fix, the Scram is a good bike. I test-rode it and loved the low-end torque and the character of that long-stroke engine.
But the category I wanted was adventure: a proper 21-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear. Not because I do hardcore off-roading. I just like the stance, the ergonomics and the road presence of an adventure bike.
So I kept thinking: if they can make a Scram 440, why not a Himalayan 440? The Scram was about ₹2.8 to 2.9 lakh, the Himalayan 450 about ₹4 lakh. That gap is huge.
Then TNT Motorcycles posted an ad
TNT Motorcycles builds custom bikes: different looks, more power, gearboxes, you name it. They’re experts in customisation, and you’ll find a link to them on Royal Enfield’s own website.
Right when I was dreaming about it, their ad popped up on Instagram: “We are making the Himalayan Latitude 440.” Basically what Royal Enfield did officially with the Scram, done on a Himalayan 411. If you already own a Himalayan, you get a 440 engine, a 6th gear, about 1–2 bhp more and about 1–2 Nm more torque.
I DMed them immediately, a long message: how does this work when I live in Assam and don’t even own a Himalayan? About a week later they replied that my message was so detailed they’d rather call. I shared my number and got a call the same day.
They gave me two options:
- Buy a second-hand bike in Assam and ship it to them. They modify it and send it back.
- They find a bike for me in Delhi, modify it, and ship it to Assam.
I took the second one. I wouldn’t have known whether a bike was good, who had ridden it, or how to check its condition. They promised to inspect any bike and only refer it if it felt 100% fine, and then connect me directly with the seller. No middlemen: I’d pay the seller myself.
The bike hunt
They started searching, and I browsed OLX for Delhi listings and forwarded two or three. One got shortlisted: a 2022 Himalayan 411, from around July or August 2022, the one I’m riding now. They inspected everything, took it for a test ride, and told me: we can go ahead with this one.
The seller had listed it for about ₹2 lakh. After some back and forth, we settled at ₹1.65 lakh. TNT picked the bike up, modified it at their garage and shipped it to Guwahati.
What was done
| Part | What |
|---|---|
| Engine | TNT Himalayan Latitude 440 conversion: 440 engine, 6-speed gearbox |
| Wheels | Stock spoked rims made tubeless with the Way2Speed kit |
| Air filter | K&N performance filter |
| Exhaust | Powerrage performance exhaust |
What it cost
| Bike, conversion and mods | about ₹2,50,000 |
| Shipping Delhi to Guwahati | about ₹10,000 |
| Delivered home | about ₹2,60,000 |
From TNT’s invoice, roughly (including GST): 440 conversion with the 6th gear ≈ ₹45,000, Powerrage exhaust ≈ ₹8,000, K&N filter ≈ ₹7,000, tubeless conversion ≈ ₹14,000 plus new tubeless tyres ≈ ₹8,000, and sourcing, inspection, shipping, RTO and labour ≈ ₹10,000. With the bike, that comes to about ₹2.57 lakh.
Why the Himalayan over the rest
At this budget, proper adventure options are few. I could have bought the Hero XPulse 210, the Yezdi Adventure, or TVS’s new RTX (not a proper adventure bike, but made for adventure touring). What put me off was what I kept seeing online: servicing issues, engine issues, poor response at service centres. Royal Enfield has issues too, but they’re minor ones that get sorted when you visit the service centre.
With a budget under ₹3 lakh, this was the best solution I found. I had thought of simply buying a second-hand 411 and doing something later. But the 411 has one big issue: long touring gets frustrating. There’s no 6th gear and the engine feels stressed on the highway. Once there was a fix for that, it was a no-brainer.
The bad news
I got the bike, it’s tip-top. And then the news: Royal Enfield itself is making a Himalayan 440. After all that effort to get something that didn’t exist, they decided to make one just after I got mine. My timing got a bit messed up, and that stung.
But it isn’t all bad news:
- Parts. With a 440 back in the line-up, parts at RE service centres will be easy to find again. My engine uses official RE parts, so I can get them when needed. It’s not a one-off custom build, it’s almost an official modification.
- Accessories. Aftermarket makers had moved on to the 450 and the 390 Adventure. With a Himalayan 440 on sale, accessories for my bike will come back too.
- Build quality. Mass-produced bikes can have issues, even brand new. Mine was built by a dedicated team, for this one bike, and they tested it, rode it and fixed things before sending it. The chances of a problem from the conversion should be very low.
So what felt like bad news, I feel good about now.
How it rides
An honest disclaimer: I never rode a 411, so I can’t give you a direct comparison. I’ve only test-ridden the Scram 440. What I can say:
- Vibrations are much lower than I expected. In 5th at 80 km/h there’s virtually nothing at the handlebar, just a slight buzz at the footpegs. The bike is very stable.
- The pickup is great. Just twist the throttle and go.
- 80, 90, 100 km/h all day feels possible without getting tired, although I haven’t done a long tour yet.
- The dash doesn’t know 6th gear exists. It’s the 5-speed 411 console, so in 6th it shows “G-”, as if no gear is engaged. Doesn’t bother me at all: whether it says G, 7 or 10, as long as the bike runs well.
I’ve done over 500 km, mostly in town. Since the engine was modified, I was told to keep the RPM low for the first 500 km and to change the oil around then. I filled Castrol 10W-40, recommended by TNT, and the bike became noticeably smoother. This was also my first ride fully geared up. No hesitation, nothing. It feels damn good.
Final thoughts: pick the bike you love
Choosing a bike is completely personal: what you like, how you ride, whether it’s mostly city or long tours. There’s no such thing as a good or bad bike. The one you like is the best bike for you.
There are a few obvious mistakes to avoid, though. Skip brands with a weak service network, terrible parts availability (waiting 2–3 months for a part), or service centres that don’t respond. In the long run that matters a lot.
Beyond that, be clear about what you actually want. Once you’re 100% certain, even a café racer can go to Ladakh, no problem. You just have to love that bike, 100% committed.
Want to see every mod on the bike? Explore Himalati →