Haywards Royal Enfield Motorcycles 2018
Available now:
Arriving mid-2018:
The Royal Enfield Bullet: A Brief History
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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 functional design of the Bullet, also known as the G2, first appeared in 1947 in Redditch, Worcestershire, the home of Royal Enfield. From a company with a fine sporting reputation, and the pioneer of dry sump lubrication, the Bullet was the first motorcycle to incorporate swing arm suspension in a production machine. The Bullet was developed into one of the most successful trial machines of its day, 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. By 1955 it 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 UK distributor in 1998. In 2014, Royal Enfield appointed Pierre Terblanche as the head of new product design. 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. |
The Royal Enfield Bullet: 1953
The 'New' Royal Enfield Bullet
The Royal Enfield Bullet Classic EFI was launched officially at the NEC Motorcycle and Scooter Show, Birmingham on November 27th, 2008.
At first glance, the new Bullet Electra EFI 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 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 result was an old fashioned Bullet, with lighter controls and a smoother, livelier engine.
At first glance, the new Bullet Electra EFI 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 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 result was an old fashioned Bullet, with lighter controls and a smoother, livelier engine.
Royal Enfield Bullet Classic EFI, 2015 onwards
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. At time of writing, 21st January 2018, with the addition of the additional factory, Royal Enfield's annual manufacturing output is on course for 800,000 units. |
Engine assembly - India
Gold lining - still painted by hand
The Royal Enfield UK Tech Centre, 2017
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Current Royal Enfield UK range (Euro 4)
The current 2017 Royal Enfield UK range comprises the Bullet 500cc, Classic 500cc (including military, Redditch and Stealth variants), Continental GT 535cc, and Himalayan 410cc.
Euro 4 Royal Enfield models are almost identical to Euro 3 machines but feature ABS, rear brake disc, daytime headlamp, and other minor modifications as standard.
The Himalayan (Euro4/ABS) 410cc arrived in the UK in November 2017.
Royal Enfield's latest models - the Continental 650cc and Interceptor 650cc - were unveiled on 7th November 2017 at EICMA Show, Milan.
Euro 4 Royal Enfield models are almost identical to Euro 3 machines but feature ABS, rear brake disc, daytime headlamp, and other minor modifications as standard.
The Himalayan (Euro4/ABS) 410cc arrived in the UK in November 2017.
Royal Enfield's latest models - the Continental 650cc and Interceptor 650cc - were unveiled on 7th November 2017 at EICMA Show, Milan.
2018 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650cc and Royal Enfield Interceptor 650cc
Royal Enfield Test Rides
All Royal Enfield models (currently Bullet 500, Classic 500 Continental GT 535, Himalayan 410cc) are normally available for test rides at Haywards.
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 demonstrators will be available early/mid 2018.
To book a test ride, call us on 01223 276128
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 demonstrators will be available early/mid 2018.
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, maintained by Mike (Charlie) Platten.
The Cambridge and Fens branch of the REOC meets every third Saturday of the month at Haywards Girton Garage, 10 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, maintained by Mike (Charlie) Platten.
The Cambridge and Fens branch of the REOC meets every third Saturday of the month at Haywards Girton Garage, 10 am onwards.
Haywards' Guide to pre-2008 Royal Enfield Bullets
Haywards Royal Enfield Now
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