Himalayan Woe's, how I hope I've fixed them, All Weather overcoat, Fender Extender, Wiltshire Man 

The problem on many new bikes is the lack of grease in the head races and overtightening them from new. I've found that cleaning and adding the right amount of black molybdenum grease in the bearings and adjusting them properly solves the problem without fitting new races. Watched your Winter camp video the other day, you're a man of many talents!

I find the older I get, the more I prefer riding the back roads and dirt roads. I still enjoy the occasional "twisty turny" peg dragging, but my style of riding is definitely changing over to back road wandering and looking for places to camp. I always enjoy your videos.

I had my steering head bearings done at a similar time. The mechanic said the damage looked to be electrolytic. He advised I put an earth strap from the handlebar to the frame to stop earth connection through the head. The horn may use the bar for an earth. So I've earthed the bar and extended my front fender. I bought another and cut the back off to bolt over the front. Who knows. But hopefully a long life from the new bearings.

You’re right about Nathan another great RU-vid channel

"I'll tell you what, death is a great leveler" Those are words worth remembering. Thank you, for another vid. Sandy

The Oak trees have been beautiful this year like I haven't seen in a long time. In face this Autumn has been beautiful. Its so nice to see the countryside and the trees along the road. I know nothing about motorcycles but I do appreciate you sharing your knowledge. The rainbow was beautiful no matter how many floods we have God said He would never flood the earth again and the rainbow is the reminder.

I am glad that you do plan on keeping Chug for at least the near future. I have grown pretty fond of that bike and I think you have too. That fender setup does appear to have improved the deflection of water and mud from the bearing area. I guess time will tell how much of a difference that it will ultimately make. Thank you for sharing your time with us, your adventures are always interesting, entertaining, and very informative. See you on the next one.

I'm no longer a motorcyclist but still enjoy watching others ride. I love the sound of the low stress engine your bike has. On my bicycle I fitted full length SKS mudguards and it vastly improved keeping mud off me and the bike. Doomsayers warned me of stuff getting jammed between the front wheel and the mudguard but in 10 years it happened only once and the safety clips did their job. More recently I made a front mudflap and the difference has amazed me. Even in very wet muddy conditions the bike hardly gets mud on it. I've found the life of the chain is much longer.

Hi Sandy, thought you maybe doing a Himalayan update video when you rode past me walking my dog this afternoon!

Love watching your videos. Wife and I are binge watching all the old ones at the moment. Just a thought for you and your motorcycle buddies maybe you could do a ride to Sammy Millers Museum and around the New Forest next year. Keep up the brilliant work we really like that your channel has so much choice.😊😊

Enjoyed the video and your new role as a test pilot. Hope the problems with the Himalayan are solved.👍👍👍

Glad Chugs good as new . Nice video.

So glad chugs got the bugs sorted sandy 🙌 like you said turned out nice again 👍 ( I was going to mention the jacket ) but you clarified that😅 ,, think I got my bellypan from pyramid plastics yonks ago 👌

Good info. well done mate. Everything you do in your vids. and comment on is absolutely practical and extremely useful in the everyday word.

Those extenders are great they really work a treat. Fitted them to my scooter as well. The head bearings where shot on that also before.

Very interesting video, just love what you do. Thanks.

Think you're right Sandy. There's something nostalgic about the old Himalayan. I think the new changes will make the new bike soulless.

Whenever I buy a bike I always fit a mudguard extender... top purchase 😀

Nice to see Chug out and about so pleased to hear you’re keeping him there’s just something special about these Himalayans I wouldn’t part with mine.

A little maintenance will keep that bike on the road for many years to come. I like the mud guards. Staying dry and cleaner makes for a nicer day.

Chugg rides again !

The mud guards look good on the bike. Hope they also function as well as they look. It was good hearing the engine purr of chug. Spring riding is still many months away for me.

Great video! Would be great to one day see a Wiltshire man and Nathan collaboration, two of my favourite channels!

I do like that mudgard sandy, looks like it'll do the job well.

Good to see Chug back on the road. I feel the same way about my Himalayan as it offers everything I want in a practical motorcycle . Like you, I do have a bigger bike for when I need to cover distances quickly. My Himalayan is taxed and used all through winter, so I've done the extended mudguard and coated the bike in FS125. Nathan's channel is very good, and I would trust his opinions about clothing and motorcycles, and only today saw an old video with him and John from Bennetts comparing the BMW 310 GS to the Himalayan.

Great video Sandy. I fitted the Pyramid front extender a while after the rear and found that it made an astonishing difference, with much less crud flung up to the front headlamp and screen. Maybe that's helped preserve my head bearings too. I was commuting ten miles through sh1tty lanes at the time and it made the bike (especially the headlight) much easier to keep clean. I've also become a convert to Nathan's suggestion of ex services waterproofs after my "waterproof" bike jacket let me down big time on the way to a rainy camping trip. I'm glad you've got the MOT sorted. Onwards and upwards young man 😃👍

If the Himalayan has taper roller headstock beariings ,there may be room to slacken them off and pump a bit of grease into the gap ,top and bottom . You can get water resistant grease that doesn't turn to an emulsion with water .Once a year should be about right . That lower mudguard extender reminds me of the old 1920s bikes that had wide mudguard bottoms to keep the magneto protected from water and mud . Good tip about the Navy jacket , I'll have to look out for one . As long as you can get parts , you can fix your Himalayan yourself and it should plod on forever . You've got your Vstrom for fast roads and that's a good reliable bike too . Best of both worlds I'd say . Take the tyre off your bent wheel and bash the rim back to round , keep a reasonable tyre on it and you 've got a spare ready to go if you need it one day .

Great Video Sandy, the sad fact is they have to be locked to stop vandalism. I'm glad you didn't fall off this week. 🏍 we had more snow ❄️ this morning. 😢 🥶 🧊 ☃️

Road salt is horrible on bikes. I tend to agree with your diagnosis.

Nice one Sandy, glad you got Chug sorted. My Himalayan needed new steering head bearings at about 6k. Agree with you about Nathan, great chap, very friendly knowledgable and down to earth. I did the Himlayan Odyssey weekend a few years back, actually the same one as Dickie and Tim, sure youve been told you how good it was. Also attended Nathans Himalayan Hoedown this year. Loaded the Himi up and rode from Northampton to North Devon on A and B roads. Took bl**dy ages but was a great ride. Spent Saturday on the lanes and trails of Devon and rode home on Sunday. Fantastic weekend. Think the new Himalayan will be a good bike but its slow ploddy easy going nature of the original that is its charm for me.

I've never owned a motorbike Sandy, but a very informative video for all the guys that do . 👌ps: Cracking bit of filming ! P & M😊

Hi, I found your channel through your collaboration with Paul Messner and I'm glad I did. You are a wonderful videographer. I thoroughly enjoy your work

that church is amazing and the surrounding area of it. thanks for sharing. always nice to watch your videos! and i would not upgrade, but i dont own one. but hope to one day.

👍👌

Hi Sandy, much prefer the older version of the Himalayan, the new version has lost its Royal Enfield DNA for me and although a good looking bike is no different to other modern similar style bikes. Headset bearings on the earlier models were a known fault and well documented with people having them replaced under warranty with such low mileages of 3-6,000 miles. The fault was due to poor assembly and in particular lack of grease during assembly. From around 2020 the fault was rectified during production.🙂👍

Hope the mudguard change sorts the problem for you. The salt on the roads is both a life saver and an equipment destroyer at the same time.Lovely looking church as well.

Nice trip out and glad you got Thumper sorted. I was wondering what that Royal Navy tag was all about and now we know.

Good old military surplus LOL Nice mod on the Himalayan, I am sure the camera loved its soaking. Stay safe and well.

That jacket looks to be a good buy. If you can stay warm and dry, there's no reason to stop riding in winter, provided the roads are free of snow and ice. I tend to give any bare metal parts on my bike a liberal coating of ACF-50 at the start of winter then give the bike a quick rinse after a ride on salty roads. Keeps the worst at bay.

Talking of expensive jackets, FortNine's recent video on Gortex is well worth a watch. Glad your Himmy is running well Sandy. ATB Jason 👍

Nice one Sandy. The mudguard extensions look like they'll do the trick. You're spot on about modern bikes and road speeds. I'm lucky if I go above 60mph these days....that could be down to my age as well though!!😂 Keep safe, cheers.

Just a thought about the head race bearings (I only speak from a knowledge of mountain bikes) we used to use neoprene covers over the races to keep out any particulate. They just velcro on. Bike sounds great.

Nice little informative practical video Sandy. you brought out some good points on the fender etc, and Ok on the bearings. I guess it depends on where the bearings are made. I have a lawn mower and the two bearings in the deck did not last 6 months. from when I bought it new!. turns out the bearings were made in china, (naturally! ) so replaced them with another set from the dealer and same thing happened again in less than another 5months.!!!?? so replaced them with two American made ones and gong on 4 yrs now and 600 hrs on them snd still going strong. workmanship and most of all quality material means a lot. thanks for sharing. de Ellis WA1RKS

The first thing I spotted was the royal navy badge, glad you explained it... Hopefully the new guards will cut down on expense.

Good

Thank you for filming and posting. I am interested in the fender extensions as I have a 2019 Himmy and have only just fitted the fender as mine was bought second hand with it missing. I have not ridden it in the real dirty road salt weather yet, but was very interested in the pictures of how the extra mudguards helped. I have fitted 25mm riser on mine as I think they are vulnerable to snapping if clogged or a stone gets jammed in. Also you RN jacket being worn over a dedicated bike jacket seems a good compromise. I shall search for one similar. Stunning countryside and it looks great now winter is here.

Head race bearings are a common fault. A lot of them were fitted dry in the factory allegedly 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

Your theory may be right on the head bearings But my theory is that it's due to carring luggage on the the tank protectors The frames are handy to strap luggage to them but the bike was never designed for this My Bike suffered from the same problem in Morocco and I was sent to Irun in Northern Spain to get it fixed under warranty The owner of the shop would not touch it unless I paid the bill He pointed out that it was my fault for putting luggage on the frame protectors Lesson Learnt 😢

nice video greetings rene nederland happy holydays

What bad luck on those bearings. Good to get them replaced. Great idea to use the gopro to check the effectiveness of the fender extendes. Using it on the original stock fenders for before and after comparison might be helpful. Either way I think those will do a good job for you.

Hi mate nice to see you out again enjoying yourself hope your well and okay and the family,, now the winter months are on us will you be doing eny ham shack Sunday mornings take care mate

I wouldn’t be surprised if your head bearing issue was down to a lack of grease on initial build plus the washing down with a powerful hose or pressure washer plenty of good grease is the answer then wipe off the excess you can see.👍

I had those fender extenders front and rear installed from new. Hopefully will avoid this issue, but my Waynetta has only done under 7k miles

I heard there had been several warranty claims on Himalayan head bearings when they first came out.I don't know if the issue was faulty bearings or bad seals but it was one of the few problems on new bikes . Maybe the bearings have been improved since and your replacement ones last longer👍

I have seen the farm bikes with a large mudflap attached to the rear of the front mudguard down here in NZ bro I guess they do much the same as what you have now. Watched all the snow up in the UK on TV news lastnight, looks lovely but not that good for travelers by air or road. Safe travels. Ken.

Nice one Sandy, those mudguard extenders seem to work well. Mudguards on most motorcycles these days are form over function and too short.

Hi Sandy, always interesting, even thought motor bikes are not my thing. I like to guess were you are riding just by watching your videos. Cheers.

You cant beat X Navy gear for wet weather, tried and tested over years of bad conditions, and the same can be said about Army gear for the outdoorsman. Good mod with the mudguard Sandy in almost looks British old school another tried and tested.

I have the bottom half, and after watching that, I am buying the top half, it looked to be doing the job well. Funny enough, I was looking at pre-war BSA catalogues, and their front mudguards looked just like yours! What goes around...

Royal Navy jacket? Looking at your video and listening to what you had to say. I would put your stearing head race problem down to substandard bearings. This isn't taking into account how they were fitted. I'm presuming they are a tapperd rollers ànd and sealed? Cheers, Sandy. looking forward to more of your video

I would put some screws in that mudguard.

Lot to be said for riding a slow bike quickly over a fast bike slowly 🤔

Look out Sandy’s about! 👍🏻

Interesting theory about the reason for frequent or early failure of Himalayan steering head bearings. The real culprit is poor quality or poorly designed seals. Most often, rust is found when the headsets are disassembled. All the same, your fender extenders may help. I doubt the flat spot in your rim occurred during a tire change. I have changed many tires over the years and know of no way to duplicate such damage. However, I have seen several wheels damaged in a similar way by impacts with curbs, potholes or other obstructions.

Do you jet wash the bike ? also possible it lacked grease to start with.

I use to wear a jacket identical to yours. Ex Royal Navy, gortex. Think mine was about £30 that I got 20 years ago. Any how I wore during my time working in the airport. It stood up against many winter rains & daily abuse. Very good jacket that.

Was it very expensive to replace the head bearings?

Good lord that pugwashers jacket was burning my eyes out 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️😂😂😂 they are a scruffy lot that’s for sure. 😂😂😂

I bought a 2021 Himalayan new. Nothing but problems - electrical parasitic battery drain, engine knock from day one, and bad steering head bearings. The nearest dealer here in the US is over 2 hours away so delayed taking it in. I scheduled a dealer check before the warranty ran out, but the dealer postponed it two months due to lack of parts. By the time I got it in the warranty was expired. I will never buy a RE bike again.

Where did you get the extenders Sandy?

Above the upper and below the lower bearings on the stem should be seals, preventing any moisture from getting in, and well packed bearings should never have an issue, just age and miles, and probably poor quality parts in the first instance bearing in mind where these bikes are built. They’ll never have the reliability of a Japanese bike, but 17,000 miles is a good run, I very much doubt water ingress has had any effect. Shame about the wheel though.

Is this the bike you bought from new?

You may want to take the badge off that jacket ( It's only velcro ) before someone calls you a walt or get's upset.

such a shame that some churches are locked these days, what have we become

Really good video, stupid question, but why don't manufacturers just make better mud guards 😂 as for salt on the roads my bike goes in the shed before they start gritting the roads 😂😂

Have you ever seen the movie the world's fastest Indian? Very good motorcycle movie

Let’s be honest here, that rim was damaged from all those power wheelies away from the traffic lights 😄👍

My 21 year old GS hasn’t failed an MOT

I do not like big bikes anymore. And the reason is, I have plenty time to ride, so I do not ride fast. My three bikes have 23,3 - 29,7 and55 bhp.

I’d heard that head race bearing failure was a common fault on the Himalayan and was down to manufacturing standards. A decent set of well greased bearings I’d the standard cure. I think you’re clutching at straws thinking that it is a consequence of an inferior front mudguard design.

Its woes, not woe's.

"...locked out of God's house," all because a few of the local malcontents were tearing up churches and churchyards. We all suffer the consequences.