[IamAsHter]

Originally Posted by gkrishn

the second hanle black, apparently.
Attachment 2613093

That looks like the same crash guard from LC which I was talking about in my previous post. A small video is attached in the zip file.

Now, being on the other speculation spectrum. Let’s try to assume a few more things. For the second case, it is already observed that there was a crash guard installed and the incident photo doesn’t have any crash guard visible. Also, the LC crash guard cannot be easily removed after the engine fell down / chassis broke. Maybe the crash guard was removed for some reason before that and there was failure of the bolt due to improper fitment or maybe there was a impact on the crash guard already leading to damage on the mounting bolt.

Again I repeat, saying all this from the other end of speculation spectrum.

[RD410]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan42

I mean, even Splendors take on rural roads and 3-4 passengers without issues. To quote Clarkson- "how hard can it be?"

The spine of Splendor's main frame is made of thick HSS square tubing. Same for Bajaj CT110X / 125X. These commuter bikes are unbreakable, it goes to show how well designed and made those frames are. As mentioned by other's in above posts, the durability and load handling capacity of a motorcycle frame is a result of chassis design, type of steel used, type of welding, after treatment of welding, corrosion proofing, rigorous testing etc. And recent incidents are proof that RE is still learning how to make durable chassis.

[BullettuPaandi]

Originally Posted by IamAsHter

the LC crash guard cannot be easily removed after the engine fell down / chassis broke

I'm not so sure; I think it's fairly easy to remove 10 or so bolts. Now looking again (at the 1st image on post #9) with some raised eyebrows, I think I see missing bolts on the left side where one of the crash guard's mounting plate goes.

[Sudarshan42]

Originally Posted by RD410

The spine of Splendor's main frame is made of thick HSS square tubing. Same for Bajaj CT110X / 125X. These commuter bikes are unbreakable, it goes to show how well designed and made those frames are. As mentioned by other's in above posts, the durability and load handling capacity of a motorcycle frame is a result of chassis design, type of steel used, type of welding, after treatment of welding, corrosion proofing, rigorous testing etc. And recent incidents are proof that RE is still learning how to make durable chassis.

If, as you say, they're still learning to make a durable chassis for a bunch of bikes that are marketed as go-anywhere and do-anything, then we should disregard that as an attribute of all their products entirely and assume they're as fragile as anything else. People assume that due diligence in terms of QC and testing have been done by the manufacturer, and if this is not the case, they should just stop with the Himalayan moniker. Forget Himalayas, I'd be nervous riding these on the lofty flyovers of any Indian city for fear they'll fall apart at the sight of the first expansion joint.

I'm exaggerating for comic effect of course.

[Sebring]

This time, the Himalayan crash guards are really good, (and secure). Took an hour to just bolt these up!

Owners should resist installing other brands, when (clearly) not endorsed by RE. My two bit!

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by gkrishn

the second hanle black, apparently.
Attachment 2613093

Do you have any details of the 3rd incident? the common factor in both the kaza brown and hanle black bikes seem to be the aftermarket crash protection and probably the bolts as well. Which can be the potential failure point and it's a relief for the current owners of the bike, if that's the case. There might be a lot more H450s running around with the same crash protection and they should be alerted ASAP to avoid any mishaps. Looks like a case of poorly R&Ded and rushed product to capture the market before others. That said, bolts backing out could be also due to the vibey nature of the new 450 motor + stressed member so I guess it's always safer to keep an eye on the torque setting on the front mount bolts. If they give up, it's catastrophic failure.

[marcussantiago]

The Himalayan was only released very recently in 2015. Give them time to rectify and correct the issue guys, it’s not fair to criticize RE

/sarcasm

[gkrishn]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Do you have any details of the 3rd incident?

Not much information. This was shared in a whatsapp grp run by my dealer. At least this dealer is openly communicating about this, in whatsapp grp, full of 450 owners.
As per my dealer, it is concluded that both are due to the stress caused by the after market crash guard. And dealer asking owners to remove them and go OE.

Yes, there is a 3rd instance. Not able to locate that!!

[gtx2]

Originally Posted by Sebring

This time, the Himalayan crash guards are really good, (and secure). Took an hour to just bolt these up!

Owners should resist installing other brands, when (clearly) not endorsed by RE. My two bit!

I have never understood the mindset behind putting crash guards for aesthetic. Many do it and increase the weight of bike resulting in worse experience.

[marcussantiago]

Originally Posted by gkrishn

Not much information. This was shared in a whatsapp grp run by my dealer. At least this dealer is openly communicating about this, in whatsapp grp, full of 450 owners.
As per my dealer, it is concluded that both are due to the stress caused by the after market crash guard. And dealer asking owners to remove them and go OE.

Yes, there is a 3rd instance. Not able to locate that!!

On one hand, good on the dealer for being transparent and communicating with the customers well.

But on the other hand. You're telling me that if you put a crash guard on a Himalayan, it could cause the chassis to break and the engine to fall out? I'm no engineer or anything, but.... doesn't that strongly imply the bike's design wasn't well thought-out? I've never heard of this happening on any other bike model. Why is the Himalayan so special?

[skviknaraj]

Originally Posted by marcussantiago

On one hand, good on the dealer for being transparent and communicating with the customers well.

But on the other hand. You're telling me that if you put a crash guard on a Himalayan, it could cause the chassis to break and the engine to fall out? I'm no engineer or anything, but.... doesn't that strongly imply the bike's design wasn't well thought-out? I've never heard of this happening on any other bike model. Why is the Himalayan so special?

Call it coincidence or snooping by FB, A CB500X has been reported with frame damage in Philippines. I just came across this last night.

LINK HERE

Have we reached the such levels of optimization and precision in design, that any mod cannot be accounted for?

[Flyingdutchman]

As time passes by and technology matures, motorcycles especially ADV's should have more abuse tolerance not the other way around. I really miss 90's Japanese engineering here. It's certainly understood that cars/bikes are much more complicated now, but fundamentals should not be neglected. Material science has progressed monumentally now. I wish manufacturers focus on basic cycle parts as much as they on on electronics nowadays. Unauthorised Aftermarket accesories and subsequent mounting points failures is ridiculous. It's not like they (Aftermarket designers) would design something so radical that would hamper the dynamics of the chassis altogether. Also the overload at top rack argument don't hold as well. Heck, I used to carry 3 friends during my college years on my father's splendor and last guy literally used to seat on that stainless steel rack that used to come with that bike.

There should be considerable amount of tolerance by Royal Enfield Engineers while doing stress analysis and design the chassis accordingly. I hope they take this issue seriously and address them instead of doing some bureaucratic hush hush.

[sv5lh44]

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

Call it coincidence or snooping by FB, A CB500X has been reported with frame damage in Philippines. I just came across this last night.

LINK HERE

Have we reached the such levels of optimization and precision in design, that any mod cannot be accounted for?

I had to look thrice to digest the fact that it's cracked in the same location as both the himalayan in this thread.
Will be getting my himmy delivered this weekend , will definitely opt for the rally crash guards.

[RT13]

Well, I just think it’s another episode in RE 2.0’s long and storied history of lousy manufacturing and QC which is why I will still never be an early adopter of a RE product no matter how lauded by YouTubers. And while the aftermarket crash guards ‘might’ have contributed to it, I personally think it’s a good excuse for RE to deny claims. Given how these bikes are being ridden, and how they were advertised to be ridden (anywhere, anyhow), I think the next year will bear close watching to see how they stand up to scrutiny. Be safe out there chaps.

[gharika]

Seems like people are quick to jump on the RE bashing band wagon and not considering that our after market accessories are worst than Chinese plastics with lead paint.

In the cases shared here, the criticality of a bolt to which the engine is mounted is underplayed. If it was loose, either due to badly designed 3rd party accessories or due to non proper torque on the bolt while making the install, it will be a critical issue.

I have seen this on Interceptor 650 where a badly designed leg guard (3rd party, you know the popular one) results in damage of the crankcase requiring the replacement of the whole crankcase.

I believe the owners are responsible here when they trust the 3rd party accessories and the road side mechanics to do the job properly.