1959 Royal Enfield Works Replica carries on

Vintage Royal Enfield can get you there, even without a road.

In June Graham Lampkin will ride his 1959 Royal Enfield Works Replica trials single from his home in Colne, Lancashire, to the Shetland Classic Vehicle Show in Lerwick.

As far as possible, he won't use roads to get there. He calls his trip "Lampy Goes to Lerwick (aka The Muddy Way Up)."

"The bike will be the 'works rep' trials Bullet, with a few modifications," his website explains. "It has been fitted with a larger petrol tank, a more comfortable seat (essential) and the gearing raised."

Works Replica after a recent practice run. Note nav system on handlebars.

Its "navigation system" (a scrolling map wound forwards and back with knobs) is built into a kitchen food box on the handlebars.

This is Graham's second Works Replica. He had three happy years on one in the '90s but moved on to other bikes and built his own Royal Enfield based machines to suit. Yet he wanted a Works Replica.

"Problem was, they were in short supply and prices had moved on — upwards."

Then "A friend told me of a guy about 15 miles away selling a competitive Royal Enfield Bullet trials bike. I rang him, it was a Works Replica  engine and had been the personal bike ridden by Dave Danks (a well known good rider but even better builder of Royal Enfield trials bikes). That's how I got to own the bike I'm using for the trip."

Another sandwich box above the gearbox, for storage.
No, the ride is "not sponsored by Tupperware."

Lerwick is in the Shetland Islands, so the trip will include a ferry. But the land part of the journey will be by legal "green roads" and tracks, wherever possible, to reach the ferry at Aberdeen.

Graham's long ride will raise money for Cancer Research UK. His wife lived through breast cancer. You should donate to Cancer Research UK in his name through JustGiving. I did it. It is easy.

His home is pretty much the center point of the island of Britain. The ferry in Aberdeen is 345 miles away by road, but Graham's off-road trip could take four days.

"The show is on the 7th and 8th June, so we leave 3rd June," he writes.

Graham wrote me that the idea to take on this challenge came in three steps:

1. He wanted to bring his classic Works Replica to the classic bike show.

2. He wanted to ride off road more, so why not make the trip that way?

3. And, finally, "Chatting to daughter Sarah, explaining what feeble ideas the aged mind was producing, and in her normal manner she said 'well, if you're doing it, do it for charity.'"

How NOT to sell a part for a Royal Enfield motorcycle

This guy wrote the world's worst ad.

He is trying to sell the most commonly found Royal Enfield motorcycle part of all — the one bit everybody took off and replaced with a nicer aftermarket part.

Everybody else stuffed the unwanted take-off part in their attic, where it remains forever pristine, if dusty.

Not this guy. He tossed his in the back yard, where it sat in the sun and rain. Birds built a nest in it; you can see the nest in the photo.

Still, he assures you that "it will clean up." Not that he plans to clean it up before he sells it to you.

You will have to buy it "as is, where is." He won't ship it. "Local pick-up only!" he states, firmly.

Nevermind that he lives 20 miles off a back road and across a creek and has to go into town to get his mail because the Post Office won't deliver past the first arroyo. If you aren't willing to come get it, the hell with you.

Oh, and the selling price is firm, too (and approximately twice what you'd pay to get it brand new from the manufacturer, even including tax and shipping).

Our guy isn't going to bargain. He knows what he has, or so he says (he misidentified it in the ad), so don't try to lowball him. If it comes to that, he says he has seen his part offered on eBay by others at twice the price. That must have been in some Alternative Dimension.

As far as what it will fit, that isn't his problem: his ad warns you to "do your own homework" to determine that. But he's pretty sure it will fit any Royal Enfield or, maybe, a Harley.

Still not sure? "Look at the picture," our man advises you. He means the picture in his ad, which is blurry, dark, and shows only half the object for sale. The seller's thumb is mostly there, though.

Luckily he includes a second picture, in perfect focus, of the same part on a beautiful Royal Enfield. He found this photo of someone else's bike on the Internet, but his is "just like it" the ad says.

Still want to get in contact with him? Well, don't respond to his ad by email; he's sick and tired of scammers. "I'll erase all emails," he warns.

So he gives his phone number, in code, to throw off those Internet spies he has heard about. Something like "SIX-EERHT-2-DEUCE-sixty-FORE-NIN-ER."

But don't bother texting him, even if you can figure out the number. "NO TEXT," he shouts, in capital letters. And he's not done shouting.

"No trades. I don't want a rusty Jeep or your dog. This is not CraigsList junk. I don't need your help to sell it. I don't have to sell. I WILL NOT ANSWER QUESTION IS IT STILL FOR SALE."

You don't want the part anyway and you wouldn't buy it, even if you did, from the Unibomber.

My example seller is — mostly — fictional, but sellers like him are common. Reading their ads is like subjecting yourself to a verbal punching out.

Your only solace is that they probably never sell a thing.

Maybe that's why, in his most recent ad, this seller actually uses the word "please." What an improvement it makes.

Custom Royal Enfield from Japan challenges the normal

Royal Enfield chopper from Japan surprises your eye.

Japanese motorcycles may be the standard of the world, but Japanese art is often off-center, pulling the  imagination in fresh directions.

That's certainly the case with this made-in-Japan custom Royal Enfield chopper — if you can assign it such a crude designation. I found it posted on the StreetRide blog. That's in Japanese, and it's a bit hard to draw much information from the Google translation.

It is clear, however, that the builder, Stoop Motorcycles in Toda City, appreciates the unique history of Royal Enfield. Enough of the original motorcycle is retained, from nacelle to neutral finder, to serve as an inspiration for what changes.

What happened to the tank? It's under the cross bar.

Starting with the very unusual underslung tank, my eye takes in the wide chopper seat that somehow flows into a cafe racer style tail. The builder describes the scalloped tank as "lacy," in translation, which is certainly appropriate. I love how it retains the typical Royal Enfield pin striping.

Automotive tire adds authority.

In contrast, the rear wheel is from an automobile. Nothing delicate about that.

Ample chopper seat flows into a cafe racer style tailpiece.

It's the little things that often impress. In this case, I can't get over the little hand gearshift. The clutch seems to be operated by the left, rear-set pedal. (Presumably the clutch and rear brake cables shown in these pictures were shortened up later so as not to catch on the ground.)

Impractical it might be but, as with Japanese art, not something I was likely to have thought of.

A foot shift would have been too low, so...

Rims are painted white.

Tank halves apparently fill from both sides.

Is Royal Enfield the oldest motorcycle brand? Errrr...

Royal Enfield's claim rests on some odd and very awkward vehicles.

"Is Royal Enfield the oldest motorcycle brand?" That is the question blogger Jorge Pullin addresses in a recent important — and very amusing — posting.

The answer, like your Facebook status, is complicated.

Jorge's blog is entitled My Royal Enfields, so naturally he leans toward giving Royal Enfield the benefit of every doubt.

But doubts there are, and plenty of them. Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph and one other brand you'll never guess (until you read his item) have convincing claims.

To save the title for Royal Enfield you have to resort to wrapping your tongue around complicated phrases like "which is the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production?"

Jorge admits "it is unclear to me what the last phrase even means."

You also have to decide that the motor vehicles Royal Enfield built in its earliest days were motorcycles; they didn't look much like motorcycles.

One other huge stumbling point is that you have to agree that the present Royal Enfield company in India somehow got its start in Britain. Not so, Jorge reveals. The company in India was a separate venture, under Indian regulations.

That point alone reveals what a huge debt fans of vintage British motorcycles owe to India for not choosing some other sort of motorcycle to build.

Check it out. Jorge's post convincingly settles the argument once and for all, or at least until the next round of beers is served.

Simple yet elegant describes this Royal Enfield

Clean lines, large tank and delicate chrome touches distinguish this Royal Enfield Bullet.

I'd call it a simple yet elegant look. Ray Vanegas of Houston, Texas, shared these photographs of the very clean 1956 Royal Enfield Bullet he recently acquired. I asked him to describe it and he replied:

"I was looking for a vintage bike for a couple of years and found this beauty here in Houston. It came to me nearly as you see it. I only added the rear luggage rack and the front fender plate.

"Two sellers ago, the owner imported it to U.S. from India. And then updated it with several thousand dollars of parts and man hours. He paid to have the work done by a local shop north of Houston.

Extra wide seat matches extra wide tank.

"New wheels, tires, levers, chain guard, seat, powder coated the frame, gloss paint for the bike parts, updated the electrics to 12 volts, points/condenser, silencer, handlebars, kick lever, foot pegs and miscellaneous bolts and nuts.

"Essentially, a nearly complete restore minus the engine. I have all receipts for parts and labor and no engine or transmission or fuel work is shown.

The engine stamp is a G2 series and matching gear box. I was told based on the stamped number it started out as a 350cc in 1955, assembled in India in '56 and possibly at that time bored to 500cc. Sold new in November, 1957 to the first owner.

"I have the original registration owner's book with tax and reg stamps from the first owner to the import date in 2009.

Simple large tail light keeps it clean. Early Bullets like this one had very flat-sided toolbox lids.

"The fuel tank is a custom, utilizing the original form and adding two side pods and then refinishing work to create a new tank with a capacity of 5.7 gallons. Don't know where the highway bars came from and don't really care for the component material but they are functional and give me another set of foot rests.

"I ride at least once per week for a few hours. As you can imagine, I get a lot of positive comments and it gathers a crowd everywhere I stop.  I'm contemplating adding a side car to the set-up so my lovely and supportive wife can join me on my adventures."

Valentine's Day lies to tell your lover

If there are 50 ways to leave your lover, a Triumph Spitfire is No. 1.

Just out of bed and stumbling to my laptop, the morning's first cup of coffee in hand, I accidentally search for "Triumph Spitfire" on CraigsList.

Why? Mumble. Snort. Must of had a bad dream or something.

Anyhow, up pops a delightfully written ad for a 1978 Spit, a car from the Southwest, with "minimal rust."

The seller admits that the driver's door opens from the outside handle only, the passenger side only from the inside. He has no idea how many miles the car has been driven — "the odometer has never worked." All standard British sports car features.

And only $2,000!

But wait! This ad was posted in 2009. The car is undoubtedly long sold. What is this still doing on CraigsList?

And so I learn — you no doubt were already aware — of something called "Best of CraigsList."

CraigsList users can nominate clever ads for this honor by hitting a small "heart" button in the corner of the ad. CraigsList doesn't review the nominated items, and so warns that the results "may be explicitly sexual, scatological, offensive, graphic, tasteless, and/or not funny."

The ad for the Triumph Spitfire certainly qualifies as at least amusing. It comes complete with helpful advice on how to justify purchase of such a vehicle to a Significant Other. It's a list of lies.

And then there's this:

"This car played a role in the unraveling of a particularly dumb marriage, and for that I am glad. I should keep it as a memento but feel it might help some other trapped person break the bonds of a loveless relationship."

Happy Valentine's Day.

Photos from 2014 Boca Raton British Car Show

Her Majesty's flag proudly appears, adorning vintage cars in Boca Raton, Fla.

Again this year we depart from our normal attention to Royal Enfield motorcycles to take in the annual British Car Show in Boca Raton, Fla.

By now you would think I would have admired every British Racing Green MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey in the state. But, no, I always find something old and exciting to enjoy.

Here are my photos, with comments. Come along for the ride:

MG T-Types line up in rainbow colors.

First of all, did MG really offer its T-Types in every Life-Saver color? The cheerful line-up of hues made the little cars on display at Boca look even more toy like than usual.

Jaguar C-Type. Every detail is awesome.

A 1951 Jaguar C-Type was clearly among the most admired vehicles at the show. Everyone wanted to know if it was "real." You'd have to ask Dorothy Philipson of Boynton Beach, Fla.

1936 Railton Tourer looked indomitable.

Dominating its corner of the show was a 1936 Railton Tourer shown by Marcel Hoinville of Miramar, Fla. My friend, author Douglas Kalajian, proudly observed that this proud representative of the British Empire has a chassis and straight-eight motor by that colonial firm, Hudson.

Morris Minor with hamster-charger.

At the other end of the scale was a proud Morris Minor with a busy hamster spinning its cage in the engine compartment. (It was a mechanical toy hamster, not a real rodent.)

Undaunted by adversity. Note clothespin "clamp."

Another Morris Minor featured a clothespin clamping one of its dashboard controls. Press on Regardless!

Triumph Roadster with its strange jump seats in the boot.

Always a delight was the peculiar post-war Triumph Roadster on show, with its rumble seat (with dedicated windscreen). Such a delightful idea, so awful in reality.

Tiny turn signals on a mighty Bentley.

It's always the details that delight on British cars. Secondary lights are either occasions for glory or absolutely tacked on. The enormous Bentley celebrates its turn signals with lenses no larger than the pilot lights on my Royal Enfield Bullet.

There is no explaining a Lotus 11 in any aspect.

A Lotus 11 tucks its streamlined signal lights inside the headlight fairings. It looks splendid.

Austin-Healey makes its tail reflector a celebrity.

A battered Austin-Healey in the parking area of the show illustrated what the British could do with a cheap reflector.

Rolls-Royce tables neither shaken nor stirred.

Nothing delights more than a tray table in the back of a Rolls, although I suppose you can't use them when the vehicle is in motion. The Rolls too large for your driveway? How about a Vanden Plas Princess 1300?

Tray tables in Vanden Plas Princess.

They are no more practical than those in the Rolls, but the car itself probably was. This 1971 Princess was shown by Croan McCormack of Brookline, Mass.

Vanden Plas Princess with its grille, second to no other.

All-in-all, Good Show!

2014 Clematis Vintage Motorcycle Show photos

New Royal Enfields towered over this vintage motorcycle show.

It was no problem finding Royal Enfields on display at the Inaugural Iron & Clematis Vintage Motorcycle Festival Saturday in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla. They literally towered over the crowd jamming Clematis Street.

New Royal Enfield dealer Dream Machines, of Lantana, Fla., was hard to miss, with singles and a sidecar outfit on display.

Fantastic motorcycles but you had to know what to look for.

Unfortunately, other great motorcycles on display weren't as easy for me to identify. It didn't occur to me until later to ask organizers if there was a list of the entries I could have. Each motorcycle did have a small number tag, on the headlight, so crowd members could vote for a People's Choice winner.

Should have worn his helmet.

So, minus labels to tell me what I was looking at, I was left to fall back simply on what caught my eye — even the downright silly.

Sleek motorcycle fairing with nautical touch.

My hands-down favorite was the motorcycle rigged with the plastic body of a personal watercraft. I couldn't even tell what kind of motorcycle it was, but it doesn't matter.

It's the greatest idea for a full-body fairing I've ever seen.

Personal watercraft body looks natural.

Whizzer style motor bike with sidecar.

This cafe racer will do the half ton.

Lots to look at and lots of lookers.

Royal Enfield price cut puts the Bullet in the lead

Royal Enfield's value leader is the most iconic of the Bullets, the B5.

The dramatic cut in starting prices for Royal Enfield motorcycles in the United States puts the entire line within easier reach of customers.

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices for Royal Enfield motorcycles listed on the Royal Enfield USA website are now:

• $4,999 Bullet 500 B5
• $5,399 Bullet G5 Deluxe
• $5,499 Bullet C5 Classic
• $5,499 Bullet C5 Military
• $5,699 Bullet C5 Chrome
• $5,999 Continental GT

In another change, MSRP in California is now no higher than in the other 49 states.

The price cut comes not at the end of a riding season, as might be expected, but just as riders consider what they want to have for spring.

The price leader is the B5, the Bullet designed to most resemble the beloved machine that kept the brand alive in India for more than 50 years.

From any distance, the B5 looks much like the 1999 Bullet in my own garage. And now the price looks the same too!

Royal Enfield cuts U.S. prices for its motorcycles

Royal Enfield's Continental GT was already value priced. Now the rest of the line is too.

Royal Enfield USA is dropping prices and they mean it. The $5,999 MSRP on the new Royal Enfield Continental GT in the United States struck me as fantastic when it was announced — now U.S. prices are going down across the rest of the line, "by almost $1,400" on some.

The sexy Continental GT cafe racer remains at its low introductory price, while the B5, designed to look most like the time-honored Bullet built in India for more than 50 years, goes down to just $4,999.

I paid nearly that much for my Bullet 15 years ago!

The brand's other models will fall between the GT and the B5 in price. How big a change is it? As of Friday, the Royal Enfield USA website was still listing one model as starting at $6,795!

Royal Enfield is positioning itself as "a unique, high value brand," Kevin Mahoney, CEO of U.S. importer Classic Motorworks, is quoted as saying in the press release.

Royal Enfield's corporate leader, Sidhartha Lal, told the world's press at the launch of the Continental GT in London that the company meant to be taken seriously in the global market for 250cc-750cc motorcycles.

At the time, he emphasized the quality and capability of the vintage looking cafe racer. Given that, the introductory price was set far lower than anyone expected. Certainly it struck me as a lot of fun for the money.

"Lowering the MSRP prices on the rest of the product line naturally followed suit from Siddartha Lal’s vision for the GT and the brand positioning overall," Mahoney stated.

"This effort in repositioning Royal Enfield as a brand will not only put more bikes on the road, but simultaneously gain more of the market share here in the U.S.”

Mahoney told me in an email that the prices were "well received" by Royal Enfield dealers.

The press release didn't say how long these prices might last.

It also included no fine print.

"You are correct when you say 'no fine print'; there truly is NONE," Mahoney told me. It's even the case that prices in California will match those in the other 49 states, he said.

The website notes that Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) doesn't include shipping, dealer prep, tax and license and that other charges may apply.

Royal Enfield rat-bike bobber is a low-rider custom

Startling, low-riding rat-bike bobber with a Royal Enfield motor.

A Royal Enfield twin-cylinder motor in a radical rat-bike bobber for sale on CraigsList in Martinsburg, W. Va. introduced me to After Hours Bikes of Cooper City, Fla.

It was quite an introduction. I gaped.

My first thought, based on the CraigsList ad, was "Aiiiiii!"

Half the fun is guessing how it works.

But you can't not look at it, and the more I looked the more intrigued I was.

"You are looking at a custom Indian bobber built and titled in 2011 by After Hours Bikes," the seller wrote in his ad.

"...The bike has full air ride adjustable suspension, Model A rear wheel with a cheater slick; so many unique things I can't even list them all. The motor is a 1957 Indian Chief motor." Asking price is $14,500.

Look closely for the welded chain shifter.

After Hours Bikes FaceBook page makes it very apparent that they build their motorcycles to please themselves and their customers; what I think doesn't matter.

After Hours Bikes are very long and very low, typically have V-twin power and many adopt a more polished look than the one on CraigsList.

This one celebrates its rat-bike look. The rusty metal and a West Virginia license plate bent to form a battery box speak for themselves. Look closely to see the hand shift for the Albion transmission, a welded chain.

Its builder answers only to himself and his customers.

I'm not sure how anything else works. The exhaust outlets look a little close to the rider. I don't see how the rear wheel is sprung, if it is. Are those rear pegs for a passenger? Why is there a secondary, middle sprocket? Is that a spare gas tank on the back? What is the round container riding behind the front wheel?

See? Intriguing.

Clematis Vintage Motorcycle show this weekend

Royal Enfield is a sponsor of Vintage Motorcycle Festival in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Royal Enfield USA is a sponsor of the Inaugural Iron & Clematis Vintage Motorcycle Festival Saturday and Sunday Feb. 8-9 in Palm Beach County, Florida.

More than 200 vintage motorcycles should be on show Saturday on the 500 block of Clematis Street in historic downtown West Palm Beach. It's free to look. Unlike many motorcycle shows it starts in the afternoon and goes into the evening. Hours are 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The next day, Vintage Track Day Sunday puts motorcycles in motion at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter.

Bikes are encouraged to meet at O’Shea’s & Longboards Irish pub at 531 Clematis St. from 8-10 a.m. Sunday. They'll head to the track, "where high speed pros will be on the course throughout the day, and vintage motorcycles will be allowed on the track for street speed-style parade laps and or Fast Track simulated racing."

There's a modest entrance fee to watch those with faith in their machines take to the track.

The event is organized by local Vintage Iron Club. The group's Facebook page promises "over 200 vintage motorcycles and scooters, four live bands, pinup models and fashion show contest, 38 local and national vendors, and after all that you can ride your vintage bike on a two-mile road course."

The club describes itself as "Looking for like minded people with 25 years or older bikes. Who love their vintage metal (bikes and music!), and or cafe racer fans and riders!"

That's everyone, right?

Royal Enfield rider going a long way without roads

Graham Lampkin on his Works Replica Royal Enfield trials single.

Americans never get enough of the BBC's "Downton Abbey" where the clothes are always pressed, or "Lark Rise to Candleford," where the sun always shines on the English countryside.

Britain's reputation suggests that actual conditions tend to be more soggy and rumpled.

And no more so than for trials riders, who deliberately endure all manner of discomfort.

Now comes Graham Lampkin, 62, who proposes to endure such discomforts for a good cause, on a Royal Enfield motorcycle. He'll ride a 1959 works replica trials single.

He has the pedigree for it. We are assured by no less an authority than the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, that Graham is "a relation of a fanatical Keighley district motorcycling family."

Graham is, the Telegraph and Argus asserts, "related to the Lampkins of Silsden, who have notched up many world titles, British titles and other motocross and trials victories over the years."

He plans to travel from his home in Colne, Lancashire, to the Shetland Classic Vehicle Show in Lerwick.

Lerwick is in the far off Shetland Islands, so the trip will include a ferry (ship). But the land part of the journey will be by legal "green roads" and tracks, wherever possible, to reach the ferry at Aberdeen.

A long way, if you don't use roads.

Graham will start on "Watery Lane" in Colne. The local tourist authorities do not advise a stroll up Watery Lane. It's "an obvious name since the road becomes a ford for approximately 50 meters," they advise; "...sometimes deep and slippery."

Graham's long ride will raise money for Cancer Research UK. His wife has lived through breast cancer.

"It's the doctors and scientists who will beat or control it and to do this they need funds. The more we raise the sooner this will happen," he writes. Full details are on his website, Lampy Goes to Lerwick (AKA The Muddy Way Up).

"The show is on the 7th and 8th June, so we leave 3rd June," he writes.

"Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving — they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate — saving time and cutting costs for the charity."