A bird? A plane? It's Enfield's Superstar!

A rare Royal Enfield Superstar, up for auction.

 Few "special" Royal Enfield models get as many comments on my blog as the Bullet Superstar of the 1980s-1990s. 

There is just something special about finding an otherwise ordinary looking Royal Enfield Bullet with the attractions of a factory special. 

An instrument panel instead of a casquette! Fork gaiters! Shiny headlight bucket! And not much else. 

But there is no denying that, big deal or not, the Superstar was distinctive. 

Superstar console has no place for ignition key.

So I was surprised when a "1991 Royal Enfield Bullet 500" appeared in Car & Classic for auction in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. 

There was something unusual about it. It gradually dawned on me that I was looking at a Superstar, with its unusual instrument panel.

Car & Classic confirmed my guess that it is the rare model, but added no details.

The paint and bright work appear fresh. The ad includes images of paperwork for powder coating the frame and new tank badges.

So it is obvious that the motorcycle has been restored, perhaps so recently that some photos show the tail light assembly not yet mounted on the rear fender! I can't be sure how much we see is original.

Keyhole for ignition switch is on right side tool box, at left in photo. This was common for Bullets of the time, even those with casquettes.

The seller says it was used only for display, being started from time to time, and that the mileage shown is correct. Only 16,667.

The 500cc Superstar was available for at least part of the model's run, according to Roy Bacon's book "Royal Enfield, The Postwar Models" but others, perhaps most, would have been 350cc.

Reader Simon Taylor was kind enough to send me a Bullet Superstar advertisement from Bavanar, the Royal Enfield importers to the UK during the 1980-90s.

"Bullet Superstar, with its restyled headlamp assembly and abundance of chromework, this machine epitomizes the style of the late 1960s. Available in black, red or burgundy," the ad reads.

Circa 1990s UK advertisement for Bullet Superstar.

My previous blog items about the Superstar model have brought comments from those who want to find one to buy, and from those familiar with them who add information about the model.

One comment says the superstar was for export from India only, but some of the comments describe Superstars that are in India.

One comment was especially knowledgeable about that odd instrument panel:

"You may note that the instrument cluster of Superstar is same as that of 'Mini Bullet' aka Enfield 200 (200cc two-stroke) produced by Enfield India the late '80s. Not only cluster, but the head lamp assembly, steering triple clamp (top bridge), headlamp mounting bracket, instrument pod bracket etc. are all a direct lift from 200."

Well that's certainly in Royal Enfield's long tradition of mixing and matching parts to create unusual models. The suspicion exists that, at least in the days of production in Britain, models were created to use up supplies of oddball parts.

Whether or not that sort of scrounging is true of the Superstar, there's no denying that the result was a tasteful and attractive motorcycle.

Mini Bullet two-stroke provided the instrument panel.

Royal Enfield Superstar looks great customized

A nice stretch, pan seat and trim rear fender give this Superstar a makeover.

A Royal Enfield Superstar featured twice before on this blog is back and it looks better than ever.

"We emailed back and forth about an interesting Enfield I found on CraigsList in New York," wrote Chris Zeppieri.

"You informed me that it was probably a Bullet Superstar.

Less is always more.

"Well, I couldn't help myself. Moved the swing arm back to another bolt position originally used for the rear rack. Those are the factory springs. Got a new chain, and fabricated a plate/tail light mount.

"Because I am a woodworker — www.timberedworks.com — I felt I needed to add some flavor to this bike so I bent and laminated some stock and shaped that solo pan seat out of solid wood.

Superstar had its headlight separate from instrument panel.

"Also did considerable work in cleaning up the wiring mess. The battery is stored in the left tool box and she rides like a dream!

"Recently brought this to the 5th Annual Brooklyn Invitational Bike Show and it was a hit; had a constant flow of people asking me about it!

Long, low and very clean.

"The (rear) fender is actually a front fender from another bike. I did a lot of modification to put these pieces together; it was a great project.

Racy but not radical.

"And I would totally make more seats if people wanted them!" (Contact him at timberedworks@gmail.com.)

The Superstar was a 350cc variation of the Bullet built in the late 1980s in India and never officially imported into the United States. That makes this a very rare bird. It's even more special now.

The Superstar the way it looked stock.

Royal Enfield Superstar was top of the line model

It's a Royal Enfield Bullet. But look closer.

A CraigsList ad for an unusual looking Royal Enfield caught the eye of Brian, of Long Island. The ad didn't tell him very much about the motorcycle:

"Selling a 1989 Royal Enfield," the seller wrote. "Don't know much about it. In good shape. Run last summer. Sold with title but title has bike's year listed as 1959."

Gaiters, instrument pod, "Enfield" tank badge.

The pictures showed a Royal Enfield Bullet, but with unusual fork gaiters and separate instrument pods instead of the typical casquette. Brian emailed me to ask what I could tell him about this Royal Enfield.

I think the Royal Enfield in the ad is a Superstar, a 350cc model briefly produced for the Indian market and never officially exported to the United States.

Bullet Superstar brochure.

It was a motorcycle of the 1980s. One source lists the Superstar for 1988, '89 and '90. It was considered a top model, above the Deluxe.

Enfields were not officially imported into the U.S. in modern times until 1995. Thus this motorcycle has to be a private import. Its date of manufacture may have been given as 1959 to dodge import or registration regulations.

Instrument pod is attractive, has the light switch at center.

I don't know what it would be like to register it now, or how available parts might be. On the other hand, it's a pretty motorcycle and the buyer is guaranteed never to see another like it in town, even at a gathering of other Royal Enfields.

Ignition switch is in the right-hand toolbox.

Oddly, I may have written about this very motorcycle once before, when the would-be seller wrote to ask about it.

Unusual look for a Bullet; lots of chrome.

Any Superstar owners out there want to fill us in on details? Leave a comment below.

Pretty Royal Enfield looks like a Superstar to me

This looks like a made-in-India Royal Enfield Superstar.

Every Royal Enfield motorcycle has a history, but not every owner of a Royal Enfield knows it. Judging by the emails I get and the classified ads I read, Americans routinely come into ownership of Royal Enfields without quite knowing what they've got.

Here's one recent email:

"Hi. My name is Jim. I live in New York. I have a '59 Enfield that I am considering selling; was wondering if you could help me determine a fair price for it . It is in nice shape (but not perfect ) runs and rides OK. It is a Bullet 350, but I understand that there are different models. Not sure. I will attach a picture or two. Maybe you can help. Thanks."

The pictures showed an attractive Royal Enfield with chrome fenders and tank and four-speed transmission with right-hand shift. Modern plastic mirrors suggested it might be newer than 1959, and from India, not the United Kingdom. The valenced rear fender suggested India's 350cc Bullet.

The most distinctive feature, though, was the lack of a casquette enclosing the gauges with the headlight. The separate instrument cans, fork gaiters and "Enfield" tank badges suggested the Superstar, an India-only model from the 1980s and '90s.

Even the shiny air filter box seemed to match the Superstar pictures I found posted around the Internet.

I'm no expert, but I think I got this one right. Any comments?