What have you done to your Himalayan today (or yesterday, or this week ...)

[Hairy Potter]

Fitted Doubletake mirrors today. Even with extenders, the originals aren't quite wide enough to see past my shoulders. The doubletakes are pricey but look very good quality and came with a decent range of fittings. My 2022 bike has a both left and right hand threads, and it fits it well.

I've been wondering about a set of them myself. Could you let us know what you think after trying them?

 

[djsb]

Bought a set of these from Amazon (not UK) so I can adjust the valves later. A whole set is better value than just one 3mm wrench. Useful for other small precision jobs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HGHU9I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[djsb]

Here is the Central Tools website in Rhode Island, USA. They make these small spanners.

58-0161 – 8pc Metric Open End Wrench Set

I've also just fitted a pair of DoubleTake mirrors last Sunday. The fitting was quite easy. I will report back about how they are when on the road. One annoyance is that they need to be adjusted before every ride as my bike cover disturbs them when I remove/replace it. Later.

 

[Dartymoor]

I've been wondering about a set of them myself. Could you let us know what you think after trying them?

They're good!

I went for a ride today and got used to them almost immediately. No vibration, reasonable positioning, good visibility to rear, easy to adjust even on the move.

One thing I else I did do on getting back: They come with a selection of 1" high adapters in aluminium. I fitted the right one with the LH thread (the ram ball is RH only) and I found whilst riding that the extra inch gave it better visibility than the one on the left, which I'd gone without. So I fitted one to the left too. I also threadlocked all screws because, why not.

I'd previously used 50mm extenders to widen the stock RE mirrors, and that worked okay for lefty but right had a lot of vibration, as I had to get another LH-thread one which wasn't as good. Lefty also came loose the other day on a ride - no drama, and I had tools to sort it with me. I've never dropped this bike, but extenders and the original mirrors make them more vulnerable, whereas the doubeltakes are "unbreakable".

Are they worth £133? (UK price). Yes, probably. The quality is top notch. The mirrors have no distortion and the design is very good. On the basis that I can move these to other bikes if I want, they should be a good investment.

 

[Laserman]

So I was recently talking to a friend of mine about how my bike is currently lacking a sprocket cover and with the miles I ride I have to lube the chain quite often. I had been in the habit of using Maxima spray-wax once a week but that stuff doesn't apply as cleanly as I'd like. So he told me about some Motul chain paste he had been using for a while, recommended it to me. He says despite how it looks, it's long-lasting and doesn't throw shit.



So for my new chain's first proper lube, I brushed this stuff into it. It's a tube of paste with a brush at the end of it! It sure aint pretty and if your chain is anything but silver-colored, it'll def be silver after using this stuff! I noticed right away that my chain was much quieter as I made my way around. Time will tell how this stuff works, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. Nothing on my boot after my ride home tonight heh.

 

[nablats]

Made a fender extender - after finding an unused mudflap in the shed. Just drilled and bolted it using 6 neat little s/s cap head set screws I salvaged from work years ago, then shaped it with a stanley knife.

 

[Woodstock]

Bought a set of these from Amazon (not UK) so I can adjust the valves later. A whole set is better value than just one 3mm wrench. Useful for other small precision jobs.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HGHU9I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Are they good? I debated and then went with these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KN9GCBB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
Also good if I lose the spanner in my Meccano set.

I probably should have gone with the better set.

 

[Dartymoor]

Took a chance on three cheap Temu canisters and they're actually pretty robust. The ammo boxes are great, but not exactly roomy. Two small and one large bolted in well, and they'll soon be dirty enough to blend in with the rest of the bike.

 

[WayneD]

Installed a Laminar Lip. Trials ongoing to see if it will eliminate buffeting.
Dealer gave me new LED front marker light (mounts just below headlight bulb) to replace original shattered plastic light.
Have been waiting months for the light. RE Canada could not come up with the small LED marker light, so next higher assembly, they provided a complete headlight.
Will install LED tomorrow.

 

[Woodstock]

Installed a Laminar Lip. Trials ongoing to see if it will eliminate buffeting.
Dealer gave me new LED front marker light (mounts just below headlight bulb) to replace original shattered plastic light.
Have been waiting months for the light. RE Canada could not come up with the small LED marker light, so next higher assembly, they provided a complete headlight.
Will install LED tomorrow.

Those LED lights are an issue and the same light in several bikes. Interesting they could not source it.

 

[WayneD]

Opened up the RE Canada provided headlight assembly (it is brand new) removed the LED light and low and behold the plastic is cracked on the new LED light. Sent photos to dealer, on wait out mode until a solution is presented. If I installed the light it would shatter shortly after installation. A more robust plastic covering is required.
They must have sold thousands of bikes with this light, Himalayan, Scram, others unknown to me. RE what is your solution?

 

[Bikeguy]

Dis something silly yesterday. After all my years of engine fiddling…..

managed to cross thread the bloody spark plug. I was angry after a call about work and wasn’t paying attention to the initial screwing in by hand.
I’ve managed to remove it and correctly reinstall the plug but inevitably, I will have caused some longer term problems that will probably mean I need to treat my self to a new head assembly. It can want for now though.

shows we all have to be careful with our aluminium heads….

 

[Andyb]

Thread chasers are available - like a thread tap - which may help restore the thread, depending upon how bad it is. Use with grease to catch any debris.
An old trick is to put a few inches of rubber fuel line on the top of the plug and twist that to start it in the head. The extra length makes it easier to start the thread and if the plug crosses threads then the fuel line simply spins on the plug top so no damage done.

 

[Overdrive]

Not sure if there’s enough meat in the head casting to use a helicoil, as a short term fix if nothing else.