Royal Enfield motorcycles have a sort of online penny-dreadful to promote their very classic Brit-style bikes, featuring one Pandora Pitstop. Haven't read the entire thing but it's amusing.
Gotta lurve them Royal Enfields. Early on, Practical Tam pointed the more basic models still had drum brakes front and rear; it must have bothered them, too, as they've gone to discs, at least in front -- and front's 70% of the stoppage anyhow.
And who can forget the Royal Enfield Interceptor 750 under test by the revered old Cycle Magazine blowing its motor (crank, as I recall) and the mag, desperate for pictures for the roadtest, showed the tester coasting down a hill.
ReplyDeleteAnd only admitted the deceit years later.
Thanks, I'll stick with my BSA.
Oh, wait, is this 2010 already?
The Royal Enfields have a serious cool factor to them, but even new in the showroom they have diapers on to suck up the oil leaks.
ReplyDeleteStill.... heavy retro kewl look.
Do they still have Lucas electrics?
ReplyDeleteA must for those of us with SMLEs in our gun safe.
ReplyDeleteNo Lucas, I think: the current gen are made in India, so you get an Indian copy of Lucas... ;)
ReplyDeleteThough they sometimes struggle with QC and labor relations sometimes look insane (scooter maker LML had a strike that lasted a couple of years!), the Indian small-engine/small vehicle industry is getting better and better -- and making more of a mark on world markets. Good for 'em!
There is still an element of good old British you'll-have-to-keep-after-it to parts of it; I find it charming but then again, I drove an MGB with huge miles on the clock as my sole and only vehicle for a number of years.
Spot on Roberta, their QA/QC is improving and going straight up. This year they are going to fuel injection too. This bike could be a serious Thumper if these trends continue.
ReplyDeleteFor now, if ya gotta have a limey ride - Triumph is probably still your best bet.
Go over to "The Kneeslider" for a story on "The Musket". Some very ambitious soul built a Bullet based 1000cc V-twin.
ReplyDelete"http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2010/01/10/royal-enfield-musket-1000cc-the-musket-v-twin-gets-bigger-guns-and-plans-for-production/"
I so wanted a Robin for my bio-diesel fiddling. I freely admit it to be aimless fiddling. You can't save the world.
ReplyDeleteAs for changing the world, like any baby, it prefers staying in dirty diapers.
I had no idea how true that was 'til I had a baby of my own to tend.
Also like a baby, if you try to change the world, it will let loose right in your face...
Adjust for scale!