Royal Enfield Bullet 350 catches fire in Ladakh, video goes viral

Royal Enfield motorcycles are among India's most popular choices. Whenever an individual is planning a long distance trip, especially a trip to Ladakh, a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 is likely to be his top choice. A video of a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 that spontaneously combusted in Ladakh has gone viral on social media recently.

A Royal Enfield Bullet catches fire by itself while parked on the side of the road in a YouTube clip uploaded by user @trippyyogi669. The Bullet's electronic starter kicked in on its own, as shown in the video, and the bike toppled over a parked Royal Enfield Himalayan. The Bullet caught fire shortly after it crashed, and the blaze quickly spread. People who had gathered to watch attempted to extinguish the blaze by dousing it by covering it with sand.

While travelling between Nubra Valley and Pangong Lake in the Ladakh area, the Royal Enfield Bullet shown catching fire in the video had to negotiate a river crossing. At first glance, it seems that a short circuit in the Bullet's electrical wiring may have triggered the electric starter to operate on its own, which finally led to the motorbike catching fire.

There's a chance that water got into the Bullet's electrical system and caused the short-circuit. Motorcycles parked nearby were moved out of the way when the Royal Enfield Bullet crashed and caught fire. There were no additional recorded injuries or damages from this incident.

This is not the first time we have heard of a Royal Enfield motorbike catching fire in the open. However, in most cases, fires started because the bikes' electrical systems were overloaded by the installation of aftermarket electrical equipment. Even though it may be tempting, no reputable two-wheeler manufacturer, including Royal Enfield, endorses the use of aftermarket parts or modifications to their bikes' electrical systems.

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The Royal Enfield Bullet seen in the clip seems to be the highest-trim Bullet 350 available, which has a battery-operated starter. The new Royal Enfield Bullet 350, powered by a 349cc J-Series engine, that produced 20.2 hp and 27 Nm. Royal Enfield has announced that the new Bullet 350 would be introduced in India during the first half of 2023.