Royal Enfield is the motorcycle brand with two homes. It started as the Enfield Cycle Company of Redditch in England, and its most famous design survived the English company by building on in India.
The milestones
- 1901. The first Royal Enfield motorcycle was built by the Redditch company.
- 1932, the Bullet. The company designed and first produced the Bullet in 1932. The model has been in continuous production since 1948, which makes it the longest-lived motorcycle design in history.
- 1955, India. Madras Motors was licensed to assemble Royal Enfields in what is now Chennai, and by 1962 all the components were made in India.
- 1971. The English company's production ended.
- 1990s. Royal Enfield collaborated with the Eicher Group in 1990 and merged with it in 1994. It is today a subsidiary of Eicher Motors.
What to know when buying
- Date it first. Because the Bullet design has stayed in production, a bike that looks old may be much newer than it appears. Check the frame and engine numbers against the papers and ask for the year of manufacture in writing. See what counts as a classic motorcycle.
- English or Indian. English-built machines and Indian-built machines are different in parts, finish and value. Ask which one you are buying.
- Modified bikes. The Bullet is a popular base for custom builds. A modified bike is not wrong, but it is priced differently from an original.
- Papers. Imported bikes need the right documents. See importing from outside the EU.
Parts and community
Parts for the Indian-built bikes are easy to get, and old English parts come through clubs and specialists. See finding parts and clubs and federations.
