More remnants of the Redditch factory

Lynne Andrews points out that there are a couple of extra buildings (or portions thereof) left over from the demolition of the Redditch factory in addition to the ones we mentioned. The buildings are distinctive in that they have some air vent caps not seen in others, suggesting it probably was a forge. Alas I cannot reach that building too well using Google maps, but she has posted many pictures in her excellent Redditch Industrial & Social Heritage Conservation Facebook page.

Charming

 

An ode to the 350 with all its charm.

Stovkis

According to Wikipedia (in Dutch), RS Stokvis en Zonen was a Rotterdamtrading company founded in 1849. The company traded in iron and steel, hardware, tools, automotive parts, shock absorbers, spark plugs, lifting platforms, hinges and locks, electrical materials, insulation materials, gaskets, plastics, radios and TVs, mopeds and bicycles, cars, oils, greases, and chemicals, as well as coffee. It was the largest trading company in Western Europe. It existed as an independent enterprise until 1972.

The connection to Royal Enfield comes with World War II. First, because they were Jewish, Germany pulled the concession they had for selling the DKW RT98. They turned to Royal Enfield to build a copy of the RT98 to sell. This was called RB for Royal Baby in the Netherlands and RE in the UK (the "Flying Flea"). The story is well told by David Blasco in his blog.

But worse was to come. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, many extended family members died tragically in the Holocaust. John and Edward Stovkis managed a daring escape and settled in New York where they started Whitehall Distributors that secured the exclusive nationwide distribution rights for Royal Enfields from 1946 to 1949, successfully creating a massive dealer footprint. 

By 1950 elements of the family returned to Holland, where they continued to sell Royal Enfields. Here is a picture of one of the Stovkis of that time,

They also created their own motorcycle brand called RAP.

John chose to stay but pivoted away from motorcycles and created the Multiton MIC Corporation creating pallet jacks and industrial dollies that became ubiquitous in the US. This independent family empire in Holland and the US was eventually absorbed by global conglomerates. The Multiton brand was retired in 2006.

BTR is back!

BTR is the IATA code for Baton Rouge airport, but that has not gone anywhere. The BTR that is back is Royal Enfield's Build, Train, Race, a program is the US for women enthusiasts to build and race their own motorcycles. A great initiative that is good to see continued.

Top 7 Custom Royal Enfiel Builds of 2022

It is unclear to me why Bike EXIF does these kinds of retrospections, but we will not pass on custom Royal Enfields in this blog.