Recently we were watching a BBC documentary called Empire. It was fascinating to see at the end of one the episodes the Royal Enfield. Not knowing a lot about this maker it got us to wondering about its history. How did a British motorcycle come to be an Indian motorcycle? Here are some interesting facts about the Royal Enfield.
British Roots
The Royal Enfield motorcycle rolled out in 1901 in Redditch, England. They had the simple slogan “Built Like a Gun”. These motorcycles were used all through out World Wars I and II. At one time there was even a motorcycle for ladies. Production ended in the UK in 1969, but that was not the end of the story. Their greatest success would lay not in England itself, but a former colony.
Indian Legacy
The Royal Enfield has thrived in India. Starting in 1949 Madras Motors launched Royal Enfield in India. Royal Enfield manages to thrive today having outlasted its’ British counterpart. Interestingly enough in 1984 Enfield India started exporting its’ Bullet to the UK, the Royal Enfield’s original home. For more history see their awesome time line which we found incredibly helpful for this article: royalenfield.com/usa/aboutus/history
The Bullet
This make has been around for ages. It even builds on the original slogan: “Built Like a Gun, Goes Like a Bullet”.
One fun fact about the Bullet is that the record for the most people on one motorcycle (56 people!) was achieved on a single 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet according to Guinness World Records. www.guinnessworldrecords.com
While we have never rode a Royal Enfield, it’s amazing how many people this Bullet is carrying. (We feel the need to state the obvious: Please don’t try this at home!)
Today
With the trends skewing more and more towards retro-style bikes the Royal Enfield fits perfectly with the motorcycles of today. Their motorcycles also don’t seem to be too expensive and that can’t hurt!
If you want to learn more about this unique motorcycle company be sure to check out their website royalenfield.com/usa/.
Happy Riding!