Overall, I have tried to keep the stock aesthetic of the bike, as much as possible and I am pretty happy with the way it has turned out thus far.
BHPian WhiskeyTangoFox recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Update | 25,500 Kilometers
The Himmy has crossed just over 25.5k Kilometers recently, (quite less, because I’ve also been using the car to commute to work, owing to the weather in Bangalore). In any case, I thought I would update the thread with all the recent additions, as well as niggles () that popped up.
Sixth Service
The sixth service of the bike was done at Big Bear Customs, at and ODO reading of 23560 Kilometers. This was a fairly major service, with the following services carried out:
- Oil and Oil Filter Change (Replaced with Amsoil 15w50 Fully Synthetic)
- Fork Oil Replacement (First Time)
- Front Coneset Bearing Replacement (First Time)
- Brake Oil Flushing and Replacement
- Wheel Truing (First Time)
- General Service (Washing, Chain Cleaning and Lubing, Greasing etc.)
- Clutch Switch Replacement (The Bike was starting in gear as well, this was found to be the culprit)
The total cost came up to INR 9722all inclusive.
Battery and Clutch Plate Replacement
At roughly the 24,600 Kilometer mark, the bike’s battery started showing signs of age, with cranking taking a longer time, and the instrumentation flickering. I decided that it was best to change the battery as soon as possible. The stock Exide battery was replaced with an Amaron Pro Rider Battery.
The cost for battery replacement was INR 2400.
At roughly the same time, the clutch plates started slipping heavily when the bike heated up in city traffic. I unfortunately have to oftentimes commute through some of the worst traffic BLR has to offer, and therefore, the clutch plates did take a beating. I had the plates replaced at a local FNG. We couldn’t get the Prospec easy clutch cable, which I had installed, to sit properly, hence I replaced it with a stock Himalayan cable. The clutch switch failed again, and the bike would refuse to start in gear, even with the clutch pulled in. This had to be replaced again.
The total cost came up to INR 4600 for the Clutch Replacement, and INR 560for the Clutch Cable and the Clutch Switch.
The Additions
“Performance” Modifications
As I’ve mentioned somewhere on this thread before, my primary goal with the performance modifications on this motorcycle is not to convert it from a TVS 50 to a Hayabusa, but to make the bike feel a little more relaxed while cruising at 100kmph, as opposed to it feeling like its giving all that it’s got. That being said, any other improvements that comes my way due to said additions, are most welcome.
The bike already had a Fuel X Pro Plus and an Ngage Performance Air Filter Installed.
I had a Powerage Exhaust as well as a “Stage 2 Kit” from Art of Motorcycles installed on the motorcycle.
The Exhaust isn’t much louder than stock (I’m leaving the Decibel Killer on) and is more bassy and gruff sounding. The Exhaust itself is lighter than the stock exhaust (I’m not sure by how much) though. I will comment on the mileage change if any, after some more usage. I did get my periodic PUC check done right after I had the exhaust installed and it is compliant with the required norms. I had this installed at HTRZ Mods in Bangalore, for INR 8300 (Exhaust + Installation).
The stage 2 kit is nothing but a glorified metal plate with a hole in it. I still am not a fan of Art of Motorcycles, for reasons which I’ve detailed on this thread before, however they were literally the only people selling this plate at a reasonable price (INR 990). Every other plate I saw was priced above the INR 4000 mark which is obnoxious.
The plate is designed for the stock air filter and not performance air filters (ironic ), where the latter is much smaller. Therefore, some good old jugaad was required to have this installed. Not worth that much effort really, and I did it just to experiment.
Both of these together have resulted in slightly a smoother top end and better throttle response. Is it mind blowing? Absolutely not. Is it value for money? Probably not. Will it put a smile on your face when you twist the throttle? In all likelihood, it will
Other Changes
I had PPF installed on the Tank from Detailing Mafia, at Bommanahalli. Veeresh from DM did a good job, and also included ceramic coating in the price. The total cost was INR 8500with a 5 year warranty. The PPF used was the Ultra shield TPU PPF.
The Bajaj Avenger Mirrors took a beating, during a recent trail ride. Hence installed the stock Himalayan mirrors.
I really liked how the horn from the 650 twins sounded, hence had the dual horn installed on my motorcycle as well. Since the low tone horn was already there, I just needed to add the high tone (or was it the other way around? )
I had some generic foam grips installed from HTRZ Mods, however they tore off pretty quickly. Picked up these leather wraps from Trip Machine instead.
I picked up some new gear as well, more on that however, later
Overall, I have tried to keep the stock aesthetic of the bike, as much as possible and I am pretty happy with the way it has turned out thus far.
Signing off with some pictures from a recent trail ride (Gangadheshwara Betta), for your viewing pleasure
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