Royal Enfield too slow? This one was the slowest of all

The Royal Enfield Trim-Master Exerciser went no where fast.

Jorge Pullin's My Royal Enfields blog specializes in discovering unusual Royal Enfield products. One recent find was a tiny, top secret generator motor to be dropped from airplanes during World War II. You can picture the Maquis using it under the eyes of the Gestapo to radio London.

But here is a product labelled "Royal Enfield" that I'm reasonably sure Jorge doesn't know about:

The Royal Enfield Trim-Master Exerciser!

No, today is not April Fools Day. The Trim-Master really was offered for sale under the Royal Enfield brand by the G. Joannou bicycle company in the United States. It's in their 1983 catalog. You can read the complete catalog in the files section of the Bicycle Restoration Yahoo group.

Like all such exercise machines, you pedaled but got no where. Nevertheless, Trim-Master standard equipment included a speedometer, mileage indicator and timer.

The catalog says the exercise machine would promote "fitness," but what that really meant was that you planted your fat butt on the "Jumbo Padded Saddle" and worked off the spare tire around your middle.

It was available only in the appalling colors of Chocolate Brown and Vanilla Cream. Kind of odd that the colors were named for high-calorie treats!

U.S. firm offered a full range of Royal Enfield bicycles

George Joannou brought the Royal Enfield brand to U.S. bicycles.

The Royal Enfield brand's brief and mysterious appearance on bicycles in the United States in the 1970s and '80s led me to learn that they were imported (from Asian makers) and distributed by the G. Joannou Co. of New Jersey.

Thanks to a Royal Enfield motorcycle (and bicycle) enthusiast who signs himself Al in Philadelphia, much of the mystery is now solved. He pointed me to the Bicycle Restoration Yahoo group, which has posted a 1983 Royal Enfield bicycle catalog on the Internet.

The 1983 catalog identifies the G. Joannou Cycle Company, Inc. as "Exclusive Importers/Distributors" of Royal Enfield bicycles. The bikes were "Available immediately from both our Northvale, N.J. and Miami, Fla. warehouses."

The founder's photo appeared inside the front cover with this caption:

"George Joannou, world renown as the leading authority and original pioneer of Lightweight English bicycles to the United States, began importation of Bicycles to the U.S. in 1937. It was through his persistent drive that he was able to change the American consumer from a heavy-weight balloon tire bicycle to the Lightweight English design cycle which has gained popularity today.

"With his spirit and dedication to the bicycle industry, George Joannou built the ROYAL ENFIELD line as it is today."

While that may have been true, the catalog did offer a heavyweight beach cruiser with whitewall balloon tires, a Stingray-style children's bike and three BMX models, all of them distinctly American in appeal.

The range was broad rather than deep. There was something for everyone. (An additional factor to keep in mind is that many of these bicycles came in three sizes to fit humans of different heights. It makes for an extensive catalog.)

Prices ranged from $61.50 for the Gemini child's bicycle with training wheels to $335 for the 12-speed AERO Grand Prix.

The Village-Velo adult tricycle cost up to $145 for the top-of-the-line three-speed with coaster brake.

Brittany I, an English looking lightweight bicycle.

The Brittany I (men's) and Brittany II (women's) were the classic English three-speed models with "the Original Sturmey Archer 3/Speed hub for smooth shifting, upright tourist handlebars, and padded saddle."

The Village-Velo with three speeds and drum brake.

The Village-Velo tricycle got special attention as it was "originated by George Joannou, is often imitated but never duplicated." It was available in six colors, with single or three-speed transmission, and front caliper or drum brake.

Even the curious Compact folding model was in the catalog. It was available with one speed or three and in three colors and came standard with a rear rack and fenders.

The Compact folding bicycle was well equipped.

Clearly G. Joannou had ambitious hopes. Today, the company is known as Jamis Bicycles making a very wide range of bikes from cruisers to commuters to competition, fitness, mountain bikes and even "fixies." Some of their sophisticated frames are made of carbon-fiber!

But, unfortunately, none are the evocative "lightweight English" style I love and there are no oddities such as trikes or folding bicycles.

And whatever happened to the Royal Enfield name?

Royal Enfield Thunderbird takes its own road home

Does the new Royal Enfield Thunderbird make you angry?

Royal Enfield's new Thunderbird, for sale now in India, gets the fairest sounding review I've read so far from Aneesh Shivanekar in the Business Standard, out of Mumbai.

Entitled "Angry Bird," it celebrates the Thunderbird as just what many riders in India want while admitting that its feet-forward cruiser styling is not the Brit-bike heritage that others venerate.

Also, it's a better motorcycle in many respects, he writes. It deserves respect, even if digital dash, projector headlamp and standard back rest aren't your favorite flavors.

"It's certainly not beautiful but then, it's not bad looking either, is it?" Shivanekar writes. He recommends improving things by finding the prettiest girl possible for the passenger seat.

Beautiful in their own way are the rear disc brake, improved forks, swingarm and frame. The tank is bigger, so the new Thunderbird can go farther at faster speeds.

"Let's not forget that the Thunderbird's primary role, still, is touring and a lot of changes on this new Thunderbird are tailored to improve that experience," Shivanekar writes.

Not improved over other new Royal Enfields are the motor and transmission, which carry the Thunderbird faster than the previous model but not nearly fast enough to match American cruisers.

Shivanekar judges it fast enough for its home market.

"For a considerable percentage of our buying population, they wouldn't want anything else."

Good photos could help sell your Royal Enfield

This is an excellent photo of a Royal Enfield for sale.

This blog lists Royal Enfield motorcycles for sale in the United States if (and usually only if) the ad is accompanied by a photograph.

Some sellers provide fantastic photos of their motorcycles. Some sellers put a red pick-up truck and an overflowing garbage can in the background.

The temptation is to use the PhotoShop program to empty the trash can (by erasing the overflow) and turn the pick-up gray, so that it melts into the background. I admit I have done both to the pictures on this blog, to put the emphasis on the motorcycle.

Even more tempting is the occasional good photo that could be great with only a few alterations. I was captivated by the photo above of a Royal Enfield C5 for sale in Colorado. The young woman in the background was positioned perfectly, I thought, and the Continental Divide sign told you the location.

I erased the other vehicles in the parking lot, leaving the young woman and the sign or, sometimes, removing the sign.

Here's one version of the After picture:

Here's the same photo with distracting elements eliminated.

Which photo draws more attention to the ad? One is probably no better than the other. But I would rather look at the After picture.

It's fun, frankly, to play with other people's pictures. These are liberties I could never take when I was a photo editor for The Miami Herald newspaper. At the newspaper we used PhotoShop to crop and caption news and feature photographs, but altering them was taboo.

This was honest and ethical but I don't claim that we didn't influence what the photos showed.

First, talented photographers "edit in the viewfinder." Where they point the camera and when they push the button makes a big difference. And then there was editing. A photographer who shot two rolls off film (back when cameras used film!) captured 72 versions of the truth from an assignment. Only one would be chosen for the newspaper.

I'll never forget the time photographer Mike Stocker showed me two pictures of a woman holding a trophy.

"This is what it looked like when I got there," he said, showing me a picture of the woman and trophy inside a ridiculously disorganized and cluttered garage.

"And this is the picture," he said, showing me the finest photo you've ever seen of a woman holding a trophy. Mike had the woman stand just outside, in the light, and he turned off the light in the garage, creating a solid dark background behind her.

I'd argue that both photos were "true," but one was more effective than the other.

Was the Sparto tail light a Royal Enfield option?

An eye-catching tail light became cause for discussion.

A 1959 Indian Apache for sale on eBay recently attracted attention of the Royal Enfield Interceptor Owners Group on Yahoo. The Apache was a powerful, twin-cylinder motorcycle, built by Royal Enfield in England for sale under the Indian brand name in America.

One of the topics that came up related to the unusual looking tail light on this Apache.

Its shape immediately struck me as best described with a vulgar two-word reference to a particular organ of the male body, in its relaxed state.

It turns out that "limp dick tail light" is in fact a common way to refer to this style. It's also referred to as a Sparto tail light.

Sparto was a maker of automotive parts in England. Its lights and lenses of various styles ended up on many British products and it must have served the after market as well, because the limp-dick Sparto became popular on the bobbed fenders of  American style choppers. Reproductions are still sold.

In this case, however, the Madison, Wis. seller of the 1959 Apache stated that the Sparto tail light was a "factory option."

That drew some questions.Apaches were meant for scrambles, and would have had light, quickly removable tail lights, one member suggested. Other Apaches seen have had Lucas tail light assemblies. Catalog photos don't seem to show the Sparto.

So, there!

Except, a few days later, a 1958 Apache showed up on eBay for sale in Crystal Falls, Mich.

Another Apache with the same tail light.

It "has the same droopy looking cast alloy tail light we discussed previously on another Apache," a member of the Yahoo group noted.

Silence ensued. What an odd coincidence.

But perhaps it's not so mysterious after all. Things in life that are supposed to be "removable" are far more likely to be lost, stolen, damaged or missing in the first place than items delivered firmly attached. Would the "factory" have objected if customers who wanted lights got whatever lights fell to hand at the point of sale?

For that purpose, the Sparto would have been in the right place at the right time.

Royal Enfield tricycles came to U.S. from Japan

The Made-In-Japan sticker is easy to read on this Royal Enfield tricycle.

Royal Enfield Quality bicycles so often found in the U.S. today were made in Japan, if you believe the silver stickers still found on some of the bicycles.

Now we know the same is true of the tricycles that bear the "Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle" badge on their headstock. The Kansas City, Mo. seller of a Royal Enfield three-wheeler provided a photograph of the "Made In Japan" sticker in his ad.

Obviously, he considered it a selling point.

This same seller asserted that his tricycle was produced by the "same company that made the Royal Enfield motorcycles." That is not true.

Royal Enfield tricycle was built in Japan.

Royal Enfield push bike construction at Redditch, England ended in the late 1960s as did Royal Enfield motorcycle production there. Motorcycle production in Madras (Chennai), India continued after Redditch closed but the Royal Enfield brand name for bicycles traveled to a Birmingham firm and then overseas.

Carine Joannou told us that her family's G. Joannou Cycle Co., based in the U.S., held the trademark for Royal Enfield bicycles from 1975 through 1977 and imported the bicycles and tricycles. Without checking old records it was her recollection (she was a teenager at the time) that they were produced in Taiwan.

Tricycle bears the Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle badge.

The stickers say Japan. Close enough.

This blog is proud of having pursued this minor historical point endlessly, wrestled it to the ground and crushed every last drop of interest from it. My apologies for boring readers with this. Just wanted to set the record straight.

Royal Enfield Bullet with rigid rear end looks sleek

The skin-tight rear fender of a rigid motorcycle looks crisp and clean.

A Royal Enfield Bullet with a rigid rear end looks extra sleek. The retro, rigid rear end conversion engineered by Hitchcocks motorcycles for the Bullet looks great.

Of course, like any rigid conversion, it eliminates the comfort and road holding of the standard swing-arm rear suspension.

In Classic Motorcycle Mechanics author Tim Britton recently noted the irony of fitting a rigid rear end to the Bullet. It was the post-war Royal Enfield Bullet that famously demonstrated the advantages of the swinging arm rear suspension.

Why would you choose to go back in time? Well, going back in time has been the Bullet's specialty, as it has changed so little over the many decades since World War II. The temptation obviously exists to push it a little farther into the past, to its Model G forebears.

If your backbone can stand a beating for the sake of styling it might be worth considering.

You could obtain all the pain of riding rigid by simply replacing the rear shocks and springs of your Bullet with suitable struts. But you wouldn't have the genuine vintage look of the Hitchcocks bike.

Hitchcocks catalog shows that you need more than just the subframe.

As you can see from the catalog pages, the proper conversion involves not only the rigid subframe but an "essential" rear carrier, rear mudguard and even a new chain guard. A retro license plate carrier, single saddle, headlamp, levers, top yoke and speedometer complete the look. Components arrive unpainted.

Oh, so you thought buying a time machine would be cheap?

The rigid rear is shown fitted to an older Bullet, not the new Unit Constructed Engine model. Here's a video of the Hitchcocks rigid.

Royal Enfield cafe racer: The line forms in the U.S.

Royal Enfield's cafe racer is due in 2013.

Excited about the coming Royal Enfield cafe racer? You can't buy one yet, but you can get in line.

Dealer Royal Enfield of Fort Worth is taking names of customers interested in purchasing the motorcycle when it arrives in 2013.

The online form cautions that "this form does not guarantee you a bike, but it does reserve a spot in line!"

The dealer refers to the cafe racer as a "limited edition." High demand for Royal Enfields in India probably qualifies almost any new model as a limited edition, since there will not initially be enough to go around.

Even record setting production hasn't met demand, and construction of a second factory is planned.

In the United States, where Royal Enfield is far less well known, the supply of cafe racers may be adequate. Or it might not. Want one? There's no harm getting in line early. Contact your dealer.

Cafe racer with approving audience.

Old motorcycles for sale; can you spot the Flying Flea?

This load of vintage motorcycles includes a rare Royal Enfield.

Can you spot the Royal Enfield Flying Flea amid this hoard of old motorcycles offered for sale on CraigsList  in rural Eubank, Ken.?

What you see here is just a small part of the "70 or so" barn fresh motorcycles rounded up for sale. The seller mentions Honda, Indian, Motobi, Harley-Davidson, Wards Riverside, Sears Allstate, Jawa — and, of course, the Royal Enfield Flying Flea.

I am not sure what model of the little Royal Enfield two-stroke it might be. They all end up being called "Flying Flea," a nickname for the wartime model dropped by parachute during World War II.

Civilian models are more commonly found, perhaps not having been thrown out of airplanes.

To my eye, the key to spotting this Flea are its girder forks and distinctive round toolbox.

Blow-up shows the Flying Flea.

Royal Enfield folding bicycle an oddity seen in U.S.

Before it went out of business in Britain, Royal Enfield made a wide variety of bicycles. But the factory in Redditch, England, hardly matched the breadth of bicycle designs imported from Asia to the United States under the Royal Enfield name.

There were cruising bicycles, BMX style bikes and — most remarkably — tricycles.

There's yet another kind of old Royal Enfield bicycle that comes up for resale frequently in America: the folding bicycle. Here's one for sale on CraigsList near Chicago, Ill.

This Royal Enfield folding bicycle looks almost new.

It appears that these "Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle" models were imported from Asia by the G. Joannou Cycle Co., headquartered in the U.S. The New Jersey company held the trademark for Royal Enfield bicycles from 1975 through 1977.

The Royal Enfield folding bicycles I've seen in ads are always in surprisingly good shape. They appear hardly used. I suspect this is a comment on the actual utility of a folding bicycle. Once folded and put away, hardly anyone ever bothers to go to the trouble to unfold and use it.

Hinge of folding bicycle.

Folding bicycles save (some) room but weigh just as much and perhaps more than standard bicycles. Once folded they can no longer be rolled around; they must be hefted. You wouldn't carry one of these very far in your arms.

Although the folding Royal Enfield bicycles pictured in ads look almost new, their general design gives them away. Full fenders, long chainguards and metal badges instead of cheap decals mark them as products of the past.

The Royal Enfield folding design is characterized by a single, long, curved bar stretching from headstock to seat. This must be immensely strong as there is no secondary reinforcing bar to prevent the bicycle going all willowy. This is especially the case as the hinge that allows the bike to fold is in this bar. The single bar has the advantage that there thus need be only one hinge to lock into place.

Tricycle shares similar shape but doesn't fold.

The long single bar, curving like the neck of a swan, is a distinctive feature of the Royal Enfield tricycle design as well. Obviously, the tricycle needed a step-through design so women riders could take it shopping. Other tricycle manufacturers nonetheless typically incorporate a second, low reinforcing bar to add strength.

I suspect the Royal Enfield tricycle lacks the second bar precisely because it shares its single-bar manufacture with the folding bicycle.

Folding bicycles might work for someone who wants to pack them along in a camper, airplane or yacht. But the original Royal Enfield company in Redditch had what I consider a far better idea: the Revelation.

This was an adult bicycle with small wheels. A commuter could easily roll the Revelation into a subway train or the corner of the office and forget it. There was no need to get greasy operating the hinge and huffing the bicycle into folded position.

Royal Enfield Revelation didn't fold; still small.

Royal Enfield Battle Green sidecar looks battle ready

This Royal Enfield sidecar outfit looks ready for combat.

I recently saluted a very military looking Royal Enfield Desert Storm equipped with a sidecar by Scoots4U in Crystal Lake, Ill.

What I liked about that sidecar combination was its stripped down, army issue look, with a prominent grab handle for the sidecar passenger.

But here's a geared-up Royal Enfield Battle Green motorcycle with Inder sidecar offered on CraigsList by  Royal Enfield of Fort Worth. From the olive drab tool bag on the forks to the painted spokes (even on the sidecar wheel), it looks ready to report for duty.

This thing just looks so butch. Seeing it photographed from a low angle I just can't help thinking "Sherman tank."

Even the fork bag looks army issue.

One touch of genius: the tool bag on the forks is all zippers and straps and pockets and pulls. I recently went camping with an army surplus back pack. I don't know why soldiers need so many compartments, but they've got 'em if they want 'em.

The sidecar is actually surprisingly plush looking, with padded arm rests. The ad says this is "custom upholstery." It looks good and somehow doesn't detract from the overall military look.

No soldier ever had it this good.

This is a custom job. Price is $12,995. Phone number for information is 214-629-4011. 

Series 2 Royal Enfield Interceptor returns to Britain in bits

Some assembly required. It's a 1970 Interceptor.

Mark Mumford's 1970 Series 2 Royal Enfield Interceptor currently looks more like its own "exploded drawing" than it does a motorcycle.

Mark recently told us about his (assembled and running) 1966 Series 1 Interceptor. He was musing that he would like to have a Series 2 as well and, in just the time it took for me to post the item on this blog, he bought one!

No time like the present, he decided.

"Looking back I think that it had dawned on me that I might have missed the opportunity to buy an S2 while prices were still reasonably low," Mark wrote.

The Royal Enfield Series 2 Interceptor was, if anything, wilder than the already impressive Mark I. It had a wet sump to improve oil flow in its big parallel twin motor. The Series 2 Interceptor was the last model in mass production when England's Royal Enfield stopped making motorcycles in 1970.

Many Interceptors originally went to the United States — and British enthusiasts like Mark now want them back!

"All the old U.S. dealer's stock (Shores, Avellinos, Coopers etc,) had been bought up, (mostly by Hitchcocks,  it has to be said) and bringing single bikes out of the U.S. is still a difficult business. Over here  the bikes just do not change hands; those that have them keep them!

"I did ask a few well known Interceptor enthusiasts, mostly regulars on the Interceptor Forum,  if they'd keep an eye out for me but didn't really hold much hope. The purchase of the George Collins hoard by Allan Hitchcock seemed to underline the end-of-an-era finality of it."

But Hitchcock's round-up of Interceptors in the U.S. produced results for Mark.

"When they'd had a chance to check over the mountain of disassembled bikes, the guys came up with a matching numbers project, a 1970 S2 with the extras — oil cooler, air filter, bash plate, TLS (twin leading shoe) brake etc.

"We think it went to MC Sales (the trading name of Avellinos) but although some factory records exist they get very patchy by this time. I've seen the factory build book and it's really a school exercise book written in biro (ballpoint pen) and with pencil notes in the margin!

"It'll be a big task and it'll have to wait awhile but I'm really looking forward to (restoring) it. There are two Royal Enfields that woke me to the Marque: the Trials Works Replica and the Mark 2 Interceptor and now I have both! And guess what? It's my birthday on the fifth.

"The picture was the bait that Hitchcocks laid. Some of the nice bits (air filter for instance) can't be seen and I also got a seat subframe. Tank, seat and exhaust system are all missing as are exhaust camshaft, timing gear and gauges (clocks to us!) but the hard stuff is there.

"I have a Home Market 4.5 gallon tank which will probably be more practical most of the time but a 'teardrop' would be nice!"

Amal carburetor 223/001C needed to finish restoration

This 1948 Royal Enfield RE125 needs one thing to get it going.

Eric Davison is in "desperate" need of an Amal carburetor (No. 223/001C) to complete restoration of his 1948 Royal Enfield RE125.

Desperate? Well, just read what he has been through so far:

"As a boy I was intrigued with the Flying Flea. It was hard to imagine that a small motorcycle could be dropped into combat. About two years ago I found one for sale on eBay. Actually it was a RE125 — the Flying Flea designation was only for those created for military use. However, the RE125 has all the charm of the Flea  so I joined in the bidding and won. I bought it sight unseen and had it shipped to my home in Anna Maria, Fla.

"Prior to finding the bike I had chanced into an English bike repair and restoration shop in Sarasota. The proprietor is a man with one name: Reko. I asked him if he had ever come across a Flea or a 125.  He reached under the counter and pulled out a 125cc motor. It was devoid of any internals and he had purchased it at a swap meet because it looked so 'cute.'

"When my bike arrived I turned all the painting over to Reko as well as taking his advice on sources and for serious mechanical  work.

Eric's RE125 as it looked when purchased.

"It needed tires and the specs for current tires are not the same as those for 1948. It took me three tries before I located a source in England that had what I needed.

"Hitchcocks was the source for many items such as new rubber grips, cables a seat cover and a muffler, as the original was rusted through.

The exhaust pipe, too, was rusted through, and no one had a replacement. A place in India said they could duplicate my original and I shipped it off to them. It never made it. Mail in India is apparently as bad as in the United States.

"Eventually I found a place in England that had the original dies and for an exorbitant sum acquired a new one.

"The engine seemed to be in good shape but there was no spark. Getting a flywheel magneto repaired is not an easy task. I must have contacted 100 sources before finding D.H. Day in England. It cost $150 to ship it to him and his fees were not cheap. But now I had a magneto that functioned.

"The Amal carburetor was in tough shape. The bike flooded out immediately after starting.

"This is when tragedy struck. I mailed the carb, an Amal 223/001C to my brother in Michigan. He is an amateur race car driver and a damned good machinist. Among other things a new tickler was needed. After creating a new one and performing other services he mailed it back to me. That was Aug. 1. The Post Office says that lost packages always turn up. So far, nothing.

"Amal itself can't help and so far neither can any of the other sources in the U.S., England and India. I would bet that I have made at least 50 contacts and have struck out completely.

"I did find a carburetor from a Flying Flea. While it could be made to work, it is an original piece. It is a Villiers, is brass and is painted olive drab. I can't bring myself to modify it.

If anyone out there knows of an Amal 223/001C please, please contact me." Eric's email address is edavison@tampabay.rr.com

Replica motorcycle for the man who has everything

This replica motorcycle and biker chick are just the thing for the den.

In the 1950s, Royal Enfield motorcycles were sold in the United States badged as Indian motorcycles. This historical fact means that I'm continually looking at pictures of Indian motorcycles, trying to decide if they are really Royal Enfields beneath the nameplate.

This photo, from a CraigsList ad in Burlington, N.C., appears to show a replica of a genuine Indian motorcycle, not a Royal Enfield.

Note the full spats on the fenders, and the iconic Indian Chief ornament on the front fender. There are the full sweptback Indian handlebars and the cluster of headlamps typical of the Indian brand.

This is not a real motorcycle, of course, and that is not a real bathing beauty perched on the seat.

The seller says the complete thing is 20 inches long and 16 inches to the top of the girl's head. Wheels are rubber and the kickstand works.

Who would have created such a thing, and why? My only guess is that it was featured on a carnival ride.

"I really have no idea about any of it," the seller, Angie, told me. "I bought it at an auction just because I know that Indian motorcycle stuff is highly collectible. I haven't put a lot of effort into selling it yet."

The asking price is only $200.

As it sits, it is just the thing for my den — if I had a den.