SuitcaseJefferson, what were the issues that led to your breakdowns on the C5? I am guessing at least one of them was the small negative lead at the battery? Mine broke at around 1,000 miles, if I recall correctly. But no issues in the next 1200 miles.......well the sidestand did cut out once on me, but I figured that out quickly. I am riding the full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, both directions thru Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, in August, and I will have my fingers crossed......all 9 of them.
9fingers
Actually it is a B5. Only one problem was serious, the rest were just aggravating. It started with less than 10 miles on the bike. I noticed the turn signals were not working. I also discovered the tail light. license plate light, and brake light were not working either. The rear tire had cut through the harness to the rear lights. I repaired the harness and rerouted it above the fender under the seat. Then the exhaust header studs and nuts kept coming loose. I started carrying extra studs and nuts with me. I finally replaced the studs and nuts with bolts, had the heads drilled, and safety wire them. Been good since. Then the battery failed, and while installing a new one, the battery cable broke. I fabricated some better cables and made them long enough that the battery could be turned around with the terminals facing outward. 5 years later that battery is still working, and the cables are still holding up fine. Then the fuel gauge quit working. I found the same thing many others have found. The float melted. The head stay broke. I fabricated a new one that should be about 10 times stronger. Then I decided to replace the EFI with a carb. I got a kit from Hitchcock's and installed an Amal carb. I also installed the premium EFI exhaust from CMW, with the baffle removed. Now it ran MUCH better, and sounded the way a RE should. My guess is that while I did not rejet the carb, it is a lot richer overall than it was with the EFI. It sounded very 'wheezy" with the EFI, now it has excellent throttle response and doesn't hesitate on full throttle like it did. While working on it, I had the tank off, and discovered the rear mounting was not designed right, or something was missing. The mounting tab that the rear mounting bolt goes through were bent inward, and still not touching the frame tube that the bolt goes through. I gently bent the mounting tabs out straight, got a longer bolt, and used washers as spacers between the frame tube and mounting tabs. I also put washers on the outside of the tabs. The holes in the tab are much larger than they needed to be for the bolt, and the bolt head almost pulled right through them. I'm assuming that since pretty much nothing lines up properly on the Bullet, they used oversized holes so the parts could be moved around a bit to make them fit.
The last failure was more serious. The rear wheel locked up just as I was pulling into a parking lot. Fortunately I didn't crash. I loosened the adjustment up all the way, and the wheel would turn again. When I took it apart, I found that the radius of the brake shoes was not the same as the drum by quite a bit. The shoes had a much larger radius, and only the ends of the shoes were touching the drum, and eventually the lining material broke off, and allowed metal to metal contact between the shoes and drum. I rode it for some time with no rear brake (the rear brake never did work right anyway) and finally got some new shoes from Hitchcock's that fit much better. When the wheel locked up, it also stretched the chain, which was already worn, so I also had to replace that. Shipping from the UK to the U.S. is crazy expensive. I have made 3 orders from the UK. Anyway, the bike is running ok now, and has just over 11,000 miles on it. Riding season is about over in the Phoenix, AZ area due to extreme heat. This summer I will put new tires on it and do all the recommended maintenance.
I am hoping the Himalayan is built better than the 2013 Bullet. I plan to buy one. I have been to the dealer twice to look at them. I'm the impulsive type. I'm likely to wake up some morning, and decide to just go get it.