While the proposition of a 650cc Himalayan has been a dream in the making, Royal Enfield is far from ready to bring one out anytime soon. And this has made many impatient. And one such impatient custom house in India decided to take matters into its own hands and make, not a 650cc, but a meatier 822cc parallel-twin engine for the Himalayan ADV.
Auto Engine, based out of Pune, India, took on the challenging task of doubling the cylinders and performance of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. This entry-level ADV is a highly capable motorcycle, but it lacks gravely in power. There have been earlier attempts to slap on a parallel-twin engine in a Himalayan, but none that required dissecting the stock engine.
Yup, the odd "822" number is because this parallel-twin has been made using two stock 411cc Himalayan engines. Auto Engina fortified the frame and swingarm to take double the load as well. As for the styling, Autologue Design, famous for its DIY and bolt-on motorcycle kits, jumped right in to create an exclusive body kit.
By the looks of it, there is a strong design inspiration from a very radical Swedish ADV motorcycle. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 822 is truly an engineering marvel and kudos to the people behind the idea of fusing two stock engines While projects like these are priceless, Auto Engina is putting in the effort to try and build a very limited and highly exclusive bunch of these ferocious Himalayans for a meaty price tag!
The Clever Art Of Making A 411+411cc Himalayan Engine
Creating a new parallel-twin engine from scratch is way easier than fusing two single-cylinder engines. It wasn't meant to work in unison in the first place. But the guys at Auto Engine have been proving it time and again by building parallel-twin engines. Before the 822cc Himalayan, they also made another engine by fusing two single-cylinder 150cc engines of the Bajaj Pulsar (a very popular motorcycle from India).
But the Frankenstein engine created by using two Himalayan engines comes with Godly upgrades in terms of torque, and so poses a lot more challenges. The engine case of a stock 411cc Himalayan is stretched by adding a spacer in between. And then two of the stock cylinder heads are placed on top of it. The pistons are coupled to a custom-built camshaft, along with a lot of other custom components on the inside.
The stroke cycle has been changed to a 180-degree firing order and all the valves have been redesigned. The gearbox, however, has been left untouched and remains a five-speed unit. Auto Engina mentioned to Zig Wheels India that the second gear on their 822cc monster felt like a stock Himalayan in 3rd-4th gear!
Auto Engine recently showcased the 822 Himalayan at the India Bike Week 2022. And it took the dyno run and was revealed that the parallel-twin Himalayan churns out 48.5 hp and 39 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. For reference, a stock 411cc Himalayan puts out 24.5 hp and 23.6 lb-ft at the crank! That's a huge difference with close to double the power figure.
Major Mods To Cooling, Chassis, And Swingarm In This RE
This dual-cylinder creation is a lot different from what Auto Engina did back in the day using a Pulsar 150 because of the notable difference in engine size and performance figures. To cope with the added heft, heat, and torque, Auto Engina has brought about various other mechanical mods as well. The cooling system was upgraded to an oil-cooler unit straight off the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with custom plumbing.
The main frame was fortified to carry the extra weight. Auto Engina also beefed up and widened the swingarm. The rear wheel has been custom-built to take this custom Himalayan's torquey wraith. This beefed-up Himalayan has a curb weight of 530 pounds whereas a stock offering tops out at 440 pounds.
The added heft also demands stronger braking and ride quality. To address the braking situation, Auto Engina took help from KTM. Using the discs from a 390 Adventure, they created a dual-disc setup for the front. As for the suspension setup, while the casing looks stock, Auto Engina has replaced the internals with sturdier springs and high-viscosity oil.
The 822cc RE Himalayan Gets A Cool Custom Body Kit
The custom body kit built by Pune-based Autologue Design is a cherry on top of this meaty Himalayan. Autologue took design inspiration from the uber-cool Husqvarna Norden 901 to create sleek semi-fairings. The red accents and "822" written boldly clearly add to the visual drama. The tires have also been swapped with chunky off-road-ready ones to truly radiate, this parallel-twin Himalayan's go-anywhere nature.
Auto Engina's 822cc Royal Enfield Himalayan Will Cost Over $12,000
While Auto Engina was initially hesitant on selling copies of their cool creation, things have changed! The 822cc Royal Enfield Himalayans will be up for sale but in extremely limited numbers.
Auto Engina in partnership with Autologue Design plans to make 15 units of these beefed-up Himalayans for about $12,100 apiece. You sure can get exotic European Supersports like the Aprilia RS660 or sensible and classy Japanese offerings like the Kawasaki Z650RS for less than that, but never a hand-built unicorn like this RE!
Sources: Auto Engina Instagram, Autologue Design Instagram, Zig Wheels India