Royal Enfield recalls 2.5 lakh ‘defective’ motorcycles in 2021

Eicher Motors-owned Royal Enfield motorcycles recalled a total of 2,55,966 motorcycles to fix manufacturing defects in 2021, a report by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) said.

In the first phase, the two-wheeler brand recalled 2,29,657 bikes in May 2021 that included Classic 350 EFI and Meteor 350 models manufactured between December 1, 2020 and April 21, 2021.

As per the SIAM report, the bikes were summoned because of a defect in the ignition coil, caused by a minor mix-up at their suppliers' end during the manufacturing period between December 2020 and April 2021.

This defect caused probable misfiring, reduced vehicle performance, and in rare cases, an electric short circuit. The issues occurred while motorcycle engine was running.

In the second phase, the Royal Enfield recalled 26,309 Classic 350 (Rear Drum Brake Variant) models on December 20, 2021 manufactured between September 1, 2021 and December 5, 2021.

Royal Enfield’s technical team had discovered a potential issue in one of the parts - the brake reaction bracket attached to the motorcycle swing arm - used specifically on the 2021 single-channel ABS and rear drum brake Classic 350 motorcycles.

Under specific riding conditions, it was discovered that if an exceptionally higher braking load is applied on the rear brake pedal, it could lead to potential damage of the reaction bracket, which could further lead to unusual braking noise and potential deterioration of braking efficiency in extreme conditions.

The issue has been clearly isolated to the single-channel ABS, rear drum brake Classic 350 models, manufactured between September 1, 2021 and December 5, 2021.

Apart from the Royal Enfield, Suzuki Motorcycles India recalled 19329 two wheelers which included 199 numbers of GSX250/SF and 19130 numbers of Gixxer150/SF.

Pertinent to mention here that In the same 2021, India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd did not recall a single motorcycle over manufacturing defects.