Amazing vids. Keep em coming. I'm planning to buy a Himalayan soon and all these mods you're doing to yours just makes me more eager to get mine soon. Thanks for the videos.
Great videos!! the pegs on the under side of the rack is for locating the ends of "bungee" straps/cords - or as we in Oz call them :- Ocy straps (Ocy short for octopus straps)
Great video. I have a mate who just bought a slightly used Himalayan and I'm going to send him a link to your video. I already sent him the one for the Givi top box fitting. Well done.
Great videos. Wish I had seen this one earlier. I also live in Sydney, and have the Himalayan with a 42lt Kappa K-venture Top Case (purchase it from Motostorm for $400 AUD a few weeks back. I ride daily, and just last week the to box bracket bent and sustained a crack. I was lucky the top box didn't come off while riding and do some real damage! I'm looking to repair the bracket and make the same improvement you have done here in the video. I've just clocked 4000km on mine, and apart from the bracket, have had no issues with the bike. In fact is been a real joy to ride. I just finished a two day ride from Mittagong to Wombyan Caves, then Jenolan via the Kanangra-Boyd National Park. Its the second time i've done it now on the Himalayan. Took a different route the last time, and some of the back fire trails were a challenge; steep rocky climbs and water crossings, but the Himalayan handled it all so well. Some stunning scenery out that way, riding over the great dividing range. Thoroughly recommend if your looking for somewhere different to take the Himalayan on your next adventure.
Hey Evan, sorry for the slow reply. Sorry to hear about your back rack. I'm actually thinking of replacing mine with one of Donowyn's stainless steel racks as the handle on my rack broken after this vid. I fixed it by inserting some steel bar and welding, but I feel it is made from very cheap thin steel. That ride sounds awesome, will definitely have to check it out.
I managed to find a welder (used hipages) and had him do the same as per your video, but also asked him to cut the bends and reinforce them with steel poles. So far so good. Just finished a 500km ride with the top box loaded and no issues. Fingers crossed. If it does fail then I’ll keep the Donowyns in mind.
Really enjoyed your video, good presentation and informative. Keep them up, your inspiring me to have a go with a few mods on my 2021 Himalayan. Thank you 👍
Possibly a future Himalayan owner here. Your content is nice, you really present it well. Keep up the good job, and don't worry about the number of subscribers.
Dangar Motorcycling it sure is mate, but the option of having a Bajaj Dominar at 170,000 INR makes buying the Himalayan (priced at 200,000 INR) makes it a lil confusing.
Let me very honest with you, most of the people in India have had lots of problems with their Himalayan, ever since it's launch. But you sir, is that one lucky happy man. Keep up the good work you're doing.
Yes, it is unfortunately that there have been many problems with the early BS3 bikes. So far this one has run well but I have heard of people in Australia still having the charge coil fail.
Nice. Wish I knew how to weld. Guess I will have to rely on the aftermarket if I decide to put a box on there. So far a tank bag and soft tail rack have covered all my needs.
Really enjoying your videos. Excited to see how your Himalayan turns out. Mine's pretty much stock at the moment but now, am inspired to do some customizations.
It is a great bike stock, but I do think there are a few things you can do to improve it. I'm really glad this rack is done now as I was worried about it with that top box. The USB charger will be very handy too.
We have a mobile holder here in India which comes along with the USB charging. Any reason you didn't opt for that? Just curious. Link below for reference www.amazon.in/Universal-Motorcycle-Mobile-Holder-Charger/dp/B01CYIVP7C
the mystery bits you cut off are for tie downs to hold things on the rack. correct no loss with a top box. making indicators more visible great idea top marks
Thanks Mark - first crossover viewer! ;) I mostly like adventure riding and this is bike also has a better suspension setup for off road too. It's still not the most powerful bike though so I'm going to do a dyno tune one day to try to get a bit more out of it.
I believe that you're all missing the fact that the rack is supported on both sides of the bottom tube radius; one on each side of the subframe with outer bolts, and with two bolts underneath the rear seat. If you look at 2:29 you can see him removing the bolts under the seat, and right after he lifts the rack free, you can see the two supports that go to these two bolts. While any cantilever system will have stresses being transferred somewhere, his reinforcement adds significant strength to the original rack design. And while I'm always wary of overloading any rear rack, this one will at least carry more than a pack of smokes.
Would be happy to buy an Himalayan if you would bring it up to scratch with electrics, luggage frame, etc. I am just a rider without any clue as to mechanics but you are a "handy man" with brains!!😂
These gussets are there beneath the back rank to tie bungee nets or bungee cords around them while using cargo on it to secure atleast that's how we use it in India...... pretty useful...tc
Hey....I had installed a Top Box on my stock back rest and it snapped recently hence will look for a similar mod on my Himalayan. Wanted to check if your mod is still going strong or did you had to make any further changes to it to make it any more stronger ?
How is the rack holding out? I don't use a top box but I've read that reinforcing the rack in the region you did simply moves the stress point forward (towards the front of the bike) and the breaking point of the rack is now along the horizontal part of the tubing somewhere under the rear seat. Depends of course on how much the top box is loaded and the amount of bumpy off road riding done.
Hi mate. I've been busier that I would like at the moment unfortunately. I have started a new video on installing some LED lights that should be up next week.
Hi Danger Wheels, I had a word with the RE store manager who is also a rider. He mentioned the default Rack is not stong enough to hold a topbox with the reinforcment the way you have done. I have a plate mounted but rack needs reinforcement or replacement. I wanted to hear from as you for a feedback. How has the rack been so far? Has it been holding up well? Please share your comments.
How has the reinforcement worked so far? Have you taken the bike off road with the top case on? I like your subtle design and wondered if it works and if you would mind if I copy it. Thanks
The part I re-inforced has been strong, but with the top box on off road it broke further down towards where it attaches to the bike near the seat. My plan is to replace just those sections with solid round bar. I'll do a video on it when I get around to it.
All you've done is transfer the stress from one point to another. You might want to drill some big holes in the plate so you got somewhere to hook the bungees on and reduce the weight. Or you could carry less.
Great video mate! Will this work for the 58L top box as well. Can you advice if I should go ahead with it. It’s bigger then the one that you have installed hence want to double check with u if that’s a good idea. Also can we install the Givi aluminium panniers for the Himalayan ? Not sure which pannier rack would fit the Himalayan. And if I get one made locally will it fit the givi panniers. Hope u reply.Cheers.
I would certainly be doing this mod if you are going to add the 58L top box. It didn't interfere with me adding the base plate and I imagine the base plate is the same for both boxes. I've not looked into the side panniers as I am going with soft saddle bags, but I'd be interested to hear what you come up with.
Thanks for the reply mate. I checked it further. The 42 L topbox seems a perfect fit. Hence going with the same mod as u have done. However, incase of the side panniers I am currently holding on to it as givi doesn't make any universal pannier rack or stand. And I am not sure whether it will be a perfect fit for the himalayan. May be Royal enfield will introduce the panniers in 2018.
I think the 42L litre is a great size for this bike. I thought RE had aluminium panniers already? Maybe they were just in the launch pictures and not ready to sell yet.
Ahhh.. they had it but it seems they are not getting a vendor to get the bulk production done at a lower cost. Hence no panniers from RE yet. Made plenty calls to the showrooms but neither do they have a clue.☺️
Hi Dangar Stu, really enjoy your vids and your work, you're a good mech and top bloke. Like the work you did, just one suggestion, and only an opinion which could be totally wrong - You will still need to jack the end of the box support structure to a 3rd load carrying point as even though you have done a great mod, without the third point it looks like all you have achieved is moving the failure point further forward to the front of the triangle bracket. Thoughts? Keep up the vids, love your work!
Sorry to add a negative note but have you just moved the stress point to the next tube radius . Maybe if you had extended a slim arm along the underside of the longeron and welded the whole it would have been a stronger job.
I still run tubes at the moment. In fact I'm just about to put some thicker ones in soon. I hear some people have used the Tubliss system successfully.
bro doesnt it make the back rack more brittle, cos i have many instances were welding heat actually make the metal harder and less flexible and finally it cracked after few months
Hi mate. You will generally notice that it will break somewhere near the weld. If you make a brace that completely supports the stressed area you will be fine.
Dangar Motorcycling I did my Leh trip along with Tso Moriri and Pangong Tso on this bike before I sold it. Beautiful bike but yet to achieve it's full potential.
Just broke my rack in two cause I didn't brace it. Seems further down in the comments Dangar had his break even after the brace was put on. After market needs to step up and make some gear for this bike.
Hey, weren't you supposed to drill the holes for turn signals prior to priming and painting? Brilliant job though. You can also replace the filament bulbs with LEDs so you can get more usage time out of battery with auxiliary systems like hazard Lights, USB charger, flood/spotlights etc.
+Amaey Paradkar The reason I didn't drill them is that I'm not 100% sure I'm going to move them yet. I would need to design some special angled spacers to keep them pointing in the right direction given the plates are angled.
Dangar Motorcycling which place do you have in mind to move them? Because with everything in place, taillight and rear signals have reduced viewing angles as with every adventure tourer. Or maybe you can replace the whole unit but will be expensive.
I'm not sure yet, and I'm not sure it is going to be that necessary. When I have those bags on it will be because I am going on a longer desert trip where indicators aren't really a high priority. For the rest of the time in the city the top box and tank bag will be more than enough.
Donowyn Rodricks it would be too far from Adelaide. But it's going to be a fun trip to visit Sydney just to get some mods done. Thanks for the info. Appreciate it.
Yes, I bought it directly from Italy myself. Here is the video about it, the link is in the description ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UcoC2XGvFxg.html
Hey ya... Gabriel here this video was very necessary to all the motorcycle owners, specifically himalayan owners.. I myself own a himalayan. I'm loking forward to look at more awesome videos about himalayan.. I would even like to know which are the best auxiliary lights for himalayan. And I have a royal enfield saddle bag. But when I mount my bags on the rear seat, the bag touches the exhaust.. And I'm worried what will happen. Will my bag burn due to the heat?. What measures can I take. Or should I mount any external guard on my exhaust.. And one more thing, I'm from India-maharashtra-mumbai if any plans to come to India let me know. We will go on a tour and explore. My insta: instagram.com/gabriel_roc_sta/
Hi Gabriel, I'm going to start looking into which lights to fit soon, I haven't chosen any yet. You don't want your bags touching the exhaust, they will definitely burn. The rack I bought from Donowyn keeps them an inch or two away from the exhaust so I would recommend getting something like that. I'll definitely be doing more trips to India in the future, it would be great to meet up with people and go for a ride.
