IMOTY 2024: Royal Enfield Himalayan Bags Top Honour; Triumph Scrambler 400 X, KTM 390 Duke Emerge Runners-up

IMOTY 2024: The 17th Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) award – billed as the 'Oscar' of the Indian automotive industry –has been announced in a ceremony held in Mumbai. The IMOTY award ceremony is an annual event when the best motorcycle launched in the year is acknowledged and awarded, and for 2024, the new Royal Enfield Himalayan was crowned the Indian Motorcycle of the Year, while the Triumph Scrambler 400 X and the KTM 390 Duke finished as the first and second runner-up, respectively. 

IMOTY 2024: New Royal Enfield Himalayan Finishes First Overall

The new Royal Enfield Himalayan bagged the top honour overall. It closely contested with some really strong contenders, such as the KTM 390 Duke, Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, Harley-Davidson X440, Triumph Scrambler 400 X, Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, Hero Karizma XMR, and TVS Apache RTR 310. These were the seven finalists shortlisted by the eminent IMOTY jury for the final round, including our Digital Editor Manav Sinha, and Road Test Editor Shivank Bhatt.

Also Read: 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Detailed Review | Your Friendly Neighbourhood SHERPA | autoX

In the end, the Himalayan was declared the ultimate champion. Launched in November 2023, the new Himalayan uses Royal Enfield's modern, 452cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit that is mated to a 6-speed gearbox and slip-and-assist clutch. Called the Sherpa 450, the engine produces 40bhp at 8,000rpm and 40Nm of peak torque at 5,500rpm – about 15 to 16bhp and 8Nm more than the outgoing Himalayan. Moreover, the 452cc Himalayan is also the first Royal Enfield to come with ride-by-wire tech. To refresh your memory, the 2023 IMOTY title went to the Royal Enfield Hunter. 

Meanwhile, the first runner-up, the Triumph Scrambler 400 X, comes equipped with a 398.15cc BS6 engine that generates 39.5bhp and 37.5Nm of peak torque. With a price tag of Rs 2.62 lakh (ex-showroom), it is the company's most affordable Scrambler in the range. Finally, the second runner-up, the KTM 390 Duke features a brand-new, 399cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. With a six-speed transmission, it belts out 39Nm of peak torque at 6,500rpm and 46bhp at 8,000rpm. In the Indian market, the bike comes with a sticker price of Rs 3.11 lakh (ex-showroom). 

IMOTY 2024: Judgement Parameters

Instituted in 2007, IMOTY is the most credible automobile award in the country, adjudged by highly experienced jury members from India's leading automobile magazines. Like before, all the finalists for the IMOTY 2024 were judged on multiple criteria, such as price, fuel efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality, technical innovation, ergonomics, value for money, and suitability for Indian riding conditions.

IMOTY, which independently selects the best bikes every year, has been sponsored by JK Tyre ever since its inception. And to ensure complete transparency in the winner selection process, Deloitte was brought in as the official knowledge partner.

Also Read: autoX Awards 2023: KTM 390 Duke Performance, Quality and Value for Money Ranked

IMOTY 2024: Jury Members

This year’s 14-member IMOTY jury comprised Shivank Bhatt (autoX), Manav Sinha (autoX), Aspi Bhathena & Joshua Varghese (Bike India), Rahul Ghosh & Dipayan Dutta (Auto Today), Sirish Chandran & Aatish Mishra (Evo India), Kartik Ware (Motoring World), Bertrand D’Souza & Rohit Paradkar (Overdrive), Pratheek Kunder (BikeWale), Abhay Verma (Turbocharged), and Varun Painter (Powerdrift).