Royal Enfield and Inder sidecar look great in Bogotá

Heritage is evident everywhere in this picture.

There is something about a Royal Enfield motorcycle with a sidecar attached. José Cepeda of Bogotá, Colombia sent me these beautiful pictures. They made his sidecar rig and his city look very appealing.

He wrote:

"I live in Bogotá, Colombia, where I purchased a brand new Royal Enfield Classic 350 in 2010 and as of 2011 am enjoying as well the company of an Inder Sidecar.

"I'm 38 and have studied journalism and political science in Colombia, Germany and Spain. I work as a professor and freelance writer for magazines, beside playing the guitar and conducting a music program on College Radio at my university.

 José Cepeda with his Royal Enfield and sidecar.

"Since I was a kid I've had an interest in classic cars and bikes, but just recently found the opportunity to buy a motorcycle with the long heritage of the Royal Enfield 350. I still remember in Heidelberg, Germany, an old Dnepr sidecar rig parking every day in summer semester beside the main library, and dreaming about it.

"This is my first bike so it has been an experience to learn how to drive it and assemble the bike and sidecar. I was thankful for the new Royal Enfield store in Bogotá  and the knowledge and patience of an Italian-English photographer and motorcycle restorer named Salvatore Salamone. We shared a lot of time learning how sidecars work.

"I also found an interesting book that I recommend for the sidecarist: Driving a Sidecar Outfit, by David L. Hough.

Even the young seem to appreciate the classic looks of the Royal Enfield.

"I ride my rig on weekends, especially on sunny Sundays, alone or with friends as passengers, and sometimes with other bikes including Royal Enfield models, around the countryside from Bogotá. I'm old-fashioned  and enjoy the retro-style and the unique feeling from the mid-20th-Century.

"Also I'm a beginner golf player, and carry my bag and clubs when I go for practice in the sidecar (they fit perfectly) and everywhere I go the reaction is great!"

In  José's pictures his Royal Enfield seems to have the streets to itself.

Almost as pretty as the Royal Enfield and sidecar in these pictures is Bogotá itself. I looked it up. Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is "the Athens of South America," because of its many universities and libraries. It is (stunning to me at my seven feet above sea level) situated at 8,612 feet.

With its metropolitan area, it has almost 7.9 million inhabitants.