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.

Wisconsin dealer unpacks 2010 C5s,says new Royal Enfields are beauties

A Royal Enfield dealer in Wisconsin just received its 2010 C5 motorcycles. It posted some interesting pictures showing the unpacking process.

S-K Service is the Royal Enfield dealer in Hatley, Wis. Hatley is in Central Wisconsin, just east of Wausau. Lots of "blue" roads in the neighborhood must make for great motorcycling.

"2010Royal Enfield C5's are in!!!" S-K's CraigsList ad enthuses. "We have received our first two 2010 Royal Enfield C5's: one red/creme, one blue/creme. Come and see these fuel injected beauties."

Here's how S-K describes itself on its web site:

"S-K Service is far from the glossy, high pressure, corporate sales machines passed off today as 'motorcycle shops.' S-K service has operated from the same location in Hatley, Wisconsin since 1984 by owner, mechanic and AMA pro level flat track racer Steve Kasten.

"S-K Service is owned and staffed by lifelong motorcycle enthusiasts; not corporate salesmen. We've been there and done that. Steve also has a fine collection of several significant Japanese and European models from the 1970s, '80s and '90s awaiting display in an anticipated museum."

S-K Service at 100 Clark St., Hatley is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10-to-2 on Saturday and is closed Sunday. Telephone is (715) 446-2225.

Royal Enfield C5 vs the G5:The C5 is the better motorcycle

Royal Enfield C5, foreground, followed by a G5

The Royal Enfield Experience at Daytona Bike Week gave me a chance to ride the new Bullet C5 and G5 motorcycles one right after the other, for the first time.

Riders traded machines half way through the gentle cruise around "The Loop" in Ormond Beach, Florida. I got off the classic green G5 I started with and took over the deep black C5 from Ed and Susan O'Brien of Winter Springs, Fla.

Everyone was smiling when we returned to the Scooter Superstore, headquarters for the demo ride and now the Royal Enfield of Daytona Beach dealership.

"Which one did you like the best?" I asked Susan and Ed.

"This one!" Ed said, indicating the G5. I laughed.

The Royal Enfield Experience: Which one do you want?

"I was about to say exactly the opposite," I said. To Ed's surprise, Susan also expressed a preference for the C5.

"I can't believe how much more comfortable this one is," she said, indicating the C5, and pointing out that its accessory pillion pad is bigger than the passenger's share of the dual seat on the G5. But it was more than that: there was something else about it that made her feel good and she didn't seem to know quite how to put it.

She did add: "And I like all the retro stuff."

She has a sharp eye. The C5 is the newer design, and the top of the line, but designers patterned it after a 1951 Royal Enfield. The G5 still shares the appearance of the 1955-style Bullets manufactured for half a century in India. Thus, the newer design looks even more retro.

Both have modern Unit Constructed Engines and fuel injection, with a disk front brake and electric start.

The G5, to its credit, retains a kick starter, which won the approval of everyone who commented at the Rider Experience.

"I think the market really wants the kick start," Royal Enfield USA president Kevin Mahoney said. Whether the C5 will get a kicker (those sold in India have them) from the factory remains to be seen. Adding one isn't a do-it-yourself project, Mahoney explained. Much of the motor would have to be changed.

But nevermind that. The C5, in my opinion, is "The Motorcycle." I've never ridden a Royal Enfield motorcycle that instantly felt so right and inspired such immediate confidence. Perhaps it is the smaller wheels of the C5, or some Italian witchcraft massaged into the frame design by consultants.

Sue was right: I just can't believe how comfortable it is, and not just to the fanny. I honestly can't identify why it felt so good. But it did.

Disclosure: the C5 on the rider experience had the upswept after-market exhaust that looks so nice, sounds so nice and probably adds some power. Power always feels good. Could this alone have made such a dramatic difference?

That's the wonderful thing about the Royal Enfield Experience. You get to try the motorcycles for yourself. Spec sheets and pictures can tell you only so much. The Royal Enfield Experience will be touring the U.S. If you can get to one, I recommend it.

The Royal Enfield Experience tour plans stops at the Americade rally June 7-12 in Lake George, N.Y.; Laconia Bike Week, June 12-20 in Laconia, N.H.; and Sturgis, S.D. Aug. 9-15.

Not as close as it looks, but the C5 did inspire confidence.

Tape customizes Royal Enfield fender

One of the Royal Enfield C5 motorcycles on display at the Los Angeles International Motorcycle Show was not stock.

It had what I thought was a very classy white stripe across the fenders. Such a simple thing really altered its appearance, for the good, I thought.

"That's a Scooter Bob thing," explained Kevin Mahoney, who was there in person, answering questions from Californians, who will be able to buy new Royal Enfields for the first time in 2010.

Mahoney is president of Classic Motorworks, the U.S. importer. "Scooter Bob" is nickname of Classic's engineering guru Greg Stewart.

"It's just tape," Mahoney said.

Just tape and a healthy dose of imagination.

I wrote Scooter Bob to ask about the fancy stripe and got this response:

"Dave: Thanks for the kudo! No trick, really — I just have some sort of gift for that stuff — Hahaha!! It's 3M Scotchcal vinyl with the same variety of pinstripe applied over it. I WOULD clearcoat it if I had the time to do it. I think it looks QUITE spanky and I'm SURE doing it to any one that I can claim for MINE! I've only just begun to make mods on the lovely little C5!"

Greg Stewart
"ScooterBob"
Classic Motorworks
Dealer Technical Training / Support
Warranty Administration

Royal Enfield 'Chrome' still just a glimmer

The Royal Enfield C5 with shiny fenders and tank, unveiled in India recently, isn't likely to be seen soon in the United States, I am told.

The "Chrome bike," as it is becoming known, has been shown to importers in other forms, with a different solo seat. If the design is not yet frozen, it can't go into production.

Besides, Royal Enfield's domestic production is sold out through May. There are waiting lists. Importers in other countries will have to fight for what they get.

Still, it's exciting to see Royal Enfield showing off potential new products and the company's heavy investment in the future means that new models should eventually come here.

I only wish they would use the name "Deluxe" instead of "Chrome"! To me, Deluxe seems old-fashioned, in keeping with tradition. Chrome implies showing off, and added weight.

One added thought about what a tease new model introductions can be: Remember January, 2007? The economy was great, and would be for another 22 months. I had a full-time job and more hair. It seems like a long time ago.

The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car was announced in January, 2007. It won't go on sale (in limited numbers) until November, 2010 at the earliest and won't reach full production until 2012, GM says.

Now, THAT was tease.

Royal Enfield shows C5 Military, Deluxe

I am indebted to the superb auto blog Vicky.in for news that Royal Enfield is showing a Deluxe (chrome fenders and tank) and Military (olive drab) C5 model at the Auto Expo in India. Check out the link for full size pictures and information.

The article implies that these models will be shared with the export market. Will we see them on sale in the U.S.?

What is the best color for a Royal Enfield?

If I had won the raffle for the red Royal Enfield C5 Monday, I would have considered having it painted.

What?! Paint a brand new, and very attractive motorcycle? Why?

Well, because I think it would look great in burgundy. I have thought so, ever since a burgundy colored Royal Enfield won the "digital motorcycle show" contest on the Yahoo message group in July. Here's a picture of the winner:

I'm not usually sensitive to color, as my wife will confirm (she doesn't let me pick out a tie to go with a shirt, for fear of the result). But there is something about burgundy.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I got my first look at the red C5 on display at the Los Angeles International Motorcycle show Dec. 5. It looked burgundy! Except it isn't, as the flash on my digital camera immediately confirmed.

The fluorescent lights of the convention center cast a green glow that, to my eyes, turned red into burgundy. The "daylight" quality of the flash fixed that for the camera.

The red C5 at the show photographed as red, because it is red, just like the motorcycle in the catalog picture.

Ahh, but not for long, thanks to my Photoshop program, which can alter the color. See how nice the C5 looks now?

Well, it does to my eyes, anyway. (Oops, looks like I missed a tad of the old red on the top of the shock absorber.)

Royal Enfield C5 has kick start in India

A Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 (usually called the the C5 in the U.S.) shows off its kick start lever in this actual photograph out of India. This is not just artwork from a press kit: it's a photograph from the online journal WheelsUnplugged, "India's Leading Automotive News Source."

Royal Enfield C5s sold so far in the U.S. have had electric start only. The kick start lever is a feature of all other Royal Enfield models, and there was some concern that it was missing from Royal Enfield's top-of-the-line model. "You don't need it," seemed to be the attitude of company engineers, proud that they had created a reliable electric starter.

But, for the Indian home market at least, the kick starter is back. Will it come to the United States?

Royal Enfield shows off classy new color

Royal Enfield's recent announcement that it will sell its new Classic motorcycle in India included a look at an interesting new color for the motorcycle. This was pointed out to me by reader Andrew Marsh.

The new color is available in India and only on the 350cc Classic. I've posted a picture here. Is it silver? White? I think I will refer to it as the "Gray Ghost." Or, maybe, "London Fog."

Marsh is interested in buying a new Royal Enfield, and has started an interesting blog about his quest for a Royal Enfield motorcycle. Among other things, he will have to decide what color he wants.

The new color he noticed on the Royal Enfield India web site looks fairly subdued. It is far from the crass silver metal flake on the Honda I once owned. If anything, Gray Ghost looks appropriate for those more conservative days of the early 1950s, when even the picture on your television was black and white.

Since it is only on the home market 350, not the 500 we get here in America, we may not seen it soon. We're familiar with the Classic 500 in red, black and teal. I'm still saying black is my favorite color. What's yours?

Raffle offers chance to win Royal Enfield C-5

A private Arizona school is raffling off a new Royal Enfield C-5 motorcycle. Tickets are $25 and the school says only 1,000 will be sold. You can line up for tickets on the school web site at this link, but they have to call you to get your credit card information.

Proceeds benefit The Caepe School in Anthem, Ariz. It is a private, nonprofit school serving the Anthem area, and was founded in 2008. (Anthem is a newly developed community 34 miles north of Phoenix.) Contest rules state that you must be 18 years old to participate and the winner should allow up to six weeks from the date of the drawing, Nov. 12, for delivery. The raffle is open to legal residents of the U.S., excluding California.

Winners need not be present to win and will be notified by phone, the school says. The winner will have 90 days to claim their prize.

The winner is responsible for any/all income tax liability and since this is a raffle, your tickets do not count as charitable deductions. Should the raffle have inadequate ticket sales, a 50/50 raffle will be conducted in lieu of prizes, the rules say.

I learned of the raffle on the Classic Motorworks Forum, but U.S. importer Kevin Mahoney says that Classic Motorworks is not sponsoring the raffle. The C-5 is the newest Royal Enfield model, just introduced into the U.S. and is the top-of-the-line Royal Enfield. Suggested retail price is $6,850.

First U.S. owner gets Royal Enfield C-5 bike

First U.S. owner of a new Royal Enfield C-5 motorcycle is Dannie Mullins, who got his bike Wednesday, June 24 from dealer Bill (Slam) Dunkis of Interstate Motorcycles in Rolla, Mo. The full story is on the Royal Enfield Buzz Blog.

Royal Enfield C5 Bullet on its way to U.S.

The Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500 motorcycle—dubbed the C5—is on its way to the United States. They are due here June 5, Kevin Mahoney, the U.S. importer, told me.

"I'm happy to say that we finally have some heading our way by sea. God and pirates willing," Mahoney writes in his recent Community Newsletter email.

The C5 is the new top-of-the-line Royal Enfield, combining the most old fashioned styling (it looks like a 1951 Royal Enfield) with the most modern technology (unit constructed engine, fuel injection, five-speed transmission, disk front brake).

"Europe was the first to receive the C5 and has production priority at the moment, so supply in our market will be tight at first. If you're set on owning this model, I suggest you put a deposit down with your dealer," Mahoney writes.

"We're working with dealers to dispatch our first shipment of these beautiful bikes based on deposits, so make sure you have a spot in line."

Suggested Retail Price is $6,395. Shipping, set up and taxes will be extra. A two-year warranty is included.

Royal Enfield attracts notice of The Times

Royal Enfield's dramatically new and yet boldly retro C5 motorcycle fully deserves the notice of The New York Times. It's still exciting to see it happen.

Times writer James Parchman visited the factory in Chennai, India and rode a new C5 on the test track. He does a fine job of explaining to his U.S. audience why this new motorcycle is at the same time old and why it's an important development although it's not the fastest, cheapest, finest or most expensive motorcycle on the market.

Parchman writes with tremendous clarity. I particularly admire his paragraphs on the C5's place in the world:

"The Bullet Classic C5 (not to be confused with the Bullet Classic, a much older design, or the Bullet Classic G5, a model that uses the newest engine in an older chassis) went on sale in Europe late last year. The first production bikes destined for the United States began rolling off the assembly line here at the Thiruvottiyur factory, where Bullets have been made for more than 50 years, in mid-February and are expected in showrooms next month.

"To say that the C5 is a striking motorcycle or one that looks to have been lifted directly from a motorcycle museum is no overstatement..."

"With the Bullet Classic C5, the Royal Enfield designers have succeeded in building on the Bullet heritage and in their interpretation of retro-classic British style."

The on-line slideshow of Parchman's photos from the Chennai factory includes information-packed captions. At lesser publications, slideshow cutlines are often written by sub editors who don't know what they're looking at and simply clone information lifted from the article. But, in The Times' package, we learn of the powerplant:

"It retains the trademark cadence of a thumper, but now the engine and transmission, formerly separate components, have been integrated to create the Unit Construction Engine. The UCE, as Royal Enfield calls it, is fuel-injected and designed to be efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly. It will be used on all Royal Enfield export models."

The news media is often criticized by fans of a marque for getting information wrong, or, even getting the information correct but missing the spirit of the thing. In this case, The New York Times and James Parchman appear to have it exactly correct -- with one exception:

"In some circles, this introduction is bigger news than the debut of the Tata Nano; if the past is any guide, the next all-new Royal Enfield Bullet won’t arrive for another half-century." I'll bet Royal Enfield can beat that.

James Parchman Photo