Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Chassis Breakage, Here's What RE Claims

It all started a couple of weeks back when images of two Royal Enfield Himalayan 450s breaking down from the middle went viral on the internet. The ‘Ghost of Ceasar’ started haunting Brutus, reminding Royal Enfield of the same dreaded episode it had to face in the past with the previous Himalayan 411. Thus raising the question again – Is the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 structurally compromised?

How Is Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Built?

The second generation Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is built around a completely new chassis. In fact, this is the first Royal Enfield bike to be built around a trellis frame with the new Sherpa 450 engine acting as the stressed member of the chassis. So, the engine is bolted to the frame at three points. 

These bolts are specialised load-bearing units and are designed to be able to retain certain torque specifications. Additionally, the connection between the engine and the chassis uses a specifically designed spacer which is very important to retain that particular torque setting and correctly spread the load from the bolt. 

What Happened With The Broken Royal Enfield Himalayan 450s?

At the time of launching the Royal Enfield Himalayan, its subsequent accessories were limited and customers couldn’t purchase one right away without waiting for weeks. This pushed some to go for more affordable, aftermarket accessories. 

In this case, the owners of these broken Himalayans purchased aftermarket crashguards which required different specs of bolts. As a result that led to incorrect torque settings, as a consequence of which it led to unnatural stress to the chassis over a long-term period and it finally gave way by collapsing. 

What Is The Solution? No Aftermarket Accessories At All?

While it is an open secret in Royal Enfield that all potential customers will equip their Himalayan 450s with aftermarket accessories. The company had also mentioned in its manual that doing so would void the warranty of the bike. Thereby, it recommends its own accessories for they have been developed and homologated alongside the motorcycle. 

So, if you really want to make your Royal Enfield Himalayan more sturdy with more protection, we would recommend you to go OEM accessories, for they have been tested and proven with the bike’s architecture, rather than just being a simple accessory part which is usually tested with different models. On the other hand, a basic crash guard could be offered with the Himalayan 450 so that owners don’t opt for cheaper alternatives thereby affecting their bikes.