Last week, a Royal Enfield Himalayan lost its rear tire. The incident happened when the motorcycle was rallying in the National Rally Championship in Coimbatore. Before you start destroying your keyboards, shamming the Himalayan like social media has already done upon seeing these images, here’s exactly what happened, right from the horses mouth.
Speaking to RushLane, Shahrukh Mohammad, the rider of the Himalayan in question has clarified:
1) Nobody including me, never blamed the bike for what happened
2) It was a stage filled with thorns where punctures are obvious
3) The bike did almost 90 kms with a flat tyre as I had no other option but to ride it back
4) Himalayan is an amazing bike, atleast for me and is being a great bike to race on. Cheers.
Now, it’s a rally stage, so you never stop, even though your tires are getting shredded apart. You keep riding till your motorcycle is still alive and kicking. And that’s exactly what Shahrukh did. In spite of riding the Himalayan hard on a rim and bent spokes for almost 90 km, he managed to finish the rally – from guts to glory. So there you have it, it’s none of the Royal Enfield’s fault, as in a treacherous rally stage full of sharp rocks and thorns, no tire is safe.
Also read: Royal Enfield Himalayan Review : The High Born
Launched earlier this year, the Himalayan is Royal Enfield’s first purpose-built adventure tourer. In the news lately for a silent recall to address certain “non-critical” issues, the Himalyan, is based on an all-new frame. Powered by a newly developed, long stroke, single cylinder 410 cc engine, rated at 25 PS and 32 Nm, the Himalayan retails for INR 1.55 Lakh (ex-showroom, Munbai) and INR 1.78 Lakh (On-Road).
Images: Prakaash Rawat
