Royal Enfield and the Indian Connection

The Royal Enfield motorcycle is a page fromand it was thought to assemble the Bullet in India.
history. It is an English motorcycle thatSubsequently an agreement was signed with the
unfortunately had to shut shop in 1970.That wasparent company and the bike production started
the period when most British bike companiesin India at Chennai.
came under intense pressure from cheaper andThe machine made under license was the 350cc
more efficient Japanese Bikes. Against the likes ofbullet. This had a BHP of 18 and gave an average
Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha the Royal Enfieldof 10miles to a liter of gasoline. The Army, navy
Company just folded up.and Air force soon found the bike a success and
Royal Enfield first started bike production in 1898.put it for use for Police duties, Dispatch rider
The company continued making good bikes forduties and more important for escort and out
many years. Among the models produced wereriding duties on ceremonial occasions for the
the Bullet, the 250 cc Hornet and the 500cc Fury.President and Vice President of India s well as the
Actually the UK Company was sold in 1962.Butservice chiefs.
the new owners also floundered and the gatesThe main market for the Bullet was the
were shut on the Enfield as far as England wasgovernment. But Enfield India also began
concerned.marketing the bike for civil use in India. They also
In the fifties the Indian government carried out alaunched a smaller 175cc version called the Sherpa
survey for motorcycles to patrol the border withwhich unfortunately failed in the market. A slightly
the newly created state of Pakistan. The choiceimproved version of the Sherpa the Crusader a
was the bullet a 350cc bike made in England by175cc bike with a telescopic fork was also
the Royal Enfield Company. 850 bullets found theirlaunched in early seventies. But this bike also fell
way into India. The bikes were quite successfulby the wayside.