I was pretty happy with the setup when I bought the saddlebag stay for Himalayan from Donowyn. We were headed out for a 10-day trip in South India. I had promised to write a full review once I was back, covering the performance, pros and cons. Now is the time for that. But wait! If you have not read part 1 in this series, where I cover the purchase, installation, size comparisons, etc., head over to the Royal Enfield Himalayan Saddle Bag Stay story and read that first.

Reviewing hardware like this without using it in the real world is pretty challenging. This is why I put off my recommendation (if you are here only for that, scroll straight to the end of this page) till I got this ride done. Once I was back from the ride, life took over, and I had not had the time to put this post together. I hope it helps guys and gals looking for an effective solution for your Royal Enfield Himalayans. If you want to buy or be “inspired” by it, do it yourself.

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#1. Foot – Clearance

Foot clearance is one of the essential components of this. There are two instances where you’ll need this to work.

a. Pillion’s Foot Clearance

This point is not so important to you if you ride alone. But, when you ride with a pillion it matters that the person is well planted on the pegs both from a comfort and safety point of view.

b. Rider’s Foot Clearance

Either walking the motorcycle over loose rocks on a trail or walking beside it while pushing it. Which this motorcycle will make you do at some point.

This particular saddle bag stays for Himalayan and passes tests for the above points with flying colours.

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#2. Clearance between the silencer and the saddlebag stays for Himalayan

The clearance is somewhere between 2-3 inches, not constant. These few inches between the upswept silencer and the saddlebag stay for Himalayan matters for the following reasons.

a. Burning

I am sure nearly everyone riding for a decent period has spoilt a pair of saddle bags by burning them on a silencer or something. If you have not, you have not been riding for long enough. The heat could affect stuff inside your luggage, not just the bags themselves. For example, your deodorant or clothes.

b. Dirty bags

Exhaust fumes carry carbon and other things. Having it blow directly onto your bags will leave a residue. And, with time, it looks dirty and soils everything that comes with it.

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#3. Fold out base

Donowyn Rodrick’s saddlebag stay for Himalayan has fold-out support. This should let me use any bag on the Himalayan. I use a pretty old pair of Get Off UR Ass saddle bags (no longer in production) without a problem. Without this, I feel it would not be possible to use these bags as effectively.

If I choose to use a pair of separate dry bags on each side (like on the trip to the Himalayas earlier), this configuration should let me bungee any kind of bag onto it. The little loops on the stay do keep the bungees in place.

All of this has saved me the trouble of finding new bags.

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#4. Width

Point #3 above is directly responsible for this. The flat base allows the stay to sit closer to the bike. This lets the bike do two things. Retain a slimmer profile through traffic, and the saved space can be used to lug more luggage.

a. Profile of saddlebag stays for Himalayan

It retains a slimmer profile through traffic and is safer on the highway where getting clipped by a larger vehicle, says a cage, could be catastrophic.

b. Moar luggage

The bags can use up the saved horizontal space. Especially on bags like mine where I can open up a zip to fit more stuff into it. Comes in handy on longer trips.

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#5. Drawbacks

A couple of drawbacks are directly or indirectly caused by the saddlebag stay for the Himalayan.

a. Indicator overlap

The rear section of the stay does overlap the indicator. The overlap is a bit of a pain because when you load up the bike, the effectiveness of the indicators is significantly reduced. Very evident in the pictures on the Royal Enfield Himalayan Saddle Bag Stay post, where I have posted the width comparisons.

b. Not spring mounted

The fold-out section keeps opening up slowly when there is no luggage. Especially evident when commuting and you go over a few road humps “enthusiastically”. Maybe the next version could have some form of restraints.

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What next?

i) Fold-outs

I will get a few velcro strips to keep the fold-outs closed when not required. I thought of using the straps I used to retain the bags in place, but velcro is quicker when you need to open the stays.

ii) Indicator relocation

I need to move it around or get another set of rear indicators to make it visible to the vehicles behind me.

iii) Remove for shorter trips

I’ll need to time myself to see how quickly I can remove and reinstall this. I think I would like to leave this rack at home when I do not have enough luggage to lug around.

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Verdict of saddlebag stays for Himalayan.

The work done by Donowyn is good. The quality is excellent, something you cannot say for the Royal Enfield Himalayan. I liked it so much I have picked up another set to gift to a friend. I recommend you buy it because I would like you guys to support good work too.

Send me images of your bike with this particular saddlebag. Stay on it if you want it added to the gallery.

Let me know what you liked or did not like about this post in the comments below. And, like always, ride safe and keep the rubber side down.

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Saddlebag Stay – Seller Contact

I am updating this blog post with the seller’s contact details because many emails ask me for details from around the world where the Himalayans sell. So, here you go:

• Name: Donowyn Rodriguez
• Mobile: +91 98200 90636