Royal Enfield brake recall 

20th May 2020

Himalayan | Interceptor | Continental GT

◄PREVIOUS STORY                     NEXT STORY►

"Certain types of road salt". That's said to be the reason why Royal Enfield Motorcycles is recalling 15,200 machines in order to replace the brake calipers. Owners or operators of these bikes might experience "unusual [sounds] and in more severe cases [it] can increase brake drag and action."

The bikes affected are in the UK, European and Korean markets. And although the RE press release doesn't make it absolutely clear that front and both rear calipers are likely to be affected, the wording of the statement suggests that that is in fact the case. And when we checked with importer Moto GB, they confirmed that that was indeed the case.

The bikes in question are all 650cc machines; specifically the Himalayan, the Interceptor and the Continental GT. The errant calipers are the standard brakes designed by Brembo but built under licence in India (and which makes you wonder if the design is right, but someone skimped on the materials).

Meanwhile, we were interested by the "certain types of salt" comment on the PR, so we wanted to discover exactly what types of salt are commonly used on UK roads. Seems that local council gritters favour halite rock salt or white marine salt.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is of course the main ingredient, but magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride also feature. Additionally, some gritters add sodium acetate and calcium magnesium acetate and calcium hydroxide to help limit corrosion.

So while you're loitering in the waiting room of your local Royal Enfield dealer as they replace your calipers, you can open your favourite search engine on your smartphone and read up on the subject. It's fascinating stuff if you're a .... a saltophile, or whatever they call 'em.

Just remember to have those brakes checked.

◄PREVIOUS STORY                     NEXT STORY►