1958 Indian Lance, as built for U.S. by Royal Enfield

This 1958 Indian Lance is as it must have looked brand new.

Low mileage Royal Enfield motorcycles are not unusual. After all, they're still making them new, with zero miles on the odometer. An Indian Lance motorcycle built by Royal Enfield in 1958, with only 1,361 miles showing, is unusual.

"I just purchased an Indian Lance over the weekend (May 19-20) and need some technical information on it. It's totally original and looks great," wrote Dennis Morgan, of Junction City, Ore. He attached pictures to his email.

Smiths speedometer, "Made in England."

"The mileage shown on the speedo is original as are the Dunlop tires. This is exactly how I got it. The gentleman I got it from has had it for over 20 years. I didn't get any manuals with it. I have the title and it has not been registered since 1960."

Dennis may be without manuals but he is not without experience on motorcycles.

"I have been in motorcycling for 60 years. I have worked outside sales and for Harley dealers for many years. I own a 1941 H/D knuckle head and 1948 Whizzer, 1960 Mustang Thoroughbred, 1981 Yamaha XT500 Enduro and the Indian.

"I purchased the Indian at our Oregon vintage swap and show. I thought it was very interesting and the price was right. The Indian has been in Oregon since new," he wrote.

Although small, the Lance looked like a real motorcycle.

The Lance dates from 1955-1960, when the Indian nameplate was owned by Brockhouse Engineering of England. They imported nearly all the Royal Enfiled models to the United States to be sold as Indians.

One especially interesting model of the day was the Royal Enfield Ensign, a descendant of the Flying Flea that had been air-dropped to British troops during World War II. The Ensign looked much more substantial than the Flea. Telehydraulic front suspension replaced the Flea's girder forks sprung with rubber bands.

There was even a form of rear suspension, although Roy Bacon, in his book "Royal Enfield, The Post War Models," dismisses it as "odd" because it did not provide dampening.

Like the Flying Flea, the Ensign was still a two-stroke, with only three gears in the transmission, although the motor was up from 125cc to 148cc. Motor Cycling Magazine found top speed was 52 mph.

Bacon considers the Lance a "trail form" of the Ensign. He writes that the Lance came in Sahara Yellow and I have seen pictures of one that color. But, elsewhere in his book, Bacon refers to the 1958 Ensign as being "Surf Green with black as option."

The Ensign came as the Ensign II and Ensign III in 1958. The difference between them seems to be limited to the electrical system (the III came with a battery), and Bacon lists much the same specs for them:

	Ensign (Lance?)
Bore	56mm
Stroke	60mm
Capacity	148cc
Compression ratio	6.5:1
Tires	2.75  X 19 inches
Wheelbase	48 inches
Wet weight	183 pounds
Power	6 bhp at 4,750 rpm

I'm sure Dennis would appreciate information and advice specific to the 1958 Indian Lance. If you have something to offer, write him at griffin303@q.com

Rear springs had shiny covers but no shock absorbers.

Royal Enfield Classic Chrome ad is blindingly clever

This Royal Enfield ad sparkles.

The Royal Enfield advertisement for the Classic Chrome model has few words and barely (just barely) shows the motorcycle. Genius!

Mike Werner pointed out how blindingly clever the ad is on Bikes in the Fast Lane.

The Royal Enfield Bullet C5 Chrome, with chrome fenders and tank, has a suggested retail price of $6,695 in the 49 states, and $200 more in California, plus taxes and other charges.

Here's what it really looks like:

Shiny Royal Enfield Classic Chrome.

Royal Enfield motorcycles helped deliver the mail

This 1912 "motocycle" seemed like the natural vehicle for delivery service.

Royal Enfield motorcycles delivered the mail in places around the world, especially in India (and probably still do). I was writing about the United States when I noted the motorcycle advertisements in the new National Postal Museum online exhibit about the early days of Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in the U.S.

Established in 1902, this new national delivery service brought a big sales opportunity to early motorcycle manufacturers. Thousands of the new RFD carriers would be purchasing vehicles of various sorts to service their routes. They were natural customers for motorcycles.

Just as importantly, these carriers would prove the value of motorcycles in hard, daily use on some of the worst roads in the world. They would improve the breed while showing off motorcycles to people who might never before have seen a motor vehicle.

Royal Enfields aren't among the motorcycles in advertisements on the National Postal Museum site. Other, really terrific old motorcycles do appear, including some makes you've near heard of.

Royal Enfields were delivering the mail in 1916.

I wasn't going to get away without a mention of Royal Enfield, however. Jorge Pullin, creater of Royal Enfield's Early Years Virtual Museum at his blog My Royal Enfields, sent this item, from The Motorcycle of Sept. 21, 1916. It details the success of Royal Enfield sidecar outfits in the service of the Telegraph Department of the New Zealand Post Office.

What the history of mail-by-motorcycle may have been in New Zealand, I don't know. But the National Postal Museum (one of the musems of the Smithsonian Institution) pretty clearly explains why the motorcycle didn't succeed, in the long term, at RFD service in the U.S. After 1913 they were far less useful. Can you guess why? Interesting reading.

Royal Enfield goes for glory in mud track race

Royal Enfield in action on the dirt. FlatTel Photo used with permission.

A street legal Royal Enfield Bullet went racing in the dirt — in the mud, actually — of England May 19. The Dirt Quake event for "inappropriate" motorcycles left behind some uncertainty over who won but, apparently, it is certain that no one lost.

The most coherent account I find on the web is by participant Grant Robinson on the Derestricted Dot Com blog. Here is an excerpt:

“Some of the craziest and most beautiful bikes I’ve ever seen taken 'round a racetrack. Choppers, the Sideburn FT500 and Royal Enfield, Dimitri Coste’s BSA, a Ninja and the CorpsesFromHell boys on their pizza delivery bikes.

"I think normally in conditions like this the racing would have been called off but there were too many people hanging their entire year on this for it not to go ahead. I’ve heard people came from as far as Germany, France and Italy to race and show off their bikes. To be honest I don’t really remember who won or anything like that but holy shit was it ever fun."

Dirt Quake was the brain child of Sideburn magazine. It was held at Brandon Speedway Stadium, Coventry, UK.

The Royal Enfield was entered by "Chris," a graphic designer and dirt bike fan in daily life. Check out the Flickr gallery of photos by FlatTel.

A better, better looking gearbox for Royal Enfields

Hitchcocks offers a better and better looking five-speed transmission.

A new, improved, made-in-Britain five-speed gearbox is now available for Royal Enfield motorcycles old and new.

Hitchcocks Motorcycles spent four years developing the new transmission not only to work better (Hitchcocks says) than the made-in-India five-speed that comes on Bullets today, but to look like the original Albion four-speed transmission of yore.

Importantly, unlike the Indian five-speed, the Hitchcocks gearbox will even fit Royal Enfield twins.

Since it looks like the old four-speed, it won't spoil the looks of a classic, English made twin or Bullet, at least not from a distance. One telling omission appears to be the lack of the treasured neutral finder lever.

But that will not matter to the rider who wants to improve the performance of his four-speed Bullet or twin. These people exist; I wrote earlier about how some owners of older Bullets can fit the Indian five-speed gearbox. Unfortunately, this was no help to owners of Royal Enfield Interceptors and other twins.

The new Hitchcocks five-speed is listed as fitting most twins and Bullets except the very newest models and it offers road and competition gearing. Naturally you will want to contact Hitchcocks at info@hitchcocksmotorcycles.com to make certain it will fit your motorcycle.

The gearbox shifts only on the right side of the bike, up for first and down for the remaining four gears, a pattern that may be unfamiliar to many Americans.

A greater stumbling block will be the price of the Hitchcocks five speed, 2,975 British pounds, almost $5,000 without tax and shipping charge.

"Unfortunately even though we have written off all our development costs on this gearbox, the manufacture of such a quality item in small batches is not cheap!" Hitchcocks' catalog  notes.

The catalog states that "the ease of gear change is something that would be expected on a modern Japanese bike."

For $5,000 you could buy a modern Japanese bike, transmission and all. There will be relatively few customers for this item, which makes the bragging rights even more valuable.

A nod to Tim Britton for bringing the new transmission to our attention with his article on the Classic Bikers Club blog.

Royal Enfield Military does battle in New York City

A Royal Enfield Bullet on the street in New York City.

Many a treasured Royal Enfield Bullet spends its days cuddled in a garage, only coming out on weekends to be warmed up, washed and shined. Not so this Battle Green C5 Military, spotted in Manhattan by Mandy Kalajian, daughter of my pal, screenwriter and wit Douglas Kalajian.

Mandy is all grown up now and working in the Big Apple as one of those smart, dynamic marketing executives who make things happen for the brands that employ them. If you feel like a celebrity every time you twist the top off a Perrier, thank her for making you believe it's not just any bottle of H2O.

Mandy is thriving at her exciting job, but the motorcycle she noticed parked next to a ConEd hole in the ground is living a tough life on the street.

It's already missing its right-side rear-view mirror. A padlock secures the contents of its saddlebags.

It's a relatively new motorcycle but a few more summers of street fighting in New York City will add battle scars like badges of honor to its military paint job. Kiss those plastic turn signals goodbye.

I find myself hoping that Mandy finds this motorcycle parked on her street someday a few summers from now, and sends me an updated picture. My guess is that it will look even more heroic as a veteran.

Police bikes: If not a Harley, why not a Royal Enfield?

Suzuki proudly patrols with U.S. Park Police.

Royal Enfield motorcycles, badged as Indians but built in Britain, served many police departments in the United States of the 1950s. So perhaps I should not be upset that the great national monuments in Washington, D.C. are being defended today by — sigh — Suzuki motorcycles built by Japan.

Suzuki at Jefferson Memorial.

Everywhere my family went on a recent tour of the nation's capital we found Suzuki GZ250 motorcycles on the job, protecting the Homeland.

The one pictured here in front of the Jefferson Memorial is operated by the United States Park Police. A Suzuki is even seen on the department's website, proudly patrolling next to its badge.

According to the website, this is a police force created in 1791 by George Washington. It is a unit of the Department of the Interior, with jurisdiction in all National Park areas. Its officers provide protective services to some of the most recognizable monuments and memorials in the world and to visiting dignitaries.

It's not so much the foreign nameplate that bothers me when it comes to protecting monuments to American freedoms. After all, we can assume that Suzuki was just the low bidder on some GSA contract.

Suzuki's motorcycles are no doubt reliable, economical and maneuverable.

No. It's the styling of the GZ250 that bothers me. Police officers are supposed to ride upright standard motorcycles, not laid-back cruisers, styled like mini-choppers.

The Harley-Davidson may be a cruiser, but in police clothes it is the final word in strait-laced authority. Much like a Royal Enfield, if you ask me.

U.S. Park police once used Harleys; and sidecars!

Early motorcycles brought mail to rural America

Motorcycles helped bring the mail to rural America.

Royal Enfield motorcycles still do many jobs, especially in India but, like most motorcycles around the world they're more often leisure vehicles. There was a time when no one would have considered a motorcycle a mere toy.

Motorcycles were expected to earn their keep. They had to work hard at low cost, or customers bought something else.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum has just opened a virtual "exhibit" documenting a fascinating moment in motorcycle history. Until the 20th Century, Americans outside cities had to go to town to pick up their mail. Rural Free Delivery (RFD) of mail right to the farm only became a national service in 1902 — just as the motorcycle was becoming a practical form of transportation.

The RFD carriers who brought the mail up the unpaved roads of rural America were responsible for providing their own transportation. They had to buy everything they needed to deliver the mail, including their own uniforms if they wanted them.

The 1912 Thiem motorcycle showed it could speed Uncle Sam's mail.

Unlike the city postmen, these rural carriers could not walk their routes. They would have to ride. At first, of course, they rode horses. Manufacturers of motorcycles, eager to prove the value of their products, naturally saw these many thousands of new mail carriers as potential customers.

Early motorcycles were balky, but no more so than horses. And motor vehicles had a huge advantage: a motorized carrier could cover his route in half the time.

The key improvement motorcycles needed to serve mail carriers was the ability to keep running while the carrier stopped to make a delivery — a so-call "free clutch." The motor also had to start without pedaling or pushing the bike. The heavily burdened mail carrier did not want to huff the motorcycle up to speed with his own wind to get the motor started. (Thus the handy kick start lever on my 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet.)

The RFDC Special of 1911.

One motorcycle, the 1911 RFDC Special, was offered on special terms to rural mail carriers by the Edwards-Crist Manufacturing Company of Chicago. Cost was $225, with $75 down and 12 monthly installments of $12.50 at 6 per cent interest. The ad advised customers to "Just send in your order with the cash deposit, together with your height and weight, and a description of your route, and we will send you the machine suited to your purpose."

The ad went on to note that "The next three months will be the nicest riding season in the year, and we would advise that you order now and get to riding while the riding is good."

R.L.C. Townsend, Davenport, Iowa and his 1912 Wagner in sub-zero weather.
The motorcycle started but what about poor Townsend?

What about the other nine months of the year? Unfortunately, no motorcycle could offer the weather protection carriers would want. The mail had to go through in all weather. Advertisements offering horse-drawn buggies to RFD carriers invariably touted their weather proof construction, and heaters were available as accessories.

And it wasn't long before the Postmaster General caught on to the extra speed of motorized carriers and doubled the length of routes covered by them. The usefulness of motorcycles on the rural routes must have ended completely on Jan. 1, 1913, with the addition of Parcel Post Service. Once the mail included packages, the RFD carriers would need automobiles to deliver them.

Like all motorcycles in postal service, the 1912 Flanders had to prove it was tough enough.

But before that happened, Indian, Harley-Davidson, Excelsior and many other famed motorcycle brands offered to put their products to work. The demands of Rural Free Delivery must have strengthened the breed. Mail motorcycles had to work every day, in all weather, without fail, at low cost, on the worst roads.

It's possible motorcyclists of today owe those mail carriers a debt of gratitude.

The National Postal Museum's "RFD: Marketing to a Rural Audience" was created by Lana Tupponce, with supporting materials by curator Nancy Pope. Advertising images were taken from issues of R.F.D. News held by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, National Postal Museum.

The National Postal Museum preserves the history of the nation’s mail service, and has one of the largest collections of stamps and philatelic materials in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Washington, D.C. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu

Royal Enfield for sale? Don't put it out with the trash

Don't pose your Royal Enfield with your trash can if you want to sell it.

A pretty red Royal Enfield C5 is for sale on CraigsList  in Tucson, Ariz. All three photos in the ad feature the motorcycle with the seller's garbage can. What does this tell us about the seller's attitude towards his motorcycle?

Maybe nothing. After all, the trash can is in the driveway and the seller may not even notice it sitting there anymore. But those of us looking at the pictures sure do! And it would have been so easy to remove the can before shooting the pictures.

This seller isn't the first to do this. I've written before about the tendency of sellers to pose their motorcycles  with their garbage cans. I wonder if it suggests that they very badly want you to haul them away, at almost any price?

In this case, the seller does everything else possible to put his motorcycle in a good light. He writes:

"This is a great bike that runs well and gets lots of attention.... Great bike for beginners as it isn't over-powered but also a lot of fun for experienced riders, plus gas mileage coming in at 80+mpg!"

I especially like the line about the Royal Enfield not being "over powered." He has made a selling point out of a short coming. Well done!

But the pictures let him down. The asking price is $5,200.

Royal Enfield on eBay worth more than seller knew?

A Royal Enfield with a Japanese twin-cylinder motor.

A Royal Enfield powered by a Yamaha XS650 twin cylinder motor would be an interesting proposition. But never mind the motor; what if the Royal Enfield itself was old enough and rare enough to be interesting?

This is the case with a 1958 Royal Enfield Meteor offered on eBay in New Castle, Penn. The seller only learned after listing it that the motorcycle "is actually older than I believed. The brass tag T7 would have been a very much earlier chassis, possibly a very rare bird as well. If you have any serious interest, feel free to call me. Until then I will be doing some research."

You can call the seller at 724-971-6203 but, for the moment, he is pulling his ad off eBay.

The change of heart apparently came when the seller was contacted by Graham Scarth of the Royal Enfield Owners Club (REOC) in the UK. Graham has a sharp eye for Royal Enfields that may have been built in Redditch, England and either show up (or are missing) on the Royal Enfield factory ledgers the club holds.

When the ad appeared on eBay, initially as a 1963 as I remember, Graham wrote the seller this note:

Tag on rear fender holds clues to motorcycle's origin.

"This Royal Enfield chassis is older than you think. T7/1561 was a 700cc Meteor dispatched from Redditch in March, 1954 to a French dealership called Psalty in Paris. I am intrigued by the brass identity plate. I would be most grateful if you could send me a higher resolution digital photo of this plate for publication in our Club magazine please."

This Royal Enfield may have an interesting history on its own but I would also like to know how it came to possess a Yamaha motor.

Anyway you look at it, it is an intriguing motorcycle.
Rear brake and gearshift are both on left!

Royal Enfields still racking up the miles at age 50

This 1959 Royal Enfield Crusader Sports is a daily commuter.

You might expect to find classic and rare (these days) Royal Enfield motorcycles in a museum, but Bob Murdoch owns a fleet of them and none are on display behind glass.

"I like old bikes to be used as often as possible. I own three English Royal Enfields, and ride them all the year round," he wrote. Bob works at Airbus near Toulouse, France, in engineering support.

"I’ve been using my 1959 Redditch-built Crusader Sports 250 for daily transport since I rebuilt the engine after purchasing the non-runner in 1994. Since then it has clocked up 47,000 miles, with only one serious breakdown, due to a poorly made new part — and I don’t know how many miles were covered by the three previous owners.

"The last 30,000 miles have been accumulated on the roads of Southwest France. Heavy commuting traffic has taken its toll on the transmission over the years, but chains, sprockets and clutch parts are the only parts I’ve had to replace. While the bike is 97 per cent Crusader Sports, it borrows some parts from other Royal Enfield models because reliability and not originality is more important for a working bike.

"My commuting distance isn’t too far these days, only 10 kilometers (seven miles) to work, and I like to ride a bicycle two of the five days, weather permitting.

1959 Super Meteor encounters a Tiger tank in Normandy.

"If I have to collect shopping or my son from school, I take the 1959 700cc Super Meteor that is fitted with panniers. That’s my usual long-distance tourer. I have a 1963 Continental 250. It has also been on some long trips, but you have to keep the speed up to lift the weight off your wrists due to the Thruxton handlebars.

1963 Continental 250cc at home.

"I (also) have a 1962 Super-5 and a 1966 GT, both undergoing slow restorations."

Continental on 500 kilometer trip in Picos Mountains of Spain.

I asked Bob what it's like to ride a 250cc Royal Enfield — half the displacement of my poky 500cc Bullet.

"The 250s are happy at about 55 mph if the road is clear; they have a short stroke, so like to rev a bit, but will trundle along at any speed below this in heavy traffic, having a very low first gear that gives the clutch an easy life. The 250s are great, very strong and totally without vibration, giving a fatigue-less ride and they don’t shed nuts and bolts!"

Well, that is different!

Crusader Sports returns to the Royal Enfield  plating works in Redditch.

Royal Enfield adventure puts writer on the high road

Writer and photographer Rachel Glueck on her Enfield Adventure in India.
Here she is on a road just east of Jammu on the way to Srinagar in India.

A "Want-to-Buy" ad for a Royal Enfield on CraigsList led me to the story of a young woman with big plans.

"Looking for a Royal Enfield in good, rideable condition. I just returned from India where I rode one through Jammu-Kashmir, and fell in loooooove! Looking to own one by the end of June. Contact Rachel."

Rachel Glueck blogged about her Enfield Adventure in India. Her entries include fantastic photos that show she has an eye for the details as well as the sweep of scenery. Her reflections are sharp as well, and not just the ones that pertain to riding a Royal Enfield.

The headline of her Day 2 entry will sound familiar, however: "The Breakdowns Begin."

Rachel's Enfield Adventure started on her birthday in 2011, riding with friend Matthew. She is a motorcyclist, but didn't have an Enfield of her own in India. Day 1 of the journey made for the "most uncomfortable" birthday of her life. Other insights, butt sore and not, came rapidly:

"We stopped frequently for chai – the single most important ritual of an Indian motorcycle adventure."

"Lesson learned? If you’re gonna ride a bike across the Asian subcontinent, know how to fix your bike."

And then there was this one, my favorite, which Rachel and Matthew experienced when they reentered an area popular with tourists:

"There is no possible way to convey the events and insights of one’s journey in a way that is relevant to the listener or satisfying to the storyteller. The best one can do is skim the surface and move on."

With that understanding, Rachel is a writer.

"I'm actually in the middle of writing my first book (about my adventures in Hawaii, Australia, Vietnam, New York City, sailing to Panama, and San Francisco)," she told me.

"I'm currently working on wrapping up a video and children's book for a cultural education project I started in Nepal (www.ethnocation.com).... I hope to be back in India by January at the latest to explore and study with the Buddhist masters."

I asked her why she wanted to ride a Royal Enfield motorcycle in the U.S.

"Part of the reason I really want an Enfield here (aside from the fact that they're so damn sexy!) is because I'd love to get intimate with one so I'm better prepared when I return to India and buy one!

Royal Enfield: Is there a better way to explore? (Rachel Glueck Photo)

"Is there a better way to explore India? I doubt it. Though I wouldn't miss out on the train rides either. It was challenging, but incredibly rewarding. One has the opportunity to stop, explore, and engage with the locals. Especially when your bike has a gear box leak and you're about to cross one of the highest passes in the world in a terrorist-prone region. Despite all the warnings, we rarely felt unsafe (excepting for the thousands of insane, often drunk, cargo truck drivers on the narrow, winding roads).

"As for riding an Enfield in the U.S., I've never done it. For those concerned about the ability to let 'er rip on the freeways, I ask, 'Are you really going to buy a motorcycle to ride on a wide, straight road lined with strip malls and billboards?'

"Personally, I feel motorcycles are made for back roads, hills and mountains.... If it's speed you want, Go Guzzi."

Check out her blog and be sure to take time to watch the slide show of fantastic pictures with each item.

Enfield Adventure. (Rachel Glueck Photo)

ADDED NOTE: Rachel Glueck is available to give informative, inspirational talks and slide show presentations on her global adventures. She can be contacted at rglueck@gmail.com or 513-305-2444.

Royal Enfield scrambler looks sharp now

Builder chose vintage drum brakes for his custom Royal Enfield scrambler.

It took more than a year for Chanderjeet Rai to complete the transformation of a battered old Royal Enfield Bullet to the beautiful custom scrambler he imagined. Along the way, the New Delhi resident documented the project in a series of photographs that capture the drama of this Cinderella story.

It began with the dusty remains of a 1965 Bullet that saw service with the state police. Readers of the Adventure Rider Forum watched while Chanderjeet's mechanics made it shine.

The first comment he got on the forum expressed the dismay most mothers would feel if their sons dragged home a dog like this:

"You sir are a glutton for punishment. But you've got my attention. I salute you."

The "before" picture is stunning. The builder is a talented photographer.

The motorcycle is a 1965 Royal Enfield 350cc originally imported from Britain to India, Chanderjeet wrote. He bought it at the end of October, 2010. The build was declared finished in February, 2012.

Now the motorcycle is for sale, for $4,750, including worldwide shipping.

Why for sale? "I want to start my business and need some starting money plus juggling between a job and full-time babysitting means I do not get to ride this at all. I do not want this beauty to turn into a garage queen," he wrote.

It's not the first time he has created a lovely custom Royal Enfield and sold it. I wrote about his beautiful cafe racer in 2010.

Royal Enfield cafe racer was his earlier project.

Royal Enfields featured in two winning photos

Two pictures of Royal Enfield motorcycles, including the ultimate winner, were among finalists in the Road Trips photo competition sponsored by the Lonely Planet blog.

All the entries were great adventure travel pictures, and every one featured vehicles, from a Jeep on the Moab trail in Utah to yellow Hindustan Ambassador taxis in Calcutta.

Only two motorcycles were pictured among the finalists, and both were Royal Enfields. The winning photo shows a Royal Enfield on the edge of the Drang-Drung Glacier in the Himalaya Mountains. You can read "Royal Enfield" on the tank. It's almost an advertising shot.

Blow up shows a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle.

The other photo, of a ride in Nepal, doesn't identify the motorcycle, which is shown only in silhouette. But blowing it up (as I've done above) reveals the distinctive right-side muffler, dangling center stand and Mickey Mouse mirrors of the Royal Enfield.

By zooming in on the motorcycle I've destroyed the appeal of the photograph. Be sure to check out the original on Lonely Planet.

Royal Enfield profits climb as production soars

Royal Enfield motorcycles lined up at factory in Chennai, India.

Eicher Motors, maker of Royal Enfield motorcycles, reported a 33 per cent after tax increase in profit in the first quarter of 2012, The Economic Times of India reported.

Managing Director and CEO Siddhartha Lal called it the firm's "best ever quarterly total income" results.

The company's motorcycle business saw its sales climb by 41 per cent to 23,899 motorcycles over the year before, The Economic Times said. Royal Enfield produced and sold a record number of motorcycles in one month: more than 9,000.

Incorporated in India in 1955, Royal Enfield became a part of the Eicher Group in 1994. Royal Enfield exports its bikes to over 25 countries including the U.S., Japan, UK and Europe.

Royal Enfield USA president Kevin Mahoney put this in perspective in a post last month on the Royal Enfield USA Community Forums.

"The two-wheeler market in India has always been centered around small cc units. I am guessing that in excess of 10 million units will be sold there this year and almost all of them will be small cc. The same is true in any developing market. It is only a recent thing in India for the leisure market to even exist. It only came to be as money started to flow into India and people started to have disposable income.

"Any two-wheeler company worth its salt in the main market in India will make over 1 million units in a year. By comparison Royal Enfield will make 108,000 this year. This is up from the 25,000 we used to make year after year after year. Things have gone exceedingly well for Royal Enfield over the past several years. There are long waiting lists to buy a bike and bookings keep rising. They have enough cash to really fuel R and D and build a brand new state-of-the-art factory, which is under construction.

"The current plant has been steadily modernized. We still hand build a lot of the bike but that is by design and not default.

"We are a very small player in India and always will be. Who wants to compete in a market with huge companies selling what amounts to a commodity where margins are razor thin?

"By comparison on the world stage Triumph only made around 50,000 units last year. Harley, Triumph and most of the other brands are salivating over the Indian market and are trying to get in and get a foot hold. In the long run some of them will succeed but only when they either assemble or manufacture there...

"Through our prism  here in the U.S., Royal Enfield is a very small player, but on the global stage not so much."

Royal Enfield and sidecar come with free advice

2008 Royal Enfield sidecar rig for sale.

A 2008 Royal Enfield Electra with Cozy Rocket sidecar is for sale on eBay in Charleston, W.Va. accompanied by an unusually complete description of the bike, the brand and its pluses and minuses.

I'm always impressed by sellers who take the time to put their vehicles in context for potential buyers.

In this case, the seller, Paul Nadas, includes this friendly note of caution:

"Those not familiar with the Royal Enfield sidecar unit should be aware that this set-up is not suitable for 'freeway' (Interstate) use. It simply does not have the power to 'cruise' at Interstate speeds. That said, I can 'drive' happily all day on the wonderful secondary roads all around my 'home state' of West Virginia at a comfortable 50-55 mph without concern. Those wanting a sidecar rig for 'long legged' interstate travel on the 'concrete slabs' of the Interstate Highway system need to consider a machine with more power and displacement than this classic 500cc single-cylinder machine."

There's even more advice for someone who may be considering purchase of their first sidecar rig:

"This should be considered one unit: you don’t just remove and re-install the sidecar at will for a two wheel ride. Although it can be removed, the intention is to be 'driven' as one unit, and is to be sold as one unit. Adding a sidecar to a motorcycle, although attached at the dealer is a highly specialized project. 'Marrying a sidecar to a bike' is both science and art. The owner gave the dealer all the time they wanted to fine-tune, test drive, and tweak the attachment, as it is not as simple as one might think."

This is more than just the full disclosure every seller ought to offer in an advertisement. It's good, first-hand, real-world advice you might otherwise have to gain through pain.

There's a lot more to this long, long ad, all well worth reading, including an explanation of why the owner removed the windshield. I'll let you discover that for yourself.

This sidecar rig is for sale for $7,999. It has 10,280 miles and you'll need to go to Charleston, W.Va. or arrange for shipping to get it. Check out the ad for yourself.

Cozy Rocket sidecar with Royal Enfield Electra.

A Royal Enfield for only $990? That's right

Some lucky buyer got this Royal Enfield for only $990.

A fine looking 2002 Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle for only $990? That's right. That was the asking price in a CraigsList ad placed in West Richland, Wash.

Mileage was only 7,771 and the motorcycle looked in the pictures to be in great shape. I immediately emailed the seller, pointing out there there must be a typographical error in the ad. Surely the intended asking price was $3,990, I wrote.

Here's the reply I got:

"Nope, priced to sell quick. We listed it a couple of years ago at the Blue Book price and got absolutely no response. Now I am being buried with requests to come look at the bike. So it is probably sold. Don't worry about it."

The ad is gone from CraigsList, so I assume that, indeed, the motorcycle sold at once. What does this prove?

• Price sells.
• Bargains are out there.

Does it prove that a 2002 Royal Enfield Bullet is not worth $3,990? No, I don't think it does. I do think that it proves for certain that a 2002 Bullet is worth more than $990.

A Royal Enfield restoration in just two minutes

Time-lapse video shows how they did it.

If you follow the market for Royal Enfield motorcycles you're probably aware that some fantastic looking "restorations" are coming out of India.

These motorcycles look vintage, yet brand new, with styling touches no factory in Redditch, England or Chennai, India ever dreamed.

The world is long past asking "how do they do it?" The impression is that India can do anything. But now, thanks to a time-lapse video on YouTube,  we can at least watch while they do it.

The video is "Royal Enfield Bullet Restoration Project." According to Adhiraj85, who posted it, "We put together a 1978 Royal Enfield Bullet. It took around 45 days. Thanks to time lapse, I can show you guys in two minutes."

All we know about YouTube's Adhiraj85 is that he is 26 and from India. Facebook suggests he may be Adhiraj Rajan Lokengaonkar, of Mumbai.

Nicely done. The motorcycle is very pretty, too. Check out the video.

Royal Enfields: Made Like a Gun, not with one

Saddle pistol, shotgun exhaust pipes.

Royal Enfield motorcycles, "Made Like a Gun," seem like natural mounts for a saddle gun and holster. Here's a picture of a Western style holster and pistol on a fantasy motorcycle.

This picture was making its way around the Internet even before my daughter Anna spotted it on Boing Boing.

I see it on the Innocent Bystanders blog as early as May 31, 2010, but even it doesn't claim to have originated the picture.

Some who have commented on the picture note that the label on the seat identifies it as from Wicked Cactus Leather of El Paso, Texas. It is shown on their website. They do make motorcycle seats, gun holsters and knife sheaths ("anything made of leather, really") so there is probably no reason they couldn't make one up for you.

Their pictures make it apparent there is a matching holster on the other side of the bike. I think that's overdoing it. I recall once hearing someone who had studied the Old West explain that cowboys almost never wore two guns.

"If they couldn't get the job done with six bullets, there wasn't much point in having 12," he said.

On the other hand, if the intent is to put a damper on Road Rage, the armed rider would want to advertise his arsenal to drivers on all sides.

There is a "bullet hole" in the fender, no doubt one of those magnetic phonies.

The motorcycle sporting the saddle gun is clearly a show bike. One Internet comment pointed out that the exhaust pipes visible in the picture are set up in double-barrel "shotgun" style.

Another comment wondered what the rider would do when he parked the bike. Take the handgun with him, one presumes.

While the Western saddle is attractive, I think that for use on a Royal Enfield, the nod still has to go to the "optional" Thompson submachine gun.

Military Channel test fired submachine gun on a Royal Enfield.

Royal Enfield's C5 Special looks battle ready

Battle Green C5 Special with camouflaged friend.

This blog lists Royal Enfields for sale in the United States. I don't usually list new Royal Enfield motorcycles for sale at dealers. I figure you know that the dealers have motorcycles to sell.

But I couldn't resist showing you this CraigsList ad for one of the new C5 Specials, for sale at Mike's Cycle & Marine in Waynesboro, Tenn.

The 2012 Battle Green C5 is posed in front of a camouflaged pick up truck, just the right background for this Military style motorcycle.

The ad goes on to praise the advantages of the new C5 Special, including the larger, 19-inch front wheel and revised fork that improve handling. Seating position is a bit higher for the tall rider.

One claim I have to smile at is "the fact that Enfields are getting 80 mpg! Try that on a hybrid car. With gas prices rising and summer coming, now is the time to kick a leg over a bike. Why ride a scooter when you can be on a bike and get the same gas mileage?"

Royal Enfield Bullets get superb gasoline mileage, but your mileage may differ. Eighty miles per gallon? Maybe not, but I can practically guarantee you 70 mpg.

I still don't believe Americans buy motorcycles to save gasoline. Americans buy motorcycles to burn gasoline, make noise and (they hope) impress women.

The ad gives the price as $6,995, which includes destination fees and two-year warranty.

Royal Enfield dirt tracker at least looks fast

A street-legal Royal Enfield Bullet takes to the track.

A street legal Royal Enfield Bullet in a dirt track event?

What is so appealing about using an inappropriate vehicle for a task? This must be the reason people move mattresses on VW Beatles.

Just such a Bullet will compete in Dirt Quake May 19 at Brandon Speedway Stadium, Coventry, UK.

The event is sponsored by Sideburn magazine, which just posted a picture of the Royal Enfield in action, training on the dirt.

It is entered by "Chris," who was out at Rye House speedway practicing.

Afterwards, he commented  "I'm aching like a bastard this morning. Whouda'thunk wrestling a Bullet around would be such hard work? But it was also awesome! Starting to dream up plans of turning the Enfield into a tracker — plenty of weight to be lost, move the rear brake to the right hand lever... hmmm."

A Royal Enfield motorcycle trip to Redditch, UK

A made-in-India Royal Enfield visits the birthplace of the brand in the UK.

Riding a Royal Enfield to Redditch may be nothing unusual for a resident of the UK, but it strikes many who live elsewhere as an interesting thing to do someday.

It seems like a worthy pilgrimage of sorts and that is what the Business Standard Motoring website entitled its story on the subject:

"Royal Enfield Pilgrimage."

Writer Sachin Rao borrowed a 2011 Royal Enfield G5 Bullet for a journey up the scenic route from Ripley, in Surrey, to the once industrial metropolis of Redditch, where Royal Enfield motorcycles and bicycles were formerly built by the thousands.

Today Royal Enfield motorcycles are built in Chennai, India, the last place Rao had ridden one, 10 years before. He found the 2011 Bullet reassuringly more modern but still a worthy choice for "modern nostalgics who want the memories of yesteryear without the troubles."

Ride along with Rao as he describes his trip. He did it much as I would have wanted to, stopping at the new Royal Enfield pub for refreshment.

For the most definitive possible (as far as I know) tour of Royal Enfield factory sites in Redditch, see blogger Jorge Pullin's excellent series of articles at this link in his My Royal Enfields blog.

Royal Enfield racer takes on dirt track

Chris and his Royal Enfield will compete in Dirt Quake.

A Royal Enfield Bullet will compete in Dirt Quake, a more than slightly daffy dirt track event May 19 at Brandon Speedway Stadium, Coventry, UK.

Royal Enfields have competed in many a racing event in their history but, perhaps, never before in anything like the "Inappropriate Road Bike Class" at Dirt Quake. The event will also feature a separate class of choppers racing in the dirt.

Dirt Quake is the creation of Sideburn magazine. The Royal Enfield is entered by "Chris," apparently a graphic designer and dirt bike fan in daily life, in the IRB class.

To be truly inappropriate, motorcycles in this class start by being road legal, with lights (taped) and registration plate. Anything else they can do to be uncompetitive (being a Vespa, for instance) is all to the good. There is a separate class for motorcycles and riders actually equipped for racing.

All classes are full for the event, Sideburn reports. I hope they post the video.

For now, enjoy the promotional video, which emphasizes the chopper racing.


DIRT QUAKE PREVIEW from SIDEBURN on Vimeo.

Royal Enfield chopper goes beyond belief

Spider is a 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet; but you'd never guess it.

It's a Royal Enfield Bullet like nothing you've seen before. The Spider, by Neeraj Kapoor of Jaipur, India is the subject of a recent article in 350cc.com which describes itself as the custom motorcycle database of India.

The Spider perfectly expresses what is "not my style" in a motorcycle, even a Royal Enfield. But you have to admire the determination and workmanship and the controlling dedication to a single concept that brought it about.

It is moving to read the builder's description of what he went through in the course of creating this motorcycle.

"Nobody understood my concept for a long time, no one cooperated in the build, friends ridiculed me at every step, family felt I've lost it, denters fleeced me and gave me bad results, but I hung in there for five years to build Spider."

The results are — astounding.

Now he wants to sell it, but there are no buyers yet at his price. It would take a special person to want to own it, much less ride it.

I don't want it. It's not my style. But I am grateful to Neeraj Kapoor for building it.

As he told 350cc.com "people who termed me an idiot, call me Sir." As well they should.

Check out more pictures on 350cc.com