[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by bblost

I replaced my first set of rear brake pads at 5k. Bad foot placement.

The second set is still going strong at almost 30k.

Wow. Are you still on the stock pads? I'm planning on getting the Vesrah Ceramic Pads. Any opinions?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Wow. Are you still on the stock pads? I'm planning on getting the Vesrah Ceramic Pads. Any opinions?

I am only using the OEM stuff. The last service time, the guy opened the brakes and said they are fine and put them back.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Wow. Are you still on the stock pads? I'm planning on getting the Vesrah Ceramic Pads. Any opinions?

I'm on 2nd set of rear brake pads too. 45k kms.

Used Vesrah Ceramic pads for about 10k kms, including to Spiti & back. Better than stock. Not significantly. Still worth the cost. I would go for them again.

Full disclosure, I had to get my front disc replaced after the trip because of wear, pattern, not rusting. I don't believe it had to do with the better pads but instead, just age. Might be prudent nonetheless to speak to a service advisor about it.

Regardless, even the ever so slightly better braking, will keep you mentally at peace riding out every day, than eventually replacing discs (that costs about 4k if I recall right).
Also check the EBCs. Quite a few have recommended it. I personally am yet to try.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

I'm on 2nd set of rear brake pads too. 45k kms.

How long did you first set last for?

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Used Vesrah Ceramic pads for about 10k kms, including to Spiti & back. Better than stock. Not significantly. Still worth the cost. I would go for them again.

Regardless, even the ever so slightly better braking, will keep you mentally at peace riding out every day, than eventually replacing discs (that costs about 4k if I recall right).

In what manner is it better? Is it wrt feedback or bite or braking distance?

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

How long did you first set last for?

Can't recall accurately as I haven't put all this down in an excel as I should have. But I think around 20k was the first time.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

In what manner is it better? Is it wrt feedback or bite or braking distance?

Feedback, not so much. Bite is better. Distance depends on how tightly one pulls at the lever. Even the OE would stop, but required more effort. Vesrah is marginally better.

[100Kmphormore]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Bit of a weight loss program on my Himalayan since it's no longer being used for touring purposes -

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Hey Shyam
Is this Shad:topbox/Givi topbox on your Wee silent on bad roads/patchy roads and stable? I have been using a BSDDP 45L topbox for a couple of trips until on ghat sections while cornering, the yaw got so pronounced and the pat-pat noise on bad roads got so irritating I decided to sell it off. Using a touring backpack from Thomas Cook ever since, can I trust these not to deliver a Metallica concert?

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Hey Shyam
Is this Shad:topbox/Givi topbox on your Wee silent on bad roads/patchy roads and stable? I have been using a BSDDP 45L topbox for a couple of trips until on ghat sections while cornering, the yaw got so pronounced and the pat-pat noise on bad roads got so irritating I decided to sell it off. Using a touring backpack from Thomas Cook ever since, can I trust these not to deliver a Metallica concert?

Hahaha! The early thrash from Metallica you mean

For me the yaw has never been pronounced with a pillion. And I'm generally a slow rider.
Riding alone (and with a group), I very much prefer not to have the top box, especially because I know I can ride faster, so I don't want the top box reducing my already reduced capability of riding decently fast.

The sound, ah well, that's something that I've gotten used to by now. The more you stuff in (not weight but volume), the lesser movement there is inside the top box, which helps. I tried using bungees to ensure I could fasten items in place within the box but no luck with that jugaad lol.

The Givi Monokey is what I have. Far superior according to me than the SHAD SH39 that I use on my Himalayan. Had posted a couple of pics here (The Riding Gear thread). But it will still have the same effect as your current box. Sound and fish tailing included. That doesn't change much with any top box. Maybe an inner soft box would help reduce the sound. I haven't tried.

By the way, if the sound is coming from the plate on which the box is held, then the Givi M7 plate is awesome! The SHAD plate as well makes some sounds.

All in all, I've gotten used to this and nothing has fallen off and no nuts & bolts have broken off so I don't care that much. In city, these are a great option!

Touring, try & add weight to the front of the bike if you want to continue using a top box. Something like crash bar bags should help. The Viaterra ones for Himalayan work aces I believe.

Let us know which way you lean and your experience!

[100Kmphormore]

Hahaha! The early thrash from Metallica you mean

Anyone who has heard Master of Puppets will relate . Thanks for sharing your detailed experience with the boxes!

Riding alone (and with a group), I very much prefer not to have the top box, especially because I know I can ride faster, so I don't want the top box reducing my already reduced capability of riding decently fast.

My opinion is just that, sir. To the T.

The more you stuff in (not weight but volume), the lesser movement there is inside the top box, which helps. I tried using bungees to ensure I could fasten items in place within the box but no luck with that jugaad lol.

For me, the box is really full when i am touring for a week, not like the regular weekenders I do. Its the items like a water bottle or any tea/coffee/chcocolate packets you pick up that causes the imbalance in load, compared to a couple set of clothes. Securing them has been a failure for me too.

Trying the Viaterra tailbag this time. Hopefully will be a better experience, as these might be the last days of my Himalayan ownership, as the power, weight and suspension too is not a balance of road-offroad, it being more offroad biased, causing the yaw. Struck a potential deal on a well maintained 390 Adventure, proceeding only if it feels like a fit, else a new/preowned Versys/Ninja 650 is on the cards.

[100Kmphormore]

Trying the Viaterra tailbag this time. Hopefully will be a better experience, as these might be the last days of my Himalayan ownership, as the power, weight and suspension too is not a balance of road-offroad, it being more offroad biased, causing the yaw.

Had been to Agumbe just this weekend with my friend on his Gixxer 250SF (25-26 March), asked Amazon to do a priority delivery of my Viaterra tailbag by Friday 10 pm vs expected delivery date of 25 March, they did so, giving me a chance to try it out.

The Viaterra Element tailbag is very well designed to sit on the rear seat without the side pockets protruding onto the sides. Quite spacious too, at 35L. Has a rain cover too, to protect from rains or splashes. Only drawback i could think of is the lack of locking/clip on type straps like the Viaterra Claw(you have to fasten using the long straps into the backpack type fasteners) and the lack of a locking mechanism like a topbox in case you are walking into a restaurant and have expensive camera equipment in it, since everytime you will have to unfasten the straps and take the bag with you, and again mount it (which, with heavy riding gear like Rynox jackets on in the heat, feels like a punishment) which is a time consuming process.

Riding wise is where it excels. There is no yaw/movement if you have secured it properly (documentation is very well given and theres a youtube video on their page as well) and feels one with the bike. Could corner easily without that yaw and irritating tapping sound that a topbox produces, as the roads are patchy after Kottigehara. Feels very premium and a well designed product for a 3-4 day trip at Rs.2699.

[100Kmphormore]

Guys,
The clutch plates on my Himalayan seem to have burnt at just 14k on the odo, 1 year and 3 months later. Had left it for a checkup at AOM and am being quoted 4.4K for the clutch plates alone, apart from some problems in the rear suspension, which seems to sag and braking issues especially with rear which seem to be jamming. Is this normal for a BS6 Himalayan, especially the clutch plates? I am a careful rider and rev match while shifting never touched the redline at all.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Guys,
The clutch plates on my Himalayan seem to have burnt at just 14k on the odo, 1 year and 3 months later. Had left it for a checkup at AOM and am being quoted 4.4K for the clutch plates alone, apart from some problems in the rear suspension, which seems to sag and braking issues especially with rear which seem to be jamming. Is this normal for a BS6 Himalayan, especially the clutch plates? I am a careful rider and rev match while shifting never touched the redline at all.

Most RE's burn clutch plates faster than usual. Clutch wear is partially accelerated by a rider's riding pattern and also how well the clutch is adjusted and a phenomenon called clutch graze, where the rider unintentionally mildly engages the clutch while resting the hands over the clutch lever, which would accelerate the clutch wear faster.

Overall, the build quality of the Hima, isn't great. You can try stiffening the suspension to control the sag, and the rear brake jamming, again a common issue on the Hima's due to caliper sliders running out of grease, can be sorted with periodic greasing of the caliper pin/sliders. There have been many cases with the rear brake jamming on the Hima, leading to a rotor that gets piping hot and starts smoking, eventually leading to a seized caliper and a warped rotor.

The issues you've iterated have been present right from BS4s.

What I'd recommend while you're at it.

1. Remove your rear swing arm, suspension linkages and get those bearing greased and repacked of both the swing arm and the suspension linkages.

2. AoM seem to have fabricated a dust cover specifically for the Himalayan's coneset, which is super-prone to accumulating rust. They have special silicone dust cover and grease which helps prolong the life of the T stem bearings.

Hope it helps!

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

[100Kmphormore]

Clutch wear is partially accelerated by a rider's riding pattern and also how well the clutch is adjusted and a phenomenon called clutch graze, where the rider unintentionally mildly engages the clutch while resting the hands over the clutch lever, which would accelerate the clutch wear faster.

Precisely, I have been very gentle on my riding style with my bike and do not shift gears unnecessarily or cause clutch graze, as I never almost touch the clutch apart to change a gear. I am accustomed to riding a R15 with quickshifter regularly and hence never touch the clutch except to change the gear on my Himmy.
All the points you mentioned are being done, costing me a princely 15k. Cone set and sprocket is fine hence not touching that. I just wish this bike was better put, but at its price range the versatility is a lot. The squeaky sound of the swingarm was there as you said and the brakes though not really jamming as such to an overheating extent was only noticed by him after he had a look for a couple of days.
This may also be due to the fact that I use it in the city as a daily driver, may not be a wise choice to do so now, especially in heavy traffic where the gearbox worsens due to the extreme heat. It had gone up to 47 degrees once.

[rahul4321]

Did a 800 kilometer round trip to the Union Territory of Diu. Motorcycle ran like a charm. No issues at all.

A very less spoken about attribute of this motorcycle is the ability to immediately stand up when you see a pothole or a speedbraker / rut which you will not be able to avoid. No need to brake hard - a gentle squeeze to transfer the weight to the front, stand up, go over the undulation, wait for both wheels to grip the ground again and sit down (if you want to)

[//R]

Hi all. I tried searching for but could not find any relevant discussion here. I have a 2020 BS6 Himalayan (pre tripper variant). The bike has done about 13k kms in its 3 years with me, mostly tours & highways. What I have now become concerned about is the fuel that goes into the bike and the condition, or rather, negligence of the condition of the fuel pump of the bike. There seems to be no periodic schedule for inspection, cleaning or replacement of the fuel filter even in the service manual. I had a word with the Service Manager during my bike's recent 36 months servicing and he told me they look into it "only if there is a problem with the bike" reported by the customer.

I have been using various additives in my cars at regular intervals (Liqui Moly Injector Cleaner and Liqui Moly Super Diesel) since they are my primary mode of commute. The Himalayan, however, hasn't seen any such additives due to low running and better fuel diet (Power, XP95, etc). I have seen accounts of people running into issues with their bikes and the fuel pumps failing in some cases most probably because of clogged fuel filters, literal dirt settled in their tanks and fuel pumps.

What is the general consensus on the fuel issue? Has anyone been using any petrol additives (cleaners or boosters) like Addon-P, Liqui Moly, STP or Putoline? Has no one here faced issues with their fuel system or been worried about the health of the filter and the pump? The fuel in our country is in no way clean and I have seen the condition of fuel filters on my cars which are pretty much clogged to death within 20k kms and this is primarily in New Delhi and with populated, reputed bunks around Central and West.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by //R

I had a word with the Service Manager during my bike's recent 36 months servicing and he told me they look into it "only if there is a problem with the bike" reported by the customer.

Find a good and reliable FNG and ask them to clean the fuel tank along with the pump and strainer atleast once in 2 years or so. Have also seen the ASS skipping on the valve clearance adjustment part. Both Himalayan and the 650s go out of spec very soon.