“The irony is that for more than 60 years Royal Enfield has been building the sort of motorcycles that other manufacturers are only recently starting to produce as side products in an effort to capitalise on a growing market.
We have never been the kind of company that makes our own bikes redundant, or worked to a programme of planned obsolescence. Apart from anything, that strategy wouldn’t succeed in our domestic market, where the longevity of a motorcycle is key.
The idea of sustainability, simplicity and permanence is becoming more important to people across the board, and that fits in perfectly with what Royal Enfield has always been about.”
We have never been the kind of company that makes our own bikes redundant, or worked to a programme of planned obsolescence. Apart from anything, that strategy wouldn’t succeed in our domestic market, where the longevity of a motorcycle is key.
The idea of sustainability, simplicity and permanence is becoming more important to people across the board, and that fits in perfectly with what Royal Enfield has always been about.”
Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield Motorcycles
The Royal Enfield Bullet: A Brief History
1932 Royal Enfield Bullet
A unique living example of British motorcycle heritage. The longest produced motorcycle in history. A traditional British single from the Golden Age of motorcycling, still made today and distributed throughout the world.
The original Royal Enfield Bullet was introduced in 1931 as a four-stroke single cylinder motor cycle. It differed in a number of ways from its successors, with an inclined engine with exposed valve gear, centre-spring girder front forks, saddle-type fuel tank, and rigid rear-end (necessitating a 'sprung' seat for the rider).
The functional design of the Bullet, also known as the G2, first appeared in 1947. From a company with a fine sporting reputation, and the pioneer of dry sump lubrication, the Royal Enfield Bullet became the first motorcycle to incorporate swing arm suspension in a standard production machine.
The Bullet was developed into one of the most successful trial machines of its day, with Royal Enfield riders winning most of the major events. Later wins in British Classic circuit racing and flat track events in America emphasized the basic soundness of the design.
The original Royal Enfield Bullet was introduced in 1931 as a four-stroke single cylinder motor cycle. It differed in a number of ways from its successors, with an inclined engine with exposed valve gear, centre-spring girder front forks, saddle-type fuel tank, and rigid rear-end (necessitating a 'sprung' seat for the rider).
The functional design of the Bullet, also known as the G2, first appeared in 1947. From a company with a fine sporting reputation, and the pioneer of dry sump lubrication, the Royal Enfield Bullet became the first motorcycle to incorporate swing arm suspension in a standard production machine.
The Bullet was developed into one of the most successful trial machines of its day, with Royal Enfield riders winning most of the major events. Later wins in British Classic circuit racing and flat track events in America emphasized the basic soundness of the design.
1953 Royal Enfield Bullet
By 1955, the Royal Enfield Bullet had evolved into the modern version recognised today. At this time, the Bullet was also being assembled in India by Madras Motors, originally for Indian Army use and later in civilian form, where it continued in production unaffected by modern design technology.
In 1994, the Madras factory was acquired by the Eicher group, a multinational company with interests in van, truck and tractor manufacturing as well as motorcycles.
Watsonian Squire Ltd were appointed official Royal Enfield UK distributor in 1998, followed by Moto GB in 2013.
In May 2015, Royal Enfield acquired an interest in UK motorcycle design and manufacturing firm, Harris Performance Products, that had previously developed the chassis of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cafe Racer.
In 1994, the Madras factory was acquired by the Eicher group, a multinational company with interests in van, truck and tractor manufacturing as well as motorcycles.
Watsonian Squire Ltd were appointed official Royal Enfield UK distributor in 1998, followed by Moto GB in 2013.
In May 2015, Royal Enfield acquired an interest in UK motorcycle design and manufacturing firm, Harris Performance Products, that had previously developed the chassis of the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cafe Racer.
2009 Royal Enfield Bullet
The RE-launch
The all new 'Royal Enfield Bullet EFI' was launched officially at the NEC Motorcycle Show, Birmingham on November 27th, 2008.
At first glance, the new Bullet looked just like the old one, retaining all the charm of a classic 1950's British Single, although closer inspection revealed a Keihin fuel injection unit, low profile electric start unit, improved instrumentation and a brand new, all-alloy 500cc engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI) and integral five speed gearbox.
Kick and electric starting was available as standard, and internally, the new model benefitted from a host of engineering improvements including a catalytic converter mounted inside the exhaust, and a lighter, seven plate clutch.
The end result was the 'B5' Bullet - an old fashioned Bullet, with lighter controls and a smoother, livelier engine. The 'C5' Classic followed soon afterwards.
At first glance, the new Bullet looked just like the old one, retaining all the charm of a classic 1950's British Single, although closer inspection revealed a Keihin fuel injection unit, low profile electric start unit, improved instrumentation and a brand new, all-alloy 500cc engine with electronic fuel injection (EFI) and integral five speed gearbox.
Kick and electric starting was available as standard, and internally, the new model benefitted from a host of engineering improvements including a catalytic converter mounted inside the exhaust, and a lighter, seven plate clutch.
The end result was the 'B5' Bullet - an old fashioned Bullet, with lighter controls and a smoother, livelier engine. The 'C5' Classic followed soon afterwards.
2018 Royal Enfield Classic variant: Pegasus Limited Edition
At the time of writing, the Royal Enfield UK range has evolved to cover five core models comprising the Bullet, Classic, Himalayan, Continental GT and Interceptor. The best selling UK model of 2017 was the C5 Classic, which encompasses a range of variants and Limited Editions including Classic Chrome, Desert Storm, Battle Green, Squadron Blue, Redditch, Stealth, Despatch and Pegasus.
International
Royal Enfield Motorcycles today
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"Royal Enfield’s sales are equivalent to the global sales of Harley-Davidson, KTM, BMW, Triumph, and Ducati - combined.
Let that sink in for a second." Tweet by Siddhartha Lal Royal Enfield CEO 30th November 2017 |
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Back in 2013, the company announced plans to increase production capacity to 500,000 units a year, made possible by the commencement of commercial production at its new manufacturing facility at Oragadam in Tamil Nadu, which included a state of the art CED paint shop with a painting capacity of 600 motorcycles a day. A robotic painting system and powder coating system were also added but, at the same time, processes such as pin-striping continued to be carried out by craftsmen, retaining that special human touch with each motorcycle produced.
Royal Enfield’s line-up includes the Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird models in 350cc and 500cc displacements, along with Continental GT 535cc café racer, and the newly launched purpose built Himalayan powered by the new LS410 engine. Today, Royal Enfield operates through a mixture of wholly owned stores and more than 500 independent dealers in all major cities and towns in India, and exports to over 50 countries across the world including the USA, Japan, UK, several European and Latin American countries - as well as the Middle East and South Asia. In 2015, Royal Enfield awarded a £2.5million contract to Rugby-based Stepnell to create a Royal Enfield technology centre at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, a former airfield near Lutterworth UK. As at the end of 2018, with the addition of the additional factory, Royal Enfield's annual manufacturing output was on course for 800,000 units. 
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Engine assembly - India
Gold lining - still painted by hand
The Royal Enfield UK Tech Centre, 2017
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United Kingdom
Current Royal Enfield UK range
Royal Enfield's latest models - the Continental 650cc and Interceptor 650cc - were unveiled on 7th November 2017 at EICMA Show, Milan, and officially launched in Santa Cruz, California in September 2018.
With the launch of 'The Twins', the UK Royal Enfield range now comprises the Bullet 500cc, Classic 500cc, Himalayan 410cc, Interceptor 650cc, and Continental 650cc.
With the launch of 'The Twins', the UK Royal Enfield range now comprises the Bullet 500cc, Classic 500cc, Himalayan 410cc, Interceptor 650cc, and Continental 650cc.
2018 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650cc and Royal Enfield Interceptor 650cc
Test Rides
All Royal Enfield models are normally available for test rides at Haywards.
To book a test ride, call us on 01223 276128
- Bullet 500
- Classic 500
- Himalayan 410cc
- Interceptor 650cc
- Continental GT 650cc
To book a test ride, call us on 01223 276128
Royal Enfield Owners Club
The REOC provides a range of services of interest to owners of Indian and British made machines.
New Royal Enfields supplied by Haywards include 12 months free REOC membership.
Visit the REOC website at www.royalenfield.org.uk.
Haywards website also hosts a regularly updated dedicated page for Cambridge and Fens Owners.
The Cambridge and Fens branch of the REOC meets every third Saturday of the month at Haywards Girton Garage, 11 am onwards.
New Royal Enfields supplied by Haywards include 12 months free REOC membership.
Visit the REOC website at www.royalenfield.org.uk.
Haywards website also hosts a regularly updated dedicated page for Cambridge and Fens Owners.
The Cambridge and Fens branch of the REOC meets every third Saturday of the month at Haywards Girton Garage, 11 am onwards.
Haywards' Guide to pre-2008 Royal Enfield Bullets
Haywards Royal Enfield commenced trading back in 1999 and went on to win the Royal Enfield UK Dealer of the Year Award for nine consecutive years. For details on the evolution of the early carburettor machines, including Haywards Dealer Specials, see Hayward's Guide to Royal Enfield Carburettor Models, 1999 - 2008.
Royal Enfield Twins
Royal Enfield started to produce twin cylinder engined motorcycles in the late nineteen-forties.
Read the 'Royal Enfield Twin Timeline' by Gordon May, Royal Enfield historian (external website)
Read the 'Royal Enfield Twin Timeline' by Gordon May, Royal Enfield historian (external website)
Haywards Royal Enfield now
Courtesy of Facebook...
Further reading:
Follow Royal Enfield's CEO, Siddartha Lal, on Twitter
The Royal Enfield Story - since 1901 (external site)
