I'm also in search of a good top case solution. I have the Givi Monokey 46V but this seems to heavy for the oem rack and Givi doesnt make a Himalyayn specific rack. What is everyone doing for a rear rack and top case? Ideally Id like to put a full size helmet in the top case. Thanks...
Thank you for your response! The plug outlined in green, yes? The one that is attached to the air box by the mount with the two hex head screws? Referred to on page 197 of the Euro IV service manual as the Ambient Air (TA) sensor? It is pinned in place by the throttle cable mount on my 2018. How in the world did you get the plug out of the socket?
I watched this video before I fitted mine and apart from it being a bit tight it was pretty easy. It looks from your pictures like your plug is sitting lower so it fouls on that part of the throttle body. On mine and in the video the plug clearly sits above that part. Might want to look at how your airbox is mounted. Is it possible it has been removed and re-fitted slightly lower than standard?
Givi does make a Hima specific rack. Their current line of racks requires that you buy the rack and Monokey plate separately. Their top rack has two struts that support the OEM rack. I have the Givi side racks which also have two struts on the OEM rack. I use the Givi universal plastic top plate which allowed me to adjust the plate back and forward to optimize the pillion seating position, but it is quite flexy on a rough road. I have both the Trekker 37 ltr clamshell side cases and the Trekker (actually Kappa) 46 ltr side cases from my Explorer. Sometimes I use the smaller Trekker as a top box. If I want to store my helmet I use the 46 ltr box. The Kappa branded cases (made by Givi) are cheaper and lighter. They don't have the two-way opening feature. I generally would not use a top box off the pavement with my setup.
I've been running a GIVI B32NMAL 32LTR Monolock case which is big enough to hold a full-face (modular) helmet. I mounted it on a rack I whipped up from some steel stock and hardware I bought at the local Ace store. A bit crude, perhaps, but it was inexpensive (under fifty bucks) and has held up very well for at least 7000 miles at this point. This post shows how I constructed the support rack, and initially bolted a big KLR-style plastic tub on top of it. This post shows the GIVI trunk in place. I subsequently added a few other things, like an LED taillight and a little storage box under the trunk for my air compressor and chain stuff, but these were optional. I replaced the stock passenger seat with a box for holding tire-repair stuff, but the rack works just fine with the stock pillion. Building something like this is an easy job if you're even moderately proficient with simple hand tools (wrenches, hacksaw, file, drill) and can do basic wiring (splicing extensions into existing wires).
The stock rear racks have a history of breakage if you carry much more than a pack of smokes off-road. I can't personally attest to this as I don't smoke... but it's been commonly discussed in the past. I replaced the stock rear rack with one from Zana, which is much stronger, and a bit larger as well. I don't run a top box, as my use for the rack is for soft luggage and gear when needed on trips. But, I would assume you can use it however you see fit. It's of course not specific to any particular top box so one would need to mount the proper mounting plate to the rack.
Oh. Forgot to attach the photos... The two holes in the bar directly behind the pillion seat is for the optional pillion backrest. I ordered it just in case, but haven't ever used it. I've just found that noob passengers often feel more secure when they have something behind them to allay fears of "falling off the back"....
I cannot tell if that is the TPS or the AIT. Yes, the AIT is bolted to the airbox with two hex head screws. You cannot access it from the top, you need to access it from the front. Unplug the TPS (also from the front) and you should have a little more space.
I don't know of any lowering kits. Have you removed the rubbers in the footpegs? That won't change things much but it might be enough, particularly with the tall seat.
I removed the rubbers on mine almost as soon as I got the bike. I have a 34" inseam (like gkaan), and found it helped more than I expected it to. Not only did it give a skooch more leg room, it also made my boots sit more securely on the peg--on both the Himma and the GS that preceded it, I found my boots slipping off the rubber pegs. So, worth doing. One bit of advice: remember to adjust the brake pedal down by a half inch or so when you remove the footpeg rubbers. Otherwise you might find your foot (at least if it's a big ol' Size 12 like mine) dragging the rear brake at inappropriate moments!
And just in case you're not already aware, resist the temptation to turn on the key at any time when a plug is disconnected. And this includes the plugs for the tank. Doing so will cause a fault code to be registered by the ECU, and may require performing the code clearing procedure to get the MIL light to go off.
There are a few Indian vendors selling the same rack on Ebay, for widely different prices.They fit to the existing points. I bought mine for around $US50- including five day shipping but I think these days are gone - Indian vendors seem to be basing their prices on Hitchcocks and TECs these days! The rack is acceptable quality and the top is nicely sized for the base plate for the 36 liter Givi knock off I have fitted. So far, so good, the box will take my XXXL Schubert E3 if required, but it usually has my full Adv kit, puncture repair, cables , water, fuel bottle, etc, probably weighs over 4 kg. If you need any more you are probably best with something which braces a bit lower , either to the muffler bolt or the mount on the frame above it, as vibration is as much the problem as load and something to dampen it out usually works better.
If referring to the top rack I posted above, I ordered it from Zana International. https://www.zanainternational.com/himalayan-top-rack-with-plate.htm The top plate is inscribed with the Zana logo... Along with the optional pillion back rest, just in case... https://www.zanainternational.com/h...tional-com/himalayan-htm/pillion-backrest.htm No photos of it mounted as I've never used it and it hangs on the wall. I also ordered their engine guards without sliders, at the same time. https://www.zanainternational.com/himalayan-crash-guard-without-sliders.htm And they threw in their GPS mount for free... https://www.zanainternational.com/himalayan-gps-mount.htm I ordered them last December so can't remember what I paid for any of it, but whatever the price was at the time, plus shipping to the US, I guess. I wasn't planning to even use the GPS mount when I received it, and it sat in a box for a while. Then I decided to stick on on and see, and once done I was happy to have it. I've been happy with all three pieces. There are obviously alternatives to them all, but none that I liked better, for various reasons.
In the early days of Himalayans (2016) we used crudely adapted Bullet Leg guards for our Himas because there was hardly any choice, either the very weak OEM guards or those. Then Zana came out with their fancy guards and we adopted them (as you can still see on the in our mods page here: https://himalayan-tools.com/maximum-modding/ ) but experience showed us (and other heavy users like the rental companies working out of Manali) that they looked good but where a safety issue when used in terrain. Feet got crushed, legs got hurt when tipping over. We then reverted back to the original design but enhanced it by eliminating its only weak issue, the lower connector. I may not have the looks but its a whole lot safer for your legs! https://himalayan-tools.com/heavy-duty-leg-guard/
Got those conspicuity lights wired up as discussed a few posts up. I used a relay and a fused connection directly from the battery. The relay has a nice spot to live in just behind the headstock, and gets triggered off the supply for the marker light inside the headlamp bucket, which I disconnected because it serves no purpose. The replacement lights have a flood pattern and are considerably brighter than the nearly identical spots they replaced. It’s not as dramatic a difference as suggested by the pics, but you can see that they are much brighter relative to the headlamp which MAY have seen a marginal increase in brightness. Before: After:
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I am suspecting you may be right the air box is out of position or possibly the hole is positionally out of spec. I believe I am first year EFI so that may be a factor. I was trying to get some feedback from the crowd to see if there was collective wisdom and / or shared observations like this before I started monkeying around. I wanted to make sure there was not a well-explored path to solving this exact problem, for starters. It seems like loosening up the air box and possibly the throttle body will be the answer? We’ll see. I’m on vacation this week on my Himi so I’m not fiddling with the bike more than necessary but I’ll look it over in the morning to ascertain possible next steps after I make the 300 mile trip back to my garage.
Thanks for the response! I will pull the TPS Connector as well if rqd but I didn’t have too too much trouble getting in there. Hopefully a little careful study and gentle loosening of the airbox mount and, if necessary, throttle body clamp, combined with opening up room to work as you suggest, and I’ll be able to wiggle it off when I get back to my dump Sunday evening.