Accessory Maker Zana Blames Royal Enfield For Himalayan 450 Chassis Break [Video]

The new Himalayan 450 marks a drastic improvement over its predecessor in many ways and is in high demand. However, several incidents of it confronting abrupt chassis breaks have been reported. Similar issues were observed in the first-generation Himalayan as well. These are raising questions on the safety and quality offered on the product. Royal Enfield, in response, has blamed these on any aftermarket crash guards/ enhancements that were on the motorcycles involved. Now, accessory maker Zana has put out a video on their YouTube channel sharing their thoughts on the entirety of things…

According to Royal Enfield, fitting the motorcycle with non-OEM crash guards has caused the chassis to break. Installing some aftermarket crash guards might have caused incorrect bolt torque settings, which eventually made the frame break. While we cannot dismiss this theory as completely baseless, it wouldn’t be just to blame the accessories alone. Zana’s video says just the same.

It also details how Zana’s crash guards are immune to such incorrect or dangerous installations. The host shows a Zana crash guard, detailing its bolting points and the bolts used. You can see that all that goes into the chassis and sits inside, is a plain collar, involving no torquing or un-torquing. The engine bolt is not interacted with at any time during the installation.

Zana has the track of building or as they say ‘handling’ motorcycles of different segments, price points and characteristics. The host gives the example of Ducati Scrambler and Kawasaki. The engine is mounted as a stressed member in the Scrambler. Later in this article, you will understand why he gave this example.

Towards the end of the video, the host asks the viewers to think if it is just the accessory OEM that is to be blamed or the manufacturer too. Some of the motorcycles involved had OE crash guards as well.

Royal Enfield had faced loads of similar criticism with the BS3 Himalayan. Also, it is infamous for its ‘trial and error’ method of getting things right, within the biker community. That was everything Zana had to say. Now, let’s delve into what we feel about this.

Himalayan 450 Chassis Break: What Could Have Gone Wrong?

Before we move into the issue, let us recall that in the Himalayan 450, the engine is mounted as a stressed member. This means that it is more or less an active structural part of the chassis in transmitting forces and torques. This design allows for weight reduction and better mass centralisation. This integral nature of its engine plays a key role in improving the Himalayan 450’s agility and dynamics.

If the engine is mounted as a stressed member, the torquing should be done by expert professionals or engineers from the OEM side. It is not advisable to get this done from elsewhere. The motorcycles with failures have all had things related to engine mounting bolts as core reasons. What needs to be found out is how these happened. One of the possibilities is an improper tightening of these at the factory during the time of manufacturing.

Another possible case is that of the owner taking it to an unauthorized service centre for (likely) installing accessories and the folks there could have tampered with these bolts. A bad design of crash guard could be the final case- one in which the design and placement of its mounts had something to do with the engine or chassis bolts.

Should You Go Too Far In The Non-OE Path?

Well, ideally not. It is always advisable to use the official Royal Enfield accessories and parts. RE already has a wide range of products available. The upside to this is that any possible warranty claims will stand valid. If you have specced your motorcycle with non-OE accessories and parts, there are chances that the manufacturer could deny warranty coverage for your motorcycle.