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.