Royal Enfield Motorcycles blog wishes you joy

Royal Enfield Model J carries season's greetings.

It's a Royal Enfield Model J and two bundled riders bringing you holiday greetings this year.

The Model J was just the thing for these two fashionably dressed young people. With its shiny tank and fenders this Royal Enfield was a showy motorcycle. Although it had only a single cylinder it featured dual exhaust ports, giving it a bright, fish-tailed exhaust for each side.

Royal Enfield introduced the twin port version of the Model J (eventually dubbed J2) in 1949, probably the time of the Royal Enfield advertisement I used as the basis for my greeting card (the J2 was discontinued in 1955).

With 500cc it was certainly no slouch on the road, but the lack of rear suspension would suggest the lady passenger ought to hold more tightly to the young man, for fear of bouncing off. Royal Enfield clearly considered the J2 best used as a sidecar tug and upgrades would include forks and steering damper to suit that role.

The Glory of Youth

This Royal Enfield ad, originally entitled "The Glory of Youth," would have been eye-catching at the time, with its rich color throughout and the diagonal slash of yellow suggesting motion along the road.

The artist has reversed the "vanishing point" effect. Instead of carrying your eyes away to the horizon, the diagonal lines powerfully force your eyes to the motorcycle headlight and tank.

Ages ago, Chris Bartlett, the creative designer behind the motorcycle apparel of Her Majesty's Thunder, graciously created a logo for my Royal Enfield Motorcycles blog using "The Glory of Youth" as a starting point.

Unfortunately, I never managed to work it into the layout, but I didn't forget it. While casting about for a Christmas greeting this fall I decided to do my best at altering it to suit.

Whether you're riding or not, I hope the season brings you joy.