WEST END RUN FOR ROYAL ENFIELD

Royal Enfield's 500cc Classic in Lewis Leathers trim is now in production, with the first customers taking delivery of this limited edition model. 

Conceived by vintage style aficionado Nick Clements, (www.nickclements.co.uk), of the Royal College of Art in London, this specially commissioned model pays homage to Britain's oldest motorcycle clothing company, Lewis Leathers, which was established in London's West End in 1892.

Based around the current Bullet Classic 500 that is powered by Royal-Enfield's new fuel-injected single cylinder engine, Clements has given the popular machine a complete makeover, enhancing its traditional appearance with numerous vintage styling cues. Featuring a special paint scheme on the tank with matching graphics on the mudguards and side panels, the Lewis Leathers limited edition also has a bespoke two-tone solo leather seat in black and cream. Behind the seat are leather panniers, embossed with the Lewis Leathers logo in gold, individually mounted on a sub frame attached to the rear mudguard. An upswept sports silencer adds further style and delivers an authentic ‘sound track' to the experience.

Production is limited to just 50 machines, each of which is individually numbered on the tank. Priced at £5695 on the road the Lewis Leathers Bullet Classic may be ordered through franchised Royal Enfield dealers across the UK. To find out more call 01386 700907 or visit www.royal-enfield.com.

RAF Cosford Air Show

We received this letter from RAF Cosford thanking us for lending them a brace of Trials bikes for their air show.  Being military types they assumed they were Lee Enfields (the famous rifles) not Royal Enfields (the famous motorcycles), although the Redditch factory originally supplied parts to the Enfield armaments factory (hence "Built Like a Gun") so it all makes sense in the end.

Anyway, the RAF loved the bikes, which "coped well both in the heat of the morning and the rain and mud of the afternoon." 

Our staff also enjoyed themselves at the air show and we hope to return next year.

www.cosfordairshow.co.uk

New Battle Green colour for Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 500

For 2010 the Royal Enfield Bullet Classic will be available in a Battle Green uniform in tribute to the manufacturer's long association with the Indian Army, which dates back to 1949. With bodywork, frame and wheel rims painted in matt green, the Battle Green model offers a distinctive vintage military aesthetic, but is in all other respects a modern motorcycle for today's roads.

Powered by the latest 500cc fuel injected engine that was introduced in 2009, the Battle Green Classic produces 28bhp with 41.3Nm of torque @ 4000rpm.   Along with the new engine the Classic has smaller 18” wheels (compared to the previous 19” size) shod with Avon Road Rider tyres.  This package delivers enhanced performance and handling with reduced emissions and maintenance compared to the machines originally supplied to the armed forces.

Demand for Royal Enfield motorcycles is so strong that the factory has announced plans to double production, with progressive increases in capacity over the next three years, allowing the brand to continue to keep pace with the brisk sales of its new model line. Output is forecast to grow from 52,000 motorcycles this year to 70,000 units for 2011, reaching 90,000 in 2012 and finally 100,000 units or more by 2013.

The Battle Green Bullet Classic can return up to 80mpg and retails for £4895- on the road, with a 2-year warranty for peace of mind.

Contact 01386 700907 or at www.royal-enfield.com

Royal Enfield Trials at Cosford Airshow

Royal Enfield joined the RAF recently, when two Trials bikes were chosen for emergency/escort/logistics duties at the Cosford Airshow.   Both macines were used continuously between 6.30am and 8pm (or should that be "Zero six hundred to twenty hundred hours, over") with numerous starts, crawler work, some periods of brisk "situation attendances" and all in a mixture of 25 degrees heat interspersed with torrential thunderstorms. 

"The RAF personnel were heaping praise on the machines all day, especially when the weather turned nasty in the afternoon and the vintage trials pattern Ensign tyres enabled them to get the large crowds [50,000 people!] away safely" reports Rob Jones, General Manager at Royal Enfield UK (2nd from left).

As a matter of interest the plane in the background is a Jaguar ground attack jet, which was in service with the RAF until 2007.  Apparently it is slightly faster than a Royal Enfield.
 
Thanks to Steve Smith or Midlands Royal Enfield for his support during the day and Tim Nettleton (RAF - left) for organising everything and everyone.