{"id":2798,"date":"2020-07-20T14:53:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T14:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/doerlife.com\/?p=2798"},"modified":"2020-07-20T14:53:32","modified_gmt":"2020-07-20T14:53:32","slug":"the-story-of-the-classic-royal-enfield-that-every-biker-must-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebglory.com\/doerlife.com\/the-story-of-the-classic-royal-enfield-that-every-biker-must-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The Story of the classic Royal Enfield that every biker must know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through the passage of decades, classic Royal Enfield\u00a0bikes have become a quintessential choice for the world\u2019s best bikers. From cruising through jungles to mountain tours, it is the dream of every biking enthusiast to own one. It is a well-known\u00a0motorcycle\u00a0brand in India with the tag of\u00a0“the oldest global motorcycle brand in continuous production”<\/em>. The history of Royal Enfield bikes goes back to 1901. Here\u2019s the story of Royal Enfield that every biker must know!<\/p>\n

\"First
Image credits: Royal Enfield<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An English company \u2018The Enfield Cycle Co. Ltd\u2019 earlier manufacturing bicycles and suppling firearms parts to the British government\u2019s Royal Small Arms Factory, decided to motorize its first bicycle in its factory located in Enfield, England. An English designer Bob Walker Smith along with Frenchman Jules Gotiet, designed a bicycle with 1 1\/2 hp Minerva engine mounted in front of the steering head and the rear wheel driven by a long rawhide belt. Thus was born the first \u2018Royal Enfield motorcycle\u2019 in 1901. During WWII (1939 to 1945), Royal Enfield continued to supply British paratroopers with a 125cc ‘Airborne’ motorcycle to be dropped out of airplanes, calling it \u2018Flying Flea\u2019. In, 1932, the legendary “Bullet” motorcycle was born. First displayed in November 1932 at the Olympia Motorcycle Show in London, in 250, 350 and 500cc, this bike was also supplied to the British Army and to the Royal Air Force during the war. In 1948, the \u2018Bullet\u2019 modeled like a gun, won multiple International Six Days Trial gold medals as an excellent off-road bike.<\/p>\n

Riding in India<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In 1947, an independent India did not have any manufacturing facility to produce motorbikes. So in 1949, India decided to import motorcycles from Royal Enfield, England. It began with the Indian government placing an order for 800 motorcycles to patrol its borders. The 350cc single-cylinder Bullet was chosen to ride on India\u2019s new roads.<\/p>\n

\"Royal
Image credits: YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This road led to Royal Enfield and Madras Motors forming Enfield India, in 1955 to assemble Bullet bikes in an economically independent India. Enfield India began by importing the licensed Bullet kits and assembling them in the Madras plant. By 1957, India gathered enough knowhow to manufacture the bike locally with only some tooling equipment required from Enfield, England. By 1962, even the import of kits ceased and the Indian Bullets were completely Made in India. Sadly, while the British company Royal Enfield declared bankruptcy in 1967 and closed its doors in 1970, Enfield India kept making 350\u00a0cc and 500\u00a0cc models and selling them in India. With a turn of events in 1977, Enfield India began to export the 350cc Bullet to the UK and Europe.<\/p>\n

The Eicher Group<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a rise of Japanese bikes taking the world by storm in the 70s, Enfield India too began to face competition. As it struggled to stay afloat in the coming years, in 1994, it finally merged with Eicher Motor Group, a manufacturer of tractors, commercial vehicles and automotive gears acquired the company. The founder of Eicher Motors Vikram Lal, an avid motorcyclist himself and an owner a Bullet, took upon himself to salvage and rebuild the Royal Enfield brand. The company is renamed Royal Enfield Motors Limited.<\/p>\n

The company got back on its feet under the leadership of Vikram Lal and his son Siddhartha Lal, MD and CEO. The company\u2019s rebirth happened in 2004 when Siddartha Lal decided to disinvest in 13 businesses as diverse as footwear and garments to focus on Royal Enfield and the trucks business. In 2014, the move earned Eicher Motors over INR 8,738 crores in revenue and a profit of INR 702 crores with Royal Enfield contributing to 80% profit share.<\/p>\n

\"Himalayan
Image credits: India TV News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Core Management Style<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Siddartha Lal believed in leading by example. He also drew inspiration from global car brands like Mini Cooper and Porsche. According to Lal, both these car brands are exceptionally focused and do not believe in diluting their core DNA. \u2018This is what I want from Royal Enfield \u2013 to make mid-weight motorcycles fun to drive, yet retain its DNA\u2019 <\/em>says S. Lal.<\/p>\n

With conviction and focus on a goal, the quality of the bikes improved. The sale of 50,000 bikes in 2010 reached 589,283 in CY14.<\/p>\n

Company growth<\/h4>\n

In 1999, the Austrian company AVL, stepped in to design a revised 350cc all-aluminium lean-burn Bullet engine, known as the A350. The same begins to be manufactured at a new Royal Enfield plant near Jaipur, Rajasthan.<\/p>\n

In May 2017, Royal Enfield opened a Technical centre at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, near Leicester in central England. The Centre employs 130 engineers and product development staff. It is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for engine and chassis design with full 3D scanning and printing capabilities. Additionally, it also contains a test track as well as the 3-kilometer (nearly 2-mile) runway for high-speed testing. The chassis design is undertaken with the help of Harris Performance, a British firm that\u2019s done work for numerous World Superbike and MotoGP teams and that was acquired by Eicher in 2015.<\/p>\n

In 2016, saw the opening of Royal Enfield\u2019s North American headquarters. The North American headquarters is Royal Enfield\u2019s first wholly-owned subsidiary in the world, headed by Rod Copes a former Harley Davidson manager.<\/p>\n

\"Bikes
Image credits: Team BHP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Royal Enfield – Make In India<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Royal Enfield bikes in India are now manufactured at 3 facilities –<\/p>\n