I've now had the Himalayan for 5 years from new. In all this time it has covered 20,000 Miles/ 32,000 km Here's what's gone wrong: Front brake hose replaced under warranty. Cost £0 Front and rear brake calipers replaced warranty recall Costs £0 Front wheel replaced, the original buckled when a new tyre was fitted Costs also head set bearings were replaced £300 Exhaust downpipe replaced, the catalytic converter started to rattle, Cost £145 FuelX lite added. Cost £150 Rear brake master cylinder replacement next week Cost approx £100 Chain and sprockets replaced at 14k miles Cost approx £140 Brake pads replaced once Cost £40 3 front tyres and 3 rear tyres. Cost £600 3 MOT's cost £75 7 oil change services (filter and oil) cost £ 280 Iridium spark plug and new air filter cost £48 Total cost for running the bike (not including fuel) for 5 years is approx £1878 That's £375 per year on average! All servicing has been done by me at home.
My master cylinder went the same way. I replaced it with a new one. Then stripped the old one, and found it was missing parts it was supposed to have!! I followed the TH-cam video and found even the service kit I had was missing bits!!! The fun of Indian motorcycles!!! 😊
Manufacturers making things rebuildable seems like a thing of the past. Happy to see some companies are still supplying parts and engineering things to be worked on. That bike has lots of miles left Sandy. A few parts here and there is just like the good old days of riding.
Your right there Jim, The old Himalayan 411 is very easy to live with and work on, the newer replacement the 452 is probably a better bike in many ways but not so easy to service with 4 valves and shims to adjust. I'll keep the old Gal and run her into the ground :)
@@WiltshireMan Long lasting is always the best Sandy. If the new bike is shim over bucket that is still pretty easy to adjust. Shim under bucket is cams out and buckets out just to get to the shim.
I don’t ride a motorcycle but it was interesting watching you solving all the issues. You must save yourself a fortune in labour being mechanically competent.
Hi, I've watched your videos for a few years now and always enjoy the content. Camping, cycling along with motorcycling, always good to watch. On the matter of the links you've replaced I note that you used normal grease to lubricate the needle bearings. Can I suggest you use molybdenum grease when you change the lanks back. Normal grease washes out and dries up, hence the problem. Molybdenum grease containers grafight which never dries or wears off. The rule of thumb for lubing these parts is every five thousand miles. Keep up the videos, Cheers.
Great video Sandy. My Himmy has just clocked 24k and the only thing that has failed in that time, was the speedometer wire at 20k. At 20k I stripped the whole back end and got away with cleaning and greasing all the linkages. Its the one downside of monoshock bikes, all the linkage bearings, which most owners dont maintain due to the perceived hastle. Also I stripped the front end and replaced the headrace bearings, though they weren't too bad. These bikes are fantastic fun and cheap to maintain. A great bike to learn some basic spannering skills if you haven't tackled your own maintenance before.
Interesting vid as usual, thanks. I have a 2020 E4 Him 411 with 11,000 miles on it, Just replaced my bearings (had a mobile mechanic do it)-the upper was slightly on it’s way out & the lower looked like it was never greased at the factory 😮. Next job is valve checks & re-greasing linkages…love the mechano nature of these bikes. Cheap (ish) fun!
Great video Sandy, it goes to show the real worth of these bikes that you can do a lot of the spanner work yourself, Chug lives to fight another day 👍😎
@@WiltshireMan I was Bike treads earlier looking at there very reasonably priced 411’s and 99% I’m going to get one, just got to talk nicely to Dickie Mint to see if he’ll let me have a quick ride on his one before I commit 👍😎
I love these DIY projects always very interesting. What i can gather with these bikes is that many of them do leave the factory very dry with grease so it might be a good idea to check other parts of the motorcycle Sandy & make some more videos while your at it too.. ;)
@@WiltshireMan I only opted away from bikes when I started a Rock Band, I simply couldn't fit lighting, back drop scaffold and bass back line on a GPZ🤣
Great job Sandy, I wish I had your gumption and perseverance to put things right. I did notice however, that the garden could use some tlc. Thanks for uploading.
It’s amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds to it. Looks like you had an interesting afternoon servicing your bike. I think the sense of achievement is well worth the time and effort, plus you now no what conditions the parts are in. Shame the rear brakes spoilt your test ride. Looks like you are about set for a few more thousand mile. 👍👍😀
I hope so Charles, I was hoping to head out to Goosey to get some drone footage for the triking video but had brake failure. The good thing about Royal Enfield bikes is they are relatively easy to self service and very good on fuel, over 90 mpg!
I have a '21 and do all the maintenance on it myself as well. I found it to be a reliable bike particularly to those more mechanically minded. Mine has taken me all over Scotland several times, and hasnt skipped a beat. I spend a good few hours working on the bike every few months, particularly lubing stuff (suspension drop links, headset bearings etc etc) and religiously change the oil and filter and adjust the valves every 3k miles. The new 450 would probably suit me better particularly with the better overtaking performance, however I know the 411 inside out by now, and I'm so acquainted with it mechanically I simply cant see myself letting it go anytime soon. It's a great workhorse.
There may be some issues that have cropped up that required some extra costs, but, to me old Chug seemed to be a pretty good bike overall. I think you have gotten some pretty good use from it. It is difficult to put a cost against building so many good memories for you during the past 5 years. I have grown pretty fond of the bike myself. I think that you are pretty partial towards it too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the performance and spending some more time with us. See you on the next one my friend.
Hi Sandy… Both our bikes will be in at Bike Treads next week then 😄… New brake hose for me and ?? Yep, a new rear master cylinder 😆.. Interesting vid my friend.. Got a two parter starting tomoz regarding Head-race bearing replacement and servicing the Swing-arm and linkages… Hopefully catch up this weekend 👍👍
Hahaa yes I spoke to Martin at treads he said he would order my brake cylinder with yours, hopefully get it sorted next week, also having a new front tyre. Bike should be good for a few more years hopefully
Hope you got a good one. I used to work at a breakers yard. The bits of a vehicle that fail, failed on all. The bits that survive, survive on all. Or at least that's what seemed to happen.
Sandy I have the same model (Sleet Grey I believe)Brilliant aren’t they? Love my Himmo too! Thank you for your posts, always followed you Wiltshire man😉👍🪖
The Fuelx is not really an Auto tune, it will trick the ECU into adding some more fuel, the manufacturer does say that it is but not quite true. I recently Had a Himalayan on a Dyno, stock except for a Stage 2 Cam. With the Fuelx added it was very slightly more powerful but ran rich. I have an AFR meter fitted, and it was 1 to 1 and half point richer than without the fuelx. Great pipe that Delkovic!
I bought the Royal Enfield 535cc Single Cylinder, Continental GT which I bought in 2016. I fitted a Lithium Ion Battery which never needs Servicing. I have had no Problems, but I have only done about 2000 miles on it ! Now they don't make this Bike any more they are looked on as a Collectors Item ! I lived in Swindon, Wilts for 17 yrs during my schooldays.
You missed a good camp, Sandy. The weather was perfect. Still, at least you got the bike fixed, apart from the bits Bike Treads will be sorting later. Look forward to catching up soon.
I hope to have the Himalayan back on the road some time next week Steve, I could have gone on the Vstrom but it's just a bit to tall and heavy for the off road section. Hopefully we can replan another camp in a week or two?:)
Your a mechanical genius sandy and you would put the A team to shame. 😂 gutted the brake then went after all that 😩😩 top job though but you do know dickey would have given you cake 😉😉😉👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️
Always interested in these Himalayan videos you make. I have one myself now at 30,000 miles. My cam chain tensioner recently slipped. A new chain and tensioner. The top cover is now off again as it was noisy and the valve rocker arm ends that contact the cam are worn and have play. Struggling to find these parts. But it will get fixed and be back, hopefully for 20-30,000 more miles before I need to visit these things again. I'm also interested in the fuel x mod. A stage 2 cam is going on mine while the top of the engine is off. already have the delkavic exhaust. So I'll see how that goes. Thanks Sandy.
@@WiltshireMan I needed to buy the whole cylinder head to get the rocker arms. So an expensive fix. But I'll keep the spare head for running the bike into the future. Annoying but it is what it is.
Nice one Sandy. My bike is in bits at the minute. It was only one job i had to do. Now have lots of jobs to do to get it back on the road. I have the Delkevic full exhaust system on my bike sound nice.
@@WiltshireMan I have the DRZ400. I have all these jobs to do to my bike. Swingarm bearings, wheel bearings front and back, linkage bearings. brake caliper full strip down. front sprocket counter shaft seal. And i had just rebuild the starter motor. Should be a nice bike when i have finished it. ready for my bushcraft trips next year.
Had my vf800 fi 21 yrs. 35k miles. Some years off the road. Still immaculate, no repairs other than servicing, tyres and a rectifier under warranty which was a nightmare as broke down abroad. But 6 months later honda paid up the astronomical french honda dealer repair €650 in 2000!!!! . Was a rat in a trap.
The service manual says to lube the suspension links every 12 months. Takes me about an hour from start to everything packed away. I go all out, remove rear wheel, check wheel bearings and remove swing arm and lube those bearings as well. Add another hour for that. Routine maintenance.......
Good job Sandy be interested to see how the fuel x thingy goes. I ma just putting my front end back together been waiting on some gaiters for ahick asorbers. Then going to start on back end so you have given me few things to check out
There’s still plenty of these bikes in stock here in the US. I’m wanting to get one before they are gone. Don’t like that they’ve made the new ones more complicated
1980 350 bullet daily driver last 2 years 4 litres of 20/ 50 bigger return oil pump and modified spring a set of points its due for its 2 year inspection in November I might take it off the road and "spruce "it up " it could do with set of rings and valve guides and seats and the paint could be a little better .... Im a lazy begger ,,,so,,,,,,,,
Only 20,000 in 5 years?! I put that much on my 49cc Honda ruckus. What have you been doing mate? I would like to have one of your beautiful knives. Get busy making knives or put some miles on those bikes man. I have seven motorcycles, one I put 36,000 miles on the first year. "You don't get yesterday back & cant buy a minute!" Cheers!
Shame you hadn't just stripped it , then ordered new bearings I suppose. My "Jampot" AJS was the first bike to have a swinging arm. Mine was a '51 model.
Hi Sandy, fellow ham and motorcycle rider here. I've been riding and maintaining my adventure bikes (mainly BMW GS's) for the last 20 years. I've just acquired a new 411 Himalayan... I've noticed your Himalayan's condition has held up well for five years and 20,000 miles. Do you have any tips on cleaning or protection products to keep mine clean and rust-free?
I don't tend to wash the bike too often but after every Winter ride I will wash the salt off the bike, then dry it with a motorcycle drier and finally spray over the whole machine with GT85
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience with the swing arm. You are obviously still capable of getting down on your knees-wish I was. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the droplinks being longer. Did it make the bike that much noticably lower?
Hi Michael I would say the longer droplinks lowered the bike by an inch or so, it is quite tricky to use the side stand now, I shall be installing the original sized drop links asap
I haven't had much to do with motorbikes Sandy but I have it on good authority that a similar job on a Brompton is very expensive and quite involved/risky. Luckily I haven't had to do it on my early (1994 approx.) low mileage example but am dreading it if I have to.
Yes, the Brompton has phosphor bronze bushes that have to be reamed out, You can buy a reamer but it costs over £100 so better let the bike shop do that one. Not sure how often the rear triangle needs servicing but could be every 5 or 10K miles which equates to several years cycling for most owners
@@WiltshireMan All 3 bikes I have are really easy to maintain. And the Honda DCT 750 uses 0,31 liters per 10 km. However its more fun with a bike you can drive everywhere. On woodroads and so one! Really like my Bullet 500. Buth it's not suitable for luggage as the exostpipe is so hig.
I have a 411 Scram. It has a terrible rattle at certain revs. Haven't been able to find the source. Could it be the loose catalytic converter like your bike?
I'm not sure, the air cooled singles do have a lot of mechanical noise, a lot of it is to do with clearance between piston and cylinder walls which is necessary otherwise they could seize. Water cooled bikes are quieter due to the water jacket dampening resonances. I would just wear ear plugs are ride the bike.
@@EvanHeisler-w6l I should add a PS, there are examples of this engine that have now rattled their way upto 87,000 miles but I must admit some people dislike the sound of this engine, there were a lot of complaints in the early days of the bikes release mentioning the noisy engine but I believe it is rugged and has been designed to run in a hot environment (India), the internal clearance's are not excessive but necessary to allow for expansion and oil flow, also the oil pump runs at very high pressure around 90psi. I would think carefully before you dismiss your bike, it will probably run to high mileages just keep the revs below 5K .
@@WiltshireMan I know. There is a video of some dude riding that bike in Nepal and such 😀 Meanwhile i'm pretty happy with my modest BMW F650 1995 funduro. Keep up the vids!
Hahaaa, yes it can come across as gutless especially when you ride them on faster roads, but back road and off road its fine. It's all a state of mind. When motor bikes first came about the were less than 2hp
Looking at a royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Almost bought one. Then I saw an old BMW R100 for the same price. 5 years on one will be worthless the other will be worth what I paid or more.
@@GadgetMart With regards px prices, I agree. I've owned more bikes than I can remember, I've only ever bought a few brand new & only ever px one, yet asked many dealers for a px price. Only one I've accepted because of the crazy low prices I've been offered. I've probably sold around 40bikes privately & it's the only way in my opinion. Dealers are generally greedy & want their cake & eat it.
@@GadgetMart I've done 80,000miles on mine over 4 years & most of it fully laden... all it's needed is replacement wearable parts. It's only cost me the parts, which are inexpensive. Carried the work out myself. If I sold it now, I would have lost £2,500 in 4 years...not bad for 80,000 miles
Nice one Sandy mate 👍 Good job. I'll be passing your gaff on Saturday morning, I'll give you a toot .Honk-Honk! Cheers and all the best to you and yours ❤️🕺🍻
I've now had the Himalayan for 5 years from new. In all this time it has covered 20,000 Miles/ 32,000 km Here's what's gone wrong:
Front brake hose replaced under warranty. Cost £0
Front and rear brake calipers replaced warranty recall Costs £0
Front wheel replaced, the original buckled when a new tyre was fitted Costs
also head set bearings were replaced £300
Exhaust downpipe replaced, the catalytic converter started to rattle, Cost £145
FuelX lite added. Cost £150
Rear brake master cylinder replacement next week Cost approx £100
Chain and sprockets replaced at 14k miles Cost approx £140
Brake pads replaced once Cost £40
3 front tyres and 3 rear tyres. Cost £600
3 MOT's cost £75
7 oil change services (filter and oil) cost £ 280
Iridium spark plug and new air filter cost £48
Total cost for running the bike (not including fuel) for 5 years is approx £1878
That's £375 per year on average!
All servicing has been done by me at home.
@@stillshakin2125 I can't remember the exact costs but approximately yes around £100 each
Wiltshire Man, thank you for producing this video and providing us a detailed look at servicing the swing arm and links.
It was easier than I though it would be
My master cylinder went the same way. I replaced it with a new one. Then stripped the old one, and found it was missing parts it was supposed to have!! I followed the TH-cam video and found even the service kit I had was missing bits!!! The fun of Indian motorcycles!!! 😊
Manufacturers making things rebuildable seems like a thing of the past. Happy to see some companies are still supplying parts and engineering things to be worked on. That bike has lots of miles left Sandy. A few parts here and there is just like the good old days of riding.
Your right there Jim, The old Himalayan 411 is very easy to live with and work on, the newer replacement the 452 is probably a better bike in many ways but not so easy to service with 4 valves and shims to adjust. I'll keep the old Gal and run her into the ground :)
@@WiltshireMan Long lasting is always the best Sandy. If the new bike is shim over bucket that is still pretty easy to adjust. Shim under bucket is cams out and buckets out just to get to the shim.
Sandy,I appreciate your honesty mnay people gloss over any faults they have,Thanks
I don’t ride a motorcycle but it was interesting watching you solving all the issues. You must save yourself a fortune in labour being mechanically competent.
Hi, I've watched your videos for a few years now and always enjoy the content. Camping, cycling along with motorcycling, always good to watch.
On the matter of the links you've replaced I note that you used normal grease to lubricate the needle bearings. Can I suggest you use molybdenum grease when you change the lanks back. Normal grease washes out and dries up, hence the problem. Molybdenum grease containers grafight which never dries or wears off. The rule of thumb for lubing these parts is every five thousand miles.
Keep up the videos,
Cheers.
thanks for taking your time showing us these things. Cheers!! Illinois, USA
Argh the joys of owning a motorbike. still wouldn't be without one. thanks for sharing
Hahaa, thats quite true Oz, The Enfield is certainly cheaper and easier to work on than my Suzuki !
@@WiltshireMan Good skill to have too,
Good to see you back out on Chug. Our safe riding weather here is just about done for the season.
Yes your long Winter will begin now Lonnie, I hope you have a great time in the Wilderness:)
Very impressive Sandy. You are a very smart man. Awesome video and I hope you fix the other issues and ride chug again. Thanks for sharing. Tony.
Good old Chugg, it’s like watching Allen Millyard working 👍🏻
Thanks Sandy. Great info and update. Worth noting these issues so I can check them on mine and have confidence in fixing or giving it a go. Cheers
Yes. I was thinking the same thing 👍
I remember you going to pick that bike up. Can't believe it was 5 years ago ..... 😮
Yes 5 years at the end of this month!
You and Andy are handy! You can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. When I was younger, I did a lot of my own car repairs. Cheers!
Great video Sandy. My Himmy has just clocked 24k and the only thing that has failed in that time, was the speedometer wire at 20k. At 20k I stripped the whole back end and got away with cleaning and greasing all the linkages. Its the one downside of monoshock bikes, all the linkage bearings, which most owners dont maintain due to the perceived hastle. Also I stripped the front end and replaced the headrace bearings, though they weren't too bad. These bikes are fantastic fun and cheap to maintain. A great bike to learn some basic spannering skills if you haven't tackled your own maintenance before.
Useful video Sandy. These linkages fail on many bikes because of their position. It’s a good job the Enfield is easy to work on with cheap parts.
Interesting vid as usual, thanks. I have a 2020 E4 Him 411 with 11,000 miles on it, Just replaced my bearings (had a mobile mechanic do it)-the upper was slightly on it’s way out & the lower looked like it was never greased at the factory 😮. Next job is valve checks & re-greasing linkages…love the mechano nature of these bikes. Cheap (ish) fun!
Great video Sandy, it goes to show the real worth of these bikes that you can do a lot of the spanner work yourself, Chug lives to fight another day 👍😎
It's an easy bike to live with Colin, a lot to be said for that these days
@@WiltshireMan I was Bike treads earlier looking at there very reasonably priced 411’s and 99% I’m going to get one, just got to talk nicely to Dickie Mint to see if he’ll let me have a quick ride on his one before I commit 👍😎
I love these DIY projects always very interesting.
What i can gather with these bikes is that many of them do leave the factory very dry with grease
so it might be a good idea to check other parts of the motorcycle Sandy
& make some more videos while your at it too.. ;)
Having a simple bike you can work on is a hoot, that exhaust looked real beefy!!
Thanks Scott, are you getting into motorbikes? You can pick up a second hand Himalayan for not much money and they are good workhorse bikes
@@WiltshireMan I only opted away from bikes when I started a Rock Band, I simply couldn't fit lighting, back drop scaffold and bass back line on a GPZ🤣
Excellent video as ever. Not too bad overall, when it comes to costs.
Great job Sandy, I wish I had your gumption and perseverance to put things right. I did notice however, that the garden could use some tlc. Thanks for uploading.
Enjoyed this video bro, it's great you can maintain it yourself. Safe travels. Ken.
New pipe looks great!
Wonderful looking motorbike!
A man of many talents well done sandy nice job mate...
It’s amazing what we can achieve when we set our minds to it. Looks like you had an interesting afternoon servicing your bike. I think the sense of achievement is well worth the time and effort, plus you now no what conditions the parts are in. Shame the rear brakes spoilt your test ride. Looks like you are about set for a few more thousand mile. 👍👍😀
I hope so Charles, I was hoping to head out to Goosey to get some drone footage for the triking video but had brake failure. The good thing about Royal Enfield bikes is they are relatively easy to self service and very good on fuel, over 90 mpg!
Great job Sandy, you saved a lot of money tackling the job yourself, nice one mate.👍
Thats one good thing about Royal Enfields, they are good bikes for the home mechanic to work on.
I have a '21 and do all the maintenance on it myself as well. I found it to be a reliable bike particularly to those more mechanically minded. Mine has taken me all over Scotland several times, and hasnt skipped a beat.
I spend a good few hours working on the bike every few months, particularly lubing stuff (suspension drop links, headset bearings etc etc) and religiously change the oil and filter and adjust the valves every 3k miles. The new 450 would probably suit me better particularly with the better overtaking performance, however I know the 411 inside out by now, and I'm so acquainted with it mechanically I simply cant see myself letting it go anytime soon. It's a great workhorse.
It's a great bike for the reasons you give, so easy to work on. I found the drop links and swing arm very easy to service
Great video Sandy
Love a good maintenance update video ❤ I need to repair my entire fleet 😮
The biggest thing with the Himalayan is it's very easy to work on :)
I had a 1978 Honda CB 750 four that was easy to work on. It was darn near indestructible. Wish I still had it.
There may be some issues that have cropped up that required some extra costs, but, to me old Chug seemed to be a pretty good bike overall. I think you have gotten some pretty good use from it. It is difficult to put a cost against building so many good memories for you during the past 5 years. I have grown pretty fond of the bike myself. I think that you are pretty partial towards it too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the performance and spending some more time with us. See you on the next one my friend.
I think with some maintenance the bike will give another 5 years of fairly reliable service :)
Hi Sandy… Both our bikes will be in at Bike Treads next week then 😄… New brake hose for me and ?? Yep, a new rear master cylinder 😆.. Interesting vid my friend.. Got a two parter starting tomoz regarding Head-race bearing replacement and servicing the Swing-arm and linkages… Hopefully catch up this weekend 👍👍
Hahaa yes I spoke to Martin at treads he said he would order my brake cylinder with yours, hopefully get it sorted next week, also having a new front tyre. Bike should be good for a few more years hopefully
I don’t ride a motorcycle but found this very interesting
Hope you got a good one. I used to work at a breakers yard. The bits of a vehicle that fail, failed on all. The bits that survive, survive on all. Or at least that's what seemed to happen.
I can pump tyres up on my cycle but that’s it!
(Actually I did raise the saddle the other day!).
Sounds well mate..
Well done sir! no bullshyte just common sense thinking. Enjoy.
In Australia they are $8,390 Aust dollars.
Sandy I have the same model (Sleet Grey I believe)Brilliant aren’t they? Love my Himmo too!
Thank you for your posts, always followed you Wiltshire man😉👍🪖
Yes they are great bikes for the money David, I shall be keeping mine atleast for another 5 years :)
The Fuelx is not really an Auto tune, it will trick the ECU into adding some more fuel, the manufacturer does say that it is but not quite true. I recently Had a Himalayan on a Dyno, stock except for a Stage 2 Cam. With the Fuelx added it was very slightly more powerful but ran rich. I have an AFR meter fitted, and it was 1 to 1 and half point richer than without the fuelx. Great pipe that Delkovic!
I bought the Royal Enfield 535cc Single Cylinder, Continental GT which I bought in 2016. I fitted a Lithium Ion Battery which never needs Servicing. I have had no Problems, but I have only done about 2000 miles on it ! Now they don't make this Bike any more they are looked on as a Collectors Item ! I lived in Swindon, Wilts for 17 yrs during my schooldays.
It got a nice sound!
You missed a good camp, Sandy. The weather was perfect. Still, at least you got the bike fixed, apart from the bits Bike Treads will be sorting later. Look forward to catching up soon.
I hope to have the Himalayan back on the road some time next week Steve, I could have gone on the Vstrom but it's just a bit to tall and heavy for the off road section. Hopefully we can replan another camp in a week or two?:)
Your a mechanical genius sandy and you would put the A team to shame. 😂 gutted the brake then went after all that 😩😩 top job though but you do know dickey would have given you cake 😉😉😉👍👍👍♥️♥️♥️♥️
It's good to have the knowledge and skills set to keep these bikes on the road, certainly saves on running costs :)
If nothing goes wrong sandy I think it makes you wonder a lot more 💪🍻👍
I think these cheap bikes will need more maintenance but it's all easy and fairly cheap Martin :)
Always interested in these Himalayan videos you make. I have one myself now at 30,000 miles. My cam chain tensioner recently slipped. A new chain and tensioner. The top cover is now off again as it was noisy and the valve rocker arm ends that contact the cam are worn and have play. Struggling to find these parts. But it will get fixed and be back, hopefully for 20-30,000 more miles before I need to visit these things again. I'm also interested in the fuel x mod. A stage 2 cam is going on mine while the top of the engine is off. already have the delkavic exhaust. So I'll see how that goes. Thanks Sandy.
Thats interesting Mark, Hopefully you can source the parts and be back on the road again. Still a good value motorbike in my opinion
@@WiltshireMan I needed to buy the whole cylinder head to get the rocker arms. So an expensive fix. But I'll keep the spare head for running the bike into the future. Annoying but it is what it is.
With bearings you can often see the part number on them and buy a new one from a supplier... Cheaper than buying the whole swing arm
Nice one Sandy. My bike is in bits at the minute. It was only one job i had to do. Now have lots of jobs to do to get it back on the road. I have the Delkevic full exhaust system on my bike sound nice.
atleast most these bikes are fairly easy to work on. Next job on my bike is to change the front fork gators
@@WiltshireMan I have the DRZ400. I have all these jobs to do to my bike. Swingarm bearings, wheel bearings front and back, linkage bearings. brake caliper full strip down. front sprocket counter shaft seal. And i had just rebuild the starter motor. Should be a nice bike when i have finished it. ready for my bushcraft trips next year.
Nice to see Chug getting some TLC
Had my vf800 fi 21 yrs. 35k miles. Some years off the road. Still immaculate, no repairs other than servicing, tyres and a rectifier under warranty which was a nightmare as broke down abroad. But 6 months later honda paid up the astronomical french honda dealer repair €650 in 2000!!!! . Was a rat in a trap.
The service manual says to lube the suspension links every 12 months. Takes me about an hour from start to everything packed away. I go all out, remove rear wheel, check wheel bearings and remove swing arm and lube those bearings as well. Add another hour for that. Routine maintenance.......
Yes I'd say its routine maintenance, something I skipped, not anymore. It's a simple job.
@@WiltshireMan remember you're riding the equivalent of a series 2 landy, it needs fettling occasionally
@@mattyb7736 Hahaaa thats about the sum of it. It's a great bike:)
nice job, we love you👏
Good job Sandy be interested to see how the fuel x thingy goes. I ma just putting my front end back together been waiting on some gaiters for ahick asorbers. Then going to start on back end so you have given me few things to check out
Bike runs smoother with a tiny bit more power Pete, may also have improved the fuel economy too
🙏 thanks Sandy for this video. I wonder if RE will ever use the 650 twin in the Himalayan 🤔
I hope not as it's the wrong engine for the Himalayan, you can't beat a single for chuggability and low down torque
There’s still plenty of these bikes in stock here in the US. I’m wanting to get one before they are gone. Don’t like that they’ve made the new ones more complicated
The Himalayan 411 is about as simple as these bikes can be, just two valves, a single cylinder and fuel economy almost 100 mpg
Might be worth checking the chain tension with the bike on it's wheels,
Could be too tight ?, Cheers Bill.
Brilliant video
Nice video and bit of information thanks for sharing Lovely bike. My best wishes to you from the Philippines ♥️💪👍😉😀😁🏁🏍️🐑🇵🇭🏴⭐
Thanks Gordon, the old bike has a lot of life still left :)
1980 350 bullet daily driver last 2 years 4 litres of 20/ 50 bigger return oil pump and modified spring a set of points its due for its 2 year inspection in November I might take it off the road and "spruce "it up " it could do with set of rings and valve guides and seats and the paint could be a little better .... Im a lazy begger ,,,so,,,,,,,,
Thanks for the video .....
Great video thanks lee
5 years already. My goodness where does the time go.
Great job, well done Sandy. Think I saw you on test ride. Dorcan way. Around 3ish ?
No that wasn't me
Enjoyed that 👍
Cheers Ken, Motorbikes and coffee/cake= diabetes!! Bicycle and coffee/cake= all good :)
Please let us know how you get on with the FuelX, Sandy.
I'm tempted to put one on my own Himalayan but keep thinking it might be just hype.
It has improved smoothness and fuel economy, there is also a small but noticeable improvement in pick up and top speed is up by 5mph!
@@WiltshireMan Thank you. I think I might go for it.
great vid sandy
I got rid of mine for a 450... and I do have some regrets because of its simplicity...hopefully the 450 is as easy to maintain
Most of it looks easy to service but valves are shims on the new bike, a better system but more difficult to adjust
I enjoyed this one Sandy, missed you some what because you dropped off my recommend channels, cured that by subscribing
Welcome back John and thanks for subscribing again
They are generally called dog bones , and if you change the length of them , you will alter the steering characteristics a tad !.
Why did you not just buy a new bearing for the drop link? They seem to be available and relatively little cost.
Because I thought getting a whole swing arm for that price was a good deal, I now have some spares
Who needs a back brake? Did you see Itchyboots is off again? Hope you are both OK.
Yes she has a nice old bike, makes a lot of sense, easy to fix :)
@@WiltshireMan Like a Landrover used to be. Spanner and Screwdriver LOL.
Only 20,000 in 5 years?! I put that much on my 49cc Honda ruckus. What have you been doing mate? I would like to have one of your beautiful knives. Get busy making knives or put some miles on those bikes man. I have seven motorcycles, one I put 36,000 miles on the first year.
"You don't get yesterday back & cant buy a minute!"
Cheers!
This is true, I have 3 motorcycles and 3 pedal cycles, they all get ridden. 36K miles in a year is some motoring
Shame you hadn't just stripped it , then ordered new bearings I suppose. My "Jampot" AJS was the first bike to have a swinging arm. Mine was a '51 model.
Hi Sandy, fellow ham and motorcycle rider here. I've been riding and maintaining my adventure bikes (mainly BMW GS's) for the last 20 years. I've just acquired a new 411 Himalayan... I've noticed your Himalayan's condition has held up well for five years and 20,000 miles. Do you have any tips on cleaning or protection products to keep mine clean and rust-free?
I don't tend to wash the bike too often but after every Winter ride I will wash the salt off the bike, then dry it with a motorcycle drier and finally spray over the whole machine with GT85
@@WiltshireMan thanks for the response and the tip about the GT85 😊
Hi, thanks for sharing your experience with the swing arm. You are obviously still capable of getting down on your knees-wish I was. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the droplinks being longer. Did it make the bike that much noticably lower?
Hi Michael I would say the longer droplinks lowered the bike by an inch or so, it is quite tricky to use the side stand now, I shall be installing the original sized drop links asap
I haven't had much to do with motorbikes Sandy but I have it on good authority that a similar job on a Brompton is very expensive and quite involved/risky.
Luckily I haven't had to do it on my early (1994 approx.) low mileage example but am dreading it if I have to.
Yes, the Brompton has phosphor bronze bushes that have to be reamed out, You can buy a reamer but it costs over £100 so better let the bike shop do that one. Not sure how often the rear triangle needs servicing but could be every 5 or 10K miles which equates to several years cycling for most owners
Christ 5 years !!
Were dose the time go(:
Tempus fugit
Great job !!! I wonder how it is with FuelX ride ? You feel the difference with and without ride ?
There is a noticeable difference, the bike runs smoother, slight increase in performance and also fuel economy I feel.
@@WiltshireMan thanks👍
60'000km on my 2020 himmy, no issues
That is excellent. 60K has got to be the biggest one I have heard of so far!
@@WiltshireMan 44'000 in 10months, had 16k when i bought it used 10months ago
No grease nipple's on the bearings drop links typically modern mechanical engineering could you drill out and put and tap a thread and put some in
Possibly could do that but could also blow the dust/ oil seal off
I'm thinking aboat buying one, not shore yet as I have 3 bikes.
Great bike all round Bolle, bit underpowered but over 90 miles to a gallon and easy to fix
@@WiltshireMan All 3 bikes I have are really easy to maintain. And the Honda DCT 750 uses 0,31 liters per 10 km. However its more fun with a bike you can drive everywhere. On woodroads and so one! Really like my Bullet 500. Buth it's not suitable for luggage as the exostpipe is so hig.
@@bolleolympus Yes the 500 bullet is a fine bike, will last for years, Himalayan perhaps just a bit more practical
Great bikes, old school fix it yourself at home with basic tools.
That screen looks interesting. The original causes horrible wind noise and turbulence.
Taller screen is better
I have a 411 Scram. It has a terrible rattle at certain revs. Haven't been able to find the source. Could it be the loose catalytic converter like your bike?
I'm not sure, the air cooled singles do have a lot of mechanical noise, a lot of it is to do with clearance between piston and cylinder walls which is necessary otherwise they could seize. Water cooled bikes are quieter due to the water jacket dampening resonances. I would just wear ear plugs are ride the bike.
@@WiltshireMan thanks for your reply
@@EvanHeisler-w6l I should add a PS, there are examples of this engine that have now rattled their way upto 87,000 miles but I must admit some people dislike the sound of this engine, there were a lot of complaints in the early days of the bikes release mentioning the noisy engine but I believe it is rugged and has been designed to run in a hot environment (India), the internal clearance's are not excessive but necessary to allow for expansion and oil flow, also the oil pump runs at very high pressure around 90psi.
I would think carefully before you dismiss your bike, it will probably run to high mileages just keep the revs below 5K .
Might be an idea to fit grease nipples on the swing arm and links. Interesting vid. Thanks Sandy
If they only made a car that easy to repair. I just spent a grand on a muffler. 😮💨
Things aren't cheap these days Brian, Just had my insurance through for a 12 year old 1.4 Astra nearly £400!
You will be wanting the air box mods and cam next you power maniac !!😂
Haaha, no I shall just ride it as it is, if I want more power I have the Vstrom:)
Brakes are over rated😊. I could probably ride for quite awhile before I noticed I didn’t have a back brake.
So is this bad? I don't get it...
I know the machine costs €7000
It's bad in that it leads to inconvenience but it's not bad in that it's a very cheap bike and easy to fix in most cases
@@WiltshireMan ok thanks
I had my eye on this bike but it's too small for me. I'm 6'3
@@luhman16afaintstar Yes I would say your just a bit big for the Himalayan, for what it is it's a good bike though.
@@WiltshireMan I know. There is a video of some dude riding that bike in Nepal and such 😀
Meanwhile i'm pretty happy with my modest BMW F650 1995 funduro.
Keep up the vids!
I put up with 20 bhp for 10 Months then got rid of it I could not stand the gutless thing another day ,my fault I bought it ???????????????
Hahaaa, yes it can come across as gutless especially when you ride them on faster roads, but back road and off road its fine. It's all a state of mind. When motor bikes first came about the were less than 2hp
Now you have decatted the bike, it might not pass another MOT.....
it will still pass as the emissions are not tested on motorcycles at the moment
Sandy……….gloves!!!!
Where? :)
Looking at a royal Enfield Himalayan 450
Almost bought one.
Then I saw an old BMW R100 for the same price.
5 years on one will be worthless the other will be worth what I paid or more.
What a load of rubbish.
How can 50% of it's new price be considered worthless?
@@keepitreal1547 You go see what your px price is 👍
@@GadgetMart
With regards px prices, I agree.
I've owned more bikes than I can remember, I've only ever bought a few brand new & only ever px one, yet asked many dealers for a px price.
Only one I've accepted because of the crazy low prices I've been offered.
I've probably sold around 40bikes privately & it's the only way in my opinion.
Dealers are generally greedy & want their cake & eat it.
@@keepitreal1547 Well he’s spent the other 50% of its value in maintenance = total loss after 5 year.
Fools gold my friend
@@GadgetMart
I've done 80,000miles on mine over 4 years & most of it fully laden... all it's needed is replacement wearable parts.
It's only cost me the parts, which are inexpensive. Carried the work out myself.
If I sold it now, I would have lost £2,500 in 4 years...not bad for 80,000 miles
Nice one Sandy mate 👍
Good job.
I'll be passing your gaff on Saturday morning, I'll give you a toot .Honk-Honk!
Cheers and all the best to you and yours ❤️🕺🍻
I shall keep my ears open for the hooting :)
@@WiltshireMan 🦉 🦉🦉 🦉