Cafe racer pictures

Pictures of the production-spec version of the cafe racer are here.

Goodbye beauty!

Yesterday I donated to charity my 2000 Royal Enfield Bullet. It belonged in the first batch that was sold in the US with "Royal Enfield" on them. I had bought it wrecked in ebay and fixed it up. Since I got my 2009 C5 I found myself riding the iron Bullet less and less. The traffic here in Baton Rouge is not welcoming of a bike with the weird Albion box and drum brakes. People in Louisiana are extremely kind and gentle drivers when they are paying attention. Which is about 20% of the time. The rest they are talking on their cell phones or distracted somehow. I found myself many times with white knuckles clinging onto the fading brakes for dear life when someone distracted pulled out in front of me while going 50mph. Or being tailgated inches away by a Hummer because the low first gear didn't pull from a stop fast enough for them. Since I believe bikes should be ridden, I hope someone else gets a chance to enjoy it. Not to mention that Louisiana has terrible insurance rates (those distractions...), $300/yr just for liability. Interestingly the iron bullet costs $60/yr more to insure than the C5. I guess they know about those drum brakes.... This is a picture when I first got it:

Good riddance!

Home at last

The National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, UK, has acquired the 1903 Royal Enfield that was for sale, according to their Facebook page.

Update on The Monster

When we discussed The Monster by Royal Enfield Colombia, we mentioned that it deserved a paint job. The OEM colors of the C5 are too classy for a bobber. Well, they seem to have listened!

Royal Enfield Olympic

Via Grease n' Gasoline.

Flushed with success

When I visited the Royal Enfield pub in Redditch, I did not make use of the facilities. Apparently they are something to behold! And for a second year in a row!

Connie Stambush

We've written about Connie Stambush, the first woman to circumnavigate India on a motorcycle, before. Now she has  a new website.

Push starting a 1911 Enfield

Bert Colver in the start line of the British Motor Cycle Racing Club T.T. of 1911. Unfortunately he could not finish. From The Motor Cycle June 15th 1911

Delhi bikers breakfast run

Nice article in Livemint about Royal Enfield, with an interesting video.

The monster

"The monster" is the name Royal Enfield Colombia has given to their new bobber creation, which they will display at the XIII Salón Internacional del Automóvil. From my perspective, it needs a paint job. The paint colors of the C5, particularly on the tank are oriented towards retro elegance, whereas a bobber should have a more "streetwise" feel.

Become a 1 percenter!

No, I'm not referring to the outlaw motorcycle club or the super-rich. I allude to the fact that Royal Enfield has captured 1% of the Indian motorcycle market, by growing sales 44% in a year in which motorcycle sales were down overall by 4% overall! It has also launched a line of apparel. This is a smart move. As The Man himself puts it "Through the apparel line, we want to create an aspiration value for the bikes" which a lot of people, particularly the young, cannot afford in India but may be able to afford later in life. At least for Harley-Davidson, it has worked like a charm, merchandising accounts for 43% of revenues, with a profit margin of 35.9% for the Milwaukee firm.

Miniature motor's war accomplishments

The Enfield Cycle Company manufactured during World War II an 80 watt generator powered by a 15cc engine. The idea was that the generator could be dropped by airplane to charge batteries of stranded vehicles with dead batteries. It was designed by Edgar Westbury, a pioneer of the use of internal combustion engines for model use. This page has photos of a surviving unit and links to an article by Westbury. In it he claims the engine was top secret and even 14 years after the war he was not allowed to discuss in detail applications of the engine. Check the badge on the engine it reads "Manufactured by the E.C.C." (Enfield Cycle Co.).

Don't take a check when selling your Enfield!

Or you may follow the footsteps of Mr. Ford. From The Motor Cycle August 3rd 1911,

Lady hill climber

From The Motor Cycle, June 8th 1911,

Round the Welsh coast on a 1910 Royal Enfield

And as we say in Louisiana, "as a lagniappe", an article about double sidecars. Ipad viewers may have to follow the link to the Scribd site to see it.

Welsh

New site

Hary Nair's site has several interesting links. His motto is "no vintage RE will be kept unrestored for want of knowledge".