Read about Royal Enfields, motorcycles and bicycles

1935 Royal Enfield Cycar kept the grease off your clothes.

Do motorcycles and bicycles mix? I discovered they do when I encountered interesting items about Royal Enfield motorcycles and Royal Enfield bicycles in twin blogs produced by one enthusiast.

An experienced Royal Enfield motorcyclist and bicyclist, he produces full articles on two-wheelers powered and pedaled.

His motorcycle blog includes a handy index to vintage brochures he has scanned of such little known models as the Royal Enfield Cycar.

Another among the scanned brochures is one for the 1935 Whitwood Monocars. These wacky sidecars-without-motorcycles supposedly could be powered by anything from a 150cc two-stoke to a 1,000cc side-valve twin.

Did the front wheel have room to turn?

Looking at the illustrations in the brochure it is not at all obvious where they put the motor!

Allowing for the wheels, where did they put the motor?

I'll let author Richard Miller introduce himself:

"I'm glad you enjoyed my blogs, I am indeed behind both the Red Devil Motors and the Vintage Cycling blogs.

"I work at sea (five weeks on five weeks off) and I find writing the blog a good way to feed the motorcycle/bicycle passion whilst I am away from home. Home for me is the South of England (Dorset to be precise).

"I used to have a small business trading at bike parts fairs and importing vintage bikes from India. I had a small batch of 'cock a snoot' bike mascots made and found that I became known for them and people would ask after them. From that it flowed that I called my business Red Devil Motors. A designer friend drew up the logo.

Red Devil Motors logo.

"I dropped the business when I started working at sea seven years ago but I liked the logo so decided to keep it when I started the blog.

"Originally the Red Devil Motors blog was both bicycles and motorcycles but I found that there weren't so many folks out there that shared my interest in both so I decided to split them off. The motorcycle blog tends to get updated a lot more frequently that the bicycle.

"I've had a fairly long term connection with Royal Enfield which began back in 1996 when I went to India with my former partner. We both bought Royal Enfields, mine a Redditch '58 model and hers an Indian '97. We rode both of these around India and then back home to the UK.

"I've still got both of these bikes. A few years later I took the '97 Bullet down to Morocco. About nine years ago I did a trip from home down to Capetown and back with my then girlfriend, now wife, on a '55 Bullet. Bullets have served me well so I am rather fond of them!

"The bicycle interest goes back as long as I can remember. As a teenager I worked as a mechanic in a cycle shop and raced at the weekends. I still enjoy my cycling but am far off racing fitness these days!

"I've attached a snap of myself taken in Lesotho, Southern Africa, with my '55 Bullet. That's about eight years ago. I've gotten married and had children since so have aged considerably from then!

Richard Miller on tour with Royal Enfield Bullet.

"Do feel free to use images you like from my blogs, I try to mostly put up original material but it's all for fellow enthusiasts to share so I am not precious about it."