Straight talk about old Royal Enfields

Paul Henshaw talks about vintage motorcycles on YouTube.

 I've lately become a fan of YouTube videos by British philosopher-mechanic Paul Henshaw. He often features vintage Royal Enfields and their joys and problems on his channel. 

Other motorcycles may be featured, but what he really offers to me is his sometimes gruff, colorful approach to bikes, and bikers. 

His videos are not produced, scripted or rehearsed. Lighting can be poor, audio worse. His hair is typically mussed up. His jeans and his fingers are embedded with grease. 

It's straight-from-the-shoulder talk meant to be informative. 

You're welcome to take it or leave it, although you'd do well to listen since he knows what he's talking about. And he'll tell you so. 

Criticize how hard he tests motorcycles and he'll respond "Mistreatment! My butt!"

He's all for the joy of motorcycling and he'll tell you that, too. In this video he says:

"This is what I'm coming to. None of us are getting any younger, and none of us will. A lot of us, or I will, in many cases, think that we might want to do something and, ah, it's a bit cold, it's a bit wet, I'll do it another time. But. How do we know that we've got another time?"

If the bike's ready and you're ready, go for the ride, he says, rain or shine. Because "the only thing that we're guaranteed is NOW."

Do not mistake him for a Pollyanna. Paul is plainly frank about his impatience with people, even customers, who don't do the right thing. He can be grouchy.

He admits to, years ago, having pinned to the wall a fellow who insisted that "British bikes are crap" but wouldn't agree to prove it by racing against him.

In another video he courageously details his own bouts with depression in an honest effort to help fellow sufferers. Agree or disagree with this guy, but if only we could bottle his sincerity.

Paul has more than 1,600 videos on YouTube, many of them showing him doctoring Royal Enfields.

His business Performance Classics is on Facebook, where he writes that he specializes "in preparing classic motorcycles for road and track.

"Since 2004 and long before on an amateur basis, we have also managed to bring some pretty sorry looking machinery back to life, where others might have given up on them. So whether a vintage or classic machine needs maintenance, restoration, tuning or the wheels rebuilt, Performance Classics is the place to go. Based in South Wales."

Royal Enfield fan Chris Overton passes by

Royal Enfield enthusiast Chris Overton has died.

 In 2018 Royal Enfield enthusiast Chris Overton and I got into an elevator in Santa Cruz, California, and found ourselves sharing the little compartment with Siddhartha Lal, Royal Enfield's corporate boss and our host at launch events for the Royal Enfield 650 twins. 

There we were, two stalwart fans of Royal Enfield, facing the man who had revived and extended the legacy of the brand. We didn't know what to say. We were absolutely tongue tied! 

Where could we start? Twenty seconds in an elevator would not have been enough to express Chris Overton's attachment to Royal Enfield, its motorcycles and its history.

Chris had brought his original 1966 Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 from his home in Rossland, British Columbia so that Royal Enfield could display it alongside the brand new Continental GT 650. 

His historic Royal Enfield was an example of the first "factory" café racer on planet Earth. It had the ground breaking (and often broken) five-speed gearbox, famously condemned as unreliable in its time. Chris said he wore "ballet slippers" rather than motorcycle boots to pick his way through its gears.

And, while he had brought the little café racer from Canada in a van, he rode his motorcycle all over Santa Cruz during the launch event. 

There is a photo of Lal, at one event, crouched over the tank on Chris's motorcycle. Seeing it, Chris would say that he wished he had offered to let Lal ride the little red 250cc café racer on the road. It would have been an inspired moment, bringing two eras together. 

Chris Overton (in yellow shirt) watches as Siddhartha Lal and historian Gordon May show Chris's original Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 to the motoring press of the world.

Chris passed away March 23, in hospital, victim of an unsuspected cancer that briefly interrupted and then ended his active, productive life.

He is survived by his wife Elaine, sister Jan and brother-in-law Rod Hobbs, cousins, and his many friends. A long list of former classmates offered condolences on the Facebook page of the high school he attended. He was a 1970 graduate of Southern Okanagan Secondary School. One fellow alum described Chris as the smartest kid at school.

I can believe it.

He will be missed by the many Royal Enfield owners around the world who benefitted from the knowledge he contributed to multiple Royal Enfield forums.

Chris owned Royal Enfields modern and vintage, including what he called "the remains" of a 1960 Fury. With Chris and Royal Enfield authority Graham Scarth I was privileged to be a junior member of a happy trio devoted to helping readers of this blog figure out what year and model Royal Enfield they might have.

Graham is a student of historic Royal Enfield frame and motor numbers, with a solid sense of what the numbers tell us. Chris analyzed the photos, based on accumulated knowledge of rare Royal Enfield models of the 1960s.

Chris told me he considered himself a student of all the Royal Enfield history that wasn't considered important enough to write down at the time. He completed a detailed analysis of the serial numbers partially visible on the Interceptor shipping boxes seen in the background of the famous Royal Enfield "We Only Supply the Motorcycle" advertisement.

He humorously described himself as "hardcore unemployable" but in fact was always busy at building projects, and enjoyed a challenge. 

When I noticed that vintage Royal Enfields had oil recommendations engraved in a tiny typeface on the gearbox filler plug (whereas my 1999 made-in-India gearbox plug was plain) Chris gifted me a labelled plug from his collection. It fit perfectly and is on my Bullet now.

Something to remember Chris by.

Chris was personally generous with me in other ways. In Santa Cruz I found myself in over my head when it came to riding the Royal Enfield 650 twins on California mountain roads. It was far more challenging than the straight, flat roads of Florida, and I was frankly scared. Chris reassured me by suggesting I just follow him and do what he did. It helped.

The Royal Enfield event in Santa Cruz was the only occasion on which I met Chris. Otherwise, our friendship was conducted on email. I knew little of his personal history beyond his interest in Royal Enfield. But I am grateful for the electronic relationship we had. He enriched my life. I will miss him.

Siddhartha Lal tries Chris Overton's 250 GT.

Roger Boss and the Royal Enfield GT

Roger Boss was there at the birth of the Royal Enfield Continental GT.

 Author and Royal Enfield historian Gordon May reported that Roger Boss, a test rider who rose to be an executive at Royal Enfield in the UK, passed away on Jan. 14, 2023. 

Gordon credits Roger as the creator of the first Royal Enfield Continental GT, a 250cc cafe racer that brought young people to the brand in 1964. 

As National Sales Manager Roger launched the little road burner with a dramatic 1,000-mile "reliability test" from the northern tip of Britain to its southernmost point. Royal Enfield of India re-created that iconic run in 2014 when it introduced a new, 535cc Continental GT. 

The original Royal Enfield Continental GT was an outgrowth of Royal Enfield's line of Crusaders -- unit-engined, 250cc single-cylinder motorcycles, with small wheels. They were economical, ideal for smaller riders, and there was a Sports model with an alloy head that had the goods but didn't look much different from the Royal Enfields that had come before. 

Then, in 1964 came the Continental GT. Away went the traditional Royal Enfield casquette, replaced with twin clocks, clip-ons, rear sets, a fly screen and swept back exhaust. And it was RED.

Original Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 poses at Brooklands.
(David Blasco Photo.)

Author Roy Bacon called the Continental GT "the last word in a cafe racer from a factory."

The factory hotrod had many fathers, of course, not just Roger Boss. Bacon credits executive Leo Davenport with showing the prototype to the Royal Enfield factory apprentices to get their ideas.

Roger tells the story himself in the Royal Enfield video created for the launch of the Continental GT 535. But he gives it rather short shrift. There was more to it than that.

I was lucky enough to get a bit more of the story from Roger himself.

Purely by chance, I sat next to him and legendary Royal Enfield trials rider Johnny Brittain at the press conference launching the new Continental GT 535 in September, 2014, at Brooklands.

Gordon May, a Royal Enfield legend himself, MC'd the event, telling the audience how Boss had brought the company an exciting new motorcycle.

Roger was obviously thrilled to see a new Continental GT join the Royal Enfield brand.

And it was RED!

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed as applause ended the press conference.

As the press conference broke up he delighted in telling me the story of how the original Royal Enfield Continental GT came to be.

Roger Boss, left, with U.S. distributor Kevin Mahoney and the GT 535.
(David Blasco Photo.)

As I got the story, Roger had attended a very sober meeting of the dealers' association at which it was agreed that there would be no forward-leaning seating position offered on factory motorcycles, as encouraging speeding was "bad for the image of motorcycling."

"I immediately went back to Royal Enfield and told them 'we've got to put clip-ons on these motorcycles!'" Roger said.

Naturally, Roger couldn't help but be proud of that little bit of dishonesty.

The original Continental GT was dropped in 1967 as Royal Enfield's fortunes declined in the UK. It was the last model of the 250cc Royal Enfield Crusader line.

"The most outrageous, noisy and uncomfortable of them all but equally the most enjoyable," Bacon wrote.

"It was bad for the motorcycling image but enormous fun and just what young riders were looking for."

Gordon May wrote this of Roger's passing:

"A passionate Royal Enfield supporter to the end, he always had fascinating and often amusing stories to tell from his days at the Redditch factory. Roger always treated me with great warmth, kindness and generosity, memories I will treasure. He will be greatly missed."

Roger appears in this Perpetual Motion video. It's well worth watching to get an idea of this soft-spoken gentleman who earned his spurs test riding and went on to bring a legendary motorcycle to Royal Enfield.

The 535cc Royal Enfield Continental GT would last through 2017 and would be replaced by today's Continental GT 650 twin. That bike is writing an all-new history for Royal Enfield with the same kind of rock'n'roll image Roger Boss wanted for the first 250cc Continental GT of 1964.

The lineage is clear: an original Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 with Royal Enfield boss Siddhartha Lal, left, and historian Gordon May at the 2018 introduction of the latest Continental GT, the 650 twin. Owner Chris Overton (in yellow shirt) provided his 1966 GT for the occasion.
(David Blasco Photo.)

The sexy 'Avengers' motorcycle a rare Royal Enfield?

Honor Blackman poses on a Royal Enfield in the role of Cathy Gale.

 Photos of leather-clad actress Honor Blackman posing on a Royal Enfield motorcycle turn up on Royal Enfield forums from time to time.

 The photo of the future "Bond girl" (Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger") could have been a publicity shot for a 1964 episode of the television series "The Avengers."

 In one version of the photo Avengers star Patrick Mcnee, bowler hat in hand, joins his female co-star on the Royal Enfield.

 "The Avengers" was a popular UK show of the 1960s, with McNee as the dapper and witty secret agent John Steed and Blackman as agent "Catherine Gale."  The series eventually came to U.S. television screens, with the sleek Diana Rigg replacing Blackman in the skin-tight costumes, as agent "Emma Peel."

Distracting females playing spies with suggestive names are one thing, but it was the Royal Enfield motorcycle that caught the attention of the Royal Enfield Interceptor forum recently.

What model was that shiny Royal Enfield twin in the picture? The answer could be: one you've never heard of.

It may be a model rare enough that Mark Mumford, a member of the Interceptor forum, recently went to considerable trouble to recreate one, out of simple "curiosity." More on that below.

Whatever it is, the Blackman Royal Enfield is extensively modified with a clever rear-set gearshift and twin "clocks" added to the handlebars above the trademark Royal Enfield casquette.

With so much shine and pizzazz, the motorcycle has been identified as a Constellation, Royal Enfield's big roarer of the era, with chrome everywhere, a 700cc twin-cylinder motor and 19-inch wheels.

But it's not that.

Note that their feet are flat on the ground. She was five-foot six, he was five-11.

One clue, oddly, is that Blackman and Mcnee pose with their feet comfortably flat on the ground. Their motorcycle is in fact a 500cc Royal Enfield Meteor Minor, with smaller frame and wheels than the Constellation.

Julian Green noted the differences, and wrote in to The Gun magazine for April/May 2019 to describe them.

"The giveaways are the Meteor Minor-sized 17-inch wheels with Meteor Minor-spec forks, and a Meteor Minor-spec fuel tank. Also the barrels are too short for a Constellation, though you need to look closely to see this," he wrote. "The non-standard rev-counter (Ed: one of those "clocks") has the take-off from a Constellation-spec timing cover."

The Royal Enfield Meteor Minor lasted only from 1958 to 1963. The "Minor" name distinguished it from the big brother Meteor of 1953, a 700cc motorcycle that eventually became the aptly named Royal Enfield Super Meteor.

Royal Enfield repackaged the modest sounding Minor as the Meteor Minor Sports and, in its final year, dropped "Minor" entirely, renaming the model the 500 Sports Twin.

All this is clear from Roy Bacon's book "Royal Enfield The Postwar Models."

But then it gets confusing.

The Blackman Royal Enfield might be something much less well known, Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK advised forum members.

It might be "an early Meteor Minor Sports with 17-inch wheels and a frame that is smaller than the 700s (but not as small as the Crusader 250 type). Ideally suited to those of a smaller stature."

Meteor Minors eventually used frames akin to the big Meteors. Earlier Minors had their own, distinct small frame.

"I believe 'The Avengers' photo shows a small frame Meteor Minor but could only be 100 per cent sure if we knew the frame number and we don’t, of course," Graham wrote me, in an email.

How rare are the small frame Meteor Minors? Graham has studied the factory records.

"First block of frame numbers for Meteor Minors covered 250 machines dispatched between February ’58 and April ’59. All of them would be small frame type. None of them went to Canada, and the U.S. was getting the (500cc twin) Tomahawk at this time, which never had the small frame. Do not know if any more had small frame as not enough photos of them," Graham told the forum.

Meteor Minor frames as seen in Hitchcocks Motorcycles parts books. Unique 1958 frame is at left. 1960 frame at right, with same part number shown as for 700cc Meteor. Key difference is bottom of the front downtube. Note front of headstock of the latter fame has attachment points for the Airflow fairing that appeared for 1959 season. The small frame didn't last long enough to get these.

Size isn't the only difference in the "small frame" Meteor Minor. Graham attached a photo to illustrate.

"Note the cast block at bottom of front downtube with two holes for front engine plates, which is unique to this smaller frame used for the Meteor Minor only," he wrote. "Later Meteor Minors have the bigger 'large lug' frame with T-shaped socket casting on the front down tube."

A real surprise came at about this point in the conversation.

"I recently finished the rebuild of a 'small frame' Meteor Minor," member Mark Mumford advised the forum.

Mark Mumford's recreated small frame Meteor Minor. Although "only" 500cc, the motor looks huge in this frame.

Mark had the frame in hand but much else had to be sourced, based in part on educated guesses about what items are common to other models.

"It uses most of the cycle parts of the 250 Crusader with some special bits to make it fit the frame, which is sized between the 250 and 700 type frames...

"My guess is that the small frame only lasted about six months before someone on the production side pointed out the extra costs and complexity, the engine is such a tight fit it would be slow to build on the production line. 

Mark found the distinctive small-frame brake pedal he needed (top) on eBay as an NOS part for unknown fitment. He spotted the correct part number written in fading ink on the tape wrapping the pedal. Standard twin brake pedal is shown at bottom for comparison.

"Along with the extra different parts not common to anything else the profit margin must have been nil. It took me a long time to find all the correct parts, the rear brake pedal being just such an item, eventually found NOS on eBay," he wrote.

"I acquired the bare frame only in a job lot of parts some 20 years ago and my curiosity eventually took me to this," he wrote me, in an email.

Mark was inspired in his work by a photo in Bacon's book, captioned "1957 Meteor Minor 500 with siamesed exhaust pipes."

Bacon's book calls this a photo of a 1957 Meteor Minor,  but Royal Enfield didn't offer the Meteor Minor until 1958 and the motorcycle pictured does not have the new 500cc motor used in the Meteor Minor. Was this a photo of a prototype or mock-up?

"I've done the bike as per the factory photo in Roy Bacon's book," Mark wrote, allowing for some changes that were personal preference, such as a more svelte front fender.

He is unsure if the bike in Bacon's book has the Meteor Minor "small frame" that was the basis of his build. But he can see that the pictured motorcycle has the motor of the old Royal Enfield 500 Twin, circa 1956, not the new 500cc motor that would appear in the 1958 Meteor Minor.

Royal Enfield did not market the Meteor Minor until 1958. So is the "1957" bike a Meteor Minor prototype, or perhaps a dummied up concept made simply to suggest what the Meteor Minor might look like when it was introduced in 1958?

I asked Royal Enfield Owners Club archivist Bob Murdoch if the club files have that 1957 photo and what, if anything, is written on it. He did not find it in the archives.

I asked Mark what his recreated small frame Meteor Minor is like to ride. His response:

"Performance wise I'd rate it as like a super Crusader, very revvy." 

His motor is the Sports version introduced late in the Meteor Minor's run. Bacon credits it with "special cams, valves and springs to raise the power a little." In his Appendix he lists the Sports with 33 bhp at 6,500 rpm compared to 30 bhp at 6,250 rpm for the usual Meteor Minor.

"It accelerates really well and as a short stroke motor it can be safely revved quite hard without complaint, which is an unusual feeling for someone used to the longer stroke of the (700cc) Meteors/Super Meteors/Constellations and even longer stroke Interceptors! I think top speed when I find out what it is, is going to be hobbled by what feels like very low gearing," Mark wrote me.

"When I assembled the bike I was already aware that a friend (John Dove) had experienced this on his own later (large frame) machine and indeed, I thought so myself when I rode it. His solution was to rebuild the wheels with 18-inch rims, which gave more ground clearance (the footrests are very low in corners with the extra width of the twin engine over a Bullet or Crusader) and this had the useful bonus of raising the overall gearing without compromising the handling.

"On which point, the small frame definitely turns in much faster, like a lithe polo pony over a racehorse? Or is that too pretentious! Thinking about it now, it would be a superb urban bike, slim enough with the narrow bars to filter through traffic (legal here) and fast enough to get away from the lights. Enough legs for that stretch of faster suburban dual carriageway and with excellent brakes to avoid the undecided shopping driver.

"Maybe what Enfield had in mind all along, a quality commuter for the older man who wasn't a dedicated motorcyclist in that era before small cheap cars?"

In his book, Bacon attributes the demise of the Royal Enfield 500cc twins to "a motorcycle world split by the needs of learner 250s and high performance. There was no longer any place for a 500 twin so, in 1963, the final example of the small Enfield twin went from the range."

Mark is a "Machine Specialist" in the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, answering questions about the  Royal Enfield 700cc Super Meteor and Constellation. To avail yourself of his advice, join the club. It's one of the benefits members enjoy.

In particular, if you'd like to emulate his decision to bring a small frame Meteor Minor back to life, he has made a list referring to the 1958 Parts Book illustrations and numbers of the unique parts needed to construct the "small frame" bike. You're going to need that.

Finally, a bit more on "The Avengers" episode with the Honor Blackman and the Royal Enfield. In  "Build a Better Mousetrap," her character Cathy Gale rides not the Royal Enfield shown in the still photos, but a mild looking Triumph Speed Twin with large fairing. Cathy joins a motorcycle gang to investigate a "spell" supposedly cast on its motorcycles by elderly sisters who object to their noise.

The episode is available for purchase. If you watch it let me know if you can spot the Royal Enfield among the motorcycles. I did a lot of squinting but never did see it for sure.

What is the big deal about what Royal Enfield Honor Blackman posed with in 1964? Ask any fan of 'The Avengers' who was a 14-year-old boy in 1964. A kid who might have liked a pad of paper with that image.

Patrick Mcnee's John Steed was a smooth British secret agent who used brains and an umbrella as his only weapons. His female companions were smart as well as lovely. Honor Blackman's character was "Dr. Catherine Gale." Where is that Royal Enfield motorcycle today?

Royal Enfield racer collects Brit bikes in big warehouse

Beno Rodi and Royal Enfield in Kaplan America video.

Longtime Royal Enfield racer Beno Rodi speaks in a recent YouTube video about his fondness for Royal Enfields and the vast collection of British motorcycles and parts he has stored in a warehouse in Georgia.

In the Kaplan America video interview with Rodi he shows off the Royal Enfield 350 motorcycle he has campaigned for 60 seasons. (The YouTube video is no longer viewable.)

"This is the one I rode the '61 Alligator and Stone Mountain enduro on... My dad went along with me because I was just 14. Well, to begin with, it was something I had built, so I think the front fender fell off first, and then the exhaust pipe fell off and then the back fender fell off.

"It was pretty much wore out by the time I got through." As battered and rebuilt as it is, he said he planned to take it racing in the brakeless dinosaur class that weekend.

His father Al Rodi ran Al Rodi'sMotorcycles, the dealer for greater Atlanta in the 1940s, according to Royal-Enfield.net

"Over the next 20 years Al Rodi operated various shops around Atlanta devoted to everything from AJS to Zundapp, but focused on the English marques including Royal Enfield and re-badged 'Indian-Enfields,'" Royal-Enfield.net says.

British bikes and parts went into storage as Japanese motorcycles replaced them on showroom floors.

Royal Enfield and other British makes on dealership sign in Rodi warehouse.

"Today, Al Rodi's son Beno has taken all of the former inventory from British bike shops collected over the course of many years where they now reside in a warehouse near Winder, Ga. outside Atlanta," the website says.

"He is involved in a variety of restoration projects as well as historical racers. Beno has himself been involved in motorcycle racing since the 1960s and currently campaigns a selection of Royal Enfield Bullets in flat track, road racing and trials events."

No racing Royal Enfield this; it's a ladies model of the 1920s.

Beno Rodi was one of the founders of the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) and ran a motorcycle dealership that handled BSA, Triumph, Norton, Moto Guzzi, Ducati and BMW. That became a parts and salvage business, while he raced under the banner of what he called "Team Salvage, because I was riding my old junk (and winning races)."

Rodi bears the scars of racing, the video interviewer notes, in a body battered by injuries. He uses a starting rig to avoid having to kick start his motorcycles.

Backing Royal Enfield 350 onto starting rollers.

Even watching him maneuver his Royal Enfield 350 onto the rig looks painful. It's easy to respect someone who goes to such lengths to stay in his game.

The lengthy (and slow paced) video concentrates on the size and variety of Rodi's collection of parts and motorcycles. His interests extend far beyond Royal Enfields to BSAs, Nortons, AJS, Matchless and on.

But it's easy to spot Royal Enfields on the video tour around the warehouse.

Glory days: When Avellinos raced for Royal Enfield

Sebastian "Sam" Avellino Jr. is third from left and his brother Richard "Dicky" Avellino is far right.
Readers, what else can you tell us about this historic Royal Enfield photo?
(Photo from the archives of the REOC UK)

AN APPEAL TO READERS: Can you help tell us more about this photo from the REOC UK files? Who is the man in the plaid shirt standing so proudly with the young men in T-shirts? And who is that young man standing just next to him? Add anything helpful to the Comments below.

For U.S. Royal Enfield motorcycle enthusiasts of the 20th Century the name Sam Avellino was magical.

"Avellino's" they said, meaning the motorcycle showroom and repair shop at 240 Harris St. in Revere, Mass. It was where you went to buy Royal Enfield motorcycles, parts and service. When you did, you hoped to pick up some of the Avellino's know-how that came with them.

"Sam" — it stood for Sebastian — Avellino was the New England distributor for Royal Enfield in the 1960s. His son — they called him "Sam" too — Sebastian Avellino Jr., raced and then carried on at the shop into the 21st Century, long after Royal Enfield closed its factory in Britain.

So, when Royal Enfield Owners Club archivist Bob Murdoch came across this photo of three young men in Royal Enfield T-shirts, he knew he was looking history in the eye.

"I wonder if you can find out anything about this promotion event or any of the people?" he wrote me. He went on to describe the photo:

"The bike in the foreground is a Constellation, while the one facing towards us on the right looks like a Mk1 Interceptor. This could place the date around 1963. The brochure on the wall — top left hand — is quite clear but I can't find it in our copies, which may suggest that it's a USA export-only poster. It shows a Bullet, a Crusader Sports and a Constellation, circa 1962."

"The photo has no clues on the back, but is certainly of professional size and quality. It came with a photo album donated by Barry Smith the company secretary and son of (managing director) F.W. Smith."

The big banner in the background lists the other Royal Enfield distributors in the U.S. at the time, including Gene Shillingford & Sons in Philadelphia. But given that the T-shirts on the young men specifically say "Revere, Mass," I figured this had to be a photo inside Avellino's store.

In particular, the windows behind the young men seemed similar to the front of the store. Jorge Pullin captured a photo of it for his blog My Royal Enfields. It's fortunate he did.

"For those of you that may have had dealings with Avellino's in Revere, Mass., who was a Royal Enfield and BSA dealer in the '50s through '70s may be interested to know that Avellino's shop was torn down today and is no more," Ron Pare posted on the Britbike.com forum July 22, 2008.

Later he added a note on why Avellino's was so special:

"Sam used to have some unique aftermarket parts still in stock for RE twins from 'back in the day.' Webco, Megacycle, Kosman, etc... I doubt Sam parted with his personal bikes (usually in his showroom). They would be pretty easy to recognize. A unique '700' with an Interceptor dual carb top end, a '60s bobber with dual cylindrical side-by-side fuel tanks, and others."

I found Sam Junior's obituary on the Internet.

"He had operated the Avellino Motorcycle Sales and Service Co. store that his father had started for 30 years prior to his retirement in 2008," it said.

"He enjoyed going up to Laconia every year and helping out at the motorcycle races... He had been a veteran of the Vietnam War serving with the U.S. Army prior to his discharge in 1966." He was predeceased by his brother Richard.

The real breakthrough came when I emailed the photo to Sam Jr.'s daughter Angel Bart. Her answer came back right away:

"Wow! This is a photo that I have never seen before so I must thank you for sending it to me! The gentleman third from the left is my Dad, Sebastian (Sam) Avellino Jr. The gentleman all the way to the right is my Uncle Richard (Dicky) Avellino. The older gentleman is not my grandfather Sebastian (Sam) Sr. I do not know who it is; and the one next to him is a friend of my dad and uncle.

"The three of them used to race bikes. The building they are in does not appear to be the Avellino shop on Harris Street in Revere, Mass. I do not know the friend's name right now."

It turns out the day I reached her was special.

"Today is the fifth anniversary of my dad's death. I asked for a sign from him and I think this was it," Angel wrote.

She sent several photos she has that show Sam Sr. and Sam Jr., and the shop in Revere. I'm researching them as best I can and I have her permission to reprint them here. When I do, readers, I think I'll need your help identifying all they show.

Readers, for the moment, can you help tell us more about the photo from the REOC files? Who is the man in the plaid shirt standing so proudly with the young men in T-shirts? And who is that young man standing just next to him?

The shirts suggest the young men are going to compete for the pride of Royal Enfield. But where? When? And how did they do? Please respond in the Comments section below.

Royal Enfield CEO Vinod Dasari knows the U.S. well

Royal Enfield's new CEO Vinod Dasari visits the U.S. HQ in Milwaukee June 20, 2019.
(Royal Enfield Photo.)

Royal Enfield's new Chief Executive Officer Vinod K. Dasari is a prominent business leader in India, where he successfully managed to turn around a major truck maker by adopting Total Quality Management techniques to reduce defects, and serving customers better.

And he knows the United States well.

He takes over as Royal Enfield CEO from Siddhartha Lal, who continues as managing director of parent company Eicher Motors. Lal "will continue to support Vinod and the team on product and brand related areas," the press release states.

"Royal Enfield is an inspiring story and I am very excited to be part of such a fantastic brand," Dasari is quoted as saying in the April 1 press release.

"Personally for me, working with a consumer brand will be a tremendous learning opportunity, and professionally, I am looking forward to the challenge of creating a global consumer brand from India."

And, from Siddhartha Lal:

"Royal Enfield is now building the foundations of its next level of growth. As we commence another exciting chapter, I believe, there is no better person than Vinod Dasari to lead Royal Enfield into its next phase of evolution to a global brand.

"Vinod is a proven leader who combines business vision and people skills. He has been a catalyst in reviving the fortunes of his previous company...

"Vinod’s fearless entrepreneurial leadership, experience of managing complex businesses globally, deep understanding of customers and his vision of how digital technology will be used and experienced around the world are precisely the qualities that Royal Enfield needs."

Dasari held executive positions in the U.S. but moved to India almost 20 years ago, becoming the CEO and managing director of Ashok Leyland, a major manufacturer of commercial heavy trucks, in India. He resigned in 2018, satisfied with strong growth there.

Ashok Leyland became the first commercial vehicle company outside Japan to earn the prestigious Deming Prize for Total Quality Management.

He explains how it was done in this video, below:



Dasari went to college at Louisville University, and then took masters degrees at the Kellogg School of Management and McCormick School of Engineering, both at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

I mention Northwestern because that's where I — many years earlier — allegedly studied journalism. If nothing else, I can guarantee you he understands a Midwestern winter.

With the new job as Royal Enfield CEO he also joins the Board of Eicher as an executive director.

He served as president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) from 2015 to 2017 and as president of Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), 2013 to 2015. Business Today and Business Standard have named him  "CEO of the Year," and he was CV Magazine's "Man of the Year" and Autocar "Professional of the Year."

Ventura Blue Continental GT 650 is a tribute to Paul

Ventura Blue Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is a tribute to Paul Ventura.

"Ventura Blue" is one of the great new colors coming for the new Royal Enfield Continental GT 650. You might imagine that the name refers to the ocean along Ventura County in California, a mecca for surfing and motorcycling.

The name of the lovely color is in fact a tribute to Paul Ventura, a member of the Royal Enfield team that bought the 650 twins into being. Paul died at 42 years old while motorcycling June 20, 2018. There was a collision with a car near his home in the UK.

He was a product strategy manager for Royal Enfield at its UK Technical Center. But, as an avid motorcyclist, he certainly knew the California coastline.

A dual U.S.-European Union citizen, Paul was educated at the University of Southern California. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a combat engineer.

Designers posted names for colors on a bulletin board.
Ventura Blue was originally to have been Sea Nymph.

After working at Honda as a product planner and at Ducati (in Italy), he joined Royal Enfield in September, 2016.

"I plan and develop motorcycles from conception to completion for Royal Enfield, the world's oldest continuously operating motorcycle manufacturer," he wrote on Linked In. "I'm proud to play a key role in helping achieve current sales of over 500,000 units annually, which are well on track to a million!"

In response to his death Royal Enfield staff raised money for a trust fund for his two children.

One anonymous donor wrote: "Couldn't have worked with a nicer chap, always able to bring people together with any background, make them feel included and make them laugh."

The Just Giving page was illustrated with a photo of Paul smiling while having his face licked by a cow.

Paul Ventura discusses the Royal Enfield 650 twins in video.

Paul described himself on Linked In as "passionate about technology, music, food, and above all, motorcycles."

He appears in the Royal Enfield video "The Royal Enfield 650 Twins — Engineering Fun."

"So these are Royal Enfield's first twin-cylinder motorcycles in a very long time," he says in the video.

"The GT 650 twin and the Interceptor 650 twin, that have true highway capability, exciting handling... They're powerful, they handle, they perform beautifully, but they're also very accessible, very easy."

And very handsome, in Ventura Blue.

UPDATE: In a 2019 comment on this blog item, Mark Wells of Royal Enfield provided more information about this tribute to his colleague, Paul Ventura:

"I am Mark Wells, Head of Product Strategy and Industrial Design at Royal Enfield. I was Paul's boss, he was my dear friend. I miss him every single day. I found this post and these comments looking to try and find pictures of him I don't already have.

"All of Interceptor and GT names have an esoteric back story. Baker Express is named after one of the engineers, Ravishing Red after a lad called Ravi on my team, MarkIII after me. This was Paul's idea. At first it wasn't meant for production, they were just internal names for the colors, but it stuck. Paul never named a color for himself; that is why we did it. Nothing will ever bring him back but maybe his boys will see the name in a bike magazine and know that people who loved Paul did it as their way of honoring his memory."

Ventura Blue may be my favorite color for the new Continental GT 650.

He grew up with Royal Enfield, now has the 'first' C5

He now owns the first Royal Enfield C5 sold in the U.S.

Royal Enfield motorcycles — usually badged as Indians — figured early in the life of Gary Friddle, a truck driver who now lives in Eastern Oklahoma.

His dad and grandfather before him raced Indians. Gary grew up believing that Harley Davidson was "the enemy."

Gary was the youngest of nine children. His dad had a 1960 Indian Chief, built by Royal Enfield, purchased about 1962. He would put five or six of the kids on it. There's a picture of this somewhere, probably misplaced in a move, Gary said.

One brother, serving overseas with the Air Force, brought back an early 700cc Interceptor and talked about the Mods and Rockers and "doing the ton."

The boys in the family rode and raced British motorcycles including Ariel and AJS. Growing up in Michigan, Gary remembers clearing a "track" by plowing snow off a frozen lake for ice racing.

"I tried to keep the track as curved as possible; the Harleys could catch us on the straights!"

The ice-rink track would get rutted and unusable after a few races, giving everyone the chance to head inside to warm up.

As a teen he got custody of a 1959 Indian Woodsmn with a Fury head on it, "an awesome bike." This was only possible because his father had a buddy who was an Indian dealer in Battle Creek, Mich. The Woodsman had been intended for the dealer's son to race but plans changed and it came to Gary's family.

The Woodsman was "about 20 years old" when Gary got it. After he went into the military another brother sold off the Woodsman.

Gary hadn't ridden for 30 years when the urge returned. In fact, it had been so long that he wondered what it would be like to ride now that most motorcycles shifted on the left, instead of on the right as he remembered. He knew Royal Enfields were still made in India.

He wrote me recently to tell me that he had found his Royal Enfield on this blog. His motorcycle turns out to be the first C5 sold in the United States, and he has a certificate proving it. Gary is the second owner, having purchased it from Dannie Mullins. Mullins was kind enough to deliver the motorcycle to Gary.

"My wife was amazed because one of the first things I asked him was 'what's its name?' She said 'how did you know he had given his motorcycle a name?'

"I just knew."

The name was "Rosie," appropriate for the color.

Gary also wanted me know about Michael Baker, of Royal Enfield of Fort Worth. I mentioned the dealership recently, noting that it claims to be the largest pre-owned Royal Enfield dealer in the U.S.

Odometer shows 16,000 miles.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw my friend Michael Baker's dealership featured in your article about used Royal Enfields," Gary wrote.

"Mike and I met in New Ulm, Texas at the 28th Annual British Motorcycle Owners Association Motorcycle Rallye this summer. 2012 was the year of the Royal Enfield and Mike brought out a fine display of not only bikes but hats, shirts and swag from his dealership.

"The Royal Enfields showed a very respectable rating in the events, winning about a third of them, as I recall. We had great fun and Mike is a real stand up guy. After the event he answered questions over the phone I had about my bike and helped in so many ways, as I don't have a dealer locally here in Oklahoma.

"Since meeting Mike and the team from Fort Worth, he's now my dealer and go-to guy for anything Royal Enfield related!"

Brian Crow, Royal Enfield test rider of the 1950s and '60s

Royal Enfield test rider Brian Crow is shown in a photo
from the website of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK.

Brian Crow, the Royal Enfield factory test rider who famously dipped his rear wheel in the sea to begin a dash from John O'Groats to Land's End, died Aug. 30, 2012.

"My father Brian Crow was the test rider for Royal Enfield motor bikes at their factory in Redditch," his daughter Gail Clarke wrote me.

"I am informing you that sad to say he passed away this morning surrounded by his family. Please forward this on to members of Royal Enfield clubs as he had letters from many members asking him about motorbikes and he always answered every one.

"He was a devoted father, grandfather and great grandfather. He will be cremated at a later date at Redditch, Worcestershire, England."

Brian Cleeve Crow was the first in a five-rider team that raced a brand new Royal Enfield Continental GT from the northern point of Great Britain to its farthest southwest point in 1964. The object was to dramatically introduce the racy new model to the public.

"The factory's 1964 run of 22 hours and 20 minutes was a phenomenal achievement on the 250cc Continental GT," said Allan Hitchcock of Hitchcocks Motorcycles. His team recreated the epic stunt 40 years later, using a 612cc Royal Enfield Bullet. He is quoted in an account of the 2004 recreation by author Gordon May, one of the riders in 2004.

Brian Crow was on hand to observe the recreation.

“This has made my year,” Crow told Gordon May.

“I remember leaving John O’Groats on the GT like it was yesterday. It was really cold and I felt a huge burden of responsibility. The support van left me an hour before I was due to depart. Locals came to chat and wish me luck.I actually started with my rear wheel immersed in the North Sea; there was no start and finish line in those days."

Crow told May that the GT he rode was not stock.

“The engine was assembled very carefully in the competition shop so that it ran perfectly. They used a titanium con rod so that it would stand up to the thrashing it was about to get.”

In May's account, Allan Hitchcock directs that the front wheel of the Bullet used in the 2004 run should be dipped in the sea at the end of its run at Land's End.

“That’s for Brian Crow,” he said.

The handsome Crow, nicknamed "Crowie," was a legend in the small Royal Enfield Experimental Department.

He was seriously injured in a 1959 crash at the MIRA track when a gearbox seized. Experimental Department employee Jack Moore was there.

"He was in third doing 90... Crowie's first words were 'pick up the bike Jack.' He went to hospital, but left the scene in a car I think, from the control tower."

Employee Mervyn Pantin was there as well. He wrote:

"First of all I thought he'd held it, the bike went from side to side but then he did a handstand in the air and came down on his hands, fracturing his forearm. The bike was taken back to the factory for examination and the gearbox was stripped while all the Heads stood round, Jack Booker, Tony Wilson-Jones and several Foremen. Someone had put the wrong-sized part in."

Crow was certainly never afraid of speed. He drove a tiny Berkeley sports car, with Royal Enfield motor, and drove it fast: 100 mph by one account. The car lost a windshield once, while passing a truck. Berkeley's reaction, reportedly, was "this happens a lot."

Brian Crow presents a Royal Enfield bicycle to a contest winner
in this 1965 photo from Meccano Magazine.

Recollections from reader Mark Mumford: "I met Brian a few times but had the pleasure of spending a day in his company (along with three or four of the others involved in the GT launch, including John "Mooneyes" Cooper) at the Hitchcocks recreation of the GT launch stunt.

"At Allan Hitchcock's request I took my newly restored GT to Silverstone along with a friend's example; you can see them in the publicity photos. Brian was pictured on my bike, marveling how small they were by today's standards. (And his not so youthful waistline!)

"He was very candid about the non-standard build spec of the motor, commenting that the only really different component was the con-rod, which was specially made by HDA (High Duty Alloys) Enfield's usual supplier, but in titanium. He also talked openly about how he and (sales manager) Roger Boss worked exceptionally hard to market Royal Enfields in the 1960s, not only with high profile stunts but lots of day-to-day slog 'round dealers and following up on customer comments and complaints.

"Crucially, they both chose to ride bikes on these visits rather than use the cars their posts entitled them to, and were used by the representatives of the other British makers.

"He must have been well into his 70s then but I was struck (and similarly to many of the other Royal Enfield employees I've met) how enthusiastic and interested in bikes he still was. There was also a common agreement that although pay wasn't the best at Enfield they felt they were part of a family, and repaid this with loyalty.

"By the early '60s of course, the Mountford family had given way to the corporate ways of the new parent EH&P Smith Group and Brian spoke about how their hard work and ideas for development were ignored. All things must pass but it was a pleasure to know him, even for that short while."

Old riders meets new in photo at 2004 Hitchcocks recreation.
From left, Pat Braithwaite, John Cooper, Allan Hitchcock, David Dixon, Brian Crow, Don Payne, Gordon May and Mick Duckworth.

Jay Leno now rides Royal Enfield with a sidecar

Jay Leno with his Royal Enfield G5 and custom Inder sidecar.

Jay Leno took delivery of his own Royal Enfield G5 motorcycle a year ago. Now he has a sidecar for it, with the result that Royal Enfield once more is associated with America's best know "car guy" and host of The Tonight Show.

Royal Enfield USA president Kevin Mahoney, his wife, vice president Ron Greene and Mike Frankovich of NoHo Scooters in North Hollywood, Calif. visited Leno's storied garage to film a program about sidecars for Jay Leno's Garage.

Leno did a segment in February on the sidecar he has attached to his 1931 Henderson KJ Police Special motorcycle.  That motorcycle originally had a sidecar (lost over the years) and it even has a reverse gear. The modern sidecar was deliberately made to look old to match the all-original condition of the motorcycle.

In contract, the custom sidecar attached to Leno's G5 Deluxe looks shiny and new.

Kevin described Royal Enfield's day with Leno:

"He is riding his Royal Enfield quite a bit — it had just short of 2,000 miles on it. Someone did tell me that they went to The Tonight show and saw him take off on the bike and sidecar.

"Ron, my wife Mimi and I showed up at NoHo Scooters and picked up Mike. Ron rode Mike's G5 with a Rocket sidecar on it to Leno's Garage. It is not far. They decided to do the shoot in what they call the Bugatti Room. His collection is housed in a number of interconnected hangar like buildings. Each car is hooked up to a battery tender, has the keys in it and is ready to go. Not a speck of dust on any of the cars in any of the buildings.

Jay Leno shows Kevin Mahoney his old Henderson and its newly old sidecar.

"About the time we got there Jay showed up. We spent quite a bit of time just talking about different bikes that he had, sidecars and about how much he likes his Royal Enfield. He also customized a sidecar and put it on a very old Henderson of his. You will hardly recognize the sidecar. He has an earlier video about the Henderson on his site.

"I think he looks better in person than he does on camera. He is quite 'fit' in person. When he started to film, his hair was a little wild and my wife felt compelled to fix it for him. We all got a good laugh but he was grateful.

Royal Enfield USA's Ron Greene talks sidecars with Jay Leno.

"Ron carried the day with Jay. He is our resident sidecar expert and has owned many. The process is very casual. Jay just wings it. He is so knowledgeable it is no problem for him to do so. Before he starts he asks if there are any specific points you want to go over. He is a very casual guy and already knew us so it was quite comfortable.

"Right after the shoot lunch was served. They have a full blown kitchen in the shop so everyone sits around and eats pizza, pasta salad, etc. He said that he did a piece there once with Martha Stewart and used a huge shop press as a garlic press."

I didn't yet see the sidecar segment on Jay Leno's Garage, but here's the May, 2011 program on Leno trying out his new Royal Enfield G5 Deluxe.

Sell the Bullet? No way, his family tells him

Jon and his Royal Enfield Bullet.

Riders who follow the Royal Enfield Yahoo message board learned of a real life drama last week. It took a surprisingly heartwarming turn.

It started April 10 with a message from member Jon Miccolis of Illinois.

"Well, I cannot believe that I am doing this but I must sell my 2000 Royal Enfield Bullet 500," he wrote.

"Short of it is I have Multiple Sclerosis and lately I have just been two darned dizzy to safely ride. Being incurable and all it's not going to get any better so..."

He went on to offer his Royal Enfield motorcycle for a very low price.

"It's a nice motorcycle and I am not looking forward to no longer being its owner," Jon wrote.

His message brought many replies, some aimed at cheering him up, to which he responded graciously.  The group's moderator made Jon's motorcycle the featured photo on the website, with details on how to buy it.

And then, on April 13, there was this:

"I'm just going to cut to the chase and tell you like it is — the bike is no longer for sale. It hasn't been sold, it hasn't been stolen, and it hasn't been wrecked. I am keeping it.

"My wife was outraged when I told her that I decided to sell and my son immediately begged me to reconsider. Even though I probably won't be able to continue riding my family wants me to keep it — that and I think my kid planned on riding it himself in a few years. So, I have decided to keep the bike."

The reaction from the Yahoo group was predictable and encouraging

"Good choice, well done and hurrah for your family!" wrote member Malcolm Boyd.

Hurrah, indeed. You have seen many an ad for a motorcycle that claims "the wife says it has to go." It is the nearly universal expectation of husbands that wives aren't expected to understand.

"It was somewhat of a shock to me as well when my wife and son both encouraged (me to keep it), almost forbid me to sell," Jon wrote when I asked permission to share his story here on this blog.

He looks forward to using the motorcycle in the future, when he feels like it.

"I will saddle up and embark on a therapeutic 50-mph bimble up and down the country lanes and farm roads so plentiful in beautiful Northwest Illinois!"

Royal Enfield's gentle voice from the Pacific silenced

Lawrence J. Read and his Royal Enfield in Tonga.

It was a time, in 2008, when Internet message boards devoted to Royal Enfield motorcycles were filled with discussions of how to make the Bullet speedier.

Along came a voice from a small island in the South Pacific, suggesting, in effect, that we were already going too fast.

Intentionally or not, Lawrence J. Read, writing from the tiny island of Vav'u, in the Tonga Islands, became the spokesman for the opinion that rushing through life was unnecessary. Maybe even unwise.

Fascinated by his point of view, I contacted him and he was kind enough to expand on his life and views in a post on this blog titled "Royal Enfield's Calm Voice From Paradise."

I continued to follow his writing on the Royal Enfield Yahoo Message Group, but I lost track of him when he moved over to the Royal Enfield USA Forum. He made many friends there. He felt comfortable there. He mentioned his wife of 28 years, Malia, and children 'Ana Malia and Phillip. He began building a Royal Enfield rickshaw, which would be powered by an electric motor — and even slower than a Bullet!

I didn't realize that, on November 14, 2009 Lawrence Read passed away, in the wake of a motorcycle accident the month before.

I didn't know of his death until a friend of Mr. Read and his wife Malia emailed me recently to ask how much I thought a Royal Enfield should sell for on the island of Tonga. Its owner had died.

How many Royal Enfields could there be, on an island in the South Pacific?

Checking back, I saw on the Royal Enfield USA Forum that Mr. Read had been found by the side of the road, unconscious, in early October, 2009. He had spent five woozy days in the hospital with no recollection of the accident. When he got out, typically, his first concern was for his Royal Enfield, which had suffered only minor damage in the crash. At first, Mr. Read thought an animal might have crossed his path causing the crash, but he came to blame it on a sudden deflation of the rear tire.

He seemed confident that he was recovered, aside from some bandages. On Oct. 24, 2009, he wrote to a fellow enthusiast on the mainland:

"Here in Tonga, any mods are unimportant as just having bike to ride means so much more. And I suppose that's how life should be — people important, everything else to help them out.  There is this tendency left over to try to make the best of each thing, but having a bike is such a fine thing — there is no local money for one and the cost of getting even a poor one here is so ridiculous, that I'm quite happy with what I have.  I have a weird feeling that things there will someday be pretty much the same way."

Less than a month later, he was gone. The news unleashed a wave of condolence messages on the Royal Enfield USA Forum.  I missed it all, perhaps still distracted by my own mother's passing in September, 2009.

Most on the Royal Enfield Yahoo Message Group apparently learned of his death in November, 2010, in a post by member Tom Lyons. Ironically, Lyons is the prime mover behind ACE Performance Bullets,  the most successful group ever at making Bullets go faster than ever. There is no real barrier between lovers of Royal Enfields.

Mr. Read had written of death, making fun of his own wide ranging posts on the Internet. In 2008, he wrote:

"Heh, heh ...picture me sitting their with my neighbor and two missionaries and they're telling me that God is an old man with a white beard, sitting up in left field somewhere with a nice wife (sort of like me) and Lord Jesus is there with him, also with a nice wife, and that if I mind my Ps and Qs and join them, I can be up there with them, with my nice wife, and we will all be gods together. Hell, I hated being an chemical company exec, why would I want to be a god?

"Reminds me of the cult followers from Southern California a few years back, group of guys, I guess, all took poison and lay dead on the floor together because they knew there was a space ship out there just waiting to pick them up and give them new life.

"When I die they will carve on my tombstone:

    Here lies LJR
    He was the best ever
    At dragging a thread
    Off Topic!

"Lawrence J. Read, Vava'u, Tonga Islands, South Pacific"

On Oct. 26, 2009 came his final post on the Royal Enfield USA Forum:

"I've been a Forum member for over two years now and seen it go various ways.  Humor, serious dialogue, most of us just aren't that consistent, nor want to be. Cabo is one of the more consistent members, but there are others.  I do wonder what happened to a few, but guess they dropped off somewhere and don't worry about it.  The one consistent trend is the bikes themselves, and I continue to learn a lot."

Godspeed, Mr. Read.