[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

- of the bike stalling at lower RPM's. I asked them to rectify it during 1st Service as well as the 2nd Service but the problem has never been completely resolved. It had gotten so bad in the last few months of lockdown that in the first 10-15 kilometres if i ran into busy traffic, I had to keep the clutch depressed and give the bike some throttle to ensure it does not die. It was absolutely crazy.

The BS4 has two major issues -
1-The breather tubes of the evap canister, I somehow found the routing to be illogical. At some points the tubes get pinched somehow hereby restricting the free flow. I got the issue sorted out with my trusty mechie who used to work on my CL 500 by rerouting all the cables. I am looking out for an option to completely do away with the evap.
2- I always open the filler lid of the tank, everytime when the bike is parked under hot sun and most of the time I do hear a loud sound of the pressure getting released from the tank.
All these contribute to the infamous "Stalling issue" on the Himalayan.

[Red Liner]

Maybe the himalayan is still the best adventure bike on a budget?

The KTM 390 Adventure in stock form, tyres, suspension, et all is a very capable machine.

https://youtu.be/ujFJiw8UKfc

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

I always open the filler lid of the tank, everytime when the bike is parked under hot sun and most of the time I do hear a loud sound of the pressure getting released from the tank.
All these contribute to the infamous "Stalling issue" on the Himalayan.

There is a valve of sorts on the cap which is responsible of preventing vapor lock, the design of the BS4 motorcycles have changed and is prone to resulting in vapor locks quite early in the life of the motorcycle.

A friend and fellow enthusiast got fed up of the same on his BS4 motorcycle and scrapped it yesterday;









You could consider the same.

On some of the earlier BS3 motorcycles from Honda we've seen similar valves but they weren't this restrictive and would only clog after considerable aging, the ZMA had the same;



On my BS3 Bajaj's it is a joke, on CT100B there is no valve, petrol is free to evaporate to the atmosphere, more evident when tank is full as it leaves visible residue on the tank and lid. On the P220 the seal acts as the valve, the older the motorcycle gets it swells and you'd have to open the tank if riding after parking the motorcycle under the sun, since its not much of a concern I've been ignoring to replace the setup that costs about 650/- for the whole cap.

[ArizonaJim]

My 2011 Royal Enfield 500 has the "California" Department Of Safety fuel system on it. With this system, the fuel tank filler is sealed, like the newer BS models so the tank is not free to vent to the atmosphere.

Yes, when it sits in the sunlight the pressure inside the fuel tank increases. If I remove the filler cap, I can easily hear the excess pressure escape.

IMO, the only effect this has on the fuel injection system is to increase the total pressure to the injector. This is because the fuel pump has a pressure relief valve in it. The valve compares the pressure in the fuel line to the injector with the pressure around it which of course is, the pressure in the fuel tank. The end result of this is, the 43 psi fuel pressure to the injector, becomes greater by whatever the increased pressure in the fuel tank is so, if the internal tank pressure was 5 psi, the actual pressure to the injector would be 43+5=48 psi.
Under the most unfavorable conditions, this increase might make the engine run a bit rich but my spark plug's condition when I check it, says this is not happening.

Now, if the pressure valves are not letting fresh air into the tank to replace the fuel that has been burned, that can be a problem.
If a vacuum exists inside the fuel tank, the fuel pump will not be able to deliver the fuel to the injector. That will lead to the engine loosing power and dying.

The bottom line is, I don't mind seeing the fuel tank's internal pressure increasing but if it decreases below normal atmospheric pressure, I've got a problem.
The problem can be temporarily fixed by opening the filler cap and letting some fresh air enter the tank.

[shyamg28]

This is a 2 part query and 1 part information/update:

1. Engine oil leakage

I have noticed slight engine oil leakage recently-





My bike is at 2 years/23k kms. It's the first time I'm facing this issue - I changed oil around 2.5k kms ago.
Any obvious checks?

2. Front brake pads upgrade

I want to upgrade my Front brake to the EBC sintered brake pads. My concern is that the sharper braking may create more chances of me losing my front. I was suggested to upgrade my front fork oil to 10W but I see that it is already at that as per the manual:



Any suggestions? Some articles mentioned 2 years as a good time to change the fork oil.

3. Top box

Can anyone suggest a good Top Box for the Himalayan? Requirements are the following:
1. Price - 10-12k all inclusive (including Top box, supporting racks etc.)
2. Storage - Should be able to hold one full-face helmet, couple of riding jackets & knee-guards.
3. Usage - everyday commuting to office. Touring (anything from 2 to 20 days).
4. Safety - should be able to leave it fixed on the bike when it's parked anywhere/everywhere.
5. High-speed handling - Cruising at sub-120kmph speeds should be possible without interference.
6. Ease of use - Clip-on setup so that it can be attached/detached with ease.

I have purchased the SHAD SH39 from Bikenbiker, which is yet to be fit but for anyone interested, here's the invoice:



I wanted to be able to fit a couple of jackets and knee guards and this more than serves the purpose for it.
The SH42 is slightly bigger and cheaper, but the quality of SH39 seemed far superior.

SH42:


SH39:

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

1. Engine oil leakage

I have noticed slight engine oil leakage recently-

Its an air cooled motor, ignore insignificant leaks.

Also this is just about when you should count your blessings for going for the Himalayan instead of the liquid cooled ADV 390/GS 310 etc.

Any obvious checks?

Provided you have the habit of glancing at the oil inspection window before hoping on to the motorcycle, all would be fine.

If you don't then do make it a habit irrespective of leak or not.

2. Front brake pads upgrade

I want to upgrade my Front brake to the EBC sintered brake pads. My concern is that the sharper braking may create more chances of me losing my front.

Practice Threshold Braking.

If you're serious about riding and your own safety then there is no skipping the basics.

And if you're still wondering, there's no such thing as "Too Much Braking".

Any suggestions? Some articles mentioned 2 years as a good time to change the fork oil.

Around 10~15k is a good enough interval to rebuild the front end, a thumb rule to follow is to change the cone-set as well, this saves you maintenance costs and ensures peace of mind.

People do extend a rebuild until the cone-set gives up(you can rock fork tube outers to inspect play), or either of the seals go for a toss to go for a complete front end rebuild, though that does have an adverse effect on handling.

Regards,
A.P.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Its an air cooled motor, ignore insignificant leaks.
Provided you have the habit of glancing at the oil inspection window before hoping on to the motorcycle, all would be fine.
If you don't then do make it a habit irrespective of leak or not.

I don't do it before every ride. I do check it from time to time (say every 2 weeks). I can make it a point to check every day. Thanks.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Practice Threshold Braking.
If you're serious about riding and your own safety then there is no skipping the basics.

I didn't know it was called that, but upon reading on it further, I realized that's more or less what I've been doing, what with the Himalayan's rear so eager to lock up as well, best to release and re-apply the brakes. I do that on the front as well.
I have a non-ABS model which mandates that I "think" every time I brake
(Lest someone misunderstands, I am NOT implying that you don't have to learn braking if you have ABS)

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Around 10~15k is a good enough interval to rebuild the front end, a thumb rule to follow is to change the cone-set as well, this saves you maintenance costs and ensures peace of mind.

Cone set changed at 21k kms so all good there. My concern is more with the dip of the long travel suspension.
I just want to make sure that I can safely go for the EBC brake pads to better the front braking performance, whilst ensuring I don't lose my front-end.
Towards that end, I was suggested to use 10w fork oil. Is there any recommendation for that?

Bigger question might be, do the brake pads even make a significant difference?
It has been suggested to me, but what better than to get an opinion from someone who's "been there done that".

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

This is a 2 part query and 1 part information/update:

1. Engine oil leakage

I have noticed slight engine oil leakage recently-
My bike is at 2 years/23k kms. It's the first time I'm facing this issue - I changed oil around 2.5k kms ago.
Any obvious checks?

2. Front brake pads upgrade

I want to upgrade my Front brake to the EBC sintered brake pads. My concern is that the sharper braking may create more chances of me losing my front. I was suggested to upgrade my front fork oil to 10W but I see that it is already at that as per the manual:

Any suggestions? Some articles mentioned 2 years as a good time to change the fork oil.

Shyam, the part of leaks you are observing are from the head pinch bolts to the cylinder. The solution is to remove those bolts, use a new copper crush washer and grey sealant around the copper base, helps curb leaks, the best cheap fix said and done by RE mechanics themselves.

Secondly, I use the EBC, and they are great pads, but they horribly take their time to bed in and the process can be painful for aggressive brake action with little to no feedback offered. Once bedded, they offer little to none feel factor, but anchor like a ship and BITE really hard progressively.

Fork oil not necessarily. Two years is a good replacement schedule, but unless you have excess dive, don't bother. But it's a good practice to replace the fluids every two to three years.

Cheers!
VJ

[Motard_Blr]

I have used the same EBC FA181HH sintered brake pads, but not on a Himalayan. I used them twice on my Pulsar 200 NS. My experience with them was that they were great and matched my front brake heavy riding style.

I was intiative apprehensive about over-sensitive bite, especially during the monsoon. But that never happened. In fact, I found plenty of controllable bite. If you have an ABS equipped bike, then it is even safer. I actually loved the experience with the HH pads, but not the price. At almost 3k for a set that lasted me about 8k km, they are quite expensive. To give you an idea of my front brake usage, I replaced the front brake disc after 48k km when I found that it was thinner than the 3.5 mm thickness limit.

For the fork oil, you can inspect or sample the oil without removing the fork. Open the top caps and use a syringe with a long tube attached to take oil samples. If the oil is dark, cloudy or has particles in it, replace the oil. Oil will lose viscosity as it gets used and low viscosity oil means insufficient damping and excessive front end dive. If in doubt, just have the fork oil replaced. It's not an expensive job.

Generally, fork oil will last longer when riding gently on good roads. And vice-versa.

[shyamg28]

Shyam, the part of leaks you are observing are from the head pinch bolts to the cylinder. The solution is to remove those bolts, use a new copper crush washer and grey sealant around the copper base, helps curb leaks, the best cheap fix said and done by RE mechanics themselves. Secondly, I use the EBC, and they are great pads, but they horribly take their time to bed in and the process can be painful for aggressive brake action with little to no feedback offered. Once bedded, they offer little to none feel factor, but anchor like a ship and BITE really hard progressively.

I was intiative apprehensive about over-sensitive bite, especially during the monsoon. But that never happened. In fact, I found plenty of controllable bite. If you have an ABS equipped bike, then it is even safer. I actually loved the experience with the HH pads, but not the price. At almost 3k for a set that lasted me about 8k km, they are quite expensive. To give you an idea of my front brake usage, I replaced the front brake disc after 48k km when I found that it was thinner than the 3.5 mm thickness limit.

Thank you Vijay! Coming from a Himalayan owner, this was very helpful
I'll be sure to bring this up when I get it serviced next.
A realistic opinion helps always - question back to you based on what you said is, would you use them again?

My apprehension too is for monsoons and thus the fear. But this puts it to rest. I'm a heavy front-brake user so I'm ready to give it a shot at least the one time.

Fork oil not necessarily. Two years is a good replacement schedule, but unless you have excess dive, don't bother. But it's a good practice to replace the fluids every two to three years.

For the fork oil, you can inspect or sample the oil without removing the fork. Open the top caps and use a syringe with a long tube attached to take oil samples. If the oil is dark, cloudy or has particles in it, replace the oil. Oil will lose viscosity as it gets used and low viscosity oil means insufficient damping and excessive front end dive. If in doubt, just have the fork oil replaced. It's not an expensive job. Generally, fork oil will last longer when riding gently on good roads. And vice-versa.

Thank you gents!
Mine has crossed 2 years exactly (yesterday was the date actually ).
I've not particularly noticed excessive diving but I thought that may happen if I get brake pads with sharper bite.
I will be vigilant and be sure to check out the oil as well.

[k_ajay]

Query: will there be a Himalayan 650? If yes, any idea when?

[lancia_fanboy]

Query: The stock headlamp in Himalayan is a firefly at best, what do I replace it with? Someone who has done the change, could you please help out here.

[rahul4321]

Completed a 300 kilometre weekend ride with around a 100 kilometres through incredibly heavy rain. The bike performed like a champ, apart from the front brake which is scary due to lack of bite — especially on wet roads which are lined with traces of mud (doesn’t help that my other bike is a Duke 390 which stops on a dime so my statements are always relative and not absolute). But the pleasure of riding through bad roads, broken tarmac and small potholes without having to reduce speed excessively was awesome. The suspension is truly remarkable. Very comfortable, supple and predictable

[jackerhack]

Originally Posted by lancia_fanboy

Query: The stock headlamp in Himalayan is a firefly at best, what do I replace it with? Someone who has done the change, could you please help out here.

I replaced with a Maddog LED DRL headlamp, acquired from Gear Gear Motorcycles in Bangalore. I totally love it. It has an actual DRL instead of simply running the headlight at all times. The main light doesn't blind incoming traffic, and the high beam has sufficient visibility for 80 kmph on a dark road.

I got stopped once at a traffic checkpoint where the cop explained that all such mods were unauthorised and I should only be using the stock lights. No fine, so I do not know if this was a legal opinion or he was simply having a bad day.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Query: will there be a Himalayan 650? If yes, any idea when?

The Himalayan 650 has been a figment of online media's imagination so far. There has been no word from RE regarding a Himalayan 650, no test mules have been spotted anywhere in the country.

If you're asking because you're planning on buying a motorcycle, I would advise you to look at other alternatives.