Team-BHP - Royal Enfield Himalayan ABS: Front brake jammed on the move!

Hi All,
Thought of sharing an important update. My bike is 80 days old and done 3.5K kms. Yesterday after riding in a 5 km long congested outer ring road, the bike's front brake got jammed & got the bike to a complete halt:Shockked:.

I thank the stars for saving me from a fatal accident as the bus driver behind me was alert enough to apply a sudden brake. But this caused a series of collisions behind the bus.

I have sent an email to RE and am awaiting the reply. It seems to me like a serious technical glitch. I have asked RE to give a proper RCA on this issue and clearly state the actions taken to prevent such fatal behaviour in future.

pdiw: Glad to hear you are all right. :)

Were you applying the brake when this happened or, were you just riding along?

In either case as you know, this is a serious thing and we will all be anxious to hear what the cause of it was.
Please keep us informed about anything you learn.

This is a serious issue. Hope you get to the bottom of things.

Also please let us know if the wheel remained locked or whether it got free after the motorcycle was left idle for a while.

Asking because if the brake had seized permanently then that could be attributed to a faulty caliper but if not then the only reason I can think of is a result of pure negligence.

It would also help us if you could share the details of brake use leading up to the moment of lock-up.

Ride Safe,
A.P.

Hi All, Thanks much for the concern. As I mentioned in my earlier message, it happened after riding in a long jammed stretch. Since the bike was <20 kmph and it was bumper to bumper traffic, I needed to place both by feet on the ground and use only the front brake. When I applied the front brake due to another two wheeler cutting across my path, the front brake jammed for a couple of seconds and my bike abruptly halted. Since I was riding using the clutch, the engine was ON and after a couple of seconds, the brake released. Thanks to the bus driver's alertness, a big mishap was prevented, but the vehicles behind the bus suffered a chain collision.

Soon after realizing this brake malfunction, I started towards the service center. Another nightmare was waiting when I was taking a U turn on the Marathalli ring road. Again, my bike abruptly halted when I applied the front brake and I almost fell from the bike as I was already taking a turn.

This behavior persisted till I reached the service center and they confirmed it has a technical malfunction. I have demanded an RCA on this and the new parts ordered will take minimum 4 days to reach the service center.

I will update the thread soon after getting a response from RE.

Though the cause can be a simple failure of the MC return spring I'd still insist on settling for nothing less than having the entire system(Caliper, Line and MC) replaced as I see this to be more a matter of principle as such QC flops should never be let off easily, especially after being made to pay a premium. :deadhorse

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdiw (Post 4506652)

Could you please tell us which model you own? Is yours from the new batches with ABS??

- A worried new Himalayan owner!

Not sure if you have read a similar incident happened just a few days ago. The rider wasn't lucky to survive the accident. Here is the link https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ider-dead.html

My suggestion
STOP Riding that bike ! until you get a RCA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdiw (Post 4506881)

This behavior persisted till I reached the service center

Glad that you are safe! But please make sure that they are doing a proper analysis to get to the bottom of the issue.

Sorry to be rude, but you shouldn't have ridden the bike to the service center in that situation. You might be riding cautiously, but not necessary that the vehicle behind you will be as cautious and alert as the earlier bus driver. It is always advisable to park and have it transported it to the service center.

On another note, which model RE was it? Just curious.

Ride Safe,
R-Six

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe (Post 4507138)

Could you please tell us which model you own? Is yours from the new batches with ABS??

- A worried new Himalayan owner!

Yes, it is the latest ABS batch. I got the delivery on September 2nd week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by R-Six (Post 4507264)

Thanks RaSing and R-Six for the concern and advise. Yes, I should have used RSA.

Here is the latest update but yet to receive written RCA from RE.
Service center advisor is saying that the break fulid flow was intermittent due to faulty hose and this caused front break to jam. Also they are saying that this is the first case of it's kind seen with Himalayan.

They have also provided me TB 500 as backup bike till the fault is rectified by hose replacement. This replacement will be covered as part of the warranty.
I have called RE call center regarding RCA and they assured me that one of their mangers will call me. I am still waiting to hear from them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdiw (Post 4507727)

Service center advisor is saying that the break fulid flow was intermittent due to faulty hose and this caused front break to jam. Also they are saying that this is the first case of it's kind seen with Himalayan.

The explanation doesn't seem to hold water going with my logic, as I fail to see how a faulty line can result in the system sustaining pressure, as in the case of a faulty line the opposite is expected to happen.

Maybe experts can update my understanding of the system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdiw (Post 4507727)

Service center advisor is saying that the break fulid flow was intermittent due to faulty hose and this caused front break to jam.

:Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas (Post 4507801)

as in the case of a faulty line the opposite is expected to happen.

+1 to that!

What the RE service center folks are telling you is just plain cooked up stories that can confuse an unambiguous rider.

If there is an issue with the fluid lines, the brake won't effectively work. If the fluid is not reaching the brake lines, there will not be enough pressure from the pistons to squeeze the disc, ultimately losing the ability of the bike to stop.

Good luck with the RCA and follow-ups.

Ride Safe,
R-Six

If the line had fault, brakes wouldn't have worked at all IMO! Could this be an issue with ABS module not letting the pressure off? Never heard of such issues other than the Aprilia thread that was posted recently here.

Do check the ABS module if it is somehow possible.

WoW! that was a brief and good insight on breaking system. Thanks a lot guys. All seems to point at service centre's cooked up story stupid: .

Got call from RE Manager and he confirmed that the Bangalore Service head will be in touch with me soon. Hope to get the call soon and it helps me to restore back my confidence on Himalayan.