Hitchcocks Forum

I have heard that it is possible to calibrate the compass on my Himalayan with a magnet. As riding around in figures of 8 on various pub car parks didn't work, I thought that I'd have a last go at getting it to stop flashing "CA / HO" at me! I thought I'd try this. Before doing so, does anyone one know a) Is it a viable solution? And, b) if it is, how is it done and which pole of the magnet should face the compass? Or, maybe I should just revert to sticking the black spot back over it!!

Otherwise I'm pleased to say that I'm really impressed by the bike.....

I wouldn't do that. Exposure to a magnet will disorienteer it. I tried it with a Silva compass once. Screwed it right up..!!

Read the owners manual - something few of us do ! - you can calibrate the compass by riding the bike in a figure of eight a few times.

Just ride it. It will sort itself out. Sometimes mine sorts itself in a few miles, other times it's 80 miles. However, I wouldn't worry or bother about it. It's accuracy makes it useless. Chris.

Personally if you NEED a compass, one mounted on a motorcycle is as much use as a chocolate spanner.

If you NEED a compass expect to pay around £400 for it. (Mind you you will need to know how to use it.)

Many thanks for the comments. I agree that a compass on a motorcycle is only slightly less useless than fitting an ashtray!

I just feel that if it is fitted is should work no matter how inaccurate. I suppose it says a lot about the Himalayan that this is the only thing I've found to complain about..........

I was told by a reliable Royal Enfield source that if you carefully use a magnetic pick up tool , we all have the one on a telescopic type rod, and use that to set the compass it will work and it did for me.
I aligned the bike facing north with a compass app on my phone to start and then carefully used the magnetic pick up starting at north and worked my way around the poles back to north. You must be very careful and it took some trial an error but it Definately worked.

Aircraft engineers do it all the time. It's called 'swinging the compass.'. Only difference is that aircraft compasses have little integral adjustable magnets to achieve the same effect.

According to the handbook, the text dislayed by the compass tells you in which direction to are travelling, and the arrow "always" points North, but with an accuracy of +/- 45 degrees it is of little practical uses.

Surely, something like a smiley face sticker would sort it out for good?