1916

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With the continuation and worsening of World War I, Royal Enfield keeps producing the same motorcycles as in 1915. Sales slump as the economy in general suffers. There is little to report on this year, however, a lot of 1916 machines seem to have survived, The following article from the motorcycle trade place paints a picture of tranquility rather at odds with the carnage taking place in the fields of France at the time, In September 1916 a gentleman walked into the Redditch office and told management that he had driven HRH Princess Victoria in a Royal Enfield. The Princess expressed herself as being charmed with the ease and comfort of sidecar travelling. The sidecar combos appeared unusually popular with female riders. To popularize motorcycle riding among females, Royal Enfield had commissioned a whole brochure in 1915 called "The lady drives", which saw wide distribution in 1916 even being reviewed in the high society magazine "The Queen" (currently Harper's Bazaar).

The "Summit of excellence" poster was 120 inches wide and graced many train stations in 1916,

Source: "Royal Enfield, the history of the company" by Anne Bradford.