Royal Enfield races off-road in 1954 movie

A pretty Royal Enfield gets a real run in this 1954 Swedish comedy.

A beautiful Royal Enfield motorcycle features in the cornball 1954 Swedish movie "Åsa-Nisse på hal is." Google translates that as "Asa-Nisse On Thin Ice."

You see the Royal Enfield best in this short clip.

If you have the patience (it probably doesn't matter whether you speak Swedish; the plot is obvious) then watch the full movie.

It's a bone-headed comedy built partly around an off-road motorcycle racing event. Footage of that is excellent.



The elderly bumpkin Asa-Nisse proves his ineptitude on a motorcycle in the short clip above. Then he inadvertently takes over for a fallen rider in the motorcycle race and wins the event.

There's plenty of other silliness, too; the movie's title refers to the opening sequence featuring a wild ride on an ice boat powered by a motor wheel.

There have been many Asa-Nisse films, starting in 1949 (and another was released in 2011) but they are not considered a high point of Swedish film making.

On the other hand, this film does include some excellent motorcycle racing footage and even, near the end, a car race featuring one of my favorite British motor vehicles, the little known Austin A90 Atlantic convertible.

Rarely seen Austin A90 Atlantic convertible in racing action.