Royal Enfield Himalayan #13 Steering head bearings issue sorted 

section of truck inner tube cut and cable tied over the rear shock works wonders. Big cable tie top and bottom. My shock and spring are pristine after 20,000 kms. I found my steering head did the same, did as you have done but I also added a drop of locktite to the adjuster. checked it at 10,000 kms and still fine, out for a re grease at 20,000. Do swingarm and linkages too, mine were bone dry from factory.

Really appreciate your time and efforts in videoing the progress of the up spec of the Himalaya as I collected mine yesterday. Disappointed to see how rapid the corrosion was taking place especially as you had given the bike two coatings of AC50 during its 1200 miles. The fixings are of poor quality. I read somewhere in some service related document that ALL nuts and bolts should be replaced if they are removed during service or repair as they are single use items. As you say we have a great bike at a great price and well worth looking after. When you pull together the stainless steel list of fixings I for one would love to purchase the package as well. So if you decide to market them or see if a group of owners could make a more economical purchase package I'm in.

Another great and informative video Ade, thanks! Any lesser mortal would be slagging of the Enfield but you seem to relish the thought of putting it right. I admire your positive attitude and enthusiasm and I look forward to seeing how it progresses. Dan the fanboy😉

Nice work sir. I agree with you about being realistic with these bikes. It's a 4k bike, it's not going to look as nice as a 16k BMW after ten years. :) I am very happy with mine although it may not look as nice as yours in time. :) I'm going down the route of service and fix broken stuff and let it do it's thing on everything else. :D Much like I did with my old XL 185 in the early 90's.

If you ran your fingernail across those lines you would feel the rust. I replaced mine and put in Lucas Red n Tacky grease. The original grease allowed the rust. I predict a new set of bearings in your future.

Dear Adrian, Greetings to you. I truly appreciate your detailed video and the attention to details on the RE Himalayan BS IV 2019. Info for you; T_stem Bearing replacement: CZECH Republic, Brand-ZKL, Bearing Number-30205_A (Heavy Duty) X two numbers, brass washer in place of tin lower bearing seal and same size washer below top cone bearing seal . Use BikeMaster Adjustable Steering Stem Wrench - 25-75mm. Regards, Joe. Abu Dhabi, UAE

I loved this bike since I test rode it last year. Great bike just to relax, ride and explore. The interceptor gave me a big grin as well. I want something simple, that I can maintain myself and fix without having to have an OBD fault reader and a computer! The Himalayan (and interceptor) tick those boxes - and both appeal to my heart. I really want to buy one and I have nearly pulled the trigger many times this week. However, whilst I love bike maintenance, and really want a bike that can maintain myself, I have bad memories of the 1980’s where it was a constant battle keeping on top of rusty fasteners, cheap Japanese chrome, rusty spokes etc. And I really don’t want to go through that again! Stainless spokes and using stainless fasteners on an off-road oriented bike should be a no-brainier for the uk market, and would add maybe £50 to the price for the manufacturer for fasteners, plus maybe £100 for spokes. For the age of this bike, the corrosion is bad. Cooperb do a great range of shocks and alloy rims/spokes for this bike, but when you add the cost of those, you are now in £6/7000+ territory, which buys a lot of 2nd hand quality bike. I want a bike that I can spend most of my time riding, rather than spend most of my time maintaining and replacing corroded parts! As much as I love this bike, I think I probably have to let my head rule my heart on this one and look to something else. Don’t get me wrong, this is such an appealing bike, and I watch all the great things people are achieving on this bike (Itchy, Nathan etc) and there’s nothing quite like it on the market, but just not for me at this time. If I lived in south of France it would be a no-brainier for me :-). Keep up the great videos and I will watch with interest how you get on with this bike!

Mine was sticky too, 6000km. Bottom bearing cage was slight bent so I pried it straightish, gotta order new ones. My seal was not dented in like yours though. My marks in the bottom race look worse than yours but I can't feel them under finger and they don't catch on my nails. I think they're impact marks from hitting potholes, etc while the wheel is straight over a long period of time. Bottom bearing had some sand/water intrusion. I'm going to fit something to protect it a bit. People out there, check your brake caliper bolts. One of mine only had 2 threads of protrusion because it was too short, it was completely stripped from the factory too. I have to order 2 new ones, i'm glad it didn't fail on me.

Service Notes: Rear Suspension overhaul. Drag link Assy with bearing and Swing Arm with bearing-Assy are of very poor quality replace" needle roller bearing and seals". Highly recommended. I have used a truck inner rubber tube to make a flexi mudguard extension for my Harley 883XL rear swing arm's front end. To protect the swing arm/Mono Shock from dirt and water splashing. Regards, Joe

Subbed. Looking forward to how this all pans out for you mate.

Really great Video, new to your channel but so much useful info. Pick up my Himalayan tomorrow.

Great video Adrian thanks. That corrosion made me scurry down to look at my 14month old Hima. I sprayed mine liberally with white lithium grease which forms a layer of black grime but does seem to protect whats beneath.

Nice job

Hi Adrian,, My bike now has about 2500mls on it,,and I use it off road, I never clean it,,,but I use sprayon chain grease all over ,the wheels and spokes,engine,everywhere gets a coatting after every ride,as soon as I see abit of rust I,m onit with the grease or brush on engine oil...For the next service I will give a rub down ,just because the lads who do the work,do,nt deserve to get caked up... Regarding head stock bearings,,so far no probs... in fact no probs full stop... oh except on the trail I did drop it,,and could not pick up(I mean its 400ibs,that a fair bit of weight)so had to maneuver,so it was easier to lift,but gear lever linkage twisted around,so rode home with lever pointing up,,but soon fixed,other then that thumps up...My bike may look shitty but at least theres no rust,,regards

Great job Ade!

I use blue Loctite on any stainless bolt in aluminum threads.

Thanks for making another very informative video. I'm picking up my Himalayan tomorrow and in the meantime, gathering all the bits of information that I can. I'm impressed by the longevity of the Himalayan (Itchy Boots and Nathanthepostman) and on my test ride, appreciated the handling and the "chugging" capability of the engine. It seems to be a very well thought out machine and I'm looking forward to many happy miles on the lesser roads and tracks. One thing that does not impress me though, is the evident poor quality of the plating on the fasteners. To say that it is built to a price and as many others have, that it is only a £4k machine rather misses the point. The price it is built to is approx. only £2000 RETAIL in India (Itchy Boots paid $2500), so it is not unreasonable to wonder why on doubling the price, RE could not have done better with some of the finishes of the machine. VAT is "only" 20% and import duty as far as I can see is 10% max. There could be exemptions for 3rd world countries though. From £2640 (inc Duty & VAT and based on Indian retail price ) to £4200 is an awful lot of markup for someone! From Indian trade prices, even more so! Rip-off Britain strikes again?

Thanks for another great video. Maybe try spraying with wax, on all surfaces that don't heat up.

Has anyone installed a grease zerk between the bearings? From what I understand the main problem is with the factory grease. Just. Curious. Great demonstration of assembly and tips. Thanks

All source of information for the RE HIMALAYAN, Subscribe to - HDT Customs. Genuine and reasonable individual Mr.Hamert from Bombay.

Woow good good

👍

Hi Adrian, had to stop the video at 1:58 as there was a bit of smutty innuendo which had me laughing out loud !!! However getting onto the vid more, another excellent vid showing "how to do" certain jobs, as well as how the RE is coping with British weather. Very interesting that. Loved the stills of the sockets used to give the sizes - great idea. Just a quick question? Why did you put the fender extenda on the front of the mudguard rather than on the rear? Not seen it done like that before. Great vids Adrian keep 'em coming, from a new subscriber.

Adrian, your videos are much appreciated. Could you perhaps link where you source each of these components, such as the mudguard extender, etc.?

Would like to know where you got the fender extender from, lookes like a good idea. Also, would like to fut rear mudguard to mine, but don't wamt to use pyramid hugger. Any ideas ? Cheers

Please let us know if you source SS nuts and bolts to replace the scrap ones, and if you need to cut them, or come standard. Thanks

Another excellent vid, sir. I like your positive attitude. Suck eggs granny, but maybe check your spokes: I had a few absolutely floppy on the front wheel. My Himmie steers to the right. Tried slackening forks and bouncing. Slightly better. On centre stand notice yoke falling to left - maybe brake hose tensions; not a showstopper. my solution to rust problem is live in Spain. Cheers mate. Looking forward to your next vid.

Wow! A very detailed demonstration how to lube fork bearings. Thanks for sharing. Do they put salt on your roads during the winter OR do you live near salt water? For only being 4 months old that is really a lot of corrosion.

Hi Eadsie any idea where you got your mudguards extender as can't seem to find one that's the right size for my Himalayan ?

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the head bearings on my soon to arrive steed. Regarding the grease, would CV joint grease possibly be a better bet? The steering head bearings are basically taking an almost static (heavy?) load and are not subject to high revolutions or heat.

What was the name brand of the factory placed bearings?

my spocks are the same after 6 month dry weather ridding and the same on all the nuts even after acf 50

Nice! That pinching in the steering can be real scary. two things: 1. You could possibly reverse the front mud guard and place the extended side towards the engine. 2. Get proper aluminium wheels for your Himalayan. You will end up shedding a whole lot of unsprung weight, the difference is delightful. Best wishes.

To days question is the pan engine guard, is that stainless or 3mill thick from Cooperb ltd who I am a fan, have a set of engine guards coming from Germany using 22mil steel, testing will be interesting

Hi Adrian, wonderful video, thank you mate! Is there any way to lock that nut and prevent it from self overtightening? I think there is no room for a locknut, is there any? Maybe drilling a pin hole somewhere? Cheers from Argentina

I have the same problem in the direction of my royal enfield himalayan but I have not been able to get the bearing reference to be able to buy them first before disassembling all the pieces. Could you give me the reference or number of the ball bearings and have you made the change? Thank you.

Brother did you custom paint the silencer or was it how it came as a stock, cause mine is 2019 BS4 model which is bought in India and the silencer was in plain copper colour. If yes you have painted it please do let me know how you did it.

Hi, Could you please give the link or info on the fender extender. Thanks

Kya ise honda ke bike me use kar sakte hai

Informative.The yoke bearings are from a Indian company called SKF bearings which are not long lasting. better to go for japanese "KOYO" or German bearings which last longer and are smoother.Also you can add the same handle raiser(part no 890083-Top raiser textured black) inverted at the bottom of the handle thereby raising the height of the handle and getting an absolute upright seating position+better grip while saddling off road.If you can get your hands on an Himalayan sleet limited edition anodized handle it changes everything.it aluminium, lighter and 1.5" longer. Ive done that on my 2016 BS3 Himalayan.Also an NGK iridium plug with Motul 300V 15W50 fully synthetic engine oil makes this baby a race horse from a mule :-)

Its pulling on right side with no hands on handle bar...can u tell why??

Lots of problems to attend to with the Himalayan. So far: crazy condensation in clock, my gear indicator has stopped working, cuts out until well warmed up (a mile or so of riding), poor protection for moving parts from weather, engine surging at times (clutch slip?), and many more to find no doubt. It's a tinkerers machine and I was previously a tinkerphope. It keeps me busy and I still love it. Huh? In regards to corrosion protection, this guy doesn't recommend AC50 and uses Tetroseal Waxoil and Double TT. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rnZaVVrloQE.html

How many miles did you go before having to do the job?

Maybe in factory they used air gun to tighten. Whats happend to your motocycle shed tent. I have 8 foot x 8 Foot one and love it , my own little "Hot " man cave . I like your videos , wouldn't mind getting a Himalaya myself at some point . Cheers mate.