Royal Enfield sidecar lights help put width to work to add safety

Bike's right turn signal was removed and wired to the car's signal, which also contains a small white running light.

Sidecars are often fitted to Royal Enfield motorcycles. I speculated recently that lights added to a sidecar might increase safety by helping other motorists better judge how far away the motorcycle is and how fast it is approaching.

Drivers, I suggested, are used to judging the speed and distance of another vehicle by the distance between its lights, something a solo motorcycle can't offer.

Ted Wetzler of North Ridgeville, Ohio helpfully sent me the pictures you see here of his Royal Enfield and Cozy sidecar, equipped with a clever set of running lights. He wrote:

Perimeter signals on the bike and car. The car's rear turn signal is also a brake light.

"I thought I would send along some snaps of the bike with car I received last fall. Both front and rear right turn signals were removed by the dealer (Ural Northwest in Bellingham, Wash.) and the signal wires attached to what appear to me to be original equipment signals fitted to the sidecar's sheet metal over the wheel.

Rear combo turn signal/brake light.

"This was no special order and made sense to me as placement was logical, showing the dimensions of the bike to approaching vehicles. The car is a Cozy and the bike is a 2008 Bullet with an engine that has been upgraded slightly to accommodate the extra burden the car puts on the motor's strength.

"I've passed 2,500 miles driving this arrangement during the eight months of drivable conditions in Northern Ohio — back roads and city streets only. Driving this rig gives you a workout. They don't drive themselves.

"I didn't consider this car's signal arrangement was anything special when I got it."

Front combo turn signal/running light.

Perhaps not, but it is interesting.

Wetzler says he chose the color of his Royal Enfield and sidecar in part for safety.

"You see a ton of black bikes roaming in my part of the woods with riders and their passengers dressed top to toe in black as well. Since black absorbs light and doesn't reflect any, they go mostly unseen while driving.

"My choice of color — white — was made in part so the hardware could be seen on the road. (And, yes, i was influenced a little by Hubert driving his white Ural all over the place.) After experiencing a close call where a utility truck did a wide turn into my lane, I started wearing a white shirt as well. So far, so good."

Reckless rider brought to justice! FAIL

Don't let your Royal Enfield motorcycle end up on the FAIL blog, I joked, back in May.

I never dreamed that authorities would actually track down the motorcyclist who got FAIL's attention by riding with a barbecue grill wrapped around his body.

Police in Melbourne, Australia, got their man. He's Michael Wiles, 29. The price of becoming famous around the world: $800 (Australian) and loss of his license for one month.

You can read the entire story, by reporter Mega Levy, in The Age.

Wiles turns out to be a true knight of the road, accepting responsibility for his actions and vowing to turn down offers to endorse barbecue grills.

In fact, his gallantry rather casts into a dim light the sleuths who spent time bringing him to bay.

Do they rate a FAIL of their own?

A Royal Enfield named Monster becomes a member of the family

The two adorable children perched atop a time worn Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle are Hrishi and Meenakshi, nephew and niece of Ranjith Anand.

Ranjith is the reader who brought our attention to the sentimental story of an old Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle imported from India to Canada by S. Balakrishnan of Winnipeg. Balakrishnan had helped his father restore the bike, in India, and now his son wanted him to bring "grandpa's motorcycle" to their home in Canada.

After the I recounted the story, from The Hindu, Ranjith mentioned that he, too, has an attachment to a vintage Royal Enfield left behind in India. He is a Ph.D. student at Tufts University in the United Sates.

"Wish I could do the same as what Balakrishnan did!"

Ranjith sent the picture of Hrishi and Meenakshi, who look as though they are impersonating one of the big Indian Army stunt shows. These feature mounted troopers balancing on Bullets and riding through rings of fire. The children look brave enough to try it.

Ranjith also sent a picture of the motorcycle by itself.

"We call it Rakshasan, meaning Demon/Monster," he wrote.

It certainly looks formidable.

"My dad had gifted a Bullet to my brother (as he had promised) when he secured admission into the prestigious Indian Institute of Science. Later, my brother promised that he will pass the bike on to me, if I get into a good program, which was what motivated me to get into a Masters Program!"

Ranjith sent one last photo, of himself and his wife riding the Monster.

"My wife's name is Mala," Ranjith writes.

"I am from Kerala and she is from Hyderabad. We met here in Boston; actually at Tufts."

Old Royal Enfield carries load of memories from Chennai, India to Winnipeg, Canada

Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles are for sale now in Canada, but at least one made its way from India to Winnipeg thanks strictly to its owner.

The Daily Hindu of Chennai, India, tells how S. Balakrishnan and his father "Mani" put together an old Royal Enfield, bought at an Army auction in 1970. Balakrishnan rode it all over Chennai, before moving to Canada. In later years, his father kept the old Bullet running.

“My father and the bike were inseparable," he told The Hindu. "By the sound of the approaching Bullet, friends and relatives knew Mani had come to visit them!”

Mani died in 1996. Eventually, Balakrishnan's own son began to encourage him to bring "grandpa's bike to Canada."

And he did, after first having it restored in India.

"As my son and I spent a considerable time together in the garage to watch the bike being put together, I was flooded with memories of the bike's first restoration carried out by my dad and I,” he said.

From there it was just a simple matter of having the motorcycle imported into Canada as a pre-1975 "antique."

Of course, it wasn't simple at all, and the story details the difficulties Balakrishnan had just getting the motorcycle OUT of India.

You can read the full saga in The Hindu. I am grateful to reader Ranjith Anand for pointing out the story to me.

For sale: 2 Royal Enfield C5s with kick start

If you lived in North America and wanted a hot new Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 that you could kick start, you were out of luck.

The "C5" model, as they're called, come with fuel injection, electronic ignition and the new Unit Constructed Engine. But so far, in the U.S. and Canada, they come with electric start only. The kick start, beloved by some, cursed by others, is unavailable.

Until now.

Two of the new motorcycles, one red, one black, both with kick start levers, are for sale on eBay in Ontario, Canada. You can buy them, but you might have trouble getting them registered.

"Almost brand new 2010 Royal Enfield Classic 500 C5. I am having trouble registering this in Canada, so (I) decide to sell," the seller writes.

I emailed him to ask about the motorcycles. He replied:

"These bikes are electric and kick starts. Can't be registered in Canada because manufacturer is not in Transport Canada list. I purchased them from India without knowing this — BS — and lost money and time."

Well, that explains it. In India, the C5 does come with the kick start mechanism. Note the sari guard on the left-rear of the red motorcycle, designed to let an Indian woman in a flowing dress safely ride side saddle.

Clearly, these bikes were made in India for the home market.

Where they go from here is the question. It will be interesting to see how the eBay auction works out.

Royal Enfield for sale on Hawaiian island was 'never driven against the wind'

A used Royal Enfield Sixty-5 for sale on Kauai, the "Garden Island" of Hawaii, gets a flowery description in the ad.

The motorcycle, the seller says, was "never driven uphill or against the wind!"

What a terrific expression of the care some owners lavish on their motorcycles. This one "has been meticulously looked after; it is still mechanically and cosmetically new," the seller continues. He writes that he has too many motorcycles, and one must go, but this one was a favorite.

"There should be lots on the island. I can tell you lots about this bike (if you like to talk); call me anytime," he writes. And then he makes an unusual offer:

"If you keep it clean, I will be happy to help you maintain it."

I truly do like his claim that the Royal Enfield was never driven uphill or against the wind. It reminds me of leaving my place of work day after day on my Enfield and having to immediately run at traffic speeds into the prevailing southeast wind. I hated to put that strain on the motorcycle before it was even warmed up.

Silly, really. This is the motorcycle that conquers the Himalayas. It is the rider who feels concern, not the machine.

Certainly, on an island in the Pacific so rugged that no road could be built completely around it, it seems impossible that this seller managed to baby his Royal Enfield so. But, somehow, you know he tried.

From Google Maps

Royal Enfield sidecar lights up for safety

A 2006 Royal Enfield Bullet with sidecar, for sale on CraigsList in Michigan, shows an interesting modification that never occurred to me.

The owner has added a tail light to the sidecar wheel fender, and mounted an extra turn signal to the outside front edge of the sidecar.

The effect, especially at night, would be to visually "widen" the motorcycle to almost automobile width.

It's clever, and I'll bet it really does increase safety, at least marginally.

We know that automobile drivers don't seem to have the same subconscious respect for motorcycles they show for approaching cars. A driver who would not dare pull out in front of an oncoming car will do so in the path of a motorcycle.

I don't think it's a mean streak. I really think it's the experience, repeated hundreds of times daily, of judging how close a car may be by how far apart its lights are. If a motorcycle somehow had widespread lights, it might be more intimidating and thus safer.

Maybe the solution would be to put a headlight in the nose of that sidecar!

Royal Enfield Canada adds two new dealers

Royal Enfield Canada continues to add dealers. Royal Enfields will go on sale at Motosport Newman in Montreal, Quebec and at Capital City Toy Store, in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

"This is a very exciting moment for us, since we are now able to sell to Royal Enfield customers nationwide," said Rob McMullen of Royal Enfield Canada.

"Our first year has gone very well; with the opening of 10 dealers nationwide with 13 locations.

"Also, the reception from our customers has been incredible. You can’t drive these bikes anywhere without having someone give the ‘thumbs up,’ or rolling down their window to tell you how much they love your bike, or physically running out of a store when you are stopped at a light to ask if those are the new Enfields. It's brilliant."

According to the Royal Enfield Canada press release:

"MotoSport Newman has been a motorcycle dealer in the greater Montreal area since 1960. Since that time, Motosport Newman has grown, and continues to grow steadily every year. Gino, with the help of his three sons Sergio, Franco and Anthony, continues to excel in giving the best service and value to the customer. In 2002 they took over the South-Shore store on Taschereau Boulevard and in 2008 acquired a store in Pierrefonds.

"Capital City Toy Store was set up to share their motorsport passion with everyone. They pride themselves in working hard and finding unique toys at fair prices guaranteed to add excitement to your life."

New Royal Enfield motorcycles will arrive at the two new dealers "within the next couple of weeks," but orders can be placed now, the company said.

"Demand will be high since this is the first shipment of Royal Enfield motorcycles" into the two regions.

How to identify a Royal Enfield motorcycle: You might as well join the owners club

Update: There's new hope for readers who want help identifying Royal Enfield motorcycles by the frame and engine numbers. The chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK has offered to try to do this for Royal Enfield owners, for free. Details on the information to send him and his email address are at this link.

Further comments on this post are now closed — If you post a comment it will not be published or answered. See the updated item for help identifying your Royal Enfield, whether made in England or India. The updated item explains how you can get an a free, individualized identification for your Royal Enfield directly from Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK.

What I did on my summer vacation

Alabama Jack's, destination bar for bikers.

Royal Enfield motorcycles carry you back in time, and that is one of the chief things that appeal to me about them. There's no time like the past. So I was enthusiastic when my wife planned an "Old Florida" weekend in the Keys.

We'd travel slow, take in the sights and tiki bars, eat fish sandwiches and snorkel. She'd work on her new blog, FloridaRambler.com

I wouldn't work at all.

It turns out that visiting the Florida Keys in August is like visiting the Nebraska Plains in December. Your calendar has severely malfunctioned.

Gateway to the Keys; watch for reptiles.

There's no escaping the heat and oppressive humidity of the Keys in summer. August Ocean water temperature in the Keys can be hotter than the air temperature.

You feel yourself melting not just into a pool of sweat, but back into the primordial swamp from which ancient ancestors evolved.

Twenty minutes of snorkeling in 90-degree water renews the sensation that you have gills.

It's a feeling typical of the Keys in summer. You do feel as though you are traveling back in time, and not just to the Precambrian.

You revisit a time when motels gave you one bar of soap and no hot water. (Maybe there was hot water; it was impossible to tell, since, if so, it was no hotter than the 90-degree "cold" water on tap.)

Take a turn and drive two blocks off U.S. 1 and you travel a good 50 years back. Here are people in chairs sharing beers with their neighbors: in the street.

Here are "mobile homes" that haven't moved since the Kennedy administration.

Here are houseboats that combine the hull of a yacht with the superstructure of a chicken coop.

The first night out I tentatively asked for a Key West Sunset Ale to see what it was like. I didn't care for it.

The second night I bought a whole six pack of Key West Southernmost Wheat beer, in error. By the third day I was ordering the Sunset Ale deliberately.

I had also ceased shaving and was considering giving up bathing with the lone bar of soap.

I wore my bathing suit and my "Save the Manatees" t-shirt exclusively, and instead of cruising the Internet I watched the sunset two nights in a row.

The Old Road is still there.

We never made it to Key West. Reaching the end of the Keys would have seemed too much like accomplishing a goal. Just breathing and eating seemed enough of a goal. Sweating happened on its own.

Money went faster than we'd expected: "It's still High Season," one motel owner explained, helpfully. What constitutes Low Season in the Keys? Actual hurricanes, but only if the Eye hits the motel you've booked?

We had to head home.

Luckily, there's still some Key West Southernmost Wheat left in the cooler.

Broken Royal Enfield brought him wisdom

You've all heard the old joke about Royal Enfield motorcycles "Turning Men Into Mechanics Since 1898."

I like to think that learning which wrench to use is just one of the benefits of owning a maintenance-intensive Royal Enfield.

So I was pleased to discover that author David Oliver Relin attributes his sympathy for people to an unreliable Royal Enfield Bullet he bought in India.

Relin is the co-author of the best-selling book Three Cups of Tea. You've heard of it. It's the story of Greg Mortenson, whose Central Asia Institute builds schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Relin wrote the book with Mortenson, whose failed attempt to climb a mountain led him to "a meaningful path to follow for the rest of his life."

For Relin himself, the inspirational failure was with a motorcycle — not a mountain.

Relin told of his encounter with the old Royal Enfield in a discussion with an outreach program for the homeless in Madison, Wis. He's quoted on the program's blog, Streets of Madison:

"That bike was more like a couch than a motorcycle. It mostly just sat. It broke down constantly. Getting around with it was like trying to lug a couch," Relin said.

Repeatedly stranded, he was repeatedly rescued by people around him. They'd offer him tea and, remarkably, wisdom, including mechanical wisdom:

"With a piece of tape or wire, they'd get the bike running again."

For his full story, see Streets of Madison. It is a well written blog about a book club for the homeless. That's right: the program invites people who are homeless to join in reading the same book and then come to meetings to discuss it. The meetings feature events such as the talk with Relin, via Skype.

The blog even offers a link where you can buy copies of Relin's Three Cups of Tea, with part of the proceeds going to the Central Asia Institute and earning a discount on future book purchases for the homeless book club.

Royal Enfield makes Friends on Facebook

Royal Enfield Motorcycles is now accessible through Facebook. We've met many wonderful Friends since joining the Facebook World, but there has been some pushback as well. One message comes from my friend, screenwriter and wit Douglas Kalajian.

He and his wife Robyn write the cooking blog theArmenianKitchen.com

He called into question my claim of independence from the Royal Enfield company, and my dedication to "cheerful" news about Royal Enfield motorcycles:

"Congratulations on your venture into the Facebook world. Robyn's had a fan page for a while now, but I've never seen it.

"I wonder how she defined the brand? Cheerful news about overeating?

"I very much like your concept of the truth as you know it. I wonder why The New York Times didn't think of it first? It's absolutely bullet proof, so to speak. You could print pretty much anything and say, "Well, as far as I knew..."

"I was puzzled, though, by your boast that you have credibility because you take so little in the way of graft. I think it would have been more effective if, instead of listing the few bribes you've accepted, you'd listed the stuff you turned down.

"What would that be?

"I mean, really: Why not just list all the stuff you'd love to get?

"Imagine the respect you'd command (and deserve) if you were just honest and said, 'I've been promoting this crappy bike for two years now and all I've gotten are some turn signals. Those cheap bastards back in Peshawar had better wise up or I'm going to stop being so darn CHEERFUL'

"What an audience builder! Even I'd keep coming back so see what kind of loot you'd piled up.

"Of course, it might cost you some self respect..."

Peshawar? Doug is joking; his knowledge of geography is just as strong as his reverence for self respect. What he's advising me, I gather, is this: don't take yourself too seriously.

But don't forget yourself, either.

Royal Enfield sidecar was photo platform

The sidecar of a Royal Enfield motorcycle was the way my wife Bonnie first traveled the Ormond Scenic Loop near Ormond Beach, Fla. She mentions what a great way that is to experience the trail on her new web site, FloridaRambler.com (a guide to outdoor activities, food and lodging in Florida). See her article on the Ormond Scenic Loop for information on how to get there, where to stay and eat and what else to do in the area. She recommends seeing the loop from the sidecar of a Royal Enfield, if possible. It takes you there and it takes you back in time as well. I'm glad she said so because it was chilly during Daytona Bike Week and she initially described the ride as windy, cold and not very smooth. Bonnie hasn't ridden a motorcycle since we first got married but now she has done something I haven't: ridden in a sidecar and shot fantastic pictures along the way. I was privileged to ride the loop on a brand new Royal Enfield C5 demonstrator, so I showed up in some of her pictures. I can't wait to get back.