Bajaj Releases Official Statement on Pulsar RS 200 Alloy Wheel Breakage

In response to the tragic alloy wheel breakage incident that took place on 22nd of July, Bajaj Auto have officially released a detailed statement and analysis regarding the cause of the accident. While the internet was fuming with anger as of how the company could be so irresponsible about the quality of its products, Bajaj Auto claims that its bikes have been tested extensively under strict riding and environment conditions, hence there can be no manufacturing defect involved in the case. A team of experts from Bajaj Auto were immediately sent to Mumbai in order to perform the crash analysis and unveil the true reason of the accident. Based on the official statement that we have received from Bajaj, the manufacturer has concluded that the reason for alloy wheel breakage is due to the involvement of a strong external side impact only, and not any defective part(s).

Going point to point, here is what the Pune-based manufacturer has to say after the completion of the crash analysis:

1. The breakage of the alloy wheel was caused by a side impact of a rigid object on the front tyre and rim at a speed of approximately 80kmph from the right-hand side.

2. The high-speed side impact broke the alloy spokes and caused the front fork to bend to the left. The direction of forces on the wheel are clearly borne out by visible marks on the front wheel rim and distortion of the front fork.

3. These physical external marks are consistent with fracture analysis displaying directional stress fracture and crack propagation perpendicular to the plane of the wheel from the right to the left. The initial fracture took place in three (3) spokes closest to the impact point. The rest of the spokes failed on account of dynamic overload.

4. The rider had claimed that the wheel rim broke under hard braking. Had this been true, one should have seen the fracture initiation from the front of the spoke & end at the back of the spoke. The fracture is from right side to left. Hence, it can be concluded that this is a clear case of side impact. The wheel is not the cause of the accident, the opposite is true – the accident has damaged the wheel. This wheel cannot break under hard braking. The speed of impact can be estimated from the nature of wheel breakage and the extent of bending of the front fork.

5. No defective component has been found on the said Pulsar RS200 motorcycle. 

6. Due to the side impact and corresponding damage, the rider lost control of the bike and fell.

Since it was the first such mishap with any Bajaj Motorcycle in decades, we heartily hope that the cause of accident might be some external factor only and not any manufacturing error. However, to avoid such incidents in future, the manufacturers too, need to conduct periodic checks and random pick quality tests in order to maintain the high safety level of its customers. Customer safety should be the key and need to be fulfilled at any cost.