Royal Enfield remembers World War II dispatch riders

Are these Royal Enfield motorcycles? Click here to see the video clip.

Royal Enfield's recent preview of its new line of clothing and accessories inspired by Britain's military dispatch riders of World War II is indeed inspired. What could be more appropriate wear for riding motorcycles that look as though they were conceived in the 1940s (because, by and large, they were)?

With that in mind, I noticed the brief appearance of women dispatch riders in the 1943 documentary "The Battle of Britain." It's one of the "Why We Fight" wartime movies produced by the U.S. War Department. This one was clearly meant to create sympathy for the British in the struggle against Hitler.

Judging from the uniforms, the women riders in the film clip are Wrens — as they were popularly known — members of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS). Created for World War I, the WRNS was revived in 1939 and continued until 1993 when it was integrated into the regular Navy. "Jenny Wrens" remains the slang term for women sailors in the Royal Navy.

There were 75,000 Wrens in 1944 (100 died in the war). Some obviously served as dispatch riders, and their usefulness in propaganda films was also obvious. Here were healthy young women doing their bit in the risky and sometimes uncomfortable job of riding motorcycles.

They were often photographed for inspirational propaganda, sometimes in bulky fatigue uniforms and bad weather, but rarely without fresh lipstick.

Of course I wondered if the motorcycles in the clip are Royal Enfields.

Wren dispatch riders on their Triumph motorcycles.

Apparently not. Front fender registration numbers PMP 199 and PMP 197 are clearly seen in the film clip above and these same motorcycles, described as "Triumph motorcycles" are visible in this wartime shot of Wren riders. Perhaps the same women are riding them!

Royal Enfields were used, of course, as this other still photo of women dispatch riders, in different uniforms, clearly shows. Note the different appearance of registration numbers in this photo.

A Royal Enfield and a Velocette appear in this photo.

Regardless of make, many of the motorcycles in the still photos and film clip are in civilian markings. Perhaps they were among the many pressed into service to replenish the motor pool after so many motorcycles and other vehicles were abandoned at Dunkirk.

Black-out headlight goes a bit too far for military look

Faux black-out headlight, a tribute to World War II.

The owner of a Royal Enfield Military for sale on eBay has come up with an interesting way to add to the military appeal of his motorcycle.

Using a strip of tape and a can of spray paint, he created an inexpensive imitation of the black-out hoods of World War II.

The wartime black-out hood helped prevent vehicles traveling at night from being spotted by enemy aircraft. The hood permitted only a tiny ray of light to escape (too little to cast a trace on the road) and even this was hooded to block the view from above.

At best, the beam of light permitted would have allowed the rider to pick out the vehicle ahead.

Of course you wouldn't actually want to ride your motorcycle on the street like this in peacetime. It wouldn't cast much light and police in your jurisdiction might not like it.

In this case, police might also question the rifle scabbard on the motorcycle but, since there is no rifle in it, it might get a pass.

The painted-out headlight is an interesting idea but I don't think it quite works. Anyone familiar enough with the real thing to recognize the reference to a real black-out hood would also realize this isn't genuine.

Black-out hood on a Norton 16H during World War II.

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. 

Owner learns the truth about Royal Enfields

Want to know the truth about Royal Enfield motorcycles?

There's a 2002 Royal Enfield Military for sale on CraigsList in Oakland, Calif. that comes with an amusing story, at no extra charge.

In his ad, the seller apologizes that he has been too busy to get back to those who have emailed with questions about the motorcycle. He attempts to address that with a lengthy description of the bike, including this anecdote:

"I really like the bike; it took some getting used to — like there is no tach and finding what gears it likes at what speed, and everything is old fashioned, like drum brakes.

"Also people from India always want to sit on it. They're sort of a friendly culture and these bikes are big there I guess.

"One time the gas station attendant got on it and drove around the block without even asking. I turned around and he was gone. He came back smiling, like it's no big deal.

"At first I was mad, but the type of confused mad where your have a closed fist locked and loaded but need more info first — and the smile threw me off.

"I'm glad I didn't get mad because a lot of the things I thought were wrong with the bike were user error. The guy knew the bike inside and out and didn't have any problem kick starting it or finding gears.

"I'm getting off track here. If you're looking for a bike that's fun to ride that gets lots of attention and is different than most bikes, with old fashioned style and modern electric start, then you will be happy. This bike was originally made at a time when riders worked on their own bikes so everything is simple, with simple tools. It's not like a modern Harley, where you need a technician with a computer to adjust the valves."

So, why is he selling?

"It's an around-town bike or a three-exit commuter bike... That's my main complaint about this bike. It's more 'neat' than powerful."

The seller's description goes on. It's well worth reading for an honest assessment of a 2002 Royal Enfield Military.

The motorcycle has 2,850 miles. Asking price is $4,000.

Can you spot what's different about this Royal Enfield?

At first glance, this looks like any Royal Enfield Military model.

A photo of a very unusual Royal Enfield Military arrived by email recently from Adam, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

I know, it looks pretty standard in the photo. Familiar color, familiar features, left-shift — WHOA! That left-shift lever is coming out of the primary cover, instead of ducking below it, as four-speed Royal Enfield shifts do in the U.S.

This appears to be a very clever way to cut out some of the sloppy linkage that plagues left-shift four-speed Royal Enfields in the U.S.

Even more unusual: Adam wrote that he bought his Royal Enfield directly from India, through Nova Classics.

"They refurbished the bike in India and then shipped it over to me," he wrote. " I paid extra to Nova Classics to have the shifter moved to the left side. It was originally on the right but I didn't want to risk riding with an unfamiliar feel."

Adam said his motorcycle is a 1978. It looks very like one of the Royal Enfield Military models officially imported to the United States after 1995.

But it's the left-shift that captured my attention. Someone at Nova Classics appears to have come up with a neater solution than the factory did.

Adam is a legal aid attorney who spent a six-month sabbatical in Nepal.

"When I was in Nepal, I fell in love with the Enfield look and sound (but not the unreliability!). I bought a brand new 350cc bullet when I was there and sold it when I left. When I returned to the states, I found Nova Classic online, and purchased the 1978 rebuilt one in the pic for $3,600.  I ordered it in March, and just got it this week (August).

"Had no problem with customs/delivery/registration etc. I would say that I had to pay an additional $1,200 for customs, delivery, registration and taxes."

By coincidence, about the same time Adam wrote, an Anonymous commenter posted this message on my blog, about importing motorcycles from India:

"Getting the vehicle acceptable for registration in the U.S. is quite another matter. It's complicated and the best I can determine, the process will cost much more than the vehicle is worth. If you're considering it, do the homework. Visit www.NHTSA.gov and then call your motor vehicle department. And then decide if the price offered for the bike is really worth it."

I took a look at that National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website the writer cites and found this sentence interesting:

"As a general rule, a motor vehicle less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) to be imported on a permanent basis." There is much more to the NHTSA requirements, of course, much of it very daunting. But this suggests that, identified as a 1978 model, Adam's motorcycle at least leaped that first hurdle.

Royal Enfield to offer Military in Desert Storm color

Reader Bob Slovey has suggested several good ideas for this blog, so I was interested when, back in January, he suggested that Royal Enfield introduce a Military model in desert tan.

"I have read several times that India has issues with manufacturers painting motorcycles in army green colors," he wrote. (In India, that hue is reserved for genuine military machines.)

"I sure would like to see RE offer their new C5 Military Bullet in this color (or something close).  They wouldn't have to change a thing on the existing C5 Military bike, except paint color."

Dealers view Desert Storm.

Then, in June, Bob spotted a picture of a proposed "500 Desert Storm" model, exhibited at a meeting of Royal Enfield dealers in India. It looked as though the company shared his vision!

And, now, there's a better picture and this information from India's Motor Beam website:

"...The company plans to launch the desert storm colour as well on the Classic. The new desert storm colour is nothing but sandy beige with matte finish. The colour looks smashing to say the least. However, it still falls short of the presence offered by Military Olive Green. The Military Olive Green is on sale in export markets and Royal Enfield cannot launch it in India as the colour is reserved for the armed forces. Thus, to satisfy our crave for military green, the company plans to offer desert storm, which comes a close second on the hot looking Classic."

Will it be called the Desert Storm, and will we get it in the U.S.?

Will we get this color in the U.S.? Models introduced in India generally make it to the U.S. about a year after they appear — if they do — in Europe.

And, if we get it, will it be called the Desert Storm?

Desert Storm is a great name for the color, in my opinion because it suggests both military history and the power and color of a desert sand storm.

Back in June Bob told me that he was thinking such a model might be called "Desert Corp."

"I got this idea from an Indian military unit with the same name, but I don't know anything more about the unit," he wrote.

My own suggestion at he time was "El Alamein," keeping in mind the many motorcycles used in the desert campaigns of World War II. It's probably not a good idea, however, because I have to look up the spelling of "Alamein" every time I use it.

After a long career at General Motors, Bob Slovey is secretary of the Phoenix Veterans Association, which helps wounded veterans. I'm grateful for his input.

Pictures of Royal Enfield Flying Fleas and other wartime bikes on web site

Royal Enfield Military motorcycles look great with a sidecar attached. I posted an item noting that it was perfectly appropriate for a British-style motorcycle to pull a sidecar, since the British Army used many sidecar combinations. I illustrated the item with pictures of British sidecar units of World War II.

That drew this comment and photograph from Alex Schmidt, of Holland:

"The Norton Big Fours you show have sidecarwheeldrive, and are a blast to drive off road! Here's a picture of my restored one with a 91-year-old Dunkirk veteran at the handlebars; he drove me around!"

Alex turns out to be the author of Welbike's Pages, a web site "dedicated to some World War II vehicles I have an interest in, and the people who fought in them."

Primarily a picture site at the moment, Welbike's Pages offer an outstanding collection of wartime British motorcycles in action. There's even a section devoted to the Royal Enfield Flying Flea.

In fact, Alex says he is working on a book about the Flying Flea.

"I live mostly in the Netherlands, but also in Wrightsville, Penn., where I have some Matchlesses, and do maintenance/restoration work for other people in the area.

"I have only one Royal Enfield and that's a 1944 Flying Flea (see picture), that came incidentally from Florida, from the estate of an 8th Air Force pilot who 'liberated' the bike from an English airfield when returning home in 1945."

Naturally, Welbike parascooters are also a great interest of Alex's. These folding mini-scooters were dropped by parachute in bomb-shaped canisters to give British paratroopers instant mobility in World War II.

Activities are going on this week near Arnhem, Holland, to commemorate the 66th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, the battle that inspired the book and, later, movie, A Bridge Too Far.

"Mine will be dropped in a container on the original battlefield near Arnhem," Alex advises.

Hope the parachute opens.

Update: Alex Schmidt sent this email from the front: "Yes am going to Arnhem tomorrow, with the howitzer, and the Flea! Last year's Welbike drop didn't happen due to Dakota trouble, maybe it will happen Friday!"

Royal Enfield Military wins over Victory

The iconic Royal Enfield Military motorcycle is popular in the United States. Some dealers say it is their best selling model.

Could it stand a little competition? Perhaps from this Victory motorcycle, shown in uniform at the Los Angeles International Motorcycle Show last weekend?

The Victory 100-cubic-inch V-twin is a long way from a 500cc Royal Enfield in size, power and cost (Victory's prices start at about $14,000). Victory's Batman style bruisers always look a little too Hollywood to me. They weigh 645 pounds and up, and come with a "tip over protection" system "in case you forget to put the kickstand down."

What would Col. Clive Wynne-Candy have thought of that? Egad!

Still, as Royal Enfield guru Pete Snidal once said, military stuff is just so much more "butch" than anything civilian. This Victory military does almost look like it came from the local Army-Navy Surplus store.

Except, of course, it's just a paint job.

Military motorcycles are the heritage of made-in-India Royal Enfields, since it was to serve the military needs of India that the factory was built in Madras (now called Chennai) in 1955.

It's deeper than that, too, since made-in-Britain Royal Enfields had long served in England's wars. British and Commonwealth armies used motorcycles in general (Royal Enfields, Nortons, Triumphs, BSAs and everything else) the way the U.S. military used the Jeep.

The tradition continues. A Royal Enfield engineer I met told me that, even in recent years, the factory has shut down civilian production and poured its energies into filling big contracts from India's military and police forces.

The Royal Enfield sold to civilians in the United States as the Military model is not necessarily the same machine serving on the Northwest Frontier. Early on, for instance, the Military sold here had a glossy "parade finish" paint job unlikely to pass muster in the field.

But never mind that. Make mine a Royal Enfield Military. Egad!

Royal Enfield Military honors veterans

Royal Enfield's Military model motorcycle is a big seller in the United States because its olive drab, military-spec appearance hearkens back to World War II. That's my opinion, at least.

While all wars are awful, there remain many positive associations with that time, when the United Nations banded together against true evil, and won.

There is particular pride in the military of those days. This is not to say that Americans aren't proud of all their veterans. The size of the undertaking of 1941-45 and the unity it inspired nonetheless gives that war a special significance.

Is there some special significance to a Brit-style military motorcycle? Yes, I think so.

Britain's lone stand inspired many Americans. In Trinity, Tex., an 8-year-old boy hung a painting over his bed of an RAF pilot in his Spitfire, patrolling the night skies of London.

That boy was Charlie Wilson, who would grow up to be the congressman who tries to chase the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan in the movie Charlie Wilson's War.

A Royal Enfield Military is a more practical substitute for a Spitfire of your own.

Jorge Pullin, who blogs at My Royal Enfields, spotted this newsreel clip of British motorcyclists in action in World War II. They're setting Belgium free, the narrator says. Inspiring, isn't it?

Thanks, Jorge. And best wishes today to U.S. and allied veterans, who made the world free.

Rider loves her Royal Enfield Military

My posts on Tank Girl, the Royal Enfield Military motorcycle spotted in Seattle, assumed that women riders wouldn't be interested in a bike like that. Desiree Ketteringham wrote to let me know that she loves her Royal Enfield Military.

"Well, I'm not "Tank Girl" and don't live in Seattle, but I am girl (well, woman — 29) and I do have a drab (can't really call it shiny) new 2009 Military G5. I bought the bike at Ultimate Cycle and Scooters in Chattanooga, Tenn. (I live in Knoxville, Tenn.) in September. I love love love this bike and can't help but to love the attention it grabs! Being a lady rider probably pulls in a bit more attention too — heh.

"My fiance directed me to the Royal Enfield website over the summer. The second I saw the Military model, I knew that was my bike. It's perfect because it has that vintage thing going for it that I love, but it doesn't require the vintage maintenance that I don't love.

"I've only had my Enfield for a month and have already slapped on the tan leather seat and number plate. The pics I attached to this email were taken about a week after I brought her home. Unfortunately, they just came and took my bike back to the shop because of the recall on the gear shift. They are fixing it, no charge, and will hopefully bring it back home in the next few days! I want to ride her as much as I can before it gets too cold out.

"Anyway, just wanted to let you know that there is more than one woman out there riding this kickass gem of a bike! The shop was so excited about having a girl buy one (especially the Military model) that they wanted the media to come out and do a short on it. Unfortunately for them, the media passed on the story.

"Cheers!"

Desiree Ketteringham
Archaeologist II/GIS Technician
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

I asked what a "GIS Technician" is. She replied:

"GIS = Geographic Information Systems — a fancy term for digital mapping. I basically do fieldwork recording archaeological sites using GPS and land surveying equipment, then take all that into the lab and make pretty, fancy maps out of them for project reports and presentations. That and I dig in the dirt."

Do motorcycles carry us to future, or past?

A Royal Enfield Military motorcycle photographed next to a stylized chopper is one of my favorite pictures seen on eBay recently. The Royal Enfield has been relisted, and the seller has included yet another photo, seen here, of the odd couple.

The olive drab Military, intentionally vintage in appearance, and the futuristic fantasy bike could not be more different and still both possess two wheels. As I said before, both are eye catching although the Royal Enfield is deliberately camouflaged and the chopper is scarlet in color.

The motorcycle store has unintentionally produced an artistic statement. What do these two motorcycles say about why we buy motorcycles?

Here come Royal Enfield C5 and Military

Promised by the summer of 2009, the Royal Enfield Bullet C5 motorcycles are now in the rail yard in Minneapolis, Minn. From there they will go by truck to U.S. importer Classic Motorworks in nearby Faribault, Minn. These are the retro-styled but really quite modern new Royal Enfields unveiled to the world last year in Cologne, Germany

They are the top-of-the-line pride-and-joy of Royal Enfield, a company that for half a century kept building a circa-1955 British-designed motorcycle in India. The time-piece brand was rediscovered by the British, Europeans and Americans in the '90s. Now the Indians plan to show the world that they can deliver modern features and improved reliability along with heritage appearance.

Along with the C5s in the rail yard is the first shipment of the G5 Military model Royal Enfields. Americans demanded that Royal Enfield keep making them a motorcycle in olive drab, and here they come.

Both C5 and G5 motorcycles come with unit-constructed engines, electric start, electronic ignition and fuel injection, front disk brake, and, maybe best of all, self-adjusting pushrods. The C5 has an improved frame and swing arm; the G5 has kick start as well as electric start.

The Royal Enfield Military has always come with metal pannier boxes, looking like .30-cal ammo cans. These are gone, but the picture shown here, from Classic Motorworks, demonstrates that buying and fitting tan saddlebags can produce a satisfactory World War II appearance. To be truly accurate, you'd have to paint the motor and exhaust, too. Could you bear to do it?

Suggested retail price of the C5 is $6,395. The G5 Military's suggested retail price is $6,095.