Surprisingly affordable: The Royal Enfield 650 twins

Siddhartha Lal announces U.S. prices for the new Royal Enfield 650 twins.

Disclosure: Royal Enfield provided transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment and keepsakes to me at this product launch. The following opinions are my own.

The U.S. MSRP of Royal Enfield's new 650 twin motorcycles emerged Tuesday in a bit of staged game-show style banter between Rod Copes, president of Royal Enfield North America, and Siddhartha Lal, leader of Royal Enfield's parent Eicher Corp.

In a press conference/party on the beach near Santa Cruz, Calif., the two executives kidded one another while revealing that the new motorcycles will be competitively priced and also carry three-year warranties and free roadside assistance.

The Interceptor 650 roadster will be slightly less expensive than the Continental GT 650. The two motorcycles each have three price points, which might be described as standard, custom and chrome.

The U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of the base Interceptor 650 is $5,799. The base price of the Continental GT 650 is $5,999.

On the pedestal: Interceptor 650 will be lowest priced of the 650 twins.
Fly screen and leg guards shown are optional extras.

You pay more if you want the shiny gas tank on your bike. Less if you want a two-tone tank and still less if you choose a solid color. Frame and motor of the motorcycles are the same, as are the shiny twin exhausts, front and rear disc brakes with ABS, six-speed gearbox and full instrumentation.

Style and seating position differ between the two models. The Interceptor 650 is a roadster with an upright seating position while the Continental GT 650 has rear-set foot controls and a leaned-forward sitting position. The Continental GT 650 is shown with a solo seat with cafe racer hump, but has passenger foot pegs and can be fitted with a dual seat.

Sales of the new twin-cylinder motorcycles should begin early in 2019, Copes told the audience.

The announcement was accompanied by videos evoking the Interceptor's links to California, sunshine and surfing and the Continental GT's cafe racer heritage.

The Continental GT 650 on stage for the announcement.

International journalists in the audience asked about prices in India and other countries, but these are yet to be announced.

Asleep for decades, Royal Enfield Constellation shines anew

Hidden away for almost half a century, this
1959 Royal Enfield Constellation is back in the sunlight.

In 2016 Dave, of Staffordshire, England, sent me photos of a very unusual Royal Enfield. It was a 1993 Bullet he had purchased with a 700cc Royal Enfield twin-cylinder motor in it instead of the usual 500cc single.

Although happy with that project, Dave hinted that he already had something else in the works. He has just announced that it's finished.

It's a 1959 Royal Enfield Constellation.

"I wasn't joking when I said about restoring another twin and this one is something a little special," Dave wrote.

"Purchased in 1959 by a colonel in the army she spent all her time at the base only having three annual MOT tests. Her final road use was 1974, tucked away from that point at the back of a garage. Sadly the owner passed away leaving it to his son in about 1998. He had started to restore some parts before he must have given up and back into hibernation for 18 years.

"We roll forward to 2016, workshop awaiting the next project, cats awaiting next seat to sleep on! A trip with my son 'Meatball' to our main Royal Enfield dealer after a tip-off that a Constellation had surfaced.

"Before" photo of the Constellation as purchased.

"She stood, rust, dust and cobwebs but beautiful to my eye. Meatball's input at this point was 'dad just buy it!' That had me handing over a large amount of beer tokens and with plenty of banter, I sealed the deal!

"A couple of weeks later an envelope arrived through the post — history!

"The speedometer read just over 5,000 miles, this can't be genuine; it was. Only two owners from new...

"Two years down the road and only spare time available for restoring her she is finally back on the road after 44 years of sleeping.

Old chain guard (bottom) held against new paint
shows color match.

"The color is as close to the original as I could match. The underside of the gas tank had been coated with waxy rust proofer, the type that comes off easily with some gasoline and a cloth. Beneath this was a beautiful coat of paint that has probably never seen the light of day.

"That's the color; mine looks more vibrant as it's new paint. Plenty of time spent with rubbing compound and over 20 coats of wax polish (original 1970s Turtlewax) makes her look fantastic.

Dave preferred the painted mudguards to plated, for a bit different look.
Stout Bullet center stand replaced worn alloy stand for easier lifting.

"Performance wise she pulls like a train, way more power than the early Meteor. This may be down to the better crank and the racing cams that are fitted. Definitely puts a huge smile on your face when you hit the gas!

"The brakes are much to be desired, that twin drum front takes a big effort on the lever but the rear is good and she comes to a stop quite well.

"Oh to add she has a name too: 'Poppy' after our smallest black cat!

Dave says the low mileage Constellation will now get "good use"
but only occasionally, as other projects keep him busy.

"Just when I thought I can’t buy any more another 700 twin appears, so the bench is now covered in the next installment of Royal Enfield history but that's another story!"

This time, at least, Dave has let us in on what the new project might be: "Super Meteor 700 from 1957; she has been asleep since 1973 but soon to be awake again!"

What spy photos tell us about the new Royal Enfield twin

What does this spy photo from RushLane.com tell us
about the new Royal Enfield twin?

Royal Enfield enthusiast John Donlon alerted me to the latest batch of "spy" photographs of the new Royal Enfield twin on the Internet.

He likes what he sees — but I completely misunderstood what he was trying to tell me.

"The handlebars say 'Continental GT 750' but the twin seat and the grab rail behind it say 'Interceptor,'"  John wrote.

"Go take a look."

So I did, but the latest photos show a jacket thrown over the handlebars. I couldn't see any writing. Was John using X-ray vision?

No, not at all. He was referring to how the appearance of the motorcycle relates to great Royal Enfields of the past.

Another Royal Enfield spy photo from RushLane.com

"The handlebars are the same stupid clubman handlebars all the other test bikes have had yet the India motorcycle press somehow still believes the world is going to get a 'Continental GT 750' when the rest of bike screams 'Interceptor.'

"Look at that seat, look at the grab rail, look at that wheelbase. It has to be at least 57 or 58 inches — which is a good 7 inches longer than either the Bullet or the current Continental GT.

"The 1970 Interceptor has a 57-inch wheelbase and the Enfield Rickman Metisse-made in 1970-'71 had a double downtube frame, which also was 57-58 inches.

"The  2017 Harley Street 750 has a wheelbase of 60 inches so it would stand to reason that Royal Enfield is going right at them in street-level sales competition (in India). That 750 is not that powerful (powerful enough) but I'm going to bet Royal Enfield is going after the 'swank' factor. The engine probably is a 45-50 bhp range. Again, just educated guesses but I am definitely excited.

"That wheelbase length speaks volumes — wow! I think they are really going after the 'street prowler' crowd on this one with an obvious homage to the 1970 Interceptor...

RushLane.com photo shows a tidy Royal Enfield twin-cylinder motor.

"So, when you put the whole package together — the big double downtube frame, the Brit-styled twin-cylinder engine, the dual seat with grab rail, the nicely appointed fuel tank, traditional instrument cluster — that makes for a very tasty machine.

"I just hope they don't blow it with the handlebar set up. I'd like to see the TT-style brace handlebars of the late 1960s or the ones that came off later mid-1970s Brit bikes such as the Norton Commando or Triumph Bonneville.

"Do that and I will be at my dealer before they open the front door."

Dreaming of the new Royal Enfield parallel twin

My Bullet and I take an imaginary trip to Royal Enfield's UK tech center.

Like everyone else, I've been anticipating the new Royal Enfield parallel twin motorcycle. The spy photos have begun to appear. The press says Royal Enfield will reveal the new motorcycle in March or April.

But not until last night did the new Royal Enfield Interceptor (if that is what it is) actually appear in my dreams.

True story. I really was dreaming. Here's how it went.

I found myself driving to an appointment at the new Royal Enfield technical facility at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, in England. As I approached I noticed a single motorcycle parked just outside the wide gate of the garage entrance. By its hunched outlines I knew it must be the new twin.

No one was around, but my appointment was in the office, not the garage, and it seemed uncouth to approach the still Top Secret motorcycle.

I dutifully entered the office and was surprised to notice, hanging around near the front windows, Royal Enfield boss Siddhartha Lal. He was dressed to ride and clearly killing time. No doubt he was waiting for some famous motor journalist to appear for an unofficial peek at the new motorcycle.

The lucky journalist must be running late, I guessed. And I began to hatch a plan to wander back outside to where the motorcycle was parked. The photos I could get would be a world exclusive for this blog.

Suddenly the skies opened and the building was slammed by powerful wind and rain. Employees rushed to slide the office windows closed, as water came flying in.

No chance for photos now. The motorcycle would probably have been fetched back into the garage at the first gust.

There was a bit of rain water on the floor of the office. Once a janitor always a janitor, and I grabbed a mop and swept it up. It was instinctive.

To my surprise, Siddhartha Lal had noticed me for the first time and had noticed my good deed as well. He was smiling. Outside, the sun began to return. Perhaps I would be seeing that new Royal Enfield twin after all.

Instead, I woke up.

Ride a Rickman Royal Enfield Metisse with Retro Tours

1970 Rickman Royal Enfield Metisse, left, with other Retro Tour vintage bikes.

The 2017 Retro Tours Holiday Newsletter hit my email recently with word that their 2017 ride schedule is set.

Especially exciting is that a 1970 Rickman Royal Enfield 750 is still part of Retro Tours' fleet of powerful twin-cylinder vintage motorcycles. It's available to riders who join Retro Tours' tailored tours on vintage motorcycles around their eastern Pennsylvania base.

Retro Tours began when Joel Samick "decided to assemble a collection of every big twin from the 1970s." His fleet has grown to 25 machines, including the Rickman Royal Enfield. These were built in very small numbers from left over Royal Enfield Interceptor motors after Royal Enfield closed its doors in England.

Author Roy Bacon wrote that the Rickman Royal Enfield Metisse "combined the tough Enfield engine with the immaculate Rickman chassis to produce a machine with even more punch, thanks to reduced weight. The frame was of all welded construction with duplex tubes throughout and finished by nickel plating... Both hubs carried disc brakes, which at that time was unusual on the front and very rare for the back."

What is it like to ride? Joel described the Rickman Royal Enfield experience in an email to me:

"We rode it to Seven Springs in August, which was about 550 miles round trip. I was leery of taking it on a long hard run like this but it actually did quite well. Of course it vibrates and leaks quite a bit, and the seating position is — let's just say 'weird' to be polite — but it is still a very exciting ride. The big twin motor really propels the 350-pound machine with authority and the handling is, well, Rickman-esque. Riding it always brings out a big grin.

"The rider who requested it went through an interesting transition. He was very excited to start out on the Rickman but soon was looking forward to swapping bikes due to discomfort. We do swap bikes frequently on these tours for that very reason: to spread the discomfort around. Each machine vibrates differently and has a different seating position and attendant pressure points so switching bikes helps to keep things bearable on long hauls.

"By the third day this same rider would not get off the Rickman; he became smitten, seduced by the machine.

"The bike ran well for the whole trip and, for the 100-mile group ride out from the resort, was ridden by Motorcycle Classics editor-in-chief Richard Backus.

"He experienced the only problem. After lunch he had trouble starting the engine, presumably due to confusion about the (unlabeled) ignition switch positions. As he was heaving up and down on the kickstart lever with the bike on its side stand, the side stand bracket began to fatigue and the parked position became radically listed to one side.

"We just used the center stand on the way home and one day soon I'll be breaking out the TIG welder to realign and buttress the sidestand bracket."

So, basically, the Rickman Royal Enfield is a rare, challenging ride.

Royal Enfield is widely expected to introduce a new parallel twin model soon that will evoke memories of the 750cc Interceptor motor that forms the heart of the Rickman Royal Enfield.

Wouldn't it be neat if some motoring journalist manages to ride that new machine alongside Retro Tours' Rickman Royal Enfield? Which machine would he/she prefer, do you think?

Royal Enfield Galaxy was hot new model for the U.S.

The Royal Enfield Galaxy was a Super Meteor with an early Interceptor motor.

A motorcycle with the motor and transmission of a Royal Enfield Galaxy turned up on CraigsList the other day.

Which left me asking: "The Royal Enfield Wh-a-a-t-t-t-?"

I'd heard of Royal Enfield Meteors, Constellations, Interceptors and even the rare VAX Interceptor (an early, 700cc forebearer of the 736cc Interceptor to come).

But what was a Galaxy?

The Royal Enfield Galaxy turns out to have been a powerful parallel twin motorcycle dispatched to the United States starting in about 1959. (Coincidentally, Ford introduced the Galaxie car in the U.S. during 1959. Space was on people's minds back then.)

Graham Scarth, chairman of the Royal Enfield Owners Club UK, endeavored to explain the Galaxy to me.

The REOC-UK has the ledger books from the Redditch, England factory. Graham's own careful research has expanded on these to give a better idea of what Royal Enfield was doing, back in the day.

"Galaxy was a USA specific model and there are none recorded as such in the Redditch ledgers," he wrote. But he has sussed out the engine numbers the Galaxy would have carried, so he knows one when he sees its engine number.

To help me, Graham attached to his email several pages of a brochure entitled "1961 Special Models for U.S.A." It was originally distributed by Cooper Motors, 5832 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, Calif.

The leaflet's focus is on the big Royal Enfied twins of the day, which it touts as the "World's LARGEST and MOST POWERFUL Vertical Twins."

The pamphlet opens with the hot new "Interceptor 'S' Sports 700cc — 52 hp." It notes that this motorcycle comes with "quick detachable headlight" and chrome steel fenders and "can easily be converted for cross country competition."

Turning the page we come to "Super Meteor and Galaxy." It is explained that "The Super Meteor is designed for the discriminating road rider who prefers conventional trim. Has valenced fenders (painted) and nacelle type headlight."

Oh, yeah: and we learn later that it has a 46 horsepower motor.

If you want the full 52 hp motor of the Interceptor, but are the kind of "discriminating road rider" who wants a proper nacelle on his Royal Enfield, there is also a model for you: it's called the Galaxy.

That's it in a nutshell. The Galaxy was an early 700cc Interceptor with traditional Royal Enfield looks. Or, looked at another way, the Galaxy was a Super Meteor in appearance, with an Interceptor motor.

Americans, being Americans, probably did want those chrome steel fenders, though. There's no denying that the Interceptor cuts a much sharper figure in its picture.

And, in fact, there was yet another way to get those racy looking fenders if you wanted them. The leaflet also lists the 700cc Constellation, which came with the 52 hp motor, chrome sport fenders and — a nacelle.

Choice — and, perhaps, confusion — abounded.

Maybe that's why the Galaxy doesn't enjoy instant name recognition today.

Royal Enfield's new Interceptor... we assume

Motorcycle News shows photos of Royal Enfield twin.

Reader John Donlon of Illinois deserves the credit for first pointing me toward the Motorcycle News website.

"They have a front page story of Royal Enfield's new twin being tested in Spain complete with spy shots. Looks like a Triumph, sort of, and has a front mounted spin-on oil filter and an oil cooler. Dressed up for sale this really looks like it will be  a 2017-2018 Interceptor," he wrote.

John is a strong advocate of Royal Enfield selling a powerful parallel twin to rekindle memories of the mighty Royal Enfield Interceptor of the 1960s. In April, 2015 he spotted spy photos on the Internet of a parallel twin motor in a Royal Enfield Continental GT.

That may have been the beginning of Royal Enfield's marketing campaign for the new motorcycle. The introduction of the Royal Enfield Himalayan adventure motorcycle was marked by a months' long campaign of ever more revealing "spy photos" of the new bike. Some may have been legitimate lucky spottings, but the suspicion lingers that Royal Enfield was just teasing us.

The Motorcycle News photos aren't fuzzy selfies or roadside grab shots. They are professionally produced photos that show both sides of the motorcycle. They will ignite interest across the Internet and maybe cause a few people who are saving up money for a Triumph to wait to consider the new Royal Enfield, when it comes.

The question John and thousands of others across the globe are asking is not whether this new Interceptor is coming, but when.

For now, all MCN could tell us for sure is that this motorcycle was "seen testing here in Spain last week with a predominantly British development team in attendance."

Beyond that, it could only speculate about the motorcycle.

It is indeed easy to assume that this is the motorcycle that explains why Royal Enfield bought out esteemed frame builder Harris Performance, recruited renown designer Pierre Terblanche, developed an engineering center in Britain and freed CEO Siddhartha Lal to move to London to oversee it all.

No wonder John Donlon is excited.

Royal Enfield twin makes this Bullet go like a Meteor

Here's a Royal Enfield Bullet with a difference: a big twin motor.

Is there a Royal Enfield Bullet rider who has not wished for more power?

Of course not.

One solution — a 1993 Bullet fitted with a 700cc Royal Enfield Meteor motor — turned up on eBay in the UK in 2010. It put the power of England's big twin of the 1950s into the frame of India's ubiquitous Bullet.

"I don't want somebody saying that it's not original," the seller noted, "because I already know it's not original, thanks."

The motorcycle found a buyer, who contacted me recently to say how much he's enjoying it.

"Yes you can wind the throttle that extra bit and the grin goes from ear to ear especially when you keep up with some of the bigger Japanese stuff!" wrote David, a Staffordshire resident.

Meteor motor of the 1950s in a 1993 Bullet.

After a rebuild the motorcycle looks very different than it did in 2010. To my eye, if anything, it is better camouflaged than ever.

"It now has parts starting from 1953 right through to 2015 (60 years)!" David wrote. Let him tell it:

"It all started many years ago with two postcards, one of a Sunbeam S8 (my late father's bike) and a Royal Enfield Meteor (the bike I wanted). Sixteen years later I have that bike and I still have those postcards!

Postcards purchased back in 1997 provided the inspiration.

"Well she went back on the road after many hours of work rebuilding and modifying certain items to bring her up to date a little. After the engine rebuild, which went very well, I set to work on the electrics. The old two-wire alternator was replaced with a four-wire dual output 12-volt type and the loom modified to run the main headlight directly. This works well and no more flat battery after a good night run.

"The original carb that was fitted was junk so a brand new Amal 389 carburettor was fitted. This carb is the largest Amal that will fit in the area due to the frame design and it is a tight fit!

"Wheels replaced for standard Bullet type and a new set of Dunlop K81 tires fitted.

"Cosmetics changes include mudguards, tank and seat. The look of a Meteor that could have been rolling off the production line a couple of weeks ago was what I wanted.

The look is of a more muscular Bullet.

"...Now onto the riding. Have you ever found a Royal Enfield that starts first kick? I have! This engine since rebuilding has started first time every time, and will tick over smoothly until I’m ready to go.

"Performance is not an issue; smooth acceleration and gear change at the right time makes a pleasant ride and a good turn of speed....

"Overall this Meteor is built to my own personal taste and I think the 1950s style with that modern touch works well.

"Would I take on another project like this? Yes, it's already in the planning stage and 2017 may see another twin Royal Enfield back on the road."

The same motorcycle as it looked in 2010.

Royal Enfield parallel twin: An Interceptor or an Edsel?

Royal Enfield's incredible sales successes with its single-cylinder motorcycles only fuel enthusiasts' hopes for a powerful new Royal Enfield twin.

The prospect of a twin-cylinder Royal Enfield evokes memories of the mighty Royal Enfield Interceptor of the 1960s.

I reported in January, 2011 that Royal Enfield plans a parallel twin, the same configuration used by the 750 Royal Enfield Interceptor back in the day.

Since then, my email has reflected the hopes of fans in the U.S.

"Now would be the time for the parallel twin; blow your competitors into the weeds and unlock markets that haven't been yet served," wrote John Donlon, of LaGrange Park, Ill.

"As I have said before: a Bullet with a twin becomes a Meteor, an Electra with a twin becomes an Interceptor and the Continental GT with a twin becomes a Metisse. Three new bikes with one engine change."

Such a motor is coming, the authoritative blog Visordown reported. (I have not been able to confirm the size of the twin or the timing of its release reported in that article.)

But what would a Royal Enfield powered by a twin look like anyway? And how would it fare in the U.S. market? I found interesting the following cautionary comments by "Lannis," of Appomattox, Va., on the WildGuzzi forum. He wrote:

"Being a Britbiker with original '50s and '60s bikes myself, I understand why the Enfield single was and remains popular. It doesn't have anything to prove; it can johnny-pop around the countryside and break down every once in a while and go really slow and that's all OK, 'cause it's cheap and historic.

The Edsel.

"But a parallel twin? People are going to expect more out of that; they may even expect something like a Hinkley Triumph twin.  But if they get something anything LIKE the 1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor it's going to be an Edsel-sized sales disaster. Those were terrible bikes even in their day, as opposed to the single.

"What I mean is, the Enfield single was attractive to a certain type of person because it was a direct, genuine descendant of the British Enfield of 1955. Made the same way, with the same warts, eccentricities, and idiosyncrasies, and looked the business, too...
 
"So with the 'new' Royal Enfield Interceptor twin they've got two choices:

"1. Make it a direct copy of the 1970 twin, like the single was; hey, it worked once, maybe it'll go twice. If they do that, it'll be a nightmare and no one will buy one. They'd rather have a Chang Jiang, and with good reason.

"2. Make it a brand-new bike, with styling cues from the old RE 750, a la Hinkley. I'm not sure that would work.

"Heckfire, people didn't know what the RE twins were back when they were NEW! There weren't many around, and they didn't run for long when they were around. There's just no 'history' to help the new technology get accepted with the 'cachet' of the old one.

"I'm not hoping they fail. I'm just not going to be blindly optimistic about its chances, in hopes of adding to some karma stream that will get the bikes sold."

650cc twin, leaning sidecar make this Bullet special

Leaning sidecar and parallel twin motor make this Bullet special.

Gerry from Washington State was so impatient for Royal Enfield to offer a modern parallel twin that he built his own. I wrote about his Royal Enfield Bullet powered by a Yamaha 650 twin in 2011.

"This thing buries the speedo needle with ease and accelerates like a GSXR 750 and shoots right over the Rocky Mountains like a cannonball," he told me. At the time, he predicted that he would keep "messing" with his creation.

Something tells you this will be a wild ride.

And he has done exactly that, adding an articulated sidecar. The whole unusual rig is now for sale on CraigsList in Renton, Wash. (Unfortunately, the ad has expired.)

Powerful Japanese twin powers this Royal Enfield Bullet.

According to the ad it's a "2001 Royal Enfield Bullet totally customized with '77 Yamaha XS650 motor and drive train. Totally custom bike and experimental (read, not for road use) fully articulating sidecar."

Sidecar is "experimental."

Asking price is $9,000.

The ad includes a link to a video showing the motorcycle and sidecar in action on curves.

Is Royal Enfield gearing up for a prototype twin cylinder?

The Royal Enfield factory in Chennai, India is advertising for two prototype engineers with advanced skills related to research and development of gears and shafts.

Are these the new employees who will bring a presumed new Royal Enfield twin-cylinder motor to the prototype stage?

The candidates chosen will have knowledge of casting, forgings, machining of splines, shafts, gears and holes. Knowledge of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) of machining and wire cut is required.

I looked up the meaning of CNC. One definition:

"This means a computer converts the design produced by Computer Aided Design software (CAD), into numbers. The numbers can be considered to be the coordinates of a graph and they control the movement of the cutter. In this way the computer controls the cutting and shaping of the material."

Royal Enfield defines itself as: "Manufacturers of the legendary Bullet motorcycles. With a range that combines distinctive styles with power, riding comfort and ruggedness, to deliver a 'unique motorcycling experience.'"

A twin would make that experience even more special.

V-twin or Vertical twin for Royal Enfield? What's best?

They couldn't wait for Royal Enfield to build a twin-cylinder motorcycle
so they built one themselves!

If Royal Enfield wants advice on how to build its new twin, they'd do well to watch the discussion taking place on the Ace Performance Bullets Yahoo Group. Should the new motorcycle be a V-twin? Vertical twin? What would be best and what best fits Royal Enfield's 100-year history of making motorcycles in Britain and India?

The discussion seems to have been sparked (sometimes it's hard to tell) by the appearance of two new YouTube videos showing a homemade V-twin pieced together by some clever mechanics in India.

 

The motor, in a beat-up looking old Bullet frame, runs and sounds great. It's fascinating looking at the solutions to such knotty problems as how to route exhaust pipes and where to place the carburetors. 

Builders Anand Bhalerao and Dean Fernandes of Mumbai spent four years creating this 45-degree V-twin from Royal Enfield AVL motors. It has wet sump oil circulation and rocker adjusted pushrods.

Mouth of front carb faces rear; rear carb faces forward!

The video is well worth watching and amusing. It ends with a audible "Whoo!" of triumph from one of the builders. But this was just the starting point for comments by Tom Lyons, head of Ace Engineering LLC, and members of his Yahoo discussion forum.

A V-twin would suit "Mike," who wrote: "If they introduce a vertical twin it will be just like everyone else's offerings except not as good and it will pay no attention to RE heritage which until WWII was V-twin. Look at the KX model at 1,140cc and tell me that isn't a really beautiful machine. Better than any Interceptor any day. I read somewhere that Siddharta Lal was after a tourer. A V-twin would make a great loping tourer as opposed to a large vertical twin in my biased opinion."

"Goldstarzb34" disagreed: "The biggest problem that I can see with the V-twin is that the market is saturated. Every company and their mother makes one! There are only a couple of parallel twins on the market. Then again, V-twins are popular; I own four, 1912 Indian, '30 and '34 Harley Vl, and an '02 Sportster, and I don't even like the Harley Life Style thing. Glad I don't have to make that corporate decision!"

Lyons made this comment:

"If I were Enfield India, I would try to fit this new twin right into the existing C5 platform, and use as many parts in common as possible. That is a key to cost containment. I'd use a vertical twin package with unit construction with the same length footprint that fits in the C5 frame, but just is a bit wider. Beef-up some of the key parts, which will need it, make some minor styling/paint changes to set the twin apart from the single in appearance, and get it out on the market for as low cost as possible.

"I'd make it a 1,000cc, and not a 750, because they already have the 500cc pistons, and it will have a better chance of having somewhat decent power then, considering the way Enfield always makes the lowest powered machine in any category. And it doesn't cost any more to bore the cylinders for bigger pistons than smaller ones."

Will all this end up influencing the factory decision? Unlikely. "Sometimes I have no understanding about why the factory does some things that it does," Lyons writes.

Here's the second video from the first start up of the  homemade India V-twin:

 

Royal Enfield with Yamaha twin is fast, looks right

Enfield with heart of a Yamaha 650 twin.

Update: This item has sparked discussion of homemade Royal Enfield twins, Yamahas, parallel twins and V-twins. Check the "Comments" link at bottom to get in on the conversation.

Royal Enfield is considering building a more powerful motorcycle, with a parallel twin motor like those in its legendary Meteor and Interceptor of the '50s and '60s. No sooner did I report that than this message arrived:

"Sorry but I couldn't wait for a parallel Bullet so I modified mine. I like it specifically because it's NOT another V-twin and all the hoopla that goes with 'em," wrote Gerry from Washington state. He attached this gorgeous picture of his Bullet with its parallel twin, transplanted from a Yamaha 650.

Enfield-Yamaha looks right.

The picture is out of date now, as Gerry has continued what he jokingly calls his "sacrilegious mods" to his Bullet.

Also out-of-date but still inspiring is this Youtube video of Gerry taking a brief run with the then still unsorted Yamaha Bullet.



His comments on his video explain the project pretty well:

"Bought a parts bike for $100. Original Enfield motor with very high millage, still intact. Rebuild might have been cheaper, however this one can cruise all day at 90-100 mph after I put the Yamaha swing arm and rear wheel into it.

Gerry and his Enfield-Yamaha twin.

"This thing buries the speedo needle with ease and accelerates like a GSXR 750 and shoots right over the Rocky Mountains like a cannonball."

He credits fellow bikers on the Royal Enfield Forums with helping along the way and inspiring him to keep going. "Learned much from the good people there," he wrote me.

One picture on the Forum shows the subframe made for his Bullet twin.

Custom cradle supports motor better than brackets alone might.

"This was made to enclose the gap in the frame that is normally underneath a Bullet motor and transmission. Its purpose was to provide extra support to the front down tube, neck and back bone. Also provides a fifth 'engine-to-frame' mount and a spot to hang the Enfield footpeg assembly."

In comments on the Forum, Gerry expressed doubt that Royal Enfield itself could ever successfully sell the fast parallel twin he wanted. How could an Indian twin overcome the Brit-bike snobs and the American prejudice for V-twins, he asked? Besides, he noted, there is no shortage of reliable old Japanese motorcycles available in the U.S. to meet any demand for conversion to fast café racers.

At the same time, he hopes he is wrong about a new Royal Enfield twin someday coming to America.

"I would like to build another single using the Ace/Chumma Fireball and yes: if I can afford it would LOVE a new stock twin."

As for what he did being sacrilegious, he's prepared to take the criticism. Still, "don't think I would have stuffed a XS650 motor in a real '58," he wrote on the Forum about such a bike on eBay.

Winston Churchill packs a Tommy gun on rear finder.

As for the future: "My plan is to ride the hell out of my Bullet and keep messing with that for a decade or two."

Royal Enfield is working on parallel twin that will remind you of the Meteor, CEO says

Royal Enfield is working on a parallel twin motorcycle and a multi-fuel adventure touring bike. The new Bullet 500 model will have a new, low price. And a kick start lever is coming for Royal Enfield C5 motorcycles imported to the United States.

Royal Enfield's new CEO, Dr. Venki Padmanabhan made these revelations public at the New York International Motorcycle Show this weekend.

Dr. Padmanabhan unveiled two new models there, the Classic Chrome and the Bullet 500. Both are based on the C5 with its unit-constructed engine, but the Chrome looks like the popular Deluxe model of old and the Bullet 500 looks like a throwback to the beloved 350cc Bullet in production in India for 50 years.

Dr. Padmanabhan was very enthusiastic about Royal Enfield's future and its new, thoroughly modern but retro-looking motorcycle.

"The only piece missing is that it is 500cc and I don't want to be getting on the expressway at 500cc. We are addressing that with a well thought out program. At the India Auto Show we announced the cafe racer, with 600cc, just enough larger. Now you're in the mainstream. We are working on a parallel twin that will bring back the idea of the Meteor and the Interceptor."

A parallel twin rather than a V-twin, I asked?

"If you come to the factory you will see unbelievably heated debate. Right now it's leaning to a parallel twin."

A parallel twin would indeed bring back fond memories of Royal Enfield's powerful and legendary Meteor, Constellation and Interceptor motorcycles.

"People will say this is exactly the Meteor, except it doesn't leak, it doesn't seize — all the old problems of British motorcycles — and you have modern fuel injection and so on," he said.

The cell phone connection was poor, but Royal Enfield USA President Kevin Mahoney managed to tell me Dr. Padmanabhan said Royal Enfield is developing "a multi-fuel (diesel, gasoline, kerosene, etc.) adventure touring bike. The Himalaya touring bike."

Meanwhile, C5s in the U.S., currently available only with electric start, will get the old-fashioned kick start as well. C5s sold in India have had it all along.

"Already (this change has been made). From this year forward," Dr. Padmanabhan said. "Kevin and the other guys said to us, 'Hey, what about us?"' and we said sure, it makes it easier on us: the same bike for everyone.

"The kick start has a simple mechanical charm. It's just like the bike: a simple, simple, simple basic mechanical device. I think it may be the last motorcycle in production that you can kick start," he said.

Mahoney said that the Classic Chrome and Bullet 500 bikes unveiled in New York will be here in late Spring. The cafe racer is due in 2012. The kick start C5s will come when the model year changes.

As for the multi-fuel adventure bike, Mahoney said "Everybody sells a touring bike, but that would be pretty nice to have, one that could run on any kind of fuel."

The new Bullet 500 unveiled in New York will start at $5,495, he said. It will be an entry level bike, available in black only, and there will be limited numbers of them, he added.

More details on home-built Enfield V-twin

Aniket Vardhan built his won Royal Enfield 700cc V-twin motor from two 350 motors. The Columbus, Ohio man's accomplishment, seen on YouTube, won admiration from around the world. More than one commenter has yearned for such a motor from Royal Enfield. Vardhan has been peppered with questions about the motor, and has answered some of them on the Bulletech Yahoo message board.

Members asked him about the shape of the crankcase, why both exhausts face forward and whether the motor will fit in a Bullet frame. His responses include:

"I tried hard to make the crankcase look 'Enfield' -- the more rounded profile in the front, which hints at the big, heavy flywheel spinning around inside.

"The distributor casting is the stock one and it's probably going to stay there until the motor is tested thoroughly, then I will machine up a more elegant one that doesn't stick out so much!

"The layout was simply dictated by the fact that I had to use the given Enfield head -- as you know, the size of the intake and exhaust ports and valves is different, so they couldn't be switched. Personally, the 'both exhausts forward' layout has advantages -- both cylinders have the hottest portion (the exhaust port area) pointing forward at the cool breeze. And, of course, not to forget, the mighty Vincent was the same way!

"I made it to fit the frame, but the top tube does have to be cut and lengthened -- that is the only major mod. Also, the engine mounting plates are custom, both front and back, but that is basically some flat steel with holes in slightly different places. I have mocked it up in the test bike, and actually, the longer wheelbase looks rather good, more proportionate with the bigger motor. I will be going for the classic Brit V-twin looks of the beautiful Matchless Model X, BSA Y13, AJS 1000 etc.

"Right now, the oil pumps are the classic piston ones but the castings are such that if needed, the gear ones may be used as well. The entire oil feed system is removable to allow cleaning and blowing with compressed air without dismantling or removing the timing cover -- that copper oil pipe assembly is removable entirely after unscrewing the mounting Allen screws. I really love the look of the old engines with the copper oil pipes.

"I really would have liked the simplicity of one carb, but here's the main problem: if the rear cylinder were reversed (with the exhaust port facing backwards and the inlet forwards), then we have to deal with the fact that the rear cylinder now must have the cams, push rods etc. on the LEFT side of the engine, while the front one has them on the RIGHT. You see, this would make things really complicated in terms of using the existing primary case, cam drive, oil system and greatly compromise overall simplicity.

"I guess the one thing I can claim to have kept as my principal goal in the layout of this engine is to keep things as simple as possible for the owner-mechanic to have as trouble free an experience as possible. This engine is really no more complicated (or less simple) than the single-cylinder engine. I am confident that any owner or mechanic who has worked on the single will find this twin just as tinker-friendly."

Road testing the Royal Enfield Meteor

For sale right now on Ebay is a copy of Cycle magazine for
November, 1953, featuring a road test of the Royal Enfield
Meteor 700 twin. The photos are stirring. Someone out there
is going to want this one.

Cycle tester Pee Wee Cullum enjoyed his ride on what was "the
world's largest vertical twin."

"I can only conclude," he wrote, "that this month's test
motorcycle is one that I'll remember for a long time to
come."

Single cylinder enough for Royal Enfield

Thank you to all who voted in our poll, "Royal Enfield Should Bring Back Its Classic Twins." The poll was a reaction to the Carberry Enfield V-twin project. Thirteen people voted: seven thought one cylinder was enough, thank you.

Have something more to say about it? Leave a comment here.

Royal Enfield V-twin from Australia

We're indebted to MrUnderhill of the Yahoo Royal Enfield message board for an alert that Carberry of Australia is now "taking orders" for its powerful V-twin engine installed in a Royal Enfield Bullet.

Carberry's website is great fun to look at if only for its great video of the 50-horsepower prototype in action.

Carberry says this about their product:

"The 55 degree vee angle was chosen for the combination of style, balance and mechanical simplicity. One consideration was to allow the hydraulic lifters to be accommodated above the standard Royal Enfield cams without modification to the barrels. Any vee angle tighter than 55 deg also requires heavy modification of the Royal Enfield heads for carburettor clearance. The standard Enfield primary drive cover has also been retained. The Enfield clutch is “beefed up” and a bigger engine sprocket is fitted to utilise the extra performance of the V-twin."

They say the price varies, depending on whether you supply your own donor Bullet to be modified.

They estimate cost, including a donor Bullet, would be about 19,500 Australian dollars, about $18,000.

As an alternative, they would offer the motor and a frame modification kit for 10,000 Australian dollars, or about $9,300. Plus tax, and probably a long wait as production begins. You can get in line now, if you want, on the website.

The Carberry website does not appear to address how the motorcycle could be registered and licenced in America.