Royal Enfield (India)

This article is about the Indian motorcycle manufacturer. For former British motorcycle manufacturer, see Royal Enfield.
Royal Enfield
Company
Industry Motorcycles
Founded 1955 as Enfield India
Headquarters Chennai, India
Key people
 Dr. Venki Padmanabhan (CEO)
Products Motorcycles
Parent Eicher Motors
Slogan Made Like A Gun
Website Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle manufacturing company based in Chennai. Originally, a confluence of the British Motorcycle company, Royal Enfield and indigenous Madras Motors, it is now a subsidiary of Eicher Motors Limited, an Indian automaker.[1] Along with its flagship motorcycle Royal Enfield Bullet, the enterprise is notable for its Mid-premium motorcycles with the characteristic thumping engine sounds and high capacity engines.[2] Royal Enfield are the makers of famous Bullet brand in India. Established in 1893, Royal Enfield is among the oldest bike companies. Although the company is known for manufacturing motorcycles, it also produces bicycle, stationary engines, lawn mowers and rifles. Royal Enfield has its headquarters at Chennai in India. Bullet bikes are famous for their power, stability and rugged looks.

History

The Indian government looked for a suitable motorcycle for its police and army, for patrolling the country's border. The Royal Enfield Bullet was chosen as the most suitable bike for the job. The Indian government ordered 800 350 cc model Bullets.[3] In 1955, the Redditch company partnered with Madras Motors in India to form 'Enfield India' to assemble, under licence, the 350 cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle in Madras (now called the tooling was sold to Enfield India so that they could manufacture components. By 1962, all components were made in India. The Indian Enfield uses the 1960 engine (with metric bearing sizes), Royal Enfield still makes an essentially similar bike in 350 cc and 500 cc forms today, along with several different models for different market segments.[4]

Royal Enfield was a brand of the Enfield Cycle Company, a British manufacturing firm. It started in India for the Indian Army 350cc bikes were imported in kits from the UK and assembled in Chennai. After a few years, the company started producing the 500cc Bullet. Due to its qualities, Bullet became popular in India.

Bullet became known for sheer power, matchless stability, and rugged looks. It looked tailor-made for Indian roads. Motorcyclists in the country dreamt to drive it. It was particularly a favorite of the Army and Police personnel.

In 1990, Royal Enfield ventured into collaboration with the Eicher Group, a leading automotive group in India, in 1990, and merged with it in 1994. Apart from bikes, Eicher Group is involved in the production and sales of Tractors, Commercial Vehicles, and Automotive Gears.

Royal Enfield made continuously incorporating new technology and systems in its bikes. In 1996, when the Government of India imposed stringent norms for emission, Royal Enfield was the first motorcycle manufacturer to comply. It was among the few companies in India to obtain the WVTA (Whole Vehicle Type Approval) for meeting the European Community norms. Today, Royal Enfield is considered the oldest motorcycle model in the world still in production and Bullet is the longest production run model.

Royal Enfield Models

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 One can be a part of classical prominence by having a ride on Royal Enfield Bullet 350, a macho bike which is stylish as well. The brawny is laden with plenty of attention grabbing features like traditional designing, astonishing power of 18 bhp from air cooled, 4 stroke engine, large wheels, and better sitting for superior riding.

Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is a classic bike having vintage styling and striking. It is an environmentally friendly bike with lower emissions and increased fuel economy. The bike has hand-painted pin stripes, a 5-speed transmission, 7” double leading shoe front brake and dual seat further distinguish this model.

Royal Enfield Bullet Electra Any biker who is passionate for speed, power and performance would love to ride Bullet Electra. The bike comes with generous power output, great stability and control with comfortable riding experience.

Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 5S Royal Enfield Bullet Electra is a burly vehicle. A new version of Bullet Electra, it flaunts great looks with a teardrop fuel tank that can store 14.4 liters of fuel. The clunky lid adds style to the bike. The steely body with some pretty colors adds some nice contrast to Electra.

Royal Enfield Bullet Machismo Like all bullets, Machismo 500 too has muscular designing which, assisted by cutting-edge technology, makes a grand-looking bike. The heavy bike makes the heads turn when it moves on roads. With its huge pulling power, it can even climb sharp ascents on rough terrain with ease.

Royal Enfield Thunderbird Royal Enfield Thunderbird is a powerful bike which ensures comfortable ride for its riders. Equipped with plenty of modern technology, it is a modern motorcycle which maintains the legacy of Bullet. All Thunderbird enthusiasts love to have smooth and reliable rides of Thunderbird. Thunderbird comes with 350cc and 500cc mills.

Royal Enfield Classic Royal Enfield Classic is another bike with the RE DNA but a bit modernized.It has the tiger head lamps and the same instrument cluster.Comes with a electric start too and it's the most popular Royal Enfield that you see on the Indian roads.It has 2 options the 350cc variant and 500cc variant.The 500cc has some really interesting colors like desert storm and ARMY GREEN!

Global Presence

Royal Enfield currently sells motorcycles in more than 50 countries. Recently Royal Enfield came into limelight when it surpassed Harley Davidson in global sale.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Varun Sinha (January 15, 2014). "Royal Enfield's success boosts Eicher Motors fortunes". NDTV.
  2. ↑ Samanth Subramanian (Jan 4, 2014). "Royal Enfield Bullet: India's cult motorcycle takes on the world". New York Times.
  3. ↑ "1". Our Guy in India. 2015. Channel 4.
  4. ↑ Royal-Enfield History (Retrieved 22 October 2006)
  5. ↑ "Royal Enfield races past Harley-Davidson in global sales". Times Of India. 2 February 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Enfield motorcycles.