RE Himalayan 450 catches fire: Harness & lock set to be replaced

There was a joint check done by the RE team and the service center team, post which wiring change under warranty was approved. They have been unable to diagnose the reason why until now.

BHPian Shur'tugal recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Front of my Himalayan caught on fire on my way into work. Steam rising, electrical burning smell - pulled over and the front wiring had gotten fully burnt.

Not sure how this happens. Pulled over on the side of the road waiting for RSA right now.

Here's a link to a video:

Here's BHPian Shur'tugal's reply to a query on condition of the bike:

Nothing at all. Bone stock.

The service centre is asking me to get a Fire Report from Fire Brigade Station. Which will then be submitted to insurance, and then the whole wiring will be changed.

Atleast 10 days, is what they're saying.

Is this the typical process? Does anyone have a contact from Royal Enfield I can escalate this to? Should not be happening to any bike, let alone a two month old bike.

 Edit: Kicked up a bit of a fuss, manager came, now they're saying it'll get done in warranty. Trying to be calm about this, apathy of the service centre did not help the cause.

Here's another update by the BHPian: 

I sent the e-mail to Royal Enfield, they responded by creating a complaint. Was a pretty vague 'customer support' response (they called it an 'engine smoke' issue).

Got a call from someone from the showroom also right now. He said they have been able to change the wiring, but the lockset got burned (?), so they have to change that. Part is not available, so it may take some more time.

I asked for a replacement motorcycle in the interim, but he said they did not have a provision for the same, and will focus on getting the bike ready ASAP.

 They asked me to reiterate the incident, and said they have shared their observations with RE. Did not share what those observations were with me.

It seems like the machinery to address this has started to move, albeit fairly slowly. I'm going to try and be patient to allow them to diagnose what caused this properly. But it is important they do, for all of our safety.

Also, don't feel great about a new bike being opened up and extensive work being done, but I guess I have to deal with that.

Here is the latest update on the matter by OP:

Hi all, sharing an update.

There was a joint check done by the RE team and the service center team, post which wiring change under warranty was approved. They have been unable to diagnose the reason why until now.

Someone from the service center team has been in contact regularly, and has been fairly helpful and accessible, which I appreciate. 

I was told on Thursday morning that the lock set also needed to be replaced, and it would take a day or two more for the part to arrive. I asked for a replacement bike, but didn't push since they said it would get done.

Thursday evening, I was informed that RE had told them not to use the wiring they had in stock, and there was updated wiring which they should install instead. They've ordered the part, and told me it'll take 6-7 days atleast.

At this point I demanded a replacement vehicle or compensation for my travel (my bike is my only mode of commute, for a daily 35 km commute).

Had to get a little upset and tell them to sort it out in a day, otherwise I would escalate the issue. Friday morning they have been able to arrange for a Media Bike for me to use for the duration my bike is unavailable. Waiting to collect it now. 

RE's response to this has been mixed. The person coordinating from the SC has been helpful, and seemed genuine. The customer support people (who responded to my email and complaint) have been vague and unhelpful as ever. Lack of clarity about what caused the issue and how we'll prevent it from happening again has been disappointing.

Last thing of note was that I was asked if I could delete my Team-BHP post. I obviously said no, and said there is no reason to. Told them I'm not posting this with malicious intent, it is to keep the community informed, and for me to have better advice as to how to deal with this. And I will be more than happy to update this thread with more details of RE doing a great job to rectify this issue. 

Thank you to everyone who offered advice, it has helped. I'll continue to share updates when I have some.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.