Who owns Royal Enfield's cannon logo?

®EOC
Royal Enfield cannon and Made Like a Gun motto in club badge.

 To my surprise, the Royal Enfield cannon motif and "Made Like a Gun" motto are trademarked for some uses by the Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK). 

Even more surprising is that the club, generously, doesn't maintain the trademark in order to keep it exclusive. It's comfortable with use by others, including the maker of Royal Enfield motorcycles in India. 

In fact, according to the website, club members are encouraged to use it. 

"We recently commissioned a professional designer to produce (restore) a nice sharp master artwork of our club badge to standardize what had become a mix of poor copies of previous copies of the club badge over the years. 

"On our website you’ll find two design variants in three different colors, which can be downloaded and enlarged or reduced for any decorative purpose. One has a simplified gun image more suitable for embroidered garments and some specific printing techniques. Please use our unique club identifier (®EOC), incorporating a trademark, which you’re paying for!" 

The website noted the history behind this:

"In 1995 Ian Parry set up a sub-committee of the REOC with the aim of safeguarding the use of the name Royal Enfield and the made like a gun logo. Ian successfully secured them in two trademarks: UK00002024203 ROYAL ENFIELD and UK00002027094 made like a gun plus cannon device for use on items of clothing, headgear, printed matter and club services. We get most value from the second trademark which is located centrally in our unique club badge.

"We pay a fee to safeguard our two trademarks, which are due for renewal in 2025 at a cost of approximately £1,500, so we need to get our money’s worth. It’s important to understand that the club didn’t want to prevent our trademarks being used by other parties, we wanted to ensure that we can use them without any legal issues."

®EOC
Simplified Royal Enfield Owners Club logo.

The website makes it clear that the club seeks to protect its own logo merchandise and regalia but doesn't oppose the motorcycle company's apparel ventures. That just gives Royal Enfield fans a wider choice of what to wear and display.

I live in the United States but I am a long-time member of the Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK). The primary benefit, at this distance, is the every-other-month arrival by email of the club publication The Gun.

The magazine is entertaining and informative but primarily entertaining, since I don't take part in person in any of the many chapter activities. I've shared some of the fun on this blog. For instance, the West Riding "Mystery Run" that was such a mystery its leader made it up as he went.

Every issue of The Gun contains a list of club merchandise you can purchase. I have my eye on a handsome stainless steel logo badge that might look nice on the handlebar of my 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet.

Not a member? I encourage you to join.

Wouldn't this look nice on my Royal Enfield?

2023 Royal Enfield International Rally FAQ: YES you can rent a Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield enthusiasts invited. 

 The Royal Enfield Owners Club International Rally 2023 is Friday, June 2, through Sunday, June 4 in Ancient Epidaurus, Greece, 85 miles from Athens. 

The Greek branch has reserved sea-side campsites you can book through the branch by emailing reocgreece@gmail.com 

You can even rent a Royal Enfield motorcycle in Greece. 

Andreas Papadakis, general secretary of the REOC Greek branch, answered my questions about the rally: 

1. Is attendance limited to REOC members?

The rally is open to all Royal Enfield owners and enthusiasts! But for a REOC rally organized for its members, there is an entry-charge for non-REOC members (who are staying at the campsite) of 6 euros/day. (That will be taken off their membership fee if they choose to join the REOC thereafter.) Also there is an entry charge for visitors (who are not staying overnight) of 10 euros/day. For REOC members there is no charge of course!

2. Have camping bookings opened already? Is it possible for people whose plans change to get refunds?

Camping bookings are open! Reservations are made via the REOC Greek branch at reocgreece@gmail.com The club booked an area for 60 tents. So we suggest that participants book as soon as possible! There is a free cancellation if plans change and payment will be made at the campsite the day of the check in.

3. What sort of other accommodations are possible? Not everyone's wife wants to camp.

Inside the campsite there were some apartments but they were already booked to REOC members from abroad. So if someone wouldn't like to stay in a tent, there are several lovely apartments and hotels in the area. They can search "Ancient Epidaurus" via Booking.com Average price is 60-70 euros/day (including breakfast).

4. Is basic camping equipment available for rent?

There is the possibility of buying a two-person tent (brand new) from the campsite at a price of around 20 euros. Price for that will be fixed next year. Plus sleeping bags with an extra cost. For that service, which is organized from the Greek branch, participants must make contact in advance to reserve!

5. What about renting a Royal Enfield for the weekend?

Members from abroad, who would like to rent a motorcycle for the rally, can book directly via HippoRent. They can choose among all the Royal Enfield models including the Himalayan, which is the best seller in Greece. Prices to hire a Royal Enfield motorcycle in Greece start from 50 euros/day. You can see the pricelist online at the HippoRent website. There are discounts plus gifts and two free helmets/rental for REOC members. They must send their REOC membership number for that benefit! Unfortunately motorcycle jackets are not available to hire there due to Covid19 restrictions. But there are several stores in Athens and they could buy a decent jacket for around 100-120 euros.

6. Can you give the prices for camping?

Prices for the campsite are here. 

For general information about the rally check here.

Royal Enfield keeps a date with flamingoes

What is a perfect setting for a Royal Enfield in Florida? 

 It's magical, the 2022 Royal Enfield Owners Club Members Calendar I keep on my desk. 

Month by month it somehow succeeds not only in marking the progress of the year. The calendar actually improves 2022. 

Every time I glance at it I am treated to the vision of a wonderful Royal Enfield motorcycle in a wonderful setting. 

So far this year the calendar has shown member photos of  Royal Enfields by a mountain, on an ancient bridge, in front of windmills, with an artillery piece, cornering on a racetrack and, dramatically, beneath the wing of a Battle of Britain Spitfire. 

And there are more great months to come. 

Photos selected for the 2022 REOC calendar were chosen, in part, to evoke a sense of place, according to Teresa Langley, club membership secretary, who picked them.

I have no Spitfires here in Fort Lauderdale to pose with my Royal Enfield Bullet, but the calendar has inspired me to look for potential locations near me. With that in mind, what do I think of when I think of Florida?

Flamingoes.

There is some argument about whether real live flamingoes are native to Florida. However, millions of plastic flamingo lawn ornaments can not be wrong.

This came to mind weeks ago when, having made a wrong turn on my Royal Enfield Bullet I ended up looking at the other side of a building I pass almost daily. I hadn't realized that the unseen side featured a mural of flamingoes.

Ideal. But it looked to be a challenging shot, as I would have to put the Bullet on the sidewalk and stand in the roadway to get it. Pressed for time, I decided to put off making the photograph for another day.

When I finally got around to it I had trouble finding the mural. There was only one thing to do. I proceeded to get myself lost again in that neighborhood and trusted to instinct to bring me back to the flamingo mural. It turned out to be no where near where I had remembered it.

I hope you like the photo. There is no sense my submitting it for use in an upcoming calendar.

Unfortunately, Teresa advises me that there will not be an REOC calendar for 2023. It's a loss, as she did a superb job on it for 2022 and I think just having a calendar available serves as a daily reminder of how great it is to be a member.

Dry humor in Royal Enfield club mag

Most motorcyclists will recognize this scene. 

 Drying riding gear decorates the cover of the Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK) June/July issue of The Gun magazine. This recalling a very wet ride the Kent Branch made in 2016. 

The cover seems an attempt at drying humor by magazine editor Alan Barringer and there are indications inside the magazine that club members are at least trying to smile. Setting aside the siege of bad weather, epidemic, politics and news of war, they found a bit of relief in their Royal Enfield motorcycles. 

Member Leo Nelson writes in that his wife complained how "every year you seem to buy bigger and bigger motorcycles." 

He claims to regret replying that "it's only fair darling, every year you buy bigger and bigger dresses." 

He also describes his test ride on a new Royal Enfield Meteor 350: 

"But the most impressive thing? How smooth the engine was. Hardly a tingle. Now my Bullet is only two horses down on power and this is distributed evenly. Through the handlebars, footrests and seat base. But there was no sign of this on the Meteor." 

Member Pat Daly bought a 2018 Royal Enfield Classic 500 in Stealth Black. He writes:

"I was thinking of replacing the silencer with something a bit 'less restrictive' but that would defeat the object of buying a Stealth."

Club branch coordinator Jason Reeves has done such a good job that Club Reports now fill 18 pages of the magazine. But, while everyone seems to want the fun of a branch in their area, no one wants to meet to organize activities, dates, venues, favorite roads and destinations.

"I have no idea what people imagine we get up to at these meetings. Perhaps we should call them rendezvous, or other words, to ease their fear," he writes.

In Branch Reports, Dudley Martin of West Riding set the June/July magazine's general tone:

"Now that's more like it! A bit of sunny weather in God's own county, lovely country lanes and we get two ride-outs inside a week."

Other branches reported a lot of fun, including a drain cap falling off a carburetor, wrong turns (one the second year in a row), a "mystery tour" through a parking lot behind a lost leader and turnouts so good that the pack couldn't keep together.

The greatest mystery (because no photo was actually included) was this note from Chris at the South Lancashire Branch:

"Peter S., riding mostly along country lanes, has created a very nicely executed guard for his engine, as shown in the photo. In use it is extremely effective. But, riding mostly in areas without cows, I probably won't be needing one myself…" 

Royal Enfield Owners Club calendar still available

Royal Enfield Owners Club Members Calendar 2022. 
Cover photo shows 2014 Royal Enfield Classic 500.

 One Christmas gift for me this year was the 2022 Royal Enfield Owners Club Members Calendar. I am very impressed with the monthly photos that will grace the wall of my den for the next year.

 I'm told they're still available if you'd like one, and you need not be a member of the club to order.

 Easiest way, I think, is to use PayPal (as long as it's your own account registered at your address). Send your money to payments@royalenfield.org.uk and be sure to type in a message specifying that you want the REOC 2022 Calendar, along with your name and mailing address.

 Cost for each calendar is 6.00 pounds in the UK, 9.50 pounds in Europe and 10.50 pounds for the rest of the world including the U.S. PayPal does the currency conversion for you.

Seems expensive? I know, but it cost 5.85 pounds just for the very nice profile of Queen Elizabeth II in the upper right corner of the envelope containing my calendar.

It wouldn't be fair to spoil the surprise by showing off any of the photos you'll find inside the calendar, but here's a list of what you will see, to whet your appetite:

January 1955 Bullet 350 Trials

February 1960 350 Bullet

March 1943 350 WD/CO/B

April 1961 500 Big Head Bullet (posed with guns)

May 1965 Continental (in action on the Isle of Man)

June Flying Flea (posed with a World War II Spitfire)

July 2015 Continental GT

August 350 Bullet (circa 2000)

September 2018 Classic 500

October 1960 Constellation

November 1919 Model 200 Lightweight

December 350 Trials (posed in the snow)

These are Royal Enfields of club members. I can't get over what excellent photos they have of their own motorcycles. I'm jealous.

The settings are invariably wonderful and evocative. The motorcycles are all shown from the side and at about the same relative size, giving the calendar a coherent flow from month to month.

It's a delight just to take the calendar down from the wall and page through. Credit must go to REOC membership secretary Teresa Langley, who chose the photos.

And one final delight:

Chris Overton, who has Scottish relations, pointed out to  me a peculiarity of British-style calendars I'd never realized.

The REOC 2022 calendar shows the weeks starting on the left with MONDAY. Not SUNDAY as Americans expect.

I actually think it makes more sense, putting the start of the work week first, and keeping the weekend together on the right. Still, I plan to point this out to every visitor who compliments me on it.

Royal Enfield Owners Club offers 2022 calendar

Royal Enfield Owners Club UK is ready to make plans for the new year. 

 Yes, there will be a Year 2022. We have no less an authority on that then the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, which prepared an REOC calendar for the upcoming year.

 The 2022 REOC calendar is, of course, meant primarily for club members, according to membership secretary Teresa. The order form refers to the calendar as a "limited edition." In future years it may be a collector's item.

 You can order the calendar by downloading the appropriate form here. You'll choose the form for the UK, Europe, or Everyplace Else, depending on where you live (prices differ for each, with the UK and Europe getting a real bargain).

Since I live in Everyplace Else, I plan on choosing the handy PayPal option for my order. An alternative is to fill out your order form with credit card information and email it directly to membershipsecretary@royalenfield.org.uk

Shown at top is the cover of the calendar.

I'm happy to see that the cover photo is of a made-in-India Royal Enfield Classic, of the UCE motor era. Any Royal Enfield would do, but one might have expected a UK-based club to give preference to Royal Enfield's made-in-Britain era. It is an attractive and evocative photo.

The club solicited photographs from members to illustrate the catalog. Teresa received more than 200 nominations. She chose the photographs for the calendar and its cover.

"The emphasis was the location primarily with the bike. Chosen across the board between new and old models, there is a variety," she explained in an email to me.

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to send in my entry, but you can see my photo here if you are curious.

Inside, the calendar months offer boxes for each day, so you can pencil in your own plans and appointments.

A donation from the sale of every calendar sold will be made to the National Association for Bikers with a Disability. This is a UK organization but it offers advice to help disabled riders around the world.

Orders are being accepted now, so if you want yours in time to make it a holiday gift, you know what to do.

Here is the version of the order form to be used in the U.S. and the rest of the world outside the UK and Europe.

Royal Enfield Owners Club UK 2022 Calendar order form 
as it appears for users outside the UK and Europe.
For UK and Europe orders go to this link.

 

My Royal Enfield photo won't make the 2022 calendar

Here's my (too late) entry for the Royal Enfield Owners Club calendar.

Keeping calm while carrying on is a tradition in Britain, and I am happy to see that The Gun, magazine of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, stands firm in its determination to do so. 

In fact, there is such optimism at the REOC that the club plans to issue a calendar for 2022 and The Gun solicited photographic entries for it from members. 

"Let us make this happen," membership secretary Teresa Langley asserted in The Gun's April-May edition. 

Teresa promises to let me know when the 2022 calendar is available for purchase. I will pass the details along when I get them. 

Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to send my photos of my Royal Enfield Bullet. But just the fact that the REOC thinks there will be a 2022 to make calendar entries for is reassuring. 

The emailed editions of The Gun for April-May and June-July 2021 are now tucked away on my computer. To summarize, yes, correspondents in fact did do considerable carrying on (griping) about cancelled branch meetings, missed motorcycle outings and binned events in the April-May, 2021 magazine.  

Remember that the April-May edition of The Gun was compiled way back when it seemed as though the pandemic would never end! 

Now that it is apparent that the pandemic will, in fact, never end, premature rejoicing that a corner was being turned adds a note of unreality to the June-July edition.

Turns out, it wasn't a corner we're at; we're in a roundabout. Just keeping turning, you're not going anywhere.

Still, hope for happier times lives on. There was good news in April-May's The Gun, as the welcome to new members (who joined in January-February) listed 139 names, including three from the USA. Seventy-two new members appeared in the June-July issue, including two more from the U.S.

Also in the May-June edition, Nick Burkinshaw wrote in with photos and the story of how he finally completed a "Trifield": a 1959 Triumph 350cc motor in a Royal Enfield Crusader Sports motorcycle.

He started collecting parts for this in 1976! Magnificent results, but I bet no one will notice the Triumph motor, as what catches the eye is that he powder coated the frame yellow beneath pale blue cycle parts.

The REOC Greek Branch has purchased and will restore a 1955 Royal Enfield bicycle, Andreas Papadakis advised readers of The Gun. He expressed hope that the REOC will add a bicycle specialist to advise on such projects. Volunteers, anyone?

The June-July cover of The Gun featured a beautiful 1917 Royal Enfield military motorcycle built for Tsarist Russia during World War I.

Even the actual Tsar and his family disappeared in that war, but bits of this motorcycle were found, in rough shape, in Estonia, and restored by REOC member Pasi Makiranta in Finland. He posed next to it (in a reproduction Russian uniform of the period) for the cover shot.

There's no topping The Gun magazine for amazing Royal Enfield stories like these. The magazine is one of the benefits of REOC membership. Like to join? Click here for directions for UK and non-UK residents.

Royal Enfield club magazine keeps the spirit alive

A Royal Enfield, a snowy day, and a hill to be climbed.

A delightful photo of an ancient Royal Enfield sidecar outfit gliding up a snowy road illustrates the cover of the February/March edition of the Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK) magazine, The Gun.

It's a 6-horsepower Royal Enfield with sidecar climbing Brock Hill, near Redditch, in the winter of 1914. Idyllic as the scene appears, its date means that World War I already had begun and its horrors were becoming evident.

Perseverance against weather, tides and troubles is the Royal Enfield way; especially these days, the magazine confirms.

Branch coordinator Jason Reeves describes the feeling well:

"Well, there goes 2020," he writes. "Not many people will be unhappy to see the back of that..."

"Despite the increased restrictions at the worst possible timing, we have managed to set up a new branch," (South Wiltshire) and others are in the offing, he reports.

The magazine contains further evidence of indomitable human spirit, including a remarkable obituary celebrating the spirited life of David "Dave" Davies, first chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club (UK). He died Dec. 6, 2020, of cancer.

The fond obituary, recalling the good old days of working on motorcycles in the living room, was written by his friend Dr. Stefan Thomas, a very early member of the club. Both were young when they joined.

I might have imagined that the club was founded by staid elders interested in preserving Royal Enfield's history, but no. The obituary makes it clear that they were riders full of youthful enthusiasm.

Dr. Thomas joined in 1978 because he meant to put a 500cc British Royal Enfield motor in a donor 350cc Bullet from India and surprise some people. But the Bullet he'd ordered and paid for never arrived.

"I am still waiting for this bike today," he writes. Now that's perseverance.

Member Geoff Wallis wrote in about returning to vintage motorcycling with acquisition of a 1961 Crusader as a 70th birthday present. The Royal Enfield had been well cared for, but Geoff's article quickly becomes a good natured account of his missteps, including trying to reach the Crusader's supposed maximum speed of 75 mph. Better judgement ended his top-speed run at 55.

Royal Enfield Owners Club Chairman Graham Scarth wrote an item explaining the numbering on 350cc Royal Enfield Bullets built in Britain. Calm perseverance has figured here, too, as this is no simple riddle to untangle, as Graham has.

Andy Ward reported that Bristol branch members rode out to retrace the tracks of the very first REOC club run back in the summer of 1977. Club archivist Bob Murdoch took members across the Mendip area, past Chew Valley lakes and Wookey Hole near the Cheddar Gorge, with a halfway stop at Deer Leap viewpoint before continuing to Priddy.

What a fine idea and, while I have no idea where those places may be, the names evoke images of other times.

There's no hiding from these times, of course.

Mike Connolly acknowledged current conditions in his Branch Report from Kent: "...today, New Year's Eve, and another 1,000 deaths have been announced. I want, like the rest of us, to get on our bikes, ride out and meet up with old friends again. Let's hope we can so do that again. 2021 must and will be better! Keep safe."

And join the Royal Enfield Owners Club at this link.

Riding a Royal Enfield Flying Flea in 1949

L.Golding and wife thought nothing of a journey on their Royal Enfield Flea.

Probably you've been wondering what pleasures were contained in the June/July and August/September editions of The Gun magazine, publication of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK.

Rather than running through the list of helpful "help" articles and the chatter of chapter reports, let me just thank editor Alan Barringer for including more than the usual reprints of historical articles about Royal Enfields of the past.

Today's authors may be informative, but few can top the witticisms and British-isms of those earlier writers, from back when health concerns might include not only epidemics, as we have today, but, say, a very entertaining World War.

The Gun for August/September 2020 includes not just one, but two reprints of post-war vintage articles praising the Royal Enfield 125cc two-stroke, nee Flying Flea.

Here's a short account of my favorite:

In the September 1, 1949 edition of The Motor Cycle, L. Golding writes the "Case for the 125 c.c., A Summing-up After 38,000 Miles on a Royal Enfield One-two-Five."

I love that "One-two-Five" wording. As an American, I would have said "One Twenty-five."

You'll encounter this difference in period British films about the Blitz, in which the Messerschmidt One-Ten (as I'd call it) is termed a "One-One-Oh" by RAF pilots. I'll grant that they knew what they were talking about far better than I.

Golding's case is for the practicality of the Royal Enfield Model RE (the Flying Flea).

He writes:

"Examine your intended mileage with all honesty, and work out just how much will be done in conditions where cruising speeds in excess of 38 m.p.h. will be used."

He means there is rarely a need to go faster, although he admits that he once — apparently on a lark — got up to 55 mph going down a hill.

The fact is, he argues, 125cc is plenty, "except, of course, for high-speed work."

There's another great phrase: "high-speed work." Typically British, this wording seeks to put blasting around on a motorcycle into the category of necessary "work." I imagine it's usually said with a wink.

If you must have a racer, Golding writes, go ahead and save up your money, "but by the time you get it your pal on his 125 will have had many thousands of pleasurable miles to his credit."

Another sly wink there, as your pal's pleasure will have been racked up droning along at 38 mph. Your miles of pleasure will quickly catch up at, say, a whopping 60.

Golding goes on to demolish his own appeal for 38 mph as a cruising speed by noting that he personally takes up to an hour to build up to that pace. This is to "give the engine a chance to warm up to its cruising speed."

Pitiful as this seems, it gets worse. Don't expect to go full blast like this up hills, into headwinds, or with a passenger (yes, he's willing to plop the wife on the back).

Just how hard post-war life is can be appreciated in this element of his argument: since the two-stroke requires a gallon of oil for every 16 gallons of gas, his Royal Enfield gets, in effect, 17 miles of "fuel" for every 16 gallons of gasoline coupons. It's 1949, but gas is still rationed in England.

As for maintenance and repair, there's hardly anything to do, he boasts. Then he writes two long paragraphs detailing bearing, brake, coil, cable, clutch (relined three times), chain, piston ring and sprocket replacements, and regular de-cokes.

After all that, "The fork assembly is somewhat sloppy, but not excessively so..."

On the up side, the "spokes have given no trouble whatever."

I don't mean to make fun. Well, of course I do. But I admit that I find 42 mph (probably 38 mph true) the most pleasant speed on my 1999 Royal Enfield of 500cc.

For pressing-on-regardless Golding is a better man than I. For instance, he writes that he knows of no better motorcycle for riding in snow. Something I never see in Florida.

My fellow Americans, I know you enjoy watching all those BBC television shows when they make it here. For Royal Enfield specific fun, I urge you to join the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, and enjoy your copies of The Gun.

Romantic view of Royal Enfield motorcycles

Romantic Royal Enfield advertisement of 1928.
(From Propad.com)

The benefits of club membership are legion, no doubt, but for an American member far from the British Isles, the jewel of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK is The Gun magazine.

The Gun is delivered bi-monthly to my In-Box by email. If I miss an issue, I can find it at the Royal Enfield Owners Club website archive.

The magazine amply carries out the club's high-minded goal to be a forum for information "on the use, restoration and maintenance of Royal Enfield motorcycles and machines both old and new."

But that's not why I read it.

I read it for the romance of owning a Royal Enfield motorcycle. That emotion is coincidentally well represented by the vintage advertisement "Romance of the Road" that graced the cover of the most recent issue of The Gun, for April/May 2020.

Let me just quote from the account in The Gun of a fine ride-out conducted by the Cornwall Branch of the club (reprinted by permission of The Gun editor). You must read all the way to the bottom to discover the name of the author, although you may guess as you go along.

"On Thursday 24th October, six motorcycles and seven hardy souls met at the Cornish Services near Victoria, and set off for the Royal Enfield dealership at Bude.

"But, as Fran was leading, we knew it was to be no easy route. Of course, why would we entertain almost perfect roads when winding lanes and hairpin bends beckon!

"We hugged the river Camel from Nanstallon (just outside of Bodmin) along narrow debris laden single-track roads through Grogley, and down over the steep Cotton Hill towards the Camel, crossing over the Polbrock Bridge and up a never ending hill eventually emerging at Sladesbridge before entering civilisation as we know it at Wadebridge.

"Never be fooled in the comfort of known roads, as we took another turning past little Dinham, and hugged the Camel again! This time the tidal part of the river the estuary and mud flats, for those that dared to look, was stunning, especially as we descended into the lower side of Rock, and caught brief glimpses of Padstow, the azure looking bays and bluffs that came and went with each corner.

"Rock soon became a distant memory as we headed towards and through Port Gavern, and down to the narrow streets of ITV’s fabled Port Wenn, otherwise known as Port Issac.

"Did we stop? No.

"Onward to Port Somewhere, sorry I made that up as I was lost! Toilet break! Typical Fran, was a lay-by and hedge. It’s just outside of Delabole, but we did not go to Delabole, as we turned left down lanes so wet and mossy that scenery was taken over by the will to survive.

"Just North of Trebarwith we headed up another single track lane and into Tintagel, across the top of the road bypassing civilisation and down to Boscastle where we did stop for a comfort break.

"Cheered by the fact we had got this far with no mishap we started our steeds, three Enfields and three other oriental mounts, we continued to Crackington Haven through ancient woodlands older than time itself, ever aware that Fran mentioned it gets narrower from here on in! And it did!

"Narrow, mossy single-track roads with wonderful seascape panoramic views slipping in and out of view with each and every corner, and then a left-hand hairpin bend that you would tell your grandchildren about.

"First gear, go as far to the right as you can and pray you meet no oncoming traffic, and get around it. Then jubilation as you realise you'd made it, and just as that thought settles in, the breathtaking site of the cliffs and rolling seas.

"Widemouth Bay comes into view, sheer elation of this beautiful country that we live in. The bay gave hope of life and inhabitants, surfer vans, cafes, pay-and-display car parks, bungalows nobody can afford, and still the road rolled on.

"Bude appears like magic, hiding in the terrain and the low hills shrouded in cotton wool clouds and blue skies as we descend towards the canal, which floods almost every year, and mad people surf the surge, ducking under the low bridge until they fall off.

"Fortunately we take the road over the low bridge and head to the Enfield dealership for a well earned breakfast bap and coffee.

"Nothing much happened on the way home, as it was back to normal, proper roads; traffic lights in Camelford was about as exciting as it got.

"A great day out. Thanks to all who came.

"Fran"

Royal Enfield Owner's Club recalls the past and carries on

In 1956 A.J. Barboza, left, and John Noronha, second from right,
rode the first Royal Enfield Bullet made in India 14,000 miles to England.
Royal Enfield's Major Vic Mountford and Jack Booker welcomed them at the factory.

I last updated you on the doings of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK as reported in the August/September and October/November 2019 editions of the club's "The Gun" magazine.

I have now before me The Gun editions for December/January and February/March 2020. Let us proceed:

The December/January edition reports the passing of John Cliffe Oct. 17, 2019, at 88. Credited as a founder of the club as it exists today, he wrote a letter suggesting it be formed. That caught the attention of other enthusiasts thinking along the same lines. One of those was founding member Dave Bogg, who died Aug. 16, 2019.

John Cliffe's obituary concludes with this:

"John felt that Royal Enfield was an often overlooked and regularly undervalued motorcycle manufacturer who deserved a pride of place in our motorcycling heritage. Long may his sentiment be preserved."

Chris Reed wrote in to complain that a pin was found working out of the chain on his 2017 Classic. He advised watching for this hazard and complained that Royal Enfield (at the time of writing) had declined to replace the chain. After buying three Royal Enfields, he wrote, he will not buy another.

Dave Blakeney enthusiastically described his new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, but noted that his dealer warned him to make sure the side cover was in place before locking it, as it could be lost otherwise.

Ken Goa approves of his new Interceptor as well, especially after riding "the crap" out of the dealer's demonstrator.

Colin Myler showed photos of his restored 1919 Royal Enfield Model 200 225cc lightweight, veteran of 30 Banbury runs. He also owns a new 2019 Classic, registered 100 years later.

Club archivist Bob Murdoch detailed in an illustrated article the Royal Enfield Bullet's transition from made-in-England to made-in-India, making it "the world's longest manufactured motorcycle."

In Branch Reports, Suffolk noted the weather was changing before it exhausted all its ideas for ride outs. "Just not enough weekends in a year."

Northeast Scotland Branch cheerfully recounted wet weather runs, poorly attended, with closed restaurants, and missed turns ("my old map didn't have changes to road numbers").

The Greek Chapter provided full details on plans for the REOC International Rally, Sept. 3-5, 2021 at Camping Bekas, at Ancient Epidaurus, a distance from Athens.

The January/February edition opens with three photos from member John Mountford. They show his father, Royal Enfield managing director Vic Mountford mounted on a Royal Enfield Interceptor in 1962; John's older brother Richard Mountford on a 1965 Royal Enfield in about 1995; and John's own son David Mountford on a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 just this last October.

All three are distinguished looking gentlemen on distinguished looking Royal Enfields. John notes that, of the bikes, the 650 is "much easier to start."

Member Peter Barber wrote in to recall visiting Royal Enfield's Redditch factory in 1958 and he provided a photo of himself riding a 700cc twin that day "straight off the production line." He remembers that the factory visits were for members of the original REOC, formed in 1954 and ending in 1963 or 1964. Now 86, he still enjoys reading The Gun.

Member Peter O'Brien recalled keeping a used Royal Enfield Bullet as personal transportation while serving as a dispatch rider for the RAF during the Cold War. Riding a Triumph in all weather to deliver secret communications to Bomber Command stations wasn't enough for him — he rode his Bullet while off duty.

It wet sumped so badly that, every 50 miles he would stop, drain the sump, and pour the oil back into the oil tank!

On that subject, Doug Young wrote in with a description of how he solved the wet sumping on his 2003 Bullet. (Solved wet sumping? That will be the day.)

N. Whitehead explained how his new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor is a worthy descendant of the original Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor of the 1960s — except when it isn't. Fit a solo seat, raise the handlebars, move the footpegs and take the motor to 750, he suggests.

A historical article noted that in July, 1950, S. Sankaran, managing director of Madras Motors, sent a 50-page photo album, bound in crocodile skin, to Major F.W. Smith, managing director of Enfield Cycle Co. in Redditch. This advertisement for Madras Motors and South India came years before the formation of Enfield India Ltd.

In Branch Reports, Wessex reported that a hoped-for viewing of archival motorcycle films was cut short when the projector bulb blew.

Wiltshire listed eight ride-idea destinations for the coming summer, including Middle Wallop Army Museum.

The birth of an Airedale and Warfdale Branch was enthusiastically announced.

Kent members were challenged to "identify the bike" with only a snippet of it shown. They sent best wishes to two members injured in motor accidents.

West Riding noted of one outing "Although the temperature dropped, the comradery and countryside remained 90 miles of excellent riding although there was at least one breakdown due to a failed clutch cable."

The Royal Enfield Owners Club Autojumble 2020 is April 18, 2020 in Village Hall, Chestnut Road, Yardley Gobion, Towcester, Northants. All makes of parts are welcome, Mark Mumford wrote.

I can't make it to the autojumble. I really only included a mention because Chestnut Road, Yardley Gobion, Towcester, Northants is a wonderful sounding address.

REOC's 'The Gun' magazine is loaded with lovely stuff

The Gun magazine sounds off for Royal Enfield Owners Club UK members.

Time for our occasional update here on the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, as reported in the most recent two editions of the club magazine, The Gun.

The Gun magazine for August and September, 2019 seemed to specialize in suggestions for ways to have fun on a Royal Enfield.

Here's advice from John Hunter, on riding in India: Always aim for the back end of a cow. They don't walk backwards.

Devon Branch members experienced so much rain on their ride to Great Torrington that it was renamed "Great-Torrent-On." So British.

Later the Royal Enfield's Exeter dealership brought new Royal Enfields to show off at the Devon Branch rally. When one member's Bullet broke some teeth on the way up, the dealer loaned him a new Interceptor to ride on the associated outing. Lucky break.

The Suffolk Branch report reminded riders to "bring a sidestand support for soft ground parking" at one event.

North Yorkshire members took cover from rain in a bus shelter during a ride-out. (All the cafes were full of pedal bike riders.)

Quizzes are common fun at chapter get-togethers, but the Kent Branch reported something I hadn't realized was done: prizes for both the winner and "the thickest." In this case, their winner got a box of chocolates as a prize and the thickest got a wooden spoon.

I don't understand. Anyone? (Don't know? A helpful reader provided the answer, in the Comments on this post, below. Thank you!)

Somerset and Dorset branch heard from guest speaker Rodney Cross, whose mother was the remarkable Clara Dunbar Cross, first woman doctor admitted to the Royal College of Physicians. His father was Roland Cross, whose innovations in sealing rings were tested in Royal Enfield Crusader 250s. Today they're in jet engines.

West Riding chapter went on a "mystery run" — so much of a mystery that the leader did not plan a full route and made up something on the go. Their "mystery stop" on the ride was odd railway infrastructure left over from World War II.

The chapter reported that a member with a diesel-powered Royal Enfield made it to the British Diesel Motorcycle Rally, a round trip of 650 miles, "and whilst slow it was certainly a cheap trip!"

The Gun for October and November, 2019 contains the obituary of early REOC member Dave Bogg, written by Steve Mayhew, another early member, who remembers his friend's fondness for the color red — such that the center stand of his Royal Enfield Constellation was painted red.

"Our friendship was all due to this club as is so many others... long may it go on," he wrote.

Don Mckeand described the 2019 REOC International Rally, which especially celebrated the 70th Birthday of the Bullet. He noted that its actual birth, like his own, was in 1948, but production sales started in 1949, so...

The goal of attracting 70 Bullets to the event was easily surpassed. No less a personage than author and world-traveler (by Bullet) Jacqui Furneaux wrote in to say how much she enjoyed the event.

The South Lancashire Branch report included its Red Rose Rally, overlooking some beautiful countryside.

"I genuinely found riding through the clouds added to the atmosphere," our correspondent wrote. (The weather improved the next day.)

James French detailed progress on his 1956 350cc Clipper project. It now goes 60 mph, whereas he remembers the one he had at age 14 would do 75 mph.

He consoles himself that he isn't so fast anymore either.

There's so much more in The Gun. To get it, just join the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK.

Royal Enfield club members make the past present

A Royal Enfield of the 20th Century seems to be admired by a sculpture of the 19th.

Re-create the cover shot of a Royal Enfield company magazine of the 1950s? The very active Greek Chapter of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK did just that Sunday, Sept. 15.

It wasn't easy: the background had changed dramatically. The exact Royal Enfield motorcycle wasn't available.

None of that stopped them; and it's easy to see why the chapter persevered.

The Spring, 1954 edition of REVS, The Royal Enfield Magazine published by Royal Enfield in England, devoted its cover to a photograph of a Royal Enfield 500 twin in Athens.

Royal Enfield's Athens dealer posed the then new Royal Enfield motorcycle in the foreground. Behind it looms the toothy grille of a Buick, a large stone church and, most noticeably, a statue.

Spring 1954 REVS magazine with cover photo shot at the statue.

The church, built in the Ninth Century, is Athens' largest surviving Byzantine church. It is known as the Russian Church because Tsar Nicholas I arranged for its restoration to serve the Russian Orthodox community in 1847.

The statue is "The Woodbreaker," completed in 1875 by Greek sculptor Dimitrios Filippotis. Up to 1958 the statue stood in a little square at Amalias Avenue, behind the Russian Church. It was called Woodbreaker Square (Plateia Xylothrafsti).

The church is still there, blogger Jorge Pullin noted in 2017. But the statue is now on the grounds of Zappeion, an historic 1888 Olympic venue in the National Gardens of Athens.

That's where the photo would have to be re-created.

REVS magazine was a Royal Enfield factory publication, produced from 1946 to 1955. In its first issue, Major F.W. Smith, chairman and managing director, wrote that he "hoped to build up a common interest among all those who are in any way related to the manufacture and distribution of products bearing the time-honored name of Royal Enfield."

REVS was to be "a permanent record of the activities of the Company and those prominent in its organization."

And permanent its influence has been: 65 years have passed, but the REVS cover still lights a fire in the eyes of Greek Chapter members.

It was in effect a tribute to motorcycling in Greece.

They take this seriously, member Andreas Papadakis noted on Facebook (where many more photos of the event appear). He called the recreation an "historic and important event!"

He thanked Pericles Papamichael for providing the Royal Enfield used in the re-creation, which he described as a very rare 1937 Royal Enfield 350cc Special Competition model.

Royal Enfield enthusiasts gather around the statue.

And he noted that the photo session was followed by a presentation by author Yannis Liapis. He has written a book that Papadakis called "a full description of the classic motorcycle in Greece from 1895 to 1944."

The book "manages to capture the golden decades of the motorcycle!" he wrote. Its chapters "give us the image of our history."

Participant John Kalantzis made a similar comment, on Facebook:

"It's a great pleasure for me to be among the people who write the modern history of the classic motorcycle!"

Every Royal Enfield enthusiast, club member or not, can thank the Greek Chapter for reminding us why Royal Enfield is so special.

It's the history, isn't it?

Note: The next REOC International Rally will be held in Greece, Sept. 3-5, 2021.

Happy Birthday Bullet: Royal Enfield's classic turns 70

A rare, twin-cylinder Carberry Royal Enfield among other variations of the Bullet.

The Royal Enfield Bullet turned 70 years old this year, an occasion that did not escape the notice of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK.

There have been and will be better and faster Royal Enfields, but the Bullet — born in England and nurtured virtually unchanged by more than half century of continued production in India — has set the standard for modern classic renditions of British motorcycles.

Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles of all ages were recognized.

The International Rally July 19 to 21 at Stanford Hall, an estate in Leicestershire, England, brought out the faithful in unexpected numbers. According to the REOC Facebook page:

"The count-up of Bullets cannot be exactly quoted as they kept rolling in after we ceased the count. However, by noon we had 83 Bullets in the immediate Club Stand area in lines that stretched out towards the entrance. By 1:30 p.m. that figure had topped 100 with an unknown number parked on the opposite side of the entrance road.

"In one additional area alone we were informed that five had arrived together. In total the 'all models' Royal Enfield figure had topped 160 by that point. Additionally there were more bikes remaining in the REOC camping area. To claim a total of approximately 200 Royal Enfields on the day would not be too far off the mark."

John Ely (in blue shirt) brought the Royal Enfield 500 Twin Johnny Brittain rode in the 1953 International Six Days Trial.

I'm pleased to have these photos and the following report from Andrew Papadakis of the REOC Greek Chapter:

"The biggest Royal Enfield meeting in Europe for the last 15 years took place at Stanford Hall, UK. The Royal Enfield Owners Club and the Taverners Section of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club created a marvelous event. The 'Founders Day' theme was 70 Years of Bullet.

"More than 200 Enfields include 120 Bullets were there!

"Riders from Greece, France and Germany traveled with their motorcycles.

Christos Pelousis traveled 1,400 miles with his Electra.

"Christos Pelousis with his 2003 Electra 500cc traveled 1,400 miles from Greece and won the award for Long Distance Traveler.

"The Royal Enfield Technology and Development Center in the UK was there with the new Trials Bullet and Hitchcock's Motorcycles were there with very rare Enfields.

Andy Berry, tuner of Royal Enfields, with his 1955 Bullet short circuit racer.

"Saturday morning had a marvelous ride of 70 Enfields to the National Motorcycle Museum at Solihull.

Robert Murdoch, known for long-distance rides on his Super Meteor "Olive," left, with Maurice Mumford, engineer for Royal Enfield Britain who helped introduce the Continental GT 535 in 2014.

"No one believed the great event would have so many attendance. The biggest previous event was the 2003 Redditch Revisited with 800 Enfields.

Jacqui Furneaux, with the well worn Bullet she rode 'round the world
and REOC  members Andrew Papadakis, center, and Christos Pelousis.

"REOC Greek branch was also there with four members!"

In addition to the photos above, Andrew sent this face-paced video walk-through of the event. See how many great Royal Enfields you can spot.

Keeping up with the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK

I routinely scan the "Welcome to New Members" list inside The Gun, official magazine of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, looking for others who may have joined from the United States.

I'm not anxious to be sociable. Just curious how many there might be. Lately — NONE!

My fellow Americans, you are missing out.

True, it's a long flight to take part in any of the actual club events. But The Gun itself is entertainment enough.

Due to an email confusion, now ironed out, I received my last three electronic issues of The Gun all at once. It was like Christmas all over again and, indeed, one issue was older than Christmas.

In The Gun 268 for December/January 2019 I learned that editor Robin Gillingham was setting down his pen, having led the magazine since 2010. (Doug Young would serve as temporary editor.)

New member Paul Boobri wrote in to describe in detail how he changed his Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 to shift on the right, brake on the left. To some Americans, this might seem to be turning the world upside down or, really, left to right.

From the club archives came photos of the prototype Royal Enfield 500 twin of 1948. A clean looking motorcycle, the prototype carried its amp meter in the square box I recognize as the air cleaner box, while the actual air filter rode in the right-hand toolbox, which was fitted with a shiny circular vent to admit air.

The Gun notes that this would have required a very long run to the carburetor and it seems to have been changed before the prototype made its shake-down run to Switzerland and back.

Another flash-back, this one from the Summer of 1980 edition, was a reprint of an article by Don McKeand pointing out other uses of the Royal Enfield Flying Flea 125cc two-stroke motor.

The Turner By-Van was a streamlined box with a Royal Enfield motor atop the front wheel.

In particular he mentioned the Turner By-Van, a utility motorcycle proposed in 1946. It featured a streamlined metal body, which, being empty, could carry whatever tools or materials the rider needed for work or delivery. The gas tank, gearbox and the Flying Flea motor were all clustered on top of the front wheel with the handlebars.

No photo appeared with the flashback, so I hunted these up on the Internet, something author McKeand didn't have handy for research in 1980. They are from The MotorCycle of April 11, 1946. The lawn-mower-style pull-cord starter is attached to the motor's kick start spindle. There is no kicking this motor where it's mounted.

Note the starter pull-cord wheel at right.

Highlight of this issue was Royal Enfield historian Gordon May's account of his ride on the new Royal Enfield 650 twins during the press launch in California.

He recalled how, in 2009, then Royal Enfield dealer Watsonian Squire created a dummy twin from a Bullet single by adding an extra exhaust pipe. Partly covered with cloth, this did fool visitors at the dealer's open house weekend.

Now the real twins are finally here and Gordon reports they were "well worth the wait."

In Branch Reports, Cornwall recounted a ride to a classic bike meet — "a good ride in good company" — and then another ride on a somewhat chilly day that included a "leg stretch, and relief behind a tree for Biker Paul."

The Mid-Shires report included the first use I've seen of the nickname "Himmy" to designate the Royal Enfield Himalayan. I like it.

Member Colin reported on his long ride on his Meteor Minor Airflow, knowing it would be a hot run behind that fairing if traffic backed up — and it did. With luggage and camping equipment aboard he couldn't control the bike below 10 mph so lane splitting through the traffic tie-up was impossible. He recommended that the UK adopt the common European rule limiting big trucks to weekday use of the roads.

In The Gun 269 for February/March 2019, Bruce Walker, former president of the Royal Enfield Club of Australia, noted that Royal Enfield owners don't typically invite others to sample their motorcycles.

"By way of contrast most blokes will offer their new modern motorcycle to their friends for a test ride almost immediately," he wrote. He implies that Royal Enfield owners are too proud to share.

I think his observation is accurate but, in my case, it has to do with not trusting acquaintances to safely take into account the various quirks of riding my Bullet.

John Mountford wrote in about a photo that appeared in the previous edition: Did anyone know the name of the man shown next to his father, Royal Enfield's one-time sales manager and later the managing director Vic Mountford? Was it the New York agent for the brand, Ed Stokvis?

(I don't know the answer, but I have written about Stokvis and his importance in bringing Royal Enfield to the United States after World War II.)

Terry Cumley wrote in about his new custom maroon C5, Peggy Sue, a tribute to singer Buddy Holly.

Meanwhile, at the Himatangi Midterm Rally of the New Zealand Royal Enfield Owners Register, "Terry O’Hanlon was awarded the rider’s choice prize for his unpolished 1954 Bullet, (never mind the rear view mirror fell off and a rear wheel bearing was failing, it’s called rear self steering)."

Actually more concerning to the branch was Steve Owen's flat rear tire, caused by rust on the inside of the rim, and this on a 2015 Bullet.

In The Gun 270 for April/May 2019 it is announced that Alan Barringer volunteered for the job of editor. Volunteered, mind you.

Member Julian Green writes in that the Royal Enfield ridden by Mr. Steed and Mrs. Gale in "The Avengers" television show wasn't a Constellation, as reported in The Gun 269, but was instead a Meteor Minor Sports.

This is important to me because I loved that show, and wrote in a blog post about The Avengers photo involving the Royal Enfield. This new information meant I would have to issue a correction.

Rear-set gear shift may have been a factory option.

Yet another write-in from member Alex Taylor notes that his 1960 Constellation had exactly the same rear-set shift linkage shown in the photo with The Avengers. The neutral finder is removed and the gear lever is reversed. It also looks like the exhaust pipe has a plate welded to it for the gear selector linkage.

And, in branch reports, the West Riding club ride-out in February brought out two Royal Enfields and a Triumph. Both Royal Enfields went home on tow trucks..

And we are now up to date.

Royal Enfield Owners North America rally June 22-24, 2018

Royal Enfield section at last year's North America Rally.
(Triumph National Rally Photo)

The Royal Enfield Owners Club/North America Rally is Friday, June 22 through Sunday June 24, 2018 at the Oley Pennsylvania Fairground, 26 Jefferson St., Oley, Pa.

It's being held in conjunction with the Triumph National Rally. Everyone is welcome, motorcycle owner or not.

Friday is the vendor setup and Swap Meet. The Swap Meet continues all three days.

Saturday is the Triumph Bike Show. Sunday is the All British Bike Show.

A self-guided back roads "Ice Cream Ride" is offered Friday and Saturday.

The meet ends at noon Sunday.

Pre-registration is $50 and includes two admissions and 20x20 camp site. Weekend registration at the gate is $70. General admission is $10 daily and does not include camping.

Click this link for the registration form. Confirmations are not mailed out in advance. Paperwork will be waiting for you at the gate when you arrive.

There is a restaurant on site. Click this link for a list of hotels near the fairgrounds.

The Saturday night banquet is $14 per person.

For more information contact Ernie Pegutter at reocna@gmail.com

Royal Enfield club magazine keeps calm, carries on

From time to time I've shared my delight in the delightfully English (as I suppose it to be) magazine of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK: The Gun.

From editor Robin Gillingham's always disarming opening column, to the write-in letters, ride reports technical tips and branch doings, there is always something to learn, or at least to laugh along with, in The Gun.

So I was concerned to find that Issue 262 for December 2017/January 2018, contains a bit more sad news than usual. For starters, editor Robin notes that the issue is a little late, as he was "in hospital after dropping on the road face down."

Issue No. 1 of The Gun magazine,
from 1978.

He doesn't dwell on his injuries. But he goes on to recommend Jacqui Furneaux's book about her travels by Royal Enfield. Its title: "Hit the Road Jac." Ouch.

Brighter items follow. These include an amazing photo of a Royal Enfield Crusader, heaped with luggage under the Eiffel Tower, pictured as David Read and wife rode it to Spain in 1957.

Alan Barringer reports on his recent circuit of Scotland, carried out on his 1957 Royal Enfield Super Meteor.

But then come obituaries for two treasured members.

The report on the Annual General Meeting notes that "the membership number still stays around the 2,000 mark, but there are concerns over the aging of the membership."

There are one or two hints of that, as the classified section offers an Interceptor Mark II for sale "due to ill health," and a branch officer asks for help with his duties, due to eyesight problems. A club is a human undertaking and suffers along with its members.

But the foundation is strong, as the Club Calendar for 2018 lists 11 interesting sounding events. What's more, this issue announces the names of 89 new members.

Watching from afar, I find myself wishing the club and all its members good health and happiness in the New Year. Why not join and enjoy the fun? Membership information is here.

One of the advantages of membership is that you will be able to view the archives of The Gun, all the way back to 1978.

The archive reveals that, in 1982, then editor Don McKeand expressed Happy New Years wishes this way:

"May your con-rods never snap, may your oil continue to circulate on the inside and may your restorations prosper."

The truth behind Royal Enfield's Airflow fairing

Dramatic photograph of a Royal Enfield with Airflow fairing did not tell all.

The Gun, magazine of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, is out for October/Novembr 2017 with its usual fine selection of fun, facts, tips and Royal Enfield history.

Not necessarily in that order.

The first article to catch my eye was Bob Murdoch's examination of Royal Enfield's post-World War II experiment with Airflow fairings. Royal Enfield offered these fiberglass fairings in three sizes to fit all models.

Bob delves in the history of the famous photographs of a Royal Enfield with fairing being "tested" in a wind tunnel at Bristol Aeroplane Company.

Bob quotes a one-time Bristol employee who remembers talking to Trevor Williams, who he says conducted the "tests" with Royal Enfield in October, 1958.

I won't give away the fascinating story, except to confirm previous reports that all was not what it seemed.

Bob also describes the experience of riding his own Royal Enfield with the Airflow fairing: it works as it should but his explanation of how it works will surprise you.

The Gun is always entertaining, from editor Robin Gillingham's column to the crossword puzzle. This edition, however, ends with some technical tips any Royal Enfield owner will find useful. My favorite is the surprising suggested new use for silicone bathtub sealant.

I'm going to keep that one in mind. The Gun is free with your REOC membership. Join here.

Royal Enfield Owners Club UK's 'The Gun' magazine

The Gun magazine never fails to amuse and inform Royal Enfield enthusiasts everywhere.

The June/July 2017 edition of The Gun, magazine of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK is out and, as always, it is full of derring do, high comedy, low comedy and, of course, the crossword puzzle.

Mike Slater tells how he found a Royal Enfield KX V-twin in the 1960s. Even then it was very old, and had no handlebars or tires. Nevertheless, he attempted to walk the heavy motorcycle home, since the route was all downhill.

Too much downhill, as it turned out, as the bike gained speed and he could not stop it (with no tires, the brake only caused the wheel to skid along).

Just ahead was car traffic and, if he somehow survived that, the now speeding bike would plunge into a river.

So he... well, you can find out what he did by joining the Club and reading the rest of the story in its archive of the magazine. Each issue is rich in human drama and Royal Enfield lore.

In other news from The Gun June/July issue, we learn that the Home Counties Rally will be July 21-23, with a difference this year:

"Feedback from attendees of last year's event was entirely positive with one major exception. Some visitors complained about the absence of catastrophic or comic breakdowns and additionally almost nobody fell off at low speed," organizers noted.

So this year they've taken steps "to ensure that a small disaster is virtually guaranteed..."

In an article entitled "A Tinkerer's Tale," Bob Chambers writes about his 16-year project — a 1959 Royal Enfield Super Meteor engine and gearbox and the 1955 BSA A10 frame in which it's installed.

With no way to restore it he decided to create a cafe racer to his own specifications, finding the experience liberating since no one can criticize the (attractive) results as not being "as it left the factory."

Elsewhere, a highlight of the Branch Reports comes from Cornwall, regarding the ride-out planned for Sunday, April 2.

"Unfortunately, no one else turned up," the organizer reports. He carried on with a pleasant, relaxing ride in fine weather.

That's the spirit.

It's quite easy to join the club by credit card or PayPal.

The Gun magazine is available by email as well, so you never miss an issue.