[him a layin]

this is all speculative since i've ridden the bike very little so far, but it seems overly tall and overly heavy to me. so at some point in the future i may decide to "fix" these issues. tall can be addressed with lowering links and fork adjustment, heavy can be addressed by replacing heavy components with lighter ones (muffler?LI battery?) or even omitting them altogether. i'm looking at you, tank guard bars, and you too, extra front fender, and maybe even you, handlebar weights. also maybe "tidying up" the tail, a la scram.

i expect you more experienced folks have opinions about all of this so please, do share. no hurry, take your time. and yes, i know, cut back on dessert. fat chance.

[AzCal Retred]

Lightness (combined with HP...) is the forte of the high end $$$ folks like KTM & Husqvarna. The Himalayan is very competent within its operating range. The low end buy in provides you with good geometry, compliant suspension and mild traction promoting power and decent gear ratios. It also comes with a mild steel frame and manufacturing choices biased towards strength thru extra mass instead of exotic materials like tempered chromoly and carbon fiber.

Rider thinks the 31.5"seat height is fairly low for these types of bikes. The "tank guards" are actually carrier racks.
https://ridermagazine.com/2021/11/10/2022-royal-enfield-himalayan-first-ride-review/

Myself I'd keep it stock, maybe take off the bits you won't use and put them in a box. Ride it, maintain it, learn its quirks, appreciate what it does well. New high quality tires is about all the modding it needs, after the stock rubber wears down a bit. Chasing lightness is pointless when starting with low end hardware. R.E. did a great job with the Himalayan, especially for the price point. You can spend a lot of time & treasure and not get close to the high dollar boys; they started with a lot more base budget and retail for about 3x the price.

[him a layin]

"take off the bits you won't use and put them in a box."

good, good. anyone else?

[jadofind]

A perception of excess weight suggests that you arrived at a Himalayan from a different route than I did. My previous mount was a V-Strom 650, which was bordering on worrisome weight if more than 5-10 degrees off vertical at a stop. The Himalayan is wonderfully light and short by comparison. I did notice when replacing a few broken and bent spokes on the rear wheel, that its weight surprised me. I haven't detached the front wheel, but wouldn't be surprised if it was also a bit on the heavy side. Finding and installing suitable aluminum rims might be one way to lighten up the bike a bit. However, it was only noticeable when I had the wheel off (like the roof that only leaks when it rains).

[him a layin]

check the rims, check.

[oldphart]

The stock wheels are stupidly heavy as I discovered recently when changing the tyres. Get some tubeless wheels while you're at it.

[Morgan65]

this is all speculative since i've ridden the bike very little so far, but it seems overly tall and overly heavy to me. so at some point in the future i may decide to "fix" these issues. tall can be addressed with lowering links and fork adjustment, heavy can be addressed by replacing heavy components with lighter ones (muffler?LI battery?) or even omitting them altogether. i'm looking at you, tank guard bars, and you too, extra front fender, and maybe even you, handlebar weights. also maybe "tidying up" the tail, a la scram.

i expect you more experienced folks have opinions about all of this so please, do share. no hurry, take your time. and yes, i know, cut back on dessert. fat chance.

I was thinking of doing just that two years ago if I could find a Himmy that I can pick up cheap.  Maybe one that had been crashed.   

I think now it’ll be best to just trade it in on the new 412 Sram.

[him a layin]

I think now it’ll be best to just trade it in on the new 412 Sram.

likely the easiest way to get there if that's where you want to go.

right now my battery has died from sitting for 3 weeks. charger failed o save it. i've got family business to attend to in florida, so it may just continue to sit for the next month or so. obviously a battery cutoff is in my future, but there's not much room under there. maybe on the left, glued to the back of the side cover?
focus, man, focus!

[BJMS]

this is all speculative since i've ridden the bike very little so far, but it seems overly tall and overly heavy to me. so at some point in the future i may decide to "fix" these issues. tall can be addressed with lowering links and fork adjustment, heavy can be addressed by replacing heavy components with lighter ones (muffler?LI battery?) or even omitting them altogether. i'm looking at you, tank guard bars, and you too, extra front fender, and maybe even you, handlebar weights. also maybe "tidying up" the tail, a la scram.

i expect you more experienced folks have opinions about all of this so please, do share. no hurry, take your time. and yes, i know, cut back on dessert. fat chance.

Sounds like you should swap it for a Scram.
Lower, (a little bit) lighter, no extra front fender, no tank bars, no rear rack etc.

[him a layin]

Sounds like you should swap it for a Scram.
Lower, (a little bit) lighter, no extra front fender, no tank bars, no rear rack etc.

maybe so.

[zefnerd]

Sounds like you should swap it for a Scram.
Lower, (a little bit) lighter, no extra front fender, no tank bars, no rear rack etc.

The front screen was dropped, front wheel reduced to 19", and probably the biggest weight saver, dropped the inclusion of a centerstand. They dropped about 10 kilo.

[him a layin]

The front screen was dropped, front wheel reduced to 19", and probably the biggest weight saver, dropped the inclusion of a centerstand. They dropped about 10 kilo.

don't know that i'd want to ditch the center stand.

[him a layin]

cobbled up a battery cutoff for when thing settle enough to pursue this again

[him a layin]

connected my home-brew battery cutoff and it seems to work.
and an aside: momentarily swapped the battery terminals by accident, key in pocket, and heard what i think was the fuel pump running. interesting wiring on this beast.

[mitch49]

Get some tubeless wheels while you're at it.

New guy here with a question. Will the alloy wheels from the  Meteor fit the Scram? I'm concerned about brake caliper placement.They are tubless... Would the alloy rims from the 650 work? This would get rid of the caliper problem but would it cause a problem with the different size rims and the speedo and ABS?? I guess you wold need need new spokes also..
tnx
mitch