Best-ever Royal Enfield CraigsList ad

What if you wanted to sell this Royal Enfield?

 Here's the best Royal Enfield ad I've ever read on CraigsList. Catchy. Honest. Sincere. With links to descriptions of the accessories fitted. Good photographs, including a photo labeled with the selling points identified in the ad. 

And there is one element that, in particular, nails down the seller as a genuine fan of Royal Enfield motorcycles. I'll save that to the end. 

For starters, consider the way this ad, from California, begins: 

"I love this bike. Excels at nothing but does everything well." 

Wait: he loves this Royal Enfield INT 650 and celebrates its capabilities as an all-arounder. Yet he's selling it? That's what I call catchy. You want to know more.

And, boy, do you get it.

It's a l-o-o-n-n-n-g ad, including descriptions, with links, to accessories the seller fitted, all keyed to a labelled photo of the motorcycle.

You just don't get this on CraigsList, normally home to the lazy expression "what you see is what you get."

But this ad is not just a list. The writing is engaging, convincing you that the seller, like you, is an enthusiast.

Here's just part of the ad:

"It’s a right-down-the-middle retro bike with the updated safety, convenience, and reliability that you would expect from a modern bike. A perfect blend of form and function. RE’s goal with this platform to challenge the American market and they did it by building a great, stylish, unpretentious bike for half the price of the European competitors.

"The simple, surprisingly grunty twin puts out nice linear power, making for a fun, confidence-inspiring ride. At 650ccs and 50hp, I would be happy to recommend this bike to most anyone. Perfect for a beginner who wants something approachable that they won’t wind up bored of in a year or two. Great for a lapsed rider who misses riding but doesn’t miss the constant wrenching of a true retro. Awesome for an experienced rider looking to take it back to the simple basics.

"In short, it's the perfect bike for someone who just wants to cut through Santa Cruz traffic with groceries and their work clothes and get home in one piece, go cruising up through the redwoods on the weekends, and maybe take a summer road trip or two.

"When you look below, you’ll see that (almost) everything I have done to this bike has been in service of comfort and utility.... I’ve really leaned into the 'standard' of this modern retro standard: it will do it all."

Go read the ad to learn about all the "farkles" (as he calls them) he added to the motorcycle.

Numbers key to accessories added to the motorcycle.

But here is the ONE thing he did that really tells me he sincerely loved this Royal Enfield and what it represents:

He added "OEM 'Interceptor 650' side panels — Honda owns the rights to the name 'Interceptor' in the U.S., so around here they badge them 'INT 650.' Dumb name. I got these from British eBay for a touch of class."

That's classy. Who would even notice except someone who truly appreciates Royal Enfields?

So why is he selling? I wrote to ask and got this honest response:

"I just upgraded to a Honda CB1100, which fills the same 'naked retro standard' niche but does literally everything better. I just can’t justify keeping both."

Tiny Berkeley sports car needs someone to refresh Royal Enfield Interceptor motor

Royal Enfield Interceptor motor powers this small car.

 Dave Perry, restorer of vintage race cars, needs someone in the Southeast United States to "freshen" the 736cc Royal Enfield Royal Enfield Interceptor motor in his Berkeley sports car. 

If you are that someone, or know someone who can do it, email Dave Perry at bare-metal@hotmail.com 

Perry and his car are located at his OldSchool Restorations shop in North Alabama. 

If you grew up gazing longingly at car magazine photos of sexy plastic bodies for kit cars by Devin, Glasspar or Fiberfab, you'll appreciate the mission of OldSchool Restorations. 

It's "Dave Perry's home of sportrods, vintage racecars, vintage kit cars... Dave Perry began using fiberglass in 1954... Fiberglass body repair and restoration of many vintage fiberglass body cars is Dave Perry's interest."

The largely fiberglass Berkeley is certainly interesting.

Made in Biggleswade, England from 1956 to 1960, the Berkeley originally appeared as a sleek two-seater with a 322cc two-stroke, three-cylinder motor. Headlights were faired in, drive was to the front wheels, and the transmission was a three-speed Albion gearbox with reverse. There was electric start.

The 1958 change to the big four-stroke Royal Enfield motor necessitated a hood bulge and blunt front end that spoiled the sexy look of the first Berkeleys. They're still pretty sharp looking, especially in red.

Lots of motor under small hood.

I've written about this particular red Berkeley before, when it appeared for sale. It is one of very few built with left-hand steering wheel. The micro sports car could have originally been powered by the 692cc twin-cylinder motor from a Royal Enfield Super Meteor or Constellation, as later Berkeleys were.

But Dave Perry tells me the motor is now the larger Interceptor twin.

"Certainly someone who follows your blog in the Southeast may know who might freshen my engine," he wrote.

Perry likes race cars, so the freshening he has in mind probably leans toward speed. This particular Berkeley is set up for racing. It doesn't have doors.

A Berkeley with the Constellation motor was said to be good for 100 mph. What is your courage good for?

Something so small might be safer on a race track than an expressway. It's just over 10 feet long, narrower than a double bed, and weighs less than 900 pounds.

There is no roof for little red racer.

Fun fact: Glasspar built the fiberglass bodies for Disneyland's Autopia automobile ride. Those were powered by a real governed gas motor, and gave kids (including me) a thrill since they were steerable, (between guard rails), had brakes, and an accelerator.

Reportedly, the early builders once removed the governor and unleashed an amusement park car on the streets of Newport Beach, California.

If you've ever dreamed of driving a carnival ride on the road, the Berkeley might be your answer.

New Classic 650 twin comes in classic color

Sylvia Houston tested the new Royal Enfield Classic 650 — in teal. 

 The Royal Enfield Classic 650 twin, long awaited in the U.S., is coming and it is coming in the color "Classic Teal," among others. 

That color really is a classic choice, because, besides looking great, it's a clear reference to the Royal Enfield "Bullet 500 Classic" first shown in 2008. 

That bike was important for Royal Enfield. With its unit motor, trouble free hydraulic valves, and fuel injection, it really set the stage for Royal Enfield in the 21st Century. 

Here was a Royal Enfield motorcycle that was "retro" without being a "relic." It came in black and red, too, but the pastel teal color really nailed down its nostalgic charm. 

Classic 500 as introduced in 2008.
(Kevin Mahoney Photo)

There is a fascinating story about how the color teal was chosen. It was told by Sylvia Houston, who tested the Classic 650 twin for Motorcycle.com recently. 

She wrote:

"The legendary teal color of Royal Enfield has a unique origin story. It began with a book written by (Royal Enfield historian) Gordon G. May which featured a gray-colored bike that appeared teal due to a publishing error. The unexpected shade gained popularity, and the 'error' evolved into a signature Royal Enfield color, later featured on the 2008 Classic 500, the new 2025 Classic 650, and the Goan Classic 350."

Gordon May himself detailed what happened in "2008 — The Time Machine," an article he wrote for Royal Enfield about the origin of the 2008 Classic. It includes this passage, which amusingly compares the choice of teal to the invention of Viagra:

"There is a twist in the tale of the Classic’s development story: the distinctive teal green color most closely associated with the first models came about almost by accident.

"(Designers) Siva, Mark and Ian all agree that the color was inspired by the photo of Stan Rickman’s 1951 350 Bullet in Royal Enfield’s 50th anniversary coffee table book, "The Legend Rides On." As a youth Stan had worked as an apprentice for Royal Enfield. His restored motorcycle was painted polychromatic silver grey, the Redditch color used on 350 Bullets and 500 Twins in the early 1950s. However, due to a combination of the digital treatment of the image and the book’s printing process, it appeared to have a distinctly green tinge on the page.

"Happy accidents are well known throughout history — the discovery of penicillin, the microwave oven, the world’s best-known cola drink, even Viagra — all were unplanned or accidental discoveries. The birth of Classic Green isn’t quite in the same league but it did have a significant impact on the Classic’s reception.

"Siva’s teal green hard clay model received a spontaneous round of applause when revealed to the factory management team and although the first Classic 500s to go on sale were available in two alternative colors — Black and Royal Maroon — it was this striking Classic Green finish that became the poster boy, starring in sales brochures and press reviews and as the centerpiece on show stands."

A photo of a photo in Royal Enfield's book "The Legend Lives On."

Introduced in 2008 at Intermot in Germany, next to women models in 1950s dresses, the teal motorcycle was unforgettable. But it was still a long-stroke, single-cylinder, 500cc motorcycle.

Now the teal color comes on the Classic 650 twin (with Interstate capable power). It's a welcome reminder of where Royal Enfield has been and where it is bound.

The new Classic 650 twin also comes in "Vallam Red" and "Black Chrome," but reviewer Sylvia Houston had a clear preference:

"I'm being honest Teal Green gets my vote for best dressed," Houston wrote, in Motorcycle.com

But, OK, wait a minute. It's true the Royal Enfield Goan 350, already on the market, is available in teal, along with over-the-top retro touches like ape handlebars and white wall tires. It sets itself aside in any discussion.

Royal Enfield Goan 350 in Trip Teal.

One final thing occurs to me: how historically genuine is teal on a Royal Enfield motorcycle? One thinks of it as a color popular after World War II. Roy Bacon's book, "Royal Enfield, The Postwar Models," lists (but doesn't illustrate) production colors.

The book says that the Royal Enfield Bullet prototype of the very late 1940s had a "polychromatic green frame." But, on a motorcycle, color usually means the color of the tank, and on the prototype it was chrome.

Then, in 1956, the Royal Enfield Ensign II two-stroke comes in "surf green" (a light green). In 1959 the Super Meteor and Constellation come in "peacock blue" (a blue-green).

Still, not teal?

But what is "teal?" The name comes from the blue-green stripe on the back of the head of a Eurasian teal — a bird.

The original teal.

Feathers, like motorcycles, can vary in appearance, depending on how the light strikes them, and this actual teal looks a bit too green to be displaying the color Royal Enfield calls "teal."

That's OK with me. Royal Enfield's teal, just a bit more blue than the bird, is perfect.