Royal Enfield V-twin from Australia

We're indebted to MrUnderhill of the Yahoo Royal Enfield message board for an alert that Carberry of Australia is now "taking orders" for its powerful V-twin engine installed in a Royal Enfield Bullet.

Carberry's website is great fun to look at if only for its great video of the 50-horsepower prototype in action.

Carberry says this about their product:

"The 55 degree vee angle was chosen for the combination of style, balance and mechanical simplicity. One consideration was to allow the hydraulic lifters to be accommodated above the standard Royal Enfield cams without modification to the barrels. Any vee angle tighter than 55 deg also requires heavy modification of the Royal Enfield heads for carburettor clearance. The standard Enfield primary drive cover has also been retained. The Enfield clutch is “beefed up” and a bigger engine sprocket is fitted to utilise the extra performance of the V-twin."

They say the price varies, depending on whether you supply your own donor Bullet to be modified.

They estimate cost, including a donor Bullet, would be about 19,500 Australian dollars, about $18,000.

As an alternative, they would offer the motor and a frame modification kit for 10,000 Australian dollars, or about $9,300. Plus tax, and probably a long wait as production begins. You can get in line now, if you want, on the website.

The Carberry website does not appear to address how the motorcycle could be registered and licenced in America.