Royal Enfield Motorcycles, From To India and Back
Spanningthree centuries and three continents, The Royal Enfield motorcycle is stillalive and well. From Britainto Indiaand back up again.
Through necessity, and in common behind most extra engineeringcompanies of the day, Enfielddidnt restrict themselves to one line. They plus made lawnmowers, bicycles andrifle parts for a small Arms factory in Enfield.A clue lies in their logo which depicts a cannon, which I have to say, isinfinitely augmented than a lawn mower. Their saw of Made similar to a gun, Goes likea bullet is afterward evidence of their military involvement. In 1907, the companyjoined forces when a concern bearing in mind the unlikely pronounce of Alldays & Onions,to fabricate the Enfield-Allday automobile. Fortunately, the onion was dropped.These cars remained in production until 1925.
Royal Enfieldproduced their first motorised vehicle in 1898, a vehicle that would today bedescribed as a Quad. This in advance effort had a De Dion-Bouton 2.75hpengine. As the 20th century dawned, a bicycle considering a 150cc enginemounted above the belly wheel was introduced. The year after in 1902, a similarmachine was fitted once a 239cc Enfieldengine. The renowned V-Twins appeared in 1910, primarily fitted later than aMotosacoche 344cc engine, but progressive superseded by Enfields own capacity unit. The first small,two battle engines axiom the fresh of hours of daylight in 1915 like the 200model.
With the outbreak of World war 1 in 1914, Royal Enfield wasrequested to furnish the British armed forces later robot gun-carryingcombinations and stretcher-bearing motorcycles. The company plus won a contractto supply machines to the Russians. In 1917, later most nimble bodied men were atwar in Europe, a police force made up of womenwas issued when 600cc Royal Enfield motorcycles.
The time in the middle of the wars motto a boom in the popularity ofsidecars, and in 1924 a engagement using a 350cc single was launched. In 1928,saddle tanks and centre-spring, girder front forks were used. Royal Enfield bikes now took ona more contemporary appearance, and despite the economic gloom of thedepression years, sales kept steady. A 488cc robot once a four readiness gearboxwas offered in 1927 and a side-valve 225cc in 1928. It seemed that the companycould do no wrong, and during the thirties, Royal Enfields catalogue featuredthirteen models. This is the time that the famous single cylinder Bullet wasborn.
As the world in the same way as once again fell into war, Royal Enfield rose tothe occasion to manufacture a series of motorcycles for military use, the mostfamous of these living thing a 125cc bike called the Flying Flea. It was then knownas the Airborne because of its capability of being dropped by parachute.Special instruments for suit use were moreover manufactured at this time.
In the fifties, Enfield of India began building machineswith parts shipped from Britain,but in 1962 were producing unmovable motorcycles. Unfortunately, the factory in Redditch, Englandceased production in 1970, in imitation of the Chennau tree-plant in India nevertheless operating. Denominationrights were purchased by the Indians and the proclaim lived on, which today enablesRoyal Enfield to affirmation the title of The worlds oldest motorcycle model. Thebullet is in fact the model taking into consideration the longest production run.
Between1955 and 1960, Royal Enfields were sold in the USA as Indian Motorcycles. Thisof course had nothing to get taking into consideration India in the Asian context. Thefamous Indian motorcycle company had experienced troubles of its own, and thiswas just other chapter in their particular history. The Americans werent tookeen upon badged motorcycles, and as soon as the event accord expired, FloydClymer, who had controversially claimed the Indian rights, sought othersources for his venture.
Itappears that the Enfieldname has wealth of energy in it yet. Enfield Indiacontinues making motorcycles and is indeed flourishing. In 1986, a civilservant from Britain namedRaja Narayan went incite to Indiato create an export arm for Royal Enfield, thus in the thesame quirk that Raja hadreturned to his roots, in view of that had the Bullet, which is now marketed in Britain.
Despiteproduction distressing from Redditch to India, the marque can allegation to bethe forlorn one to span three centuries, and who knows, it may even attain afourth. Whilst the Indian tree-plant goes from strength to strength, the fewbuildings that remain from the Redditch glorydays have been swallowed going on by the Enfield Industrial Estate.
