Carberry's Royal Enfield V-twin underway

Update: Two readers from Australia graciously came forward to answer my question as to whatever happened to the Carberry Enfield V-twin.

Jeff writes from Alice Springs: "David, there are about three Carberry Enfields on the road in Australia and more on order plus one engine exported to New Zealand. This is a hand built motorcycle and apparently it is a slow process to construct one. I have seen the prototype and ridden around Canberra with Paul aboard it and it is an impressive machine. I understand the production model is even nicer."

And Norm Keen writes: "If you are interested there are now a number of these bikes running around Australia and one in a race bike in New Zealand. It is always a long slog with basically a one man opperation."

To dreamers and doodlers like me, the idea of putting two Royal Enfield Bullet motors together to make one V-twin seems perfectly logical. Aniket Vardhan, working alone in a borrowed shop, actually did it.

How much easier, then, would it be for Carberry, an Australian firm with multiple minds and real resources, to design, manufacture, market and sell their Enfield V-Twin?

But I'd heard little of the Australian firm since encountering their awesome website in 2008.

It's rather discouraging that the website still features a link to "Progress Report as at April 2009." When you click, there is an update for "January 2010," but nothing since.

Whatever happened to Carberry?

Paul Crowe tells us in an article on the blog The Kneeslider.

"The Carberry V-Twin has been through a very slow and methodical process on its way to production... I just got word they're now taking orders with 12 crankshafts being assembled and 12 crankcases being machined, not to mention they have a number of the gorgeous V-Twin engines already on the road."

If you'd like to order one, the inquiry form is on the web site.

I guess that dreaming and doodling are one thing. Making a motor, putting it in a motorcycle and getting it certified to sell to the public is another. It takes time.

Meanwhile, here's a recent doodle of mine for your consideration.