World's largest cruiser bike maker Royal Enfield on Wednesday said it was recalling 15,200 units of its 650 twins -- Interceptor and Continental GT, and Himalayan to fix a brake caliper corrosion related issue in markets like UK, Europe and Korea.

The company said the corrosion may cause damage to brake caliper piston bore and assemblies and result in unusual braking sound, increased brake drag and may also impact brake action.

"We discovered the issue in a very small number of motorcycles in some specific countries. Upon investigation, it was revealed that this corrosion is brought about by sustained, long-term exposure to riding on roads treated with certain salts, or a combination of salts, to prevent formation of ice during winters," the company said in a statement. "We have  decided to undertake a proactive, safety-related service action on the Interceptor 650, Continental GT 650 and Himalayan motorcycles sold across geographies where certain salts are used to treat roads, and can potentially cause damage to the brake caliper assemblies."

"This is a precautionary service intervention, and will be undertaken across the UK, the rest of Europe and Korea. With immediate effect, around 15,200 motorcycles sold in these markets will be called in for inspection, cleaning and part replacement, if required. In a later phase of the service action, as a preventive measure, the caliper assemblies on these motorcycles will be replaced with the improved part, before the end of this year."

Launched in 2018, the 650 twins are the most expensive mobikes made by Enfield till date. It is also the first twin cylinder engine mobike the company has made under the ownership of the Lals of Eicher Motor who took over the firm in 1994. The bikes were conceptualised to help Enfield gain traction in more mature markets like Europe and the US where bigger and faster bikes are in vogue.   

"We would like to reiterate that the 650 Twin motorcycles, the Himalayan are rigorously tested to global validation standards of quality and durability," the company said. "The safety of our riders is of prime importance to us at Royal Enfield and we are deeply committed to the duty of care to all our customers. We are committed to swiftly implement the service action, and customers will be contacted through respective local dealerships."

This is not the first time though that any vehicle made in India has faced a corrosion-related issue overseas. In 2014, French carmaker Renault issued a recall in the UK, of its compact SUV Duster which was then being made at its Indian factory in Chennai. The recall was to address a similar corrosion issue in the vehicle. Production of the Duster for the UK market was subsequently moved out of Chennai to its East European factory in Pitesti in Romania.