Himalayan - Sold

Model	Himalayan
Year	2020 (2020 plate)
Mileage	575 miles
Engine	410cc
Price	SOLD
Location	Wadebridge, Cornwall

Himalayan - Second thoughts

We are still in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown and my thoughts are turning to my future motorcycling.

The Himmie is a good bike, and it is new.  My other bike, my BMW R65LS is also a good bike, but is not new.  It is now thirty six years old. I have had it for twenty seven years. Do I need two bikes?

No I don't need more than one bike. Actually I don't need any bikes at all. But I do like motorcycling.

Himalayan - side stand

The side stand on the Himalayan is bloody awful and Royal Enfield should be ashamed of it. This is even more true as the bike is not the easiest bike to put on the centre stand.

On my BMW R65LS, for comparison the stands are no issue. The side stand holds the bike securely, and it is easy to get the bike onto and off the centre stand.  In addition if either wheel is taken off, the bike tips to rest on the other one. 

Himalayan - storgage

I tried my Givi topbox on the rack. It ends up too far forward for a comfortable ride for the pillion passenger and it looks far too high and, to be honest, a bit ridiculous.

I won't be doing long trips for a while so I do not need a vast amount of space.  Just something for a few extra tools, waterproof leggings (I only wear then when I need to), a flask, some sandwiches, camera, and odds and ends.

Himalayan - Phone Mount and USB

I have a phone mount and USB power on my BMW, and I had the same system on the Bullet before I traded it in for the Himalayan.

The USB connection
I always connect the USB supply to the ignition circuit. That way the battery cannot drain through the phone or satnav when the engine is not running.

Himalayan - the Weak Rack

I needed a solution to the weak rear rack so I can mount a topbox with confidence.  Having somewhere to store tools, a flask, or even two some sandwhiches while wandering around is just so handy.

The rack is not really designed for much load and it tends to break, as in this attached pic (from the web)

Himalayan - Got it

On the 5th of March I drove the Bullet on it's last ride with me to North Cornwall Motorcycles.  I started second kick, didn't miss a beat, and performed faultlessly all the way to the dealers - about 30 miles. Much of the trip was in fine rain.  I could not wait as I had arranged my insurance to flip from the Bullet to the Himalayan at 2pm.  I arrived at NCM at 1:55pm so I was legal till the end.  I was really sorry to see it go.

Himalayan - heated grips

Many years ago I had heated grips on my BMW.  They were very cosy. At the time money was very tight and commercial grips were out of the question. I put a 22Watt torpedo bulb inside each side of the handlebars, connected them to a switch wired through the ignition and Bob's your uncle. It worked fine.

I've changed the handlebars on the bike now and have installed Oxford heated grips.  They work well but the connecting cable are bulky, and get in the way.  The controller has the same issues.

I'm not changing them, but I'd like something a bit neater on the Himalayan so I think I'll go back to my original style.

Himalayan - Buying it

I had looked at a Himalayan before and decided it was more of an off road bike and not really my style.  But then I started to read posts on various websites and blogs that were generally full of praise for it.

I looked more closely and decided it wasn't too outrageous.  I decided to go for a closer look (I had never seen one on the road) and possibly a test ride.