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Indicators look good. I'm glad you tested the Oxford Atoms as they were on my shopping list. I'll probably try something a little bigger now.
I have the urge to ride again which has been missing for a while. I just received a parking permit for the work carpark so the occasional commute will make it easier to get out for a spin afterwards.
Went for a razz last weekend to bag a few more photos for the photo challenge (Grims Himalayan group, Facebook)
I've only got one left now which is a winter festival, which I think I've failed on as they tend to be before Christmas.
Popped to a premier League wendyball club the 'scenic' way to Wolverhampton.
Birmingham was nearer but someone else in the group had got Aston Villa so I thought I'd go the extra mile.
Quite liked this statue 😂
Then down the way to snap a photo outside a County Cricket Ground. Again, the Himalayan owner who lives near me had already got Warwickshire, so I went for Worcestershire.
The ground (in Worcester) is right next to the river Severn and alarmingly but not unexpectedly was under several feet of water.
Terrible all this flooding 😔
Indicators look good. I’m glad you tested the Oxford Atoms as they were on my shopping list. I’ll probably try something a little bigger now.
They're really nice and neat. I think if you have the numberplate in the original position on the Himalayan and that extra little bit of fender it comes with that I removed, you'll be absolutely fine.
It's only because I'm a little more towards the fashion over function end of the scale 😬 that I cut my fender down and fitted a smaller plate that I get much more splatter at the back than originally. Plus I do ride a lot of hideously muddy lanes.
You'll be fine if on the stock setup I think.
However, those Amazon ones are really brilliant for the money. Aluminium and with bendy stalks and the best thing is the built in resistors.
Absolute bargain.
I'll be keeping the Atoms on the front.
Great solo ride on the TET today from Royal Wootton Bassett to Duntisbourne Leer.
Duntisbourne Leer was the point on the Tet where me and @crosshair of this parish started from last year so it seemed like a good point to stop.
All pretty chilled except one hideous rock step with loads of soft mud beneath it near Bisley.
Got the Himalayan pretty stuck for a bit. Turns out it's pretty hard to pull a 200kg motorcycle out of deep mud on your own!
Got there in the end and at least it kept me warm. 😊
Near Wootton Bassett
Go as far off road as you like. You still get stuck behind a caravan...
Sapperton
Can't park there mate.
Stranded Freelander
Sapperton
Stuck fast and standing up alone.
Hard to capture in a photo but this was about a foot high angled step with deep mud beneath it. Tried again and again to get up, got stuck and had to deadlift the 200kg out of the mud then manhandle it up the step finally!
Well, it's been a while, but I'm home alone and I woke up early and headed straight out.
Not 'straight' out as the battery was flat and it needed 30 minutes on the charger.
Bloody hell it was cold! Really intensely, piercingly cold. It just really highlighted my lack of suitable riding clothes. I need a longer, more substantial coat and some proper trousers. Maybe some handguards to keep the wind off my pinkies.
It's nice having my phone mounted in front of my face so I don't have to pull over every time I get lost. I've got a Garmin now as well so I'm planning to download some GPX's when I figure it out and look for some interesting trails.
I was feeling brave this morning and I ventured away from the tarmac for the first time. Just a little nibble though. Went up and down some quite chunky steps and slithered around in some mud. I'll head for some more challenging stuff when I'm more prepared.
I need to go clothes shopping.
To Hellidon in a handcart.
It's finally happened. My Mrs, who is completely supportive of everything I do, (even though I can't decide what I want to do and jump from thing to thing constantly) has asked my if I'd consider selling the Himalayan.
It's because one of her work colleagues Dad has just had a serious collision. He was doing 50/60 on a dual carriageway and a woman in a Range Rover pulled out on him. Now he's in an induced coma with multiple broken bones unable to breath on his own. Obviously my Mrs is at work with his daughter who is an absolute mess.
I'm not going to sell it immediately but I can't say I haven't considered it. From where I live in Sheffield it's almost impossible to get to the fun stuff without being terrified by someone in a car or van and I've had a few genuine near misses just because everyone races around like a dickhead. I feel like if I ever get splatted by a gigantic SUV it'll be less than 5 minutes from home.
Anyway, I was planning to post up some photos this weekend but it's currently sleeting with snow in the forecast so maybe not.
In May I'm starting a new job where it'll be really easy to ride and park right outside. Then afterwards I'll be a 20 minute ride from Ladybower area. So I'll try that a few times before I make any long term decisions.
Nice out
Warwickshire Alps
Closed roads and no roads.
Ironbridge.
Built in 2008 by Robert Downey Junior for the movie of the same name.
Rad day out in Shropshire yesterday with the Himalayanists.
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Boston.
Waiting for a tea party.
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Walking back to the bike after taking a photo, I noticed the rear tyre was flat 😭
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Tried a can of emergency tyre sealant but it just started spurting out of a gash in the tyre
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No alternative but to whip the wheel out and try to mend the tube which I managed to do after a fair bit of hassle.
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Quick blast through Skegvegas. Hell on earth 😂
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Heading up the coast to Humberston to meet the other half at a Fitties beach chalet.
Saltfleet
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Fitties beach
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I noticed the other day that my rear carrier, replete with top-box, seems to sag towards the rear... :-/ I can't see any sign of cracking or paint damage that would suggest it's been overloaded but I can't help being paranoid. It might have been slightly misaligned from new, but there are a few horror stories out there...
Does anybody have any experience of the various stronger racks that are available? Hitchcocks have a very nice looking one ( https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/38756?cont_page=Royal-Enfield-Himalayan-Accessories&year=2020&facet=Frames%20and%20Racks), but it's eye-wateringly expensive. But so is losing your full top box on the M4, of course... OTOH, if a cheap(er) alternative direct from India (eg https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196222153608) will do the job then I'm happy to save a bit of money.
Any thoughts?
ETA: The ZANA branded ones look quite nice, but don't seem to be available in the UK and the manufacturer's website is a real dog's-breakfast - which disinclines me from ordering there! https://www.zanamotorcycles.com/sc/royal-enfield-himalayan-2016-2020-accessories
Not got much experience sorry.
That Hitchcocks one only takes 10kg still so not too much. I think my standard one takes 7kg.
I've heard talk about them before on the owners club groups. It might be worth asking on the Himalayan and Scram owners club UK group on Facebook if you can.
I believe that some people have braced the original rack up which you might be able to achieve with bolt on stuff or possibly by getting extra braces welded on.
Ask on the group is best.
Great ride to Shropshire last weekend. Did a few green lanes, some more fun than others.
Clee Hill was cool.
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Machu Pichu, Shropshire style.
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I'm doing another photo challenge thing on the owners group. It's a good focus for a ride that links up a few of the categories.
This time, it's getting photos of your bike with pubs, relating to each category.
A bit of a blast around the Cotswolds bagged me a few.
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For this one, 'Body Part', the Stump is my half little finger that fell off in a motorcycle accident in my twenties.
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The odd cheeky (very) green lane on my way.
Coln Rogers
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Welshpool/Powys ride.
Just shy of 100 miles.
Absolutely beautiful area.
Countless places I would not have seen if not for the Himalayan.
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My forks are scored on my cheapo Vstrom and I'm weighing up the pros and cons of paying £500 to get it fixed vs part ex-ing it for something new.
I've quite enjoyed the extra power over the old Meteor, but not the fuel costs so much as a commuter. My local dealer is pumping out the old ones at £4000 which seems like a bargain, are they still useful? Or should I hang on fix the Vstrom and get something different in 2025?
Or is there anything else good, cheap (£5k or less) and reliable for a year round commuter?
I wouldn't still buy a new old Himalayan.
There are so many part used ones about now for not much over 2k and often pretty low mileage.
Seems like a great choice for a commuter.
There seems to be quite a few sets of VStrom forks about if you search.
My Strom is the 1000, are the forks interchangeable? Looks like most people are asking about going the other way. Used forks would probably the best answer tbh, it's getting difficult to get someone to take my money to sort these at the moment. Guessing everyone is trying to get bikes on the road now.
Whatcote
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296491075351
I might regret this but I've seen something else I want and need to free up the space and the cash. I'm not desperate to sell it but the 'other thing' would be very nice.
Had an unexpected opportunity for a spin on the new 450 Himalayan today.
Much quicker off the mark than the 411, but I felt really lacking in character in how it rides AND looks.
That tank is just as eye-wateringly ugly in the flesh as I'd thought in photos.
Very much felt like you were sat ON the bike, rather than IN the bike like the 411.
Not sure what it would be like off road but it lacks the lovely low down chug of the 411.
Seat height is noticeably higher which I think makes it likely to instill less confidence off road for a shorter rider trying to get a foot down.
I didn't get to ride it off road unfortunately as I was stuck in an endless series of Midlands traffic lights and suburbs.
I'm sure as with most things, you'd get used to how it rides but as a direct comparison to the 411, not for me.
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Just a heads up for those looking for things to add to puncture kits. Ordered one of these last week and it turned up yesterday.
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Did an MTB tyre up to 30 psi in <5 mins this morning and the battery indicator didn't change. Not had time to test on a motorbike tyre yet. Seems solid https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005855215638.html?spm=a2g0o.order_detail.order_detail_item.3.3114f19ccBvG2u.
Should be good for airbeds and the like for camping trips too.
It's about the size and weight of a laptop power pack, usb-c quick charging.
It was on a ridculous deal when I bought it so I got it for <£10 delivered but I think it's still reasonable value at £16.
Yeah I've got a similar one.
Works well but I don't think I'll carry it on the bike.
Getting to be carrying way too much kit!
It does most stuff but maxes out at 50psi and my van rears are 54 if I recall.
If you open a new account you can get it for £2 plus a bit of postage.
When I sell my guzzi I'll be looking at a Himalayan for trundling about on and it looks an easy carry.
I'll test it on a flat tyre on the Guzzi at the weekend and see how it copes.
Shirley carrying a pump with an on-board rechargeable battery is a bit pointless when you could just plug a 12V pump into the vehicle's electrical system? :-/
I'm sure it has its uses, but I'm struggling to thing of one where you don't have another power source or a mini-pump would suffice.
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Fair point, well made. 🙂 I got around this by removing the casing from a cheap 12V pump (it's amazing how much is for show/wasted space!) and carrying it in a little pouch for protection. On reflection, the cable and plug probably take up as much space as the battery in the self-contained unit...
Great weekend up to my ancestral homelands of the Wirral visiting fam.
Camping near Chester.
Dee Day today.
I took the scenic route back loosely following the River Dee from Chester down to Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Llangollen.
Did some diversions and caught some really good green lanes around Llangollen. A bit maybe at the harder end than I'd have liked on my own with a fully loaded bike but all good.
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Liverpool yonder
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Formby from New Brighton
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New Brighton
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Top of One Giant Leap downhill tracks above Llangollen. It's a really steep hill so I bet the tracks are pretty rad 👌
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I don't want a bike. The idea does nothing for me.
But I see photos of my Kashmiri friend riding his and I really really want a RE Himalayan. Like REALLY want one. And going to Kashmir - it seems beyond wonderful. Possibly even nicer on the back of a Himalayan.
The 2024 version - is it much better? The original version was everywhere when I was in Ladakh last year - the hire places had them by the hundreds.
They said we were crazy. They said it couldn't be done. They said...
Ok, they didn't say any of that but, on 10th of July 2024, 7 intrepid riders from Grims Himalayan Group set out to ride 1000km or about 635 miles over 4 days, on as many legal green lanes as possible from Chepstow and the confluence of the Wye and Severn valleys to Jedburgh in the Scottish borders.
The riding days were long, mostly 9-12 hours and the bikes were heavy, loaded up with camping gear, some of us more delicate types even choosing to pack folding chairs.
The ride was tirelessly planned, researched, put together and adjusted on the fly by Mr Roalfe from Grims Himalayan Group. It was a great route and had just the right mix of difficulty for everyone on the trip with some utterly sublime scenery along the way.
We had plenty of thrills, lost count of the spills and every single Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 on that trip just stood up to the abuse remarkably well, the most serious 'mechanical' being a new sprocket carrier bearing required which was sorted quickly by a fantastic old school bike mechanic in Buxton.
I actually managed to attain the title for first crash of the trip, and I managed several more. I was not alone however.
Best comedy moment was a river crossing near the end where two riders fully lay down in the river.
It was difficult with big hidden boulders underwater.
Myself and another person elected to get wet boots and walk our bikes across after that!
Looking forward to the next Himalayan adventure!
The route 1000k ish
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Jedward!
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That looks like an awesome trip
Ah, the forum has made all the photos I've added previously invisible.
How wonderful.
I've just joined the ranks with possibly the roughest Himalayan in the country 🙂
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Engine bars and panniers and rear racks are already off as it wouldn;t fit in the shed with them on and I can't see me ever using them.
Oh and it turns out you can fit one in a wheelchair adapted Alhambra 🙂
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Rear end tidied up a bit and rear racks now off. Been out for a couple of hours tracking down all of the random vibrations, think I'm down to the headlight rim as the last one to sort now.
Genuinely astonished at how easy to ride it is, makes you go hunting for the narrowest, nadgery, bumpy little lanes where it excels.
How on earth though did they manage to source such a poor front brake when the rear is so good?
It needs some off road tyres before I take it off road but even hitting patches of gravel, potholes and farm muck doesn't phase it !
Got carried away and took a little air on a hump back bridge and it just soaked it up without blinking.
I don't know if I would be as pleased with it if I'd paid £2.5k, which seems to be what all the ones in eBay are fetching, but for £800 it's brilliant.