Himalayan – Second thoughts

We are still in the middle of the Coronavirus lockdown and my thoughts are turning to my future motorcycling. The Himmie is a good bike, and it is new. My other bike, my BMW R65LS is also a good bike, but is not new. It is now thirty six years old. I have had it … Read more

Himalayan – side stand

The side stand on the Himalayan is bloody awful and Royal Enfield should be ashamed of it. This is even more true as the bike is not the easiest bike to put on the centre stand. On my BMW R65LS, for comparison the stands are no issue. The side stand holds the bike securely, and … Read more

Himalayan – storage

I tried my Givi topbox on the rack. It ends up too far forward for a comfortable ride for the pillion passenger and it looks far too high and, to be honest, a bit ridiculous. I won’t be doing long trips for a while so I do not need a vast amount of space. Just … Read more

Himalayan – Phone Mount and USB

I have a phone mount and USB power on my BMW, and I had the same system on the Bullet before I traded it in for the Himalayan. I always connect the USB supply to the ignition circuit. That way the battery cannot drain through the phone or satnav when the engine is not running. … Read more

Himalayan – the Weak Rack

I needed a solution to the weak rear rack so I can mount a topbox with confidence. Having somewhere to store tools, a flask, or even two some sandwhiches while wandering around is just so handy. The rack is not really designed for much load and it tends to break, as in this attached pic … Read more

Himalayan – Got it

On the 5th of March I drove the Bullet on it’s last ride with me to North Cornwall Motorcycles. I started second kick, didn’t miss a beat, and performed faultlessly all the way to the dealers – about 30 miles. Much of the trip was in fine rain. I could not wait as I had … Read more

Himalayan – heated grips

Many years ago I had heated grips on my BMW. They were very cosy. At the time money was very tight and commercial grips were out of the question. I put a 22Watt torpedo bulb inside each side of the handlebars, connected them to a switch wired through the ignition and Bob’s your uncle. It … Read more

Himalayan – Buying it

I had looked at a Himalayan before and decided it was more of an off road bike and not really my style. But then I started to read posts on various websites and blogs that were generally full of praise for it. I looked more closely and decided it wasn’t too outrageous. I decided to … Read more

Bullet – sold

Year 2004 Capacity 500cc Mileage 7500 miles Gears 5 – gear lever on the left Start Electric or Kickstart Location North Cornwall U.K. My Bullet is for sale due to needing the space in the garage. It has performed with no issues since I bought it from the previous owner in 2018. You can read … Read more

Bullet – the competition

The BMW is now working. It is fast enough for motorway driving, light enough for backroads and is reliable by design. Although it is 35 years old now. Quotes from May 2018 It was an impulse buy. I had started to restore my very rusted 1984 BMW R65LS and it was dawning on me that, … Read more