Great Marques—The Royal Enfield Story
The first Royal Enfield motorcycle was made in 1901, and production continues today. The story began in the Industrial Revolution in Britain and was later taken up on the Indian subcontinent. Along the way, the company has produced one of the most iconic models in the history of the motorbike in the form of the evergreen Bullet.
“Made like a gun, goes like a bullet.”
THE ROYAL ENFIELD MOTTO
An Enfield Model J from the 1930s
IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY, in the town of Redditch in the industrial heartland of England, George Townsend & Co. manufactured machine parts, including needles for sewing machines. The company expanded into bicycle production and after founder Townsend’s departure in 1890 Albert Eadie and Robert Smith took over. Contracts to make rifle parts for the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, Middlesex led to them becoming the Enfield Manufacturing Company in 1892, with the “Royal” prefix added the following year.
The marque’s first motorized transportation was created in 1899 in the form of a 1½ hp engine that powered a vehicle available in three-or four-wheeled variants. Royal Enfield’s first motorcycle was unveiled in 1909: a 2¼ hp V-twin model that would continue in a larger-capacity variant until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
Royal Enfield badge (introduced 1955)
Now established as a maker of solid, reliable motorcycles—reflected in the company’s slogan “Made like a gun . . .”—Royal Enfield was tasked with providing the British Army with machines for the war effort. Its range of models included stretcher carriers and machine-gun-armed bikes. During this period Royal Enfield started to develop its first powerplants, having previously fitted engines from other companies into its frames. Innovations included a prototype featuring the world’s first three-cylinder, two-stroke unit.
Youth appeal
In the late 1950s Enfield diversified into lower-capacity road models such as the 250cc Crusader, designed to appeal to young motorcyclists.
The postwar period saw the marque develop a range of new models and engines. A 976 cc twin engine in 1918 was followed in 1924 by Royal Enfield’s debut four-stroke, single-cylinder model, which featured a JAP powerplant. By this time, the marque was capitalizing on the popularity of sidecars, producing its own examples; and a programme of expansion through the decade meant that by 1930 the company’s strong line-up included smaller 225 cc side-valve motorcycles as well as big-twins.
Military use
Women from the Auxiliary Territorial Service ride 350 cc four-stroke Enfield motorcycles. During World War II the company also supplied the military with a 126 cc two-stroke.
In 1931 Royal Enfield unveiled what would become its most celebrated model, the Bullet, a single-cylinder machine that came into its own at the end of the decade with the introduction of a 350cc variant that was the basis for the marque’s postwar models. Its innovations included telescopic front forks and an advanced rear-suspension set-up that featured the early use of a swingarm. However, before the machine could be fully taken up by the public. World War II intervened. As well as producing practical machines such as the Flying Flea, which could be parachuted down in a cage with airborne troops. Royal Enfield was redirected to manufacture specialist items for the war effort.
In the postwar surge in the economy. Royal Enfield took up where it left off by introducing telescopic front shock absorbers and swingarm rear on the J2 model in 1947. In 1949 a 500 cc twin was released in response to the successful Speed Twin by rival Triumph. In 1949 Royal Enfield was commissioned to supply Bullet models to the Indian Army, and six years later Enfield India Ltd was established. The 350 cc Bullet was originally sent over in separate parts for assembly in India, but ultimately the entire model would be constructed there.
Work and play
In addition to being used for day-to-day law enforcement duties. Royal Enfields are at the heart of the Indian police force’s display team.
Back in Britain, the 1950s was a fruitful decade. Enfield expanded its range to cover everything from 125 cc singles to scramblers, up to the 750 cc Meteor twin. In the US, Enfield models were sold via the Indian marque, but when the American manufacturer was bought out in 1960, the bikes were then sold under the Royal Enfield name.
When the company was acquired by the E & HP Smith engineering group in 1962, a rather stodgy image was shaken off by 250 cc sports machines aimed at young riders and even a 250 cc GP5 road racer. But they were not enough to outshine the Japanese imports and by 1967 a 750 cc Interceptor was the only model.
The Redditch plant closed and a new company, Enfield Precision Engineers, was formed in 1967 but all production ended in 1971. At the same time, Enfield India became completely independent and grew stronger. The Bullet continued to be made, essentially to a 1954 specification but with minor improvements and some adaptation to the local environment.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the Enfield India marque expanded its range of models. The 175 cc Crusader two-stroke was aimed at the younger market, while new lightweights in the 1980s included the Silver Plus step-thru, with a semi-automatic gearchange designed to appeal to female motorcyclists. So successful was the Indian company at this time that it even began exporting its models back to the UK and Europe.
Over the next two decades the marque broadened its operations. A 500cc version of the iconic bullet was being exported by 1990 and a novel but sluggish 325 cc diesel motorcycle, the Taurus, was produced from 1993 to 2002. Although the company’s fortunes dipped during the mid-1990s, they were revived by a buy-out by the Eicher Group, an Indian conglomerate, in 1996, and in 2004 the company fully secured its rights to the full Royal Enfield name.
Now producing a small range of motorbikes from its Chennai headquarters, including a selection of Bullet variants and a Classic 500 model that combines postwar styling with 21st-century features such as fuel injection. Royal Enfield has become an international success story. This originally British company has flourished under its Indian offshoot through the simple approach of pairing traditional designs with reliable, no-nonsense engines.
It is a wonderful example of the empire striking back.
1892 The Enfield Manufacturing Company is formed; “Royal” is added to the name the following year.
1899 The first motorized models from the company include three-wheeled vehicles.
1909 The 2¼ hp V-twin model is unveiled using an externally-made powerplant.
1914 Enfield fits its first own engine into a V-twin model.
1924 The debut four-stroke single, featuring a 350 cc JAP unit is released.
1931 A new single-cylinder model is launched, later labelled the Bullet from 1932.
1936 Enfield JF is released, incorporating a four-valve, single-cylinder unit.
1939 Bullet 350 debuts, forming the basis for postwar models.
1947 Telescopic forks appear on the new J2.
1948 The 500 twin model is unveiled, remaining in the line-up for a decade.
1956 Enfield India Ltd is set up as an offshoot of the parent company, making complete bikes under licence.
1960 Enfields are now sold under their own name in the US.
1962 The company is bought by the E & HP Smith Group.
1965 Release of the 750 cc Interceptor twin, aimed at the US market.
1967 The Aerco Jig & Tool Co. buys the Royal Enfield name; Enfield Precision Engineers is set up.
1971 The last British-made bikes are manufactured. Enfield India is now an independent concern.
1973 The Crusader model is introduced, aimed at younger Indian motorcyclists.
1984 Enfield India begins exporting models back to the UK.
1990 Taurus Diesel becomes the world’s first diesel-powered motorcycle.
1994 Enfield India is bought by the Eicher Group, and the company adopts the original British name of Royal Enfield Motors Ltd.
2004 The Bullet Electra International model is launched in the UK.
It is a quote. The Motorbike Book – The Definitive Visual History 2012
