Spy shot: C-5 Royal Enfields bound for U.S.

Spy shot! New Royal Enfield C-5 motorcycles bound for the U.S. are shown undergoing packing at the factory in Chennai, India. The picture was supplied by U.S. importer Kevin Mahoney, who visited India recently. Mahoney describes his travel, complete with lost luggage, on his Buzz Blog.

The dramatically new, yet retro-styled C-5 is officially named the Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500. When it arrives in the U.S. it probably is going to commonly be called the C-5, however, to distinguish it from the G-5 already on sale here.

Like the G-5, the C-5 uses Royal Enfield's new unit-constructed engine, with fuel injection and maintenance-free hydraulic lifters, improved clutch and a front disk brake. It has an electric starter but, unlike the G-5, no kick starter.

The C-5 is designed to resemble a Royal Enfield of 1951. That makes it even older in appearance than the 1955 model Royal Enfield Bullet built virtually unchanged in India all these years. It is considerably more retro-looking than the G-5, which resembles the '70s-styled Electra model.

Unlike Royal Enfields of previous decades, both UCE models are designed to cruise at 70 mph with a little extra in hand for passing. They remain 500cc machines with long-stroke single cylinder "thumper" engines.

The suggested price for a new C-5 in the U.S. is $6,395, making it Royal Enfield's most expensive model here. That price doesn't include set-up, shipping or tax.

Trying to bring life back to rusting Enfield

Few things spark a motorcyclist's imagination like finding a forgotten old motorcycle rusting away under a tree someplace. It's impossible not to think what it would be like to make it run again.

For a blogger named Luc, that motorcycle is a 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet 500. It had been left in the sun and rain for two years, covered only by a tarp, in Iraklio, on the Greek island of Crete. His reaction:

"Glory Hallelujah! I found what I was looking for. Ecce moto! It’s an old iron barrel Royal Enfield Bullet 500, the classic type, no frills."

Luc has blogged about his search for a Royal Enfield. He had been focusing on a recent model, the Electra, but a couple of failed attempts to find one used apparently left him open to the idea of bringing this older Classic back into service. A native of Belgium now living on Crete, Luc has started a blog for the project.

Luc says the bike has 35,000 kilometers on it. His pictures show some intersting accessories like single seat and pillion pad, and bar-end turn signals. My eye immediately noticed the left-side shift, which I had thought was only for the United States in that era. Could this be a U.S.-spec bike somehow transported to Crete?

Luc says he hadn't been on a motorcycle in 25 years when he took a test ride last year on a new Royal Enfield. So far, he hasn't got so much as an owner's manual for his restoration project on this one. It will be interesting watching how he fares.

Spanish dealer showcases Royal Enfields

Royal Enfield dealerships around the world vary in appearance but few can possibly be as nice as the new facility in Barcelona, Spain. Borja Basso Bosch, general manager of Royal Enfield for Spain, shared these pictures with us. This is the dealership for Barcelona and the headquarters for Royal Enfield in Spain.

The showroom was created in June, 2007. It shows a real designer's touch and the photographs show it off to advantage. Basso recounts the progress the brand has made in Spain:

"Royal Enfield was managed by another distributor for eight years. During this time no money was invested in the brand, marketing, showrooms, promotions, or press. We were the dealership for Barcelona during two years. We sold more bikes in one year in Barcelona than the distributor in the rest of Spain. We prepared a good business plan and we took over the brand six months ago.

"Now we are introducing the brand from scratch. We have opened six new dealerships and launched a marketing campaign. Also we are selling bike trips in India.

"We will finish our new web site in February: http://www.royal-enfield.es/