The bargain Himalayan

[Ditchfinder]

So managed to pick up a very cheap Himalayan via a forum yesterday.

Reasons why it's cheap:
Corrosion on engine casings
Corrosion on fork lowers
Every bolt is rusty
It's done 25k
Battery isn't the best

How cheap I hear you ask - £800

And that included the rear racks and genuine Enfield metal panniers.
Tyres have loads of life in them and it looks like it's had annual oil changes.

I'm not looking to go touring on it so racks and boxes are off and I've shortened the rear fender.

Had a good couple of hours wanging it around local narrow back lanes.

It's very forgiving, deals with crap on the road and potholes without the merest of twitches, the total opposite of the Guzzi

Front brake is awful but the rear is fab

I wouldn't pay £2.5k for one but for less than a grand it's brilliant.

[ChrisW]

£800

I mean, you just would, wouldn't you! Nicely done. Enjoy:)

[Bustaspoke]

If I didn't have my old XT600 gathering dust in the garage I'd get one of these Himalayan's,they seem like a honest no frills bike & riders have done some long tours on them .

[Ditchfinder]

I reckon I'm going to need a few cans of penetrating oil over the next few months and if I don't sort the random vibrations I'll need some decent earplugs

[A_morti]

I reckon I'm going to need a few cans of penetrating oil over the next few months and if I don't sort the random vibrations I'll need some decent earplugs

What worked on my BMW was going around and bashing randomly at it with the palm of my hand. Eventually turned up a loose bolt that was meant to be holding the removable front downtube. It hadn't been done up tight enough when they fitted engine bars.

With the various accessories, maybe you'll have similar luck.

[Taipan]

£800!! Top bombing!

[Whysub]

I toured Spain and Portugal on mine back in 2019 (no motorways), covering 5000 kms in 10 days. Very capable, if a little bit slow.

Not seen one as cheap as that, what a great buy.

Batteries are crap as standard, mine lasted 6 months. Replaced with a cheap lithium one that also hsd the benefit of being physically smaller, so was easier to fit and add other wires to.

[Ditchfinder]

As the Guzzi is now sorn the Himalayan can borrow the lithium from it if it goes. Think I've got the gear position sensor parasitic drain problem so need to sort that first. I'll probably stump up for the hitchcock loom for that one.

It will get to 70, and feels surprisingly planted at that, but it's not going near any motorways anytime soon.

So far it's cost me a new rear tube and petrol and I've been riding traffic free, quiet lanes I've never thought to go down before

[Whysub]

I fitted the Hitchcock loom, (easy to fit) but the battery still went flat if I left it for a couple of weeks. Then it sort of fixed itself, and even left for six weeks it was fine.

Fitted TKC80 tyres on mine as I rode it on gravel tracks. Bit of an overkill really, as there is rarely any rain here, so no mud. Still good after 5,000km, so were wearing well before I traded it for the 452.

[Bigyin]

Happy winter hack day ….. one of my fellow instructors has one and he loves it for local shitty backroad riding and also uses it for his instructing work as he has a few bikes

[Ditchfinder]

The way it rides reminds me very much of my old Mz etz albeit the front brake on the Mz was far superior

[Ditchfinder]

Well it was all going so well but it let me down last night on the way home from work.

Decided to take the scenic route home over the tops as it was a nice night and my new peaked helmet with internal sunshade had solved my issues with low sun

Half way up the steep climb onto the moor, changing up into 3rd and the clutch cable snapped at the nipple.

Luckily it's a long climb so I had time to have a little think about how to overcome this whist still keeping moving.

I altered my route to avoid as many instances as possible where I might need to come to a standstill, so no traffic lights or uphill junctions.

1st problem was a set of temp traffic lights in Earby which hasn't been there on Sunday and I hadn't planned for, approaching in 1st at walking pace I could see they were only 50 yards so even thought they were on red I decided to wang on through and sid the abuse I might get from the waiting card at the other end. I was half way through when the opposite flow turned green judging by the waiting car starting to nudge forward but a 'sorry' and a raised hand of acknowledgment and I was fine and still moving.

Next up was a planned for t-junction. If there was stationary traffic here I was stuffed but I could park the bike up, get a cab home and come back to pick it up if needs be. Luckily a little bit of walking pace riding and I slotted into the flow nicely.

Next a roundabout which only rarely I've had to stop at so again a very steady approach and I was through and still going.

Right only one more tricky turn, a right hander across a usually busy flow, but it has good Vis. This is where my luck team out and I did have to stop and stall. Luckily it's downhill turn, so got into neutral, paddled across and was rolling again, up into 2nd and away, from there it was a clear run home and the last stop was on the drive at the gate

6 miles and 15 mins survived

So impressed by the low speed handling of this bike

[Taipan]

Many years ago when dispatching my clutch cable went on my CX500. I did the same as you and made it home with some planning, slow speed and filtering through red lights!

[Rockburner]

Well it was all going so well but it let me down last night on the way home from work.

Decided to take the scenic route home over the tops as it was a nice night and my new peaked helmet with internal sunshade had solved my issues with low sun

Half way up the steep climb onto the moor, changing up into 3rd and the clutch cable snapped at the nipple.

Luckily it's a long climb so I had time to have a little think about how to overcome this whist still keeping moving.

I altered my route to avoid as many instances as possible where I might need to come to a standstill, so no traffic lights or uphill junctions.

1st problem was a set of temp traffic lights in Earby which hasn't been there on Sunday and I hadn't planned for, approaching in 1st at walking pace I could see they were only 50 yards so even thought they were on red I decided to wang on through and sid the abuse I might get from the waiting card at the other end. I was half way through when the opposite flow turned green judging by the waiting car starting to nudge forward but a 'sorry' and a raised hand of acknowledgment and I was fine and still moving.

Next up was a planned for t-junction. If there was stationary traffic here I was stuffed but I could park the bike up, get a cab home and come back to pick it up if needs be. Luckily a little bit of walking pace riding and I slotted into the flow nicely.

Next a roundabout which only rarely I've had to stop at so again a very steady approach and I was through and still going.

Right only one more tricky turn, a right hander across a usually busy flow, but it has good Vis. This is where my luck team out and I did have to stop and stall. Luckily it's downhill turn, so got into neutral, paddled across and was rolling again, up into 2nd and away, from there it was a clear run home and the last stop was on the drive at the gate

6 miles and 15 mins survived

So impressed by the low speed handling of this bike

Well done! Clutchless riding is a bit of an art-form on public roads!

I had the same on the Rockster* one day but it was mostly straight roads back home so managed it ok.

*hydraulic clutch: tbh I can't remember exactly what had gone wrong...

[ChrisW]

Had a slave cylinder on a car fail once, a bit away from home. I soldiered through it much like you and felt awfully proud of myself when I arrived back.

[The Spin Doctor]

If you have a pair of those old pliers in the toolkit with a bolt holding them together, undo the nut, wrap the end of the wire around the bolt and torque the nut down hard. A bit of gaffer tape to the clutch lever and you have a clutch again.

I rode most of the way back from the Bol d'Or operating the clutch actuator arm behind my left boot with a spanner slipped over the arm and taped in position.

[Ditchfinder]

Another week another repair required

So they sidestand foot had been knocked about after a previous fall so decided it needed a foot pad thingy, straightened out the bent gear lever whilst I was fitting that.

After doing those I thought I'll just nip out for a quick test ride, on days test ride, 'oooh I've never been up that leaver before, winner what it's like...' Well it was rough limestone covered in wet leaves, felt very smug as I got to the top unscathed only fit a very distinct change of sound from the exhaust.

The slip on has crumbled to bits at the joint with the header so new end can needed

I've added a couple of roll top bags to the side frames at the front which were £10 each from AliExpress and handy for grabbing something for tea and a bottle of wine on the way home. So coupled with clutch cable, sidestand foot and the new exhaust I've probably spent £200 already, oh and a new front tyre is incoming, that's another £70.

How long will it stay a bargain I wonder...

[Ditchfinder]

There was an 20% ebay sale on so instead of £150 just for an end can I scored a decat header pipe and new end can for £200. Apparently 4.5kg lighter than the stock one.

I'll get the panniers and racks on fleabay and fb groups to recoup some of that.

And another few quid for the gasket and header nuts - I fully expect the studs to come out with the nuts they are that rusted so I might dremel the nuts off anyway.

I'm up to £1150 in total so far so still just about a bargain but I haven't started looking at the state of the brakes or suspension yet, they feel OK but I suspect at least a clean and regrease of the front caliper is needed and fresh fork oil will be needed too as it hasn't been changed since new.

[DefTrap]

Half way up the steep climb onto the moor, changing up into 3rd and the clutch cable snapped at the nipple.

This happened to me often enough (for some reason always at the clutch nipple) that I ended up always ending up carrying a bolt-on 'repair nipple' in my bag for emergencies (the other time it broke I hitched to my mates house, 'stole' the clutch cable off his kwak while he was asleep, and was back with both bikes repaired before he was any the wiser).

[Ditchfinder]

Half way up the steep climb onto the moor, changing up into 3rd and the clutch cable snapped at the nipple.

This happened to me often enough (for some reason always at the clutch nipple) that I ended up always ending up carrying a bolt-on 'repair nipple' in my bag for emergencies (the other time it broke I hitched to my mates house, 'stole' the clutch cable off his kwak while he was asleep, and was back with both bikes repaired before he was any the wiser).

I now have an old road bike brake cable with the correct clutch end nipple and a bolt on nipple in my tool kit