Is Royal Enfield the oldest motorcycle brand? Errrr...

Royal Enfield's claim rests on some odd and very awkward vehicles.

"Is Royal Enfield the oldest motorcycle brand?" That is the question blogger Jorge Pullin addresses in a recent important — and very amusing — posting.

The answer, like your Facebook status, is complicated.

Jorge's blog is entitled My Royal Enfields, so naturally he leans toward giving Royal Enfield the benefit of every doubt.

But doubts there are, and plenty of them. Harley-Davidson, Indian, Triumph and one other brand you'll never guess (until you read his item) have convincing claims.

To save the title for Royal Enfield you have to resort to wrapping your tongue around complicated phrases like "which is the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production?"

Jorge admits "it is unclear to me what the last phrase even means."

You also have to decide that the motor vehicles Royal Enfield built in its earliest days were motorcycles; they didn't look much like motorcycles.

One other huge stumbling point is that you have to agree that the present Royal Enfield company in India somehow got its start in Britain. Not so, Jorge reveals. The company in India was a separate venture, under Indian regulations.

That point alone reveals what a huge debt fans of vintage British motorcycles owe to India for not choosing some other sort of motorcycle to build.

Check it out. Jorge's post convincingly settles the argument once and for all, or at least until the next round of beers is served.