2 Chassis Break Incidents In 2 Weeks: Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Under The Scanner
Note: Royal Enfield got in touch with us informing that the chassis break issue was caused due to an aftermarket crash guard installed by the customer. We spoke to the customer where he confirmed that the Royal Enfield looked into this matter and has resolved the issue under the warranty goodwill. The customer is all set to resume his roadtrip.
Remember when the first-generation Himalayan was launched by Royal Enfield? It had several issues, including instances where the bike’s frame simply broke while riding. It looks like the new generation Himalayan 452 is also facing a similar problem. In the last two weeks, we have come across two incidents where the Royal Enfield Himalayan 452’s chassis broke in two.
The first incident is from Bengaluru, and the bike is not even six months old. The rider, who is recording the video, mentions that he rode the bike over a rumble strip on the road, and soon after, the frame of his motorcycle snapped. He is very disappointed with the bike’s build quality.
He mentions that the bike costs around Rs 4 lakh on the road in Bengaluru, and such issues are unacceptable. Similar problems occurred in the older generation Himalayan, which Royal Enfield claimed to have fixed later. The rider wrote, “Himalayan 450 chassis has snapped above the subframe mount in the ‘main’ frame. Actually, this seems to be complete damage to the chassis, as the RE 450 has a ‘backbone’ frame, and the ‘backbone’ itself is broken here.” The customer is so frustrated that he even calls Royal Enfield a lifestyle brand that is selling motorcycles.
Two Cases In Two Weeks
The next case involves a bike registered in Tamil Nadu. We assume that the bike is located in Tamil Nadu. Just like the first case, we can see the broken chassis of the bike in these images. The chassis has once again snapped from more or less the same spot as in the first case. This indicates a weak point and a manufacturing defect.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan 452 is marketed as an adventure tourer motorcycle. However, with such a weak chassis, the bike won’t be able to handle the pressure of off-roading and could easily break.
This is extremely dangerous, as the rider might get thrown off the bike and sustain injuries. In the video and images posted here, we can see the coolant and other fluids leaking from the bike after the chassis snapped. This is a very sad sight, especially because these are not old motorcycles.
No explanation from Royal Enfield yet!
In both cases, we assume that the riders were not going too fast, which saved them from injuries. We have yet to receive any explanation from Royal Enfield about these incidents. It is expected that Royal Enfield is aware of these recent incidents and will soon initiate an investigation to find the root cause of this issue.
If there is an issue with a particular batch, they should recall and fix the bikes for free. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 452 was launched last year and quickly became popular among buyers for its looks and performance. Royal Enfield developed a new engine for this motorcycle.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan 452 is powered by a brand new 452cc single-cylinder, DOHC, 4-valve engine that Royal Enfield calls Sherpa. It is, in fact, the first liquid-cooled engine developed by Royal Enfield. This engine generates 40 Bhp and 40 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed wet clutch with slip and assist.