Most of our one-day or weekend rides require little regarding luggage space. But, for an upcoming trip, it became evident that I would need a Himalayan saddle bag stay to figure out a way to load saddlebags onto the bike without fouling with either the silencer or the rear wheel. I could either buy an existing one or build one from scratch.

This post is Part 1 of 2, where I cover the following:

• purchase
• alteration
• installation
• size comparison

Once I am back from the tour, I will publish part 2 of 2 with real-world usage data based on how the saddlebag stays for the Himalayan performed and by then the 10,000km service review of the Himalayan too.

Update – 12 February 2017 Part 2 of this review has now been published at Saddlebag stay for Himalayan. Take a look at real-world usage review, pros and cons, with my final recommendation.

Himalayan saddle bag stay – Purchase experience

Donowyn’s name had been popping up here and there on the Royal Enfield Himalayan Owner’s Group (REHoG) on FaceBook(FB). I purchased the stays from him for the following reasons:

1. They were made of Stainless Steel
2. They had a flat base, which could be folded. Similar to what I would have designed.
3. A few iterations of the product were already completed.

After speaking to Donowyn Rodricks on FB and transferring the money, I did not have to wait long to get the shipment. It was well-packed. I had taken along a bungee to get it back home, but as you can see, the entire package fits into a 30-litre backpack without much fuss. Three layers of packaging; clear plastic, tough plastic sheet and bubble wrapping for each of the three main components individually.

Donowyn followed up with the courier service and me to ensure I got it on time. Very happy with the way shipping was handled.

Himalayan saddle bag stay – Installation

Trial 1 – At home

The first thing I did after getting home after work was to try and install it. I started with the left one. What I noticed was that the hole at the bottom didn’t align. When I tried the other side, I faced a similar issue too. It was getting late at night, and I decided to call it a day.

I had a quick chat with Donowyn and eventually decided to take it into a welding shop because:

• modifications to the bottom bracket
• the right side needed longer nuts and bolts
• the rear bracket nuts and bolts weren’t there

Trial 2 – At the garage

This was when I realised the play in the trapezoid cover and how it sits. Not much was required in terms of modification, but the bottom hole on the stay was to be made slightly taller with a drill—success, without wasting too much time.

Size comparisons

There are (at least) two ways to go about a saddle stay.

• You can go wide so the bags stretch out, giving you the required clearance.
• Or, you can keep it narrow with a flat base to let the bags sit closer.

I did not want the bike to become more expansive than it already was since the saddle bags that I own expand horizontally.

Without a Himalayan saddle bag stay

This is a stock photo of how the Himalayan looks without stays for reference.

With Himalayan saddle bag stay – Closed

Now how it looks closed.  Still within the pegs and handle width.

On another note, it would be good to have some way to tie the stays so that they remain closed when not needed. I will probably use some velcro straps on it.

With Himalayan saddle bag stay – Open

Just as wide as the pegs with the horizontal flaps open. Still not too wide. And the bags will sit in the “L”, so they should be closer to the motorcycle.

Himalayan Saddle Bag Stay’s Clearance

Silencer clearance

There seems to be enough clearance over the silencer as long as I stick to the stock silencer. Good job there.

Indicator clearance

I definitely will need to reposition or change the indicators. For obvious reasons. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions on what type of indicators would be great. This is where the first type of saddlebag stays scores over this.

Side view

Visually it is not very heavy and does not mess up the look. I think I can live with it.

Front view

You see it when opened. It is almost entirely hidden from view when closed. Being hidden from view is a good thing while commuting within the city.

Cons/ Improvements

Not much in terms of cons, but if I were to think of things to improve on the kit, here they are:

• Provide all nuts and bolts in stainless steel. It would be great.
• Proper count of Nuts and Bolts. So that it can be installed at home with minimal running around
• I needed longer bolts for the exhaust side. The ones that came were not enough.

Gallery

Recommendation

Buy it. However, I will test this over the next ten days if you want to wait for real-world usage data. I will post part 2 with my impressions of this in Jan 2017.

Current StormTrooper Odometer: A tad under 8,000 km.