Royal Enfield to double production by 2013

Royal Enfield has secured a 50-acre site for its new factory at the SIPCOT Industrial Growth Centre,  close to the historic motorcycle manufacturer's existing plant at Chennai, on the South East coast of India.

Due for completion by the first quarter of 2013, the new plant will be equipped to produce the entire product range of Royal Enfield motorcycles and will increase the company’s current capacity from 70,000 to 150,000 machines per annum.

Demand for Royal Enfield motorcycles, which have been produced in India since 1949 but retain their 'British DNA', has increased significantly over recent years and, in spite of investment in new plant, the existing factory is reaching capacity.  Following the introduction of the new fuel-injected engine in 2009, with subsequent advantages in performance and reliability, demand for Royal Enfield motorcycles has grown worldwide, while the booming Indian economy has driven increased domestic sales too.

Since opening the Royal Enfield factory in Chennai in 1955, the city formerly known as Madras has attracted many key players in global automotive industry, including Nissan, Renault, Hyundai and Komatsu, which offers significant supply chain benefits to the motorcycle manufacturer.

T. 01386 700907 www.royal-enfield.com.

Royal Enfield Open Weekend is hot stuff

Now firmly established in the motorcycling calendar, Royal Enfield’s open weekend attracted 2000 visitors to the Watsonian Squire factory in the Cotswolds over 25th-26th June. With bright sunshine and temperatures reaching 29 degrees C (80 fahrenheit) people took full advantage of the fleet of demonstrator machines available and more than 250 test rides were taken, expertly guided around local roads by the Cheltenham and Cotswold Advanced Motorcyclists.  Rides in the Royal Enfield/GP Manx sidecar combination, featured recently in BBC Springwatch, were in constant demand, with 150 passengers enjoying their first experience of a trip in a chair.

There was considerable interest in the new Bullet 500, set to sell at £3995 on the road, which unveiled to British customers for the first time at the event.  Other attractions included motorcycle adventurer, author and Royal Enfield expert Gordon May, who is prepaing to ride his 1953 Bullet from the North Cape in Norway to the South Cape of Africa next year.  MAG promoting Get a Grip.  Trials ace and ISDT gold medallist Johnny Brittain (pictured) dropped by on the Saturday and talked to master of ceremonies Jim Reynolds about his successful years riding Royal Enfields.

Shipston-on-Stour Sea Scouts were kept busy in the refreshment tent, serving 350 portions of their now famous curry, not to mention countless bacon baps and sausage butties. 

Prizes were awarded for the best motorcycles ridden to the factory on both days, (judged by Frank and Rowena from  Real Classic magazine); on Saturday a rare 1953 Royal Enfield Meteor twin won the prize and on Sunday the laurels went to a Triumph Tiger 650 and Watsonian GP Classic DL outfit. Perhaps the most unusual vehicle in the car park, which was packed with interesting bikes, was a yellow Messerschmitt bubble car.

Dates for next year's Open Weekend will be announced soon.  Call 01386 700907 or visit www.royal-enfield.com for details.  View pictures of the weekend on the FLICKR website - your pictures are welcome too.  Send them by email to royalenfielduk@fab-biker.co.uk.

Best in Show - Saturday 25th June 2011

Congratulations to Mark Mumford whose 1953 Royal Enfield Meteor was chosen as Best Bike Ridden to the 2011 Royal Enfield Open Weekend on Saturday.

Mark had ridden his bike from Northamptonshire to the annual event, held at the Watsonian Squire factory in the Cotswolds, home to Royal Enfield in the UK since 1999.

Selected from hundreds of machines by Frank and Rowena from Real Classic magazine, Mark's twin cylinder Meteor is largely original, apart from the chocolate brown paint scheme, applied by the previous owner. 

Royal Enfield dealers head for the hills

Royal Enfield dealers from across the country hit the road for a hard day's ride around the Cotswold hills for their annual conference.

"Rather than sitting everyone in a conference room and showing them power point presentations and graphs, we thought we should make the most of the weather and get out to ride the product instead" explains sales director Ben Matthews.

Thirty machines, including a Bullet Classic sidecar outfit as support vehicle, travelled the 140 mile route, stopping for coffee at the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire steam railway, followed by lunch at the Watsonian factory, home to Royal Enfield in the UK.  In the afternoon the group rode to the market town of Witney, (now famous as the constituency of Prime Minister David Cameron), where they were given a private tour of the Wychwood brewery, famed for its craftily crafted Hobgoblin ale.

The day was rounded off with an informal dinner at which awards were presented to the best-performing dealerships, won for the ninth consecutive year by Haywards of Cambridge. Watsons Motor works of Leominster carried off Best New Dealer, while Berrybrook Motors of Exminster and 3X Motorcycles of Ringwood were both Highly Commended for the largest increase in sales.

For more information on the complete range of Royal Enfield motorcycles visit www.royal-enfield.com

Sideburn's Royal Enfield bobber project

 

Read all about it on the Sideburn blog

Head for the hills on a Battle Green Bullet

We recently spent a day in the Penines/Lake District putting the new Battle Green Bullet through its paces.  It coped admirably with a wide variety of roads and conditions, covering well over 150 miles, from fast winding A-roads to 30mph crawls skirting the edge of Lake Windermere.  Top speed was more than adequate for dual carriageways and fuel consumption was pretty much spot on the factory's 80mpg figure.  It certainly blended in with the scenery!

Royal Enfield Open Weekend 25th and 26th June 2011

Royal Enfield UK will be throwing open their doors to welcome enthusiasts to their sixth annual open weekend on Saturday/Sunday 25th/26th June.

Held at the  historic Watsonian-Squire sidecar factory, located between the scenic Cotswold towns of Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden, the event has a reputation for a friendly 'village fête' atmosphere and attracts around two thousand people over the weekend.

The complete 2011 range of Royal Enfield motorcycles will be on display and test rides, accompanied by IAM riders, are available on all models over both days.  Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis, so visitors should arrive early to book a seat. Don't forget to bring a helmet, appropriate riding gear and driving licence.

Other attractions include an opportunity to browse the sidecar workshops, spare parts counter and a display of Royal Enfield branded casual clothing and accessories.  Freshly prepared food is available on site.

Motorcycle journalist and world traveller Gordon May returns to the event, as does 'master of ceremonies' Jim Reynolds, who will provide a running commentary along with technical talks and celebrity interviews.

Entry is free and everyone is welcome, whether they ride a Royal Enfield or not.  Prizes will be awarded on both days for the best machine, of any make, ridden to the event.

Details from Watsonian-Squire on 01386 700907 or at www.royal-enfield.com.

Winner of unique Hobgoblin

Midlander Paul Maullin is the lucky winner of a unique ‘Hobgoblin Bullet’ motorcycle, commissioned from Royal Enfield UK by the Wychwood Brewery for a free to enter prize draw that attracted more than 56,000 entries.  Based on the 500cc Royal Enfield Classic, the petrol tank, mudgaurds, tool boxes and forks were painted the same blue that is found on the labels of bottles of Hobgoblin ale and a large Hobgoblin graphic is laquered onto the tank too. The standard seat is replaced with a two-tone item. Paul (pictured left) travelled down to the brewery in the Cotswold town of Witney to collect the exclusive machine from Chris Keating (right), senior brand manager at the Wychwood Brewery.
For more information visit http://www.royal-enfield.com/.

Sing something single

Some people buy a motorcycle to move themselves from A to B, but when singer Songwriter Gray Hawke bought a Royal Enfield it moved him to write a song. Here's his story;

"I got a wonderful motorcycle earlier this year - a Royal Enfield Bullet 500efi DL. As with most truly life-changing experiences, it had to have a song. I'd written a lyric, found what I think is a really catchy chorus and got a rhythm and feel for the song nailed about a month ago, but I was really struggling to find a tune and structure for the verses".

"Anyway, I decided to give it another bash yesterday (27th May) and finally got something that worked. A bit quirky and asymetrical - also quite difficult to remember! As I was already planning to go to Commonfolk yesterday, I gave the new song a run out in front of an audience - the first time I've ever finished and performed a song on the same day".

"It went pretty well - a few very positive comments from audience members afterwards, even though it was obviously a bit rough. Definitely one to polish up".

A sample of Gray's song can be heard on his Myspace site.

Charity CD "A Place to Live" is now finished and available for sale at £7 inc £2 p&p / admin. The CD includes the track "Bullet".  To obtain a copy people should email Gray at grayhawke619@gmail.com with their name and dispatch address details. He'll then send their copy of the CD by first class post with instructions for making payment.

New dealer open day in Bristol

We are delighted to welcome Bath Road Motorcycles as the official Royal Enfield dealer for the historic city of Bristol. Located on the main A4 just south of the city centre (379-385 Bath Road,
Bristol BS4 3EU) they will be holding a celebrationary open day on Saturday 19th March, when visitors will have an opportunity to see the complete 2011 rangeof Royal Enfield motorcycles and talk to the manufacturer's representatives.  The new and eagerly anticipated Royal Enfield Fury 'flat-tracker' will also be available for test rides.  Call 0117 971 1447 for details.

Flat Track Day at the Ace Cafe

Royal Enfield's new flattrack inspired Fury was on show at London's famous Ace Cafe on Sunday 27th February 2011.   Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1971 release of the seminal film, "On Any Sunday" the new UK-exclusive bike joined a stunning display of flat trackers, together with the Evel Knievel "True Evel" tour truck, Shorttrack UK, and the RedMax Speed Shop.  Royal Enfield dealers are currently taking delivery of the Fury so look out for one in your area.,

Present from the past for the future

Royal Enfield's Electra EFI DL - directly descended from the original 1955 model

This is the Royal Enfield Electra EFI DL, the latest incarnation of the Bullet, which has been in continuous production since 1955 (or possibly earlier, depending on how you measure it).  At any rate, this machine has rolled out of the same factory that started making Enfield motorcycles in 1955.

Its frame, 19" wheels, headlight nacelle, black and chrome tank with hand painted gold pinstripes and rubber knee pads, and chrome mudguards are instantly recognisable as coming from the original Bullet and and authentic Avon Speedmaster tyres enhance the period appearance of this 500cc air cooled single cylinder motorcycle.

Park it up at any classic bike event and it will blend in seamlessly - even the exhaust note captures the essence of a classic British bike.  

But the engine is a thoroughly modern affair.  Just like its predecessor, The Electra's engine retains pushrod construction, with a bore of 84mm and 90mm stroke.  Which is why it sounds like a classic bike and delivers plently of torque (41.3 Nm of torque at 4000rpm, if you wondered).  However, fuel injection, unit construction, improved lubrication and 5-speed gearbox operated via a wet multiplate clutch, makes the Electra EFI a pleasure to ride.  Power is increased to 28 BHP and it is possible to use this to the max with complete reliability - meaning that cruising at motorway speeds and spritied riding along A-roads is achievable all day long. 

For more details visit http://www.royal-enfield.com/electradl.html

Billy Joel on a military style Bullet

 

Singer-songwriter Billy Joel has a well documented collection of British bikes and there are several images of him riding this army-spec Royal Enfield Bullet on the Splash website. 

Icicle works at Royal Enfield UK HQ

Royal Enfield's British distributor, Watsonian Squire, has been experiencing increased interest since one of their distinctive Bullet Classic sidecar outfits featured in the latest Harry Potter blockbuster.  So the team at the Cotswold factory wasn’t going to let a little bit of cold weather and a light dusting on snow interrupt their business.

 

In this photo General Manager Rob Jones can be seen checking that all icicles are neatly arranged and of regulation length.  

 

Staff at company HQ in the Costwolds had to battle through sub zero temperatures and up to 12" on snow to make it into work, but in spite of the exceptional conditions (the coldest winter since 1986) the company continued to function..