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 - 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.

Bullet - sold

Year	2004
Capacity	500cc
Mileage	7500 miles
Gears	5 - gear lever on the left
Start	Electric or Kickstart
Location	North Cornwall U.K.

   

Bullet - the competition

The BMW is now working.

 

Bullet 1 year in

18/07/2019

The BMW is now insured, MOT'd and rideable.  So is the Bullet. Over the next six months or so I have to get some miles in to decide which of these I keep.  

Bullet - Manifold leak

I had to take a trip to a nearby town (Bodmin) to pick up a parcel.  On the previous trip there had been a bit of popping in the exhaust on the overrun which I had read is indicitive of a leak in the exhaust system. So I took off the exhaust and sealed all the joints with bathroom sealant (weird I thought, but this is the recommended way).

Bullet - the toolkit

The bullet seems to have a mixture of Metric and imperial nuts and bolts.  I am starting this list to come up with the tools I should by carrying on the Bike.

The toolkit, according to the manual comprises:-

Bullet - 10 months in

The BMW is now insured and ready for it's MOT.  How will riding it affect my feelings of the Bullet? Time will tell.

I fitted a new silencer and jetted the carb to Hitchcocks guidelines. It does seem to be a little pokier and quite a bit louder.  Ear plugs when riding are definitely needed. I also fitted a heatshield to the part where my leg touches it when I lean the bike over on the prop stand.

Bullet - The Electrics

I was amazed when I tried out the electrics.  I was taken back in time to my first Scooter, a Lambretta LD.

Why? Because there were basically no lights at all at a tick over! (I always seem to see electrical problems - see my motorhome posts. Maybe it's because I used to be an electronic engineer.)

The Bullet 7 Months in

Not a lot done on the bullet as I have spent most of the last six months restoring my BMW.

I have done a few electrical changes documented here. The only other changes are fitting a better refector headlamp clamp - after I arrived home with the headlamp resting on the front mudguard and hanging on by the wires.

I am still very happy with the bike, I wonder if I will still be as happy when I get the BMW on the road.

The Bullet - points waterproofing

I finally got around to washing it. On with the degreaser, hose it down, next day it would not start!

After checking the spark plug was dry I took of the points cover.  About a half a teaspoonful of water ran out.  In with the hair drier for 5 minutes, then she started first kick.

Now I didn't want this rigmarole every time I use the hose.  The lead comes out of the points cover at the side. So if water gets in here it goes straight onto the points and can't get out as there is no drain hole at the bottom.

Bullet – 2 months in

Changes so Far

• I fitted a pair of new Heidenhau K34 tyres with new Michelin Tubes

• I have changed the handlebars to the standard for the bike.

Biting the Bullet

It was an impulse buy. I had started to restore my very rusted 1984 BMW R65LS and it was dawning on me that, with the time I could spend on it, this would be a 1-2 year project. During that time I had no bike.