Royal Enfield, motorcycle for the Distinguished Gent

My Royal Enfield and I are all dressed up with no where to go.

UPDATE: For thoughts on what to wear while riding as a Distinguished Gentleman, check the advice from the real Maj. Bunty Golightly, in the comments on this post.

No motorcycle on earth is more appropriate for a distinguished gentleman than a Royal Enfield motorcycle.

"Bunty" is our role model.

So I am aghast that I only recently learned of The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride this Sunday, Sept. 30, everywhere across the planet. (Although no where near me.)

Organizers say it is "A day when cafe racers, bobbers, flat trackers, classics and retros across the globe unite. We ride the world for no reason, being distinguished."

Motorcyclists in communities from Cleveland, Ohio to Singapore have organized local rides. Check the Distinguished Gentlemans Ride website at this link to see what is planned near you.

It's all in good humor, as the ride's Facebook page describes it:

"Good will rise and shine again on the 30th across the globe. As we motorcyclists do, if you see someone, anyone, in distress, assist. Sadly, the general public is less likely to run away from us helping when we are not wearing leather and denim."

Returning to the choice of motorcycle for the ride, the website advises that "Unfortunately this is a specific event for cafe racers and similar styled bikes: retro, vintage, classic, modern classic, flat trackers, brat, street trackers, bobbers and yes we have opened it up to Vespas and Lambrettas."

As for the personal dress code: "think distinguished." The website strongly recommends suits. You shouldn't need your leathers.

"If you can not ride a motorcycle for a few hours without crashing, please do another activity," organizers suggest.

However, note that in the logo, Mr. Distinguished Gentleman wears his helmet.

The project started with the Sydney Cafe Racers (Perth, Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane) and was graciously extended to the world at large.

Royal Enfield racers are betting on you to watch Badger

Royal Enfield Badger took on the track at Summit Point last weekend.

We know the Royal Enfield racing team called Badger Corse plans to takes its Royal Enfield Bullet racing again this fall. A group of film makers invites you to come along and watch.

Film maker Drue Pennella of Pure Motion Pictures plans a short documentary on Badger's successful (they hope) fall season. He asks you to contribute to the film through the online "crowdfunding" platform Indiegogo.com

You can contribute any amount. For $10 you'll get a link to prescreen the film before it is released to the public. For $500 you'll get to ride the Badger.

"I’m a sucker for vintage British bikes and have come to hold a special place in my heart for the brand Royal Enfield," Pennella says in a short video promoting the campaign.

Film maker Drue Pennella plans to document a Royal Enfield  racing season.

With Pennella's camera watching, builder Leon Stanley plans to take the Badger road racing, record setting and flat tracking.

The challenge is "One bike. One Month. Three Races."

The program:

• Summit Point, W.Va. Sept. 22 for the Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA) event. 
• The Ohio Mile near Wilmington, Ohio Sept. 29-30 to run faired and non-faired, in both gas and fuel classes (shooting for four new class records).
• Oakland Valley Raceway Park in Cuddebackville, N.Y. Oct. 21 for flat track action.

The Indiegogo.com campaign urges supporters to contribute money at different levels. Contributors receive increasing "perks" in return. Pure's goal is $7,200. The campaign receives the money raised, minus a fee of 4 per cent if the goal of is met, 9 per cent if it is not. Contributions are not refunded in any case.

"Can someone through grit and determination take a humble Royal Enfield from street to track; chasing racing glory in three different racing disciplines? That’s what we are going to find out!" Pennella says  in the video.

We'll be watching. Here's video of Badger heading to Summit Point Sept. 22:

He grew up with Royal Enfield, now has the 'first' C5

He now owns the first Royal Enfield C5 sold in the U.S.

Royal Enfield motorcycles — usually badged as Indians — figured early in the life of Gary Friddle, a truck driver who now lives in Eastern Oklahoma.

His dad and grandfather before him raced Indians. Gary grew up believing that Harley Davidson was "the enemy."

Gary was the youngest of nine children. His dad had a 1960 Indian Chief, built by Royal Enfield, purchased about 1962. He would put five or six of the kids on it. There's a picture of this somewhere, probably misplaced in a move, Gary said.

One brother, serving overseas with the Air Force, brought back an early 700cc Interceptor and talked about the Mods and Rockers and "doing the ton."

The boys in the family rode and raced British motorcycles including Ariel and AJS. Growing up in Michigan, Gary remembers clearing a "track" by plowing snow off a frozen lake for ice racing.

"I tried to keep the track as curved as possible; the Harleys could catch us on the straights!"

The ice-rink track would get rutted and unusable after a few races, giving everyone the chance to head inside to warm up.

As a teen he got custody of a 1959 Indian Woodsmn with a Fury head on it, "an awesome bike." This was only possible because his father had a buddy who was an Indian dealer in Battle Creek, Mich. The Woodsman had been intended for the dealer's son to race but plans changed and it came to Gary's family.

The Woodsman was "about 20 years old" when Gary got it. After he went into the military another brother sold off the Woodsman.

Gary hadn't ridden for 30 years when the urge returned. In fact, it had been so long that he wondered what it would be like to ride now that most motorcycles shifted on the left, instead of on the right as he remembered. He knew Royal Enfields were still made in India.

He wrote me recently to tell me that he had found his Royal Enfield on this blog. His motorcycle turns out to be the first C5 sold in the United States, and he has a certificate proving it. Gary is the second owner, having purchased it from Dannie Mullins. Mullins was kind enough to deliver the motorcycle to Gary.

"My wife was amazed because one of the first things I asked him was 'what's its name?' She said 'how did you know he had given his motorcycle a name?'

"I just knew."

The name was "Rosie," appropriate for the color.

Gary also wanted me know about Michael Baker, of Royal Enfield of Fort Worth. I mentioned the dealership recently, noting that it claims to be the largest pre-owned Royal Enfield dealer in the U.S.

Odometer shows 16,000 miles.

"Imagine my surprise when I saw my friend Michael Baker's dealership featured in your article about used Royal Enfields," Gary wrote.

"Mike and I met in New Ulm, Texas at the 28th Annual British Motorcycle Owners Association Motorcycle Rallye this summer. 2012 was the year of the Royal Enfield and Mike brought out a fine display of not only bikes but hats, shirts and swag from his dealership.

"The Royal Enfields showed a very respectable rating in the events, winning about a third of them, as I recall. We had great fun and Mike is a real stand up guy. After the event he answered questions over the phone I had about my bike and helped in so many ways, as I don't have a dealer locally here in Oklahoma.

"Since meeting Mike and the team from Fort Worth, he's now my dealer and go-to guy for anything Royal Enfield related!"

This new Royal Enfield Crusader is no replica

Lower handlebars and higher exhaust distinguish this Royal Enfield.

Here's a sneak preview of the new Royal Enfield Crusader model, latest project of Watsonian Squire, the UK importer of Royal Enfield motorcycles.

Watsonian explains in its email newsletter that the original Royal Enfield Crusader of 1956 "was a sporty 250cc roadster, which sold in huge numbers, and was the basis for the iconic Continental GT cafe racer."

This inspired them to create a "slightly sportier" version of the 500cc Bullet  Classic (we call it the C5 in America). The Watsonian Crusader isn't intended to be a replica of the original Crusader. It will be an upgrade kit with drop handlebars and Gold Star style muffler.

Original 1956 Crusader looked fairly up-to-date.

The Watsonian Squire email says they're calling it Crusader "for now." Perhaps they will reconsider. But should they?

Their Royal Enfield Fury, unveiled in 2010, recycled a name from the legendary 1959 Fury built in limited numbers by Royal Enfield for the U.S.

Watsonian Squire's Fury.

Modified from the Electra (what we call the G5 in the U.S.) the Watsonian Squire Fury is no replica of the original. Among other differences it has a digital instrument panel never imagined in 1959, and a tailpipe on each side serving the single-cylinder motor.

1960 Fury illustration from a book by Gordon May.

Will Watsonian Squire use up all the great names of the past on what are essentially just variations of existing Bullets? Maybe. But it will take a long time.

Royal Enfield used few model names in its early history, typically describing motorcycles by engine capacity or alpha-numerics (Model G and RE2, for instance).

Starting after World War II we begin to get the great names: Clipper, Connie, Constellation, Continental, Crusader, Crusader Sports, Ensign, Interceptor, Meteor, 700 Meteor, Olympic, Prince, 500 Sports Twin, Super 5, Super Meteor, Trials, Turbo Twin, Turbo Twin Sports and 500 Twin.

Plus, of course, the longest lasting name of all: Bullet.

There's yet another set of names from the period in the 1950s when Royal Enfields sold in the United States were badged as Indians: Apache, Chief, Fire Arrow, Hounds Arrow, Lance, Patrol Car, Tomahawk, Trailblazer, Westerner and Woodsman.

Except for the time honored Bullet name, Royal Enfield in India tends to go its own way, with such original names as Battle Green, Chrome, Classic 500, Desert Storm, and Twinspark. An exception is the Thunderbird which, to American ears seems to evoke either the Triumph motorcycles of that name or the Ford automobile.

Royal Enfield USA also has gone its own way, dubbing Royal Enfield Bullets broadly as B5, C5 and G5. These originally were factory code names. Retaining them for the showroom floor probably made describing them much easier in a country where the brand was less well known.

Royal Enfield bicycles in many varieties, but from where?

This blue Royal Enfield bicycle is for sale in New Jersey.

A red Royal Enfield bicycle that looked too new to have been built in Redditch by the original Royal Enfield company left me wondering where they come from. That one was badged as a "Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle" and appeared to be labelled "Made in Japan."

Then I spotted another ad for a blue Royal Enfield bicycle, this one badged with a peculiar "RE" logo on the headstock. This one was for sale in South Orange, N.J., by a fellow who appears to know a lot about used bicycles.

"RE" in a triangle logo. It's just a sticker.

Why not ask him what he knows about these bicycles?

His name is Robert Stack and he runs a one-man bicycle restoration operation called Zoshe at www.zoshe.com/bikes.

"Most bikes I restore are bikes I believe are some of the best rare or vintage classic bikes ever made. The only thing more fun or equal to restoring them, is riding them," he writes on his website. Here's what he told me about the "RE" Royal Enfield:

"The Royal Enfield bicycle I'm currently selling, has components, decals, and accessories that make me believe it was made in the late 1970s or early 1980s. It has no origin of manufacturing on the bike, but I strongly suspect it was made in Taiwan by Kirk and Merifield company, which bought out Royal Enfield bicycle in some type of agreement by 1970.

Red bike had metal badge.

"It's also possible Kirk and Merifield later sold, or licensed the Royal Enfield bicycle tooling and brand to another company. The Made-in-Japan red Royal Enfield bicycle in your blog has a metal badge, so I strongly suspect it was made in the 1970s. By 1980, most bike companies switch to using front sticker badges.

"Also, it was common that bikes made in Japan in the 1970s were later made in Taiwan in the 1980s. Nonetheless, whoever kept making and updating these Royal Enfield bikes from 1970 to early 1980s did a pretty nice job. If any were made after the early 1980s, I never came across any."

Robert even went to the trouble to consult the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.

"The last known holder of the Royal Enfield bicycle trademark  is G. Joannou Cycle Co., Inc... It's the same company that purchased the Jamis bike company. Claims of a Far East company making illegitimate counterfeit Royal Enfield bicycles after 1970 are not true.

"Maybe, someone at the Jamis bike company has some info on Royal Enfield bicycles made after 1970," he suggested.

I'll let you know what I find out.

My back hurts; should I take to a trike?

Here's a look at Harley-Davidson's $31,000 trike.

Both my wife Bonnie and daughter Anna sent me the recent New York Times article about aging baby boomers giving up their two-wheelers to ride trikes.

Baby boomers suffering from bad knees, bad backs and big butts "have abandoned their traditional two-wheel motorcycles in favor of three-wheelers, the super-steady and seemingly safer machines commonly known as trikes," Jesse McKinley wrote in The Times.

My first reaction: What are my wife and daughter trying to tell me?

My second reaction: Gee, those things are ugly.

1959 Royal Enfield based Indian Patrol Car looked tidy.

Naturally, I exempt all things Royal Enfield from this description. I happen to think that the Royal Enfield based Pashley tricycle is a handsome machine, looking like a Bullet up front and an Indian Patrol Car in the back. It somehow extracts a reverse gear from the traditional Albion transmission!

But those vintage tricycles are rare (from the 1950s), slow (the 350cc single) and, I suspect, poorly sprung.

Not the things to cushion a bad back. Which — suddenly — I have.

I was in the garage Sept. 15 adding air to tires with a bicycle pump when the first stroke produced a stabbing pain in my back. I could barely stand. I could hardly walk into the house. The tire pump is still on the floor of the garage where I dropped it.

I'd been planning to take a ride on my Bullet past the community free mulch pile to check if there are any nice looking wood chips I could load into my car for the garden.

I now can not imagine riding the Bullet or even jack knifing my body into the car for a ride to the Emergency Room.

If this pain doesn't depart, I realize, I am facing a life in which I may never load mulch again.

It may be an over reaction but, suddenly, those trikes don't seem so awful looking anymore. Nor am I going to ever again ridicule the possible comforts of the back rest I spotted fitted to a Bullet.

Back rest might be comfy but could I swing my leg over it?

This is a Royal pain.

Royal Enfield photos from Battle of the Brits

Here's a lovely Indian motorcycle built by Royal Enfield.

Reader Robert Slovey was kind enough to send these photographs of Royal Enfields at the Battle of the Brits motorcycle show Sept. 9 in Orchard Lake, Mich.

Powerful looking Royal Enfield twin keeps company with BSA.

"It was a great show with some of the best bikes in Michigan on display.  This may be the best motorcycle show in all of Michigan.  I attend every year, rain, or shine," he wrote.

Trike features drum front brake.

"There was even a Royal Enfield bicycle there that had the same markings as the one on your website.  I assume it's a modern rip-off of the RE name."

The event was sponsored by the Metro Triumph Riders Motorcycle Club.

What better way to go to a motorcycle show?

Would you trade your Royal Enfield for this airplane?

The owner of this lovely little airplane wants to trade for a Royal Enfield motorcycle.

People have offered to trade a lot of things to get their hands on a Royal Enfield motorcycle.

I've documented offers of a Cadillac Eldorado, a snow plow, and even a 1907 copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

But up to now, no one I know of has offered to trade an airplane for a Royal Enfield. The day has come. Here's the CraigsList ad, out of Southern New Hampshire, pointed out to me by reader Jeffrey Baker:

"Ultralight RagWing aircraft, Ultra-Piet. Ultralight version of Pietenpol Aircamper design. Single seat. Kawasaki 340 engine with JayBird belt redrive and 64-inch Tennessee wood prop. Five gallon fuel tank. Took the plane as part of a trade for another airplane last year. Been in storage. Realised I don't have time or interest enough for this project. It has flown. Engine is new as far as I can tell. Will sell or trade with or without engine, $1,900 without motor. Cash or trade for something interesting like maybe a Royal Enfield motorcycle. Ken Walter at 603-591-5377."

You don't need a pilot's license. Training is advisable.

The RagWing Ulta-Piet is said to cruise at 55 mph and stall at 24 mph. These stated performance figures just happen to match the U.S. definition of an ultralight. The U.S. considers it a vehicle and not an aircraft(!). It is not required to be registered and the operator doesn't need a pilot's license.

Plus, it's cute as a bug. The asking price for the airplane — sorry, vehicle — is only $2,500, motor and all. You could save that much in airline baggage fees alone!

Kawasaki twin.

The Kawasaki in-line twin in this one was intended by its maker to power snowmobiles. Kawasaki wants you to know they never suggested you should take it into the air. Just saying.

For an amusing description of flying (and crashing — lightly) in an Ultra-Piet, read Doug's Ultra-Piet blog. It's illustrated with this photo of his plane buzzing the Kansas River at "ultra" low altitude.

Any landing you can wade away from is a good landing.

1998 Royal Enfield emerges from 14 years in its crate

This Avon Gray Royal Enfield Bullet 350 was lost for 14 years.

Meet "Daphne," the 1998 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet that spent 14 years forgotten in its crate — but started on the second kick!

Alan Galentine, a Salvation Army lieutenant (and ordained minister) in Newark, N.J., put a delightful video on YouTube showing off his find.

In the video he tells how he found the still pretty (but dusty) Royal Enfield in a forgotten container. He shows off the odometer, with only six miles showing. That's after a quick test ride. The motorcycle had only "about four" miles on it when he found it, he told me.

It turns out that finding Daphne is the second half of a story I'd written earlier about Royal Enfields found on the property of a man who had purchased five of them, planning to become a dealer.

That never happened and the now elderly gentleman needed help cleaning up his property. Alan and his family stepped in to help.

"He thought the motorcycles were still there, but wasn't even sure," Alan said. The first Royal Enfields found were in containers that had their doors open, so they had suffered a bit. But the 350 was still in its crate and was toward the back of its container, less exposed to moisture.

Alan helped the man sell the other motorcycles, but decided to buy the 350 for himself.

He would have some trouble getting it registered; New Jersey balked at accepting the old paperwork from India, apparently because the city of Madras, where Royal Enfields are built, is now called Chennai! The city's name changed officially in 1996.

A nice long slow ride brought mileage on the 350 to 156, Alan said. He enjoyed the experience.

"I've always owned modern vehicles; I've never had to break anything in before," he said.

But he's breaking this one in by the book. He felt he could hear the exhaust note improving as the miles passed.

In his video, Alan grabs the exhaust to prove
the motorcycle is stone cold. Yet it starts right up.

Naturally he also had the experience of having people ask about the motorcycle.

"It starts a lot of great conversations," Alan said. At an ice cream shop an Indian man came over to look at the bike he remembered from home. Drivers slow down to keep pace with the motorcycle, looking it over.

Alan has had two Harleys and many Japanese motorcycles, but has known he wanted for a Royal Enfield for 20 years exactly; since 1992.

How could he be so specific about that date? I asked.

"I had just started work at Corning Glass in State College, Pa. and someone had left a copy of Walneck's  on a table, with an article about Royal Enfields. I didn't know they were still available."

But he had heard the name Royal Enfield before. His father had ridden one while serving with the Eighth Air Force in England..

"I just love the motorcycle."

Alan knows that the 350 is preferred by many to the 500 because it is the original size and is considered somehow sweeter. Like most (if not all) 350s imported into the U.S., this one is Avon Gray, an unusual and understated color.

Alan is the sort of guy who gives his vehicles pet names if they have the character to justify it.

So: Why Daphne?

Alan explained the he heard Jeremy Clarkson of the BBC's "Top Gear" show mention Daphne du Maurier,  the British author of the novels "Rebecca" and "Jamaica Inn" and the short story "The Birds" (all of which became films by Alfred Hitchcock).

Clarkson was looking for a way to describe the looks of the new VW Passat CC:

"Pretty, isn’t it?" Clarkson said, according to a transcript. "It might not cause other motorists to swivel round in their seat, nor will it send a frisson through crowds on the pavement. It’s not pretty like Abi Clancy or Meg Ryan . . . was... It’s quietly pretty, subtly pretty. Pretty like Daphne du Maurier. The sort of pretty you don’t really notice until it’s pointed out to you. And then you can’t get its prettiness out of your head."

That certainly applies to this Royal Enfield 350.

Royal Enfield Quality Bicycles were Made in Japan

This attractive Royal Enfield ladies bicycle is obviously nearly new. 

Royal Enfields, both motorcycles and bicycles, were made in Great Britain originally, and the motorcycles are still made in India.

Used but still newish Royal Enfield bicycles, most labelled "Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle," still turn up for sale frequently. But where are they coming from?

One probably safe assumption is that they come from Japan. The British company itself may have sourced parts and perhaps whole bicycles there toward the end of its life in the 1960s. Perhaps a supplier carried on production, at least for a time.

Now there's some hard evidence, in the form of a red ladies bicycle offered for sale on CraigsList  in Iowa City, Iowa.

Silver tag just above the fork appears to read "Made in Japan."

The headtube of this bicycle proudly carries the Royal Enfield Quality Bicycle badge. Beneath it is a silver label that to my eyes appears to read "Made in Japan."

So, that mystery is solved. But I still have a couple questions: Are they still in production? And do they have any, even tenuous connection to Royal Enfield England?

It's a Royal Enfield; but who built it, and when?

Royal Enfield racer named Badger faces new challenges

Leon Stanley and the Royal Enfield motorcycle named Badger aren't done yet.

What's next for Badger Corse, the Royal Enfield Bullet racing team that has sampled three varieties of racing this year under the direction of builder Leon Stanley?

This single Royal Enfield Bullet has been a circuit racer, a flat tracker, and a land speed-record machine. Will there be a fourth round?

After filming a segment on the Badger for Cafe Racer TV, Badger Corse might have called it a year.

Instead, Stanley hopes to challenge Badger (and himself) with three more competitions.

His plans:

• Summit Point, W.Va. Sept. 22 for the Western Eastern Roadracing Association (WERA) event. 
• The Ohio Mile near Wilmington, Ohio Sept. 29-30 to run faired and non-faired, in both gas and fuel classes (shooting for four new class records).
• Oakland Valley Raceway Park in Cuddebackville, N.Y. Oct. 21 for flat track action.

"All of this, is based of course, on scaring up the dough to make it happen," Stanley admits.

Used Royal Enfield motorcycles? Your dealer has them

U.S. dealers stocked with used Royal Enfields didn't exist a decade ago.

You lucky people. If you want a nice used Royal Enfield all you have to do is go down to your Royal Enfield dealer and pick one out.

A decade ago, anxious to buy a Royal Enfield Bullet, but hoping for a bargain,  I called the dealer here in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and asked if he had a used Bullet to sell.

I had only just learned that there was such a thing as a Royal Enfield Bullet, and I wanted one. I was disappointed by the response I got.

"There aren't many used ones around," the dealer said, "and the people who have them tend to hold onto them." The best he could do for me was to let me buy his display model, a left-over but still unused 1999 Bullet.

I began this blog in 2008, listing Royal Enfields for sale in the United States hoping to help people like me find the Royal Enfields of their dreams. But now I usually don't even bother listing used motorcycles for sale by dealers. Increasingly, you can assume they have some.

A case in point is this CraigsList ad by Royal Enfield of Fort Worth, Texas, which claims to be "the largest pre-owned Royal Enfield dealer in the U.S." The ad is illustrated with an impressive photo line-up of nearly new Royal Enfields listed at reasonable prices.

The ad says the dealer has more than 15 models in stock, along with two sidecar rigs.

Fort Worth dealer advertises this lovely used Bullet,
with some nice custom touches.

One of the Royal Enfields the Fort Worth dealer advertises is a new 2011 Battle Green C5 it describes as the "Deal of the Century." It has some mild "crate damage" and so is being offered at $5,400, less than you might pay for a used motorcycle.

Dealer says this new but blemished C5 is the "Deal of the Century."

I have no connection with this dealer and have never visited Fort Worth. But I think the ads show that times are changing.

Your Royal Enfield awaits.