Royal Enfields blog gets a 'vintage' new look

Royal Enfield Motorcycles, the new banner.

Royal Enfield Motorcycles (this blog!) has a new banner, professionally designed to make you think of vintage British motorcycles.

The banner was my Christmas gift from daughter Erin, who gave the designer this guidance:

"My dad has this blog that he really pours a lot of time into. He's a professional newspaper journalist who now blogs — pretty much every single day — about his favorite motorcycle, Royal Enfields.

"Don't worry, it's not some macho Harley Davidson type thing. It's a vintage British motorcycle that appeals to more sophisticated motorcycle fans — or at least the ones willing to spend more time fixing and understanding the temperamental machine than riding around showing off."

I love the result, and asked designer Ariel Tyndell of Velocity Vectors where she got her inspiration. She responded:

Ariel Tyndell of
Velocity Vectors.

"I had no previous knowledge about motorcycles before starting this project. The first thing I do when beginning a project is do some basic background research on the product I’m designing for. I pulled inspiration from vintage British advertisements, vintage motorcycle ads, and the Royal Enfield website itself. I knew that the banner needed to have a very vintage weathered feel, so I went with a grungy paper textured background and then overlayed British flag patterns. I felt that it was absolutely necessary to have a British flag somewhere in the design."

Ariel's website describes her as "a junior at Middle Tennessee State University working on my BFA in Graphic Design. I started my logo design business in January of 2011 with a shop on Etsy.

"Since then, business has been rapidly expanding. This is currently my only job and I feel blessed to be able to do something that I love every day."

Velocity Vectors does website design, banners, logos and branding.

Enfield Musket 1,000cc V-twin makes progress

Wooden casting pattern is a glimpse of the future.

A 1,000cc Royal Enfield V-twin that you can buy is the goal Aniket Vardhan. He is the Columbus, Ohio man who made the day dreams of thousands of Royal Enfield fans around the world come true when he successfully molded two 350cc Bullet motors into a V-twin and then built a motorcycle around them.

That 700cc motorcycle is the Enfield Musket, a lovely, running, vintage styled V-twin motorcycle. The next step is to 1,000cc (combining two 500cc Bullet motors), while adding the five-speed transmission and other modifications to make a marketable motorcycle. Aniket reports significant progress.

"Just a quick note to tell you that I've finished building the new casting patterns for the production design, actually worked through the entire holiday weekend! Pics and info are up on my blog. Do take a look and tell me what you think!"

Although his hands were shaky after the constant sanding of the wooden forms, Aniket accompanies his photographs with stirring commentary on problems encountered and overcome. The five-speed required changes, the V angle is now a more compact 59, the oil filter is relocated and cooling fins are sculpted into the timing cover because — well, because it just looks better that way.

The wooden patterns are works of art in and of themselves. Aniket and his Musket project continue to inspire.

Need a dose of inspiration? The video below is of the 700cc Musket.

1959 Royal Enfield trials replica looks superb

Tidy exhaust pipe and silencers.

A 1959 Royal Enfield works replica trails motorcycle is for sale on eBay in El Dorado Springs, Mo.

This is a purposeful looking motorcycle.

The motorcycle looks fantastic, and the ad says it was restored and ridden by legendary competitor Dick Mann.

Watch the video below to hear the "thump."

What caught my eye were the lovely photos in the advertisement. And there's a short video, too, worth viewing just to catch the sound of the alloy 350cc trials motor.

Do these photos represent Royal Enfields to you?

Gorgeous photo suggested by Mike Martin.

"What would you say are your three favorite photos that represent Royal Enfields to you?"

My daughter Erin asked me that question and I asked readers of this blog to respond.

The first I heard from was Mike Martin, of Ace Precision Parts in Phoenix, Ariz.

"David , here are three great pics; you will recognise one from your blog. They all make great background shots for your desktop."

Nice shot, originally from CraigsList.

The picture from this blog is of a motorcycle for sale on CraigsList, featured here because I found it interesting. In fact, I often find very interesting the pictures sellers take of their motorcycles. Sometimes they reveal more than intended.

These three shots are beauties. Thanks, Mike. What about the rest of you readers? Send nominations to me at david@RoyalEnfields.com

This is one to dream about.

What is your favorite photo of a Royal Enfield?

Am I getting a custom made Royal Enfield t-shirt for Christmas? I don't know, but I do know that this email arrived earlier in December from my daughter, Erin:

"What would you say are your three favorite photos that represent Royal Enfields to you? Totally random."

I really had to think about this. What is my favorite image representing Royal Enfield motorcycles? I ought to know the answer to that, aside from the fact that Erin is very handy and it is possible I will end up with a t-shirt or set of note cards displaying it.

It seems to me that the answer should go beyond photographs to images of all sorts, even advertisements, technical drawings and videos. Perhaps the images "that represent Royal Enfields to you" won't even include a Royal Enfield in the picture.

I'll post some of my favorites here in coming days.

The casquette, the "face" of many Royal Enfield motorcycles.

My first, probably, is the nacelle or casquette, the "face" of most Royal Enfield motorcycles since 1954. Nothing does more to establish that you're looking at a Royal Enfield than seeing the two little pilot lights perched above the headlight.

There's something cheerful about it. I'll even go further and say that I think there's some resemblance to a human face.Every time I walk into the garage I feel the motorcycle is greeting me with a smile and begging to go for a ride.

Readers, what is your favorite picture of Royal Enfield? I'm now accepting nominations at david@royalenfields.com

Royal Enfield rider designs Confederate motorcycles

Edward Jacobs interview on Gotcha Racing.

Riding a Royal Enfield Bullet in India, Ed Jacobs remembers, "I must have been run off the road 50 times."

Jacobs is the design chief for Confederate Motorcycles, and he is the subject of a fascinating article by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Dan Neil in the Wall Street Journal.

The author attributes Jacobs' inspiration to "Arjuna, the silver-bright and unconquerable charioteer in the Mahabharata; Sun Tzu's military strategy of 'yielding and resisting'; the 'intentionality' of Japanese architect Tadao Ando; and the exploded-view functionalism of Pompidou Center."

Writing like this explains how you get the Pulitzer Prize for scribbling about motor vehicles (Neil is the only "car columnist" to ever win the Pulitzer).

But I wonder if Jacobs' designs for Confederate Motors aren't also a reaction to getting forced off the road all those times on his Enfield.

His Confederate X132 Hellcat looks like a Panzer tank on two wheels — only deadlier.

As Neil describes it, "the cylinders' downpipes merge in an underslung exhaust nacelle that looks like it should vent ionized plasma."

Yeah, either that or depleted uranium bullets. There would be no forcing this baby off the road!

Confederate Hellcat is no fraidy cat.

Jacobs was born in Hartford, Conn. and lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Neil writes. But he has seen the world beyond the Brooklyn bridge.

"A student of Eastern philosophy and martial arts, he spent 2000 to 2001 in Kerala, along the southwest coast of India, studying Ayurvedic medicine and indigenous combat arts. He got hooked on motorcycles in India, riding an Enfield Bullet to the Himalayas and living to tell the tale."

Confederate motorcycles are, no doubt, superb. The X132 Hellcat is designed to be an affordable offering. A special price of $45,000 applies through Feb. 29, 2012. Lucky thing it's Leap Year, because that gives you one more day to raise the money.

On March 1 the price will be bouncing off $50,000. Even then, it's half the price of Confederate's R131 Fighter, at $100,000, (and only 10 of those will be built).

What are they like to ride? Nothing in Neil's article tells us, but Confederate's website reports that he did. Neil describes his ride in this YouTube video but, to every one's disappointment, doesn't start the motorcycle:

Royal Enfield Bullet is future classic, magazine says

Royal Enfield Bullet is bound to be a future classic.

The made-in-Britain Royal Enfield Bullet of 1952 to 1962 is an "Under the Radar" best bet to be one of tomorrow's classic motorcycles.

This is according to the staff of Motorcycle Classics, which made its selection for the January/February 2012 edition of the magazine.

The AJS Model 18 (Matchless G80) and Ariel VH Red Hunter are worthy competitors, the magazine says, if for some reason you just can't find a Royal Enfield Bullet.

The on-line article is illustrated with a picture of a 1953 Royal Enfield, which lacks "the famous RE 'casquette' headlight enclosure with its distinctive side running lights" mentioned in the article. The casquette came along in 1954, as the very thoroughgoing history recounted in the article makes clear.

The article acknowledges that a virtually identical Royal Enfield Bullet was made in India. "The design, based on the 1954 350cc model with its old-style frame, continued essentially unchanged for almost 50 years.

"However, the U.K. bikes were always better built than their Indian counterparts (mostly because of better metallurgy), and British Bullets — if you can find one — are built to last."

So, I guess, my 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet is not in the running to become a modern classic.

I may as well go ride it, then!

Royal Enfield is a little old, a little new, seller explains

1964 Bullet began life in Britain, lived it in India and now in U.S.

The pretty 1964 Royal Enfield Bullet offered for sale on eBay recently sparked a lot of Internet chatter about its authenticity as a product of Britain. One complaint was that people with questions weren't able to pose them to the seller. Had he blocked questions to avoid having to give inconvenient answers?

Apparently not. The seller edited the ad to apologize that not all questions were getting through — some did, including one I asked — and he provided his email address for anyone who couldn't reach him through eBay.

As for the motorcycle, it has a Colorado title, the seller says — and it's a motorcycle born in Britain, shipped to India and finished and restored there.

"I ... appreciate opening the discussion about the origins and authenticity of British vs. Indian Royal Enfields," he wrote, in answer to my question on eBay.

"This discussion could go on forever, and as you have seen, when you get down to it,  the lines of the who, what, and when become blurry the closer you look. I have spent a lot of time in India motorcycling as well as lot of time looking and learning of the history of these bikes. Most people in India, even the experts (of which I am not) and members of the RE business family have no idea exactly what every change was and when they occurred.

"I have been to the factory, and have even talked to the VP at the time over lunch in Madras years ago about the history of Enfield India and  its future (this was before the fuel injected models came out). I have looked at the ... Brit bike forums on this topic, and agree with many of them on what makes an Indian vs. British bike. I have a few 100-per-cent British Enfield Bullets as well, and am familiar with some of these differences. (Of course, there is always more to learn about these machines.)

"This is obviously not a 100-per-cent British bike. I tried to make it clear in the ad that this bike has a VIN, which I found through the REOC chairman in England, which is on record of being made in and leaving the Redditch factory. I used to own a motorcycle shop here in the states, and am active in vintage motorcycle clubs and scenes. I completely understand the mentality of the vintage purists, and I as well appreciate that level of authenticity.

"However, motorcycles are both a passion of mine, and a hobby. I have fun with it, try to not take it too seriously, and more than anything just love the machines; machines of all kinds. But especially Enfields.

"That being said, I do want to make it clear that I am most definitely NOT trying to pawn anything off on unsuspecting buyers. On the contrary, I believe I described what this bike is and which parts are NEW. As most people know, only the Royal Enfield factory in Madras, India is still making NEW parts.

"I recently edited the ad as I saw that it was not clear that there is a title with the bike — and  I do have a Colorado title that comes with this bike. This bike is being sold ONLY in the U.S., and this may be why people in Britain, Australia, etc. are unable to send questions to me over eBay, which may in turn look like I am blocking questions. I have received questions from many Ebay buyers, all stateside I presume, and have gotten back to each and every one."

Royal Enfield: Made in UK? Made in India? Or both?

Royal Enfield made in England, shipped to India.

A 1964 Royal Enfield Bullet for sale on eBay in Denver, Colo. is the inadvertent subject of Internet discussion about how to tell British-made Royal Enfields from those made in India.

The attractive motorcycle is offered for a Buy It Now price of $2,950. According to the seller, there is much more to like about this motorcycle:

"I personally purchased this bike in India from the original owner who has had it since 1964," the seller writes in his ad. "The bike and VIN has been verified by the chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club in England as 'Dispatched from Redditch on the 10th April 1964 to Enfield India.' I can provide a copy of this verification for the winning bidder. This Bullet had been well taken care of throughout its life and not abused like many of the Royal Enfields you see from India."

He goes on to detail a thoroughgoing restoration: everything from complete dismantling and rebuilding of the engine and transmission to new wiring harness, tires, DuPont paint and clear coat finish. The brakes have been upgraded. The seller will ship the motorcycle by air. The only mention of a title is that it is "clear."

The motorcycle went up for sale in the midst of a lively discussion on the BritBike Forum titled "Indian Bullet vs. UK Bulllet? What to look for?" 

"If I had two Bullets in front of me, one UK and one made in Madras, (other than obvious items like seats, signal lights, headlight frame numbers) how do I tell them apart?" the original poster asked. Answers ranged from humorous ("the UK one has clip-ons") to technical ( cast headstock from Britain, welded headstock from India) to equipment (steel tube center stand from India, cast alloy from Britain).

The eBay ad entered the fray when it was cited as "an example of what folks can try to pawn off as a bike built in India from parts made in Redditch."

"In 1964 Royal Enfield Redditch wasn't making any parts that would be considered correct on that bike. It was all Made in Madras, lock, stock, and barrel," alleged one writer.

Small differences, or large?

Another comment: "This photo nicely shows the bolted construction of the seat post tube that the India factory adopted. All Redditch versions of the early frame had formed tubes, which were welded at the seat post."

I don't know enough to spot the differences myself, so I wrote to REOC Chairman Graham Scarth to ask if the machine had in fact been considered by the club. He replied:

"The REOC has always considered that any bikes recorded in the Redditch ledgers were produced in the UK.

"These factory ledgers record 350 Bullets up to frame number 600xx (April 1964), which includes the machine the 'doubting Thomas's' are now discussing. The vendor provided me with photos of frame and engine numbers as requested and I verified the date.

"The bikes were supplied to Madras Motors up until June, 1956, all of these machines being completely assembled as far as we know. From July, 1956 they were supplied to Enfield India. It is believed that all these machines were supplied in kit form, with an ever decreasing number of components over the eight-year period.

"It is generally accepted that the tooling for the old frame went to India quite early on and that they revised the frame construction over a period.

"It is also obvious that they were producing their own mudguards/brackets quite early on as these are a different shape to those from the UK.

"Whilst the bike in question may well have some later Indian components, the photos supplied to me show the numbers quite clearly. They are not overstamped or tampered with, so the dispatch date taken from the Redditch ledgers is beyond dispute."

Royal Enfield dealer unveils flat tracker custom

Never mind the spy photo (below). Here is a great shot of the Doug Douglas custom.

UPDATE: Art Guilfoil of Doug Douglas Motorcycles has provided a great photograph of the custom flat-tracker (above). More on the flat tracker.

Spy photos of the latest in a series of Royal Enfield customs being unveiled at motorcycle shows this season are on the Royal Enfield USA Buzz Blog now.

Crowds at the Los Angeles International Motorcycle Show this weekend will see this Royal Enfield "flat tracker" custom. It was put together by San Bernardino dealer Doug Douglas Motorcycles. According to the Buzz Blog, this may become available from Doug Douglas in kit form for both street and track.

What does your dream Royal Enfield look like?

Latest Royal Enfield custom to debut is a flat-tracker look.

Coolest custom Royal Enfield on the Planet unveiled

Royal Enfield custom by Rick Fairless is named "Myrna."

UPDATE: Check out the great close-up pictures on the Cyril Huze blog.

It's the "Coolest Royal Enfield on the Planet." That was the intent of builder Rick Fairless, best known for the tie-dyed super choppers produced by his Strokers Dallas shop. It was unveiled Saturday at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in Dallas, Texas.

According to Royal Enfield USA, it is just the first of a series of custom Royal Enfields that will roll out at motorcycle shows across the nation.

The Rick Fairless custom Royal Enfield is named "Myrna," for Myrna Loy, a "sweet yet sassy" film star of the golden age of Hollywood, a favorite of Rick's.

Like the film star (one of my favorites, too), Myrna the Royal Enfield strikes me as pretty and smart but not overly endowed, if you know what I mean. Rick didn't go with the super stretch many of his choppers feature. I like that.

Myrna started life as a Royal Enfield C5 Bullet — a fine looking motorcycle — and she still looks it.

The motorcycle was unveiled by Rick's daughters and two of his "bikini girls." Here's the video:



There's more to come. According to Royal Enfield USA, Doug Douglas Motorcycles of San Bernardino, Calif. will unveil a custom Royal Enfield at the Long Beach motorcycle show this weekend, Dec. 9-11).

Designer Dave Perewitz will unveil yet another Royal Enfield custom at the New York City show.

Here's one more shot, of Myrna's custom springer forks and fender, from a preview video:

Springer forks for Royal Enfield custom.

2011 Mods vs. Rockers: Great motorcycle pictures

My Royal Enfield was running fine Saturday morning but it wouldn't be going along for the 2011 Mods vs. Rockers ride through the region around Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The motorcycle and I only had time to sneak away from chores long enough to pay the registration fee, collect the t-shirt and grab some quick photos of the British motorcycles and clever scooters gathering for the event. I hope you enjoy them.

Scooter pilots roll past a Triumph Bonneville in custom paint.

A cliche? I don't care. The British flag looks great on a helmet.

The Union Jack adorns a headlight on this Triumph Speed Triple.

Appropriate plate.

Goggles and helmet await combat.

It is possible to make a scooter look fearsome.

"Killer Bee" packs ammo crates.

Little electric scooter has an appealing patina.

Pink is perfect, if she's riding a scooter.

This scooter pilot is prepared for the worst.

Blood-red spokes and a white wall tire. A great look.

1953 Royal Enfield Model G saved from the dump

1953 was next to last year for the Royal Enfield Model G.

A 1953 Royal Enfield Model G motorcycle is the pride and joy of Brian Nason, of Hamilton, Canada.

He also describes it as "a labor of love/hate for a local mechanic who spent countless hours making it roadworthy."

That's not surprising, considering the motorcycle was headed for the dump. It was being advertised "for parts."

As Brian tells it:

"I bought this bike 1 1/2 years ago — it had not been ridden for several years and was heading to the local land fill site. A local mechanic who is a British bike specialist agreed to do the restoration (I think that it was his biggest regret in 2011).

No-nonsense design; no rear suspension either.
The Model G introduced the beloved neutral finder to Royal Enfields.

"Not being mechanically inclined, I really have no idea the extent of all the work that was done — a major rebuild.  Safe to say that the list would be a lot smaller to list the things that were not done!"

"It's a great bit of history."

The restoration took more than a year. Brian added that he is shocked by the attention the motorcycle draws when he rides. Looking at it, however, that is easy to understand.

Ready to roll.