All Chrome Cafe Racer by Royal Enfield

Its been a year since the inception or rather the reincarnation of Royal Enfield Continental GT. The bike manufacturer hasn't yet revealed what would be their next version of the Continental. Would they make it more old school while adding the latest technological edge or will they come up with some cool new paint-job and play with the overall styling of the bike. But recently I came to know about the all chrome Cafe Racer.

Royal Enfield Chrome Continental GT

The Chrome Continental GT has a magnificent chrome tank, solo seat with chrome caps, drop-down handle bars and a Goldstar exhaust. The Goldstar exhaust helps to further intensify the thump and provides an addition 5HP & packs further 10km/hr at top speed. It has a kerb weight of 183 kg and a fuel tank capacity of 14.5 liters.

We don't know whether Royal Enfield will make the Chrome cafe racer available to the Indian public or restrict it to the U.S or Canadian riders, but one thing's for sure, the all chrome Continental GT will definitely make you drool.

Waiting period for Royal Enfield Bullet might increase

You don't need to be a Royal Enfield owner to know about the patience that is required until you can finally lay your hands over your personal Royal Enfield. Such is the craze and demand of the Bullet, or any other bike from the stables of the same that, to meet with everyone's demand, a customer has to wait an average of 6 months before he is handed over the key to his Royal Enfield.

Burnt Royal Enfield Bullets

But a recent accident with a container truck containing over 65 Royal Enfield Bullets might further stretch the waiting period for Royal Enfield Bullet. A Haryana registered container truck was carrying a consignment of 65 RE Bullets which unfortunately caught fire with all the cargo still inside it. The mishap took place at Aslali, near Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The truck was taking the bikes to Haryana and was parked in the transport bay. According to reports and eye witnesses, the container caught fire in the wee hours of the morning. To check the ablazed truck, and check the inferno, 2 firefighting trucks rushed to the scene and were able to put off the fire eventually. But inspite of their best efforts, they couldn't save the brand new Royal Enfield Bullets.

Thankfully, no-one was injured in the incident. Police have started investigating into this matter, but up till now haven't been able to come up with any concrete proof or source of the fire. The fire was intense and it burned through all 65 bikes. Such was the intensity that it completely melted the bikes' tyres and peeled off all traces of paints leaving behind only carbon residue, ash and the mere exoskeleton of the Bullets.

65 charred Royal Enfield Bullets

In India, in comparison to other bikes, the waiting period for Royal Enfield Bullet is considered to be the maximum. But after this mishap revolving around 65 Bullets, the waiting period would be stretched even further for some unlucky customers. After this incident, Royal Enfield incurred a loss of over 70 lakhs.

The investigation hopefully would be able to throw some light over the mishap.

Royal Enfield Taurus: The only mass produced diesel motorcycle

So you might have thought that if a car can have a petrol and diesel variant why can't the same be applicable for a bike. Well my friend, Royal Enfield had answered the question by producing a diesel powered 325cc air-cooled, engine. And they call it, Taurus.

Taurus: a diesel motorcycle

Initially street mechanics would mount an industrial diesel engine, around the frames of the RE Bullet, 350cc. They would place the engine in used Bullets and give a retro look to it. With the 350cc retrofit engine, the bike was capable of generating roughly 6.50 HP @ 3600 RPM. If sources and to be believed, it gave a decent mileage of 72 kmpl. Noticing the success of these bikes, Royal Enfield started producing Bullets with diesel engine and named it, Taurus. The Taurus came with a 325cc, 4-stroke air-cooled diesel engine and produced a maximum torque of 15.00 Nm @ 2500 RPM. It was available with an electric start and had a 4-speed gear transmission.

The Royal Enfield Taurus was an incredible feat in the Indian motorcycling history. The Taurus was the first motorcycle with a diesel engine in India.

But the introduction of the diesel engine brought forth its share of flaws and technicalities. When it comes to motorcycles, Diesel engine are infamous for their poor power to weight ratio. The characteristics of a good motorcycle is low weight, compact dimensions, high RPM & a decent acceleration. But the advent of diesel engine led to dip in the performance and created higher weight penalties. Also the sound generated by the diesel powered Taurus was unrefined and caused excessive vibrations. Moreover these diesel engines generated excessive pollution. Due to these reasons, the production of the Taurus was stopped.

But whatever might be the outcome of the Royal Enfield Taurus, did prove their point and still persists to be a leading motorcycle producer in India.

Why Indian Army preferred Bullet over other motorcycles

Indian Army & it's close coupling with Royal Enfield

Every citizen is forever in debt of the soldiers who protect our borders from foreign threats. Because of them we can rest our eyes while confining ourselves to our beds and enjoy a peaceful night. Being an India, I would like to shed some light especially about Indian Army. Indian Army has achieved a number of astonishing feats. For example, Indian Army controls the highest battlefield in the world, the Siachen glacier, which is at 5000 meters above sea level. But do you know, of all the different motorcycles Indian Army could have adopted, why did they chose Royal Enfield as the chariot of their choice.

A 1946 BSA

Prior to 1947, India wasn't the manufacturing hub for motorcycles. During that era of British Raj, motorcycles were imported from Britain itself. Generally they used to be Triumphs or BSAs. But gradually these motorcycles due to their old age and wear & tear, were declared redundant & obsolete. Class V, this is what the army terminology is for such substances.

Royal Enfield introduced in Indian Army

To recuperate from the lack of decent motorcycles, the Government floated tenders for motorcycles. The only condition being, at a later stage the production of the bikes will occur in India. In this way, the Government would be able to supply motorcycles to the army while promoting industrialization in India. A great way of killing two birds with one stone.
And guess which bike manufacturer came front! Yes indeed. It was Royal Enfield. The Royal Enfield Company was the sole bike manufacturer to accept the terms & conditions and presented the 350cc, 4 stroke Royal Enfield Bullet.

After getting a green signal, the army rigorously tested the Royal Enfield Bullet on different terrains, and cleared it for use. The 350cc Bullets were immediately imported and 350 of them were put to patrol the Indo-Pak border in Punjab. This region was a cultivable area, hence comprised of a lot flat lands. Such topography made riding the Bullet pleasurable. Due to its inherent good looks and unbeatable performance and handling, the Royal Enfield Bullet became a huge success in no time. But within a year, Jeeps were introduced that replaced the existing Royal Enfields.

But till this very day, the Bullet is closely associated with the Indian Army and continues to portray it's faithfulness & gratitude to the Indian Army. Not much has changed since the introduction of the Bullet in 1947. Strictly adhering to the tender, Royal Enfield started manufacturing there bikes in India and had two manufacturing facilities at Tiruvottiyur and Oragadam. But recently on 23rd November 2014, they proposed a third unit at Vallam Vadagal, which would be set up on 50 acre land.

The Royal Enfield Bullet continues to be the preferred motorcycle used for dispatching riders, for military police patrol, to name a few. Almost all riding duties for the President or other mentionable dignitaries are carried out on a Royal Enfield. Even on the auspicious occasion of Republic Day, Indian soldiers pull some amazing stunts on their Royal Enfields.
The reputed Sweta Ashwa team of the Indian Army has the Guinness Record for balancing 48 people on a 500cc Royal Enfield, by shattering the record of Brazil's Army Corp.

Republic Day Parade

Apart from serving the Indian Army, the Royal Enfield has brought smiles and a steady rush of adrenalin to numerous motorcyclist. And how they did so, is to be told in the near future.

Jai Hind!

Wizards ride Royal Enfield

Hagrid's motorcycle in Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows was a Royal Enfield

You might be thinking wizards have a monopoly over broomsticks and that is the only mode of transportation they prefer. Well, you need to think twice.

For me the only stint of the wizardry world was from the Harry Potter books. And boy was it a fine piece of creation. As a teenager I was completely enthralled by every adventure and occurring of the wizard world. But as I grew, I started parting my ways with the fictitious and mythical stories. Then when the Harry Potter movies came out, I realized that our beloved Royal Enfield was used by the half-giant Hagrid in the Deathly Hallows. So I did some digging in and got my hands on some pretty neat facts.

Hagrid riding Triumph Bonneville ( HP 1 )

A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air…

Yes, you guessed it right, this is an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone. It is when Rubeus Hagrid lands his motorcycle at 4 Privet Drive. This bike was an actual belonging of Sirius Black and was borrowed by Hagrid. Enough of Harry Potter trivia, lets jump to the motorcycle part. From the book itself we can't make out what was the motorcycle which J.K Rowling had in mind while penning these lines. But in the movie adaptation of the same, a white 1959 Triumph 650 T 120 Bonneville was used.

16 years later in the Battle of the seven Potters, Hagrid is given the responsibility to drive Harry out of Privet Drive. Hagrid uses a motorcycle which was slightly modified by Arther Weasley. The bike was heavily built and had a sidecar. I am not sure whether Arther Weasley was somehow familiar to MI6's weapon development team, but he made an adjustment that made the bike capable of throwing traps and dragon fire from it's exhaust, at the push of a button. Which indeed came handy.

The Royal Enfield used in The Deathly Hallows Part -1

In the movie adaptation of The Deathly Hallows Part - I, The Triumph Bonneville wasn't used, in the motorcycle escape scene. Originally the team contracted Royal Enfield, while in the look out for a sidecar. But when they looked at the whole rig, they used the Enfield instead of the Triumph. Thus, the motorcycle that Hagrid drives in the Deathly Hallows, while Harry is sitting beside him in the sidecar, is actually a light blue Royal Enfield.

Check out this video, to find out some behind the scene footage and some neat insight regarding the bike used

I hope you rekindled with your childhood memories too while reading this post. Feel free to comment, share and suggest ideas if any (especially pertaining to Royal Enfield). Thanks!

Royal Enfield facts and stories Part 2

In one of my recent posts, I had mentioned the history and legacy behind the Royal Enfield. There we had seen how the Royal Enfield, as a company migrated from the U.K to reestablish it's roots in India. We also saw some cool facts & stories related to Royal Enfield. Now we shall go further down the line and find out even more cool facts about Royal Enfield and know why every product from their stables make us drool. So, here it goes:

1. Exporting bullets to the U.K -  After Royal Enfield migrated to India, it as known as Enfield India, and started manufacturing bikes in India itself. But England couldn't take their hands off Enfield Bullet for long. So to cater the demand, since 1984, Enfield India began exporting Enfield Bullet Motorcycles back to the UK. Isn't that obvious, who can keep a classic down and out of the reach of the British public for long. The desire to own a personal brand new Bullet, can make you do insane things.
   
   
   
2. Enfield Taurus - In 1990, Enfield India produced a diesel motorcycle, known as  the Taurus. But sadly, this motorbike didn't do well commercially and the company had to stop producing them in 2002. However, the Enfield Taurus went on to achieve cult popularity and are currently an immense hit with collectors. You can read in detail about the Royal Enfield Taurus, here.
   
   
   
3. Enfield gets it's Royal status back - In 1994, the name Enfield India reclaimed its past glory, when it's name was changed back to Royal Enfield. Thus Royal Enfield motorcycles were once again reverted back to their full and glorious existence. Credit goes to the success of Enfield India. In 2012’s The Motorbike Book put out this information is a quite catchy phrase. “It is a wonderful example of the empire striking back”. Star War fans must be chuckling right now.
4. Royal Enfield's Concept Store - Royal Enfield has recently opened a ‘concept store’ in Select City Walk, Saket, New Delhi. The store has been designed to look exactly like the living room of a biker, but completely devoid of the messy oily rags strewn across the floor. The sole luminescence of the store is from the lights, that have been made out of old motorcycle headlamps. The store depicts the story of Royal Enfield and also showcases a disassembled Continental GT on one of the walls!
   Feel free to take the 360 degree tour of the store. As an Enfield fan, you've earned it. :)



5. Royal Enfield exported to 42 different countries - Being the motorcycle that it is, Royal Enfield is exported to 42 countries across the globe. Although RE bikes have traditionally only been associated with the UK and India, the demand for them is global. The company currently exports to 42 countries, via 40 importers and over 300 dealers. Countries importing the motorcycles include the USA, Japan, Germany, and Argentina.
   
   

James Dean and Royal Enfield: A 550 mile ride across U.S

James Dean needs no introduction. Six decades have passed since his demise and he still persists to be a cultural icon of the United States. Personally being a kid of the 90's, I wasn't well aware of his works until my father told me about the magnum opus "Rebel Without a Cause", and boy was it a masterpiece. So you might be thinking, how does a rebellious icon get associated with Royal Enfield? For that my friend we need to take a step back.

James Dean

James Dean was born in Marion Indiana in 1931 and from his early days, he started to have a thing for the beasts with two wheels and an iron heart in between. James got his hands on the first motorcycle at the age of 15. It was a a 1947 CZ 125-cc. In his small town in Indiana, he was the only kid who owned a motorcycle, and every time he rode it he did it with full gusto. James loved speed & performed stunts.Once to quench his thrust for adrenaline, he rode his motorcycle in full throttle and lost two teeth in a fall. The locals used to call him “One Speed Dean”.

Later, when James was only 22 years old, he dropped out of college to pursue acting. At this point in December 1953, he traded his beloved 1947 CZ for a used 1950 single cylinder Royal Enfield 500cc vertical twin. It had two exhaust ports, thus twin mufflers. The story and bond between James Dean and Royal Enfield is best described by Lee Raskin, in his book James Dean: At Speed. The book states that, at this point of time, he had roles on television, walk-on movie appearances and had been also chosen for the prestigious Actors Studio in the Big Apple, New York.

James was rehearsing for the play The Immoralist, & was in Fairmount on Christmas break. If  he's successful and was able to amass positive reviews of this 1954 production, it would definitely bring important calls from Hollywood & open new avenues for him. But Dean had something else planned. He planned to ride his Royal Enfield, all the way from Indiana back to New York City. As the weather was rough & extremely cold, the trip was never meant to be a relishing one. The uber-cool actor put on an aviator's leather helmet and a hood to cover his face against the cold, with just slits for the eyes.

1947 CZ 125-cc

Dean knew that the Royal Enfield's motor had just been rebuilt and would need to be run in. In-spite of the fact, he kept riding, kicking aside all the possible troubles it might give way to. But, when trouble came, he was on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was a high-speed road, but his impatience got the best out of him.

At the vicinity of Carlisle, Penn., in subfreezing temperatures, the Royal Enfield began loosing power. Just outside of Harrisburg the engine stopped and Dean was instantly dragged to the side of the road. The state police responded to the call for help and Paul Roof of Hunzinger Motorcycles came to get Dean and the Royal Enfield. A burnt exhaust valve, turned out to be the root of the problem.

Finding parts for the Royal Enfield wasn't a piece of cake and would take a few days. So, Roof offered to feed Dean at his home, and found him a room in a boarding house. Since Dean was in a hurry and had a keen eye for motorcycles, he couldn't stop but admired a Indian Warrior TT that was on sale at Hunzinger's and decided to trade. Paul valued the broken Royal Enfield at $300 and Dean sent for $400 from his acting wages.

When the money and title to the Royal Enfield came in the mail, Dean sealed the deal for the Indian and completed his trip. In Greenwich Village, he he got the Indian serviced at a garage, where aspiring actor Steve McQueen worked as a mechanic. Unfortunately, no one knows the VIN number of Dean's Royal Enfield or anything about it's fate. Dean covered about 550 miles on the Royal Enfield from Fairmount to Harrisburg.

On his Triumph TR5

Later, James Dean, trying to imitate Marlon Brando, bought a Triumph TR5 Trophy, the last bike he rode before he died in his Porsche.

James Dean was indeed a rebel and still is a inspiration for millions. And his 550 mile ride across U.S. proves his longing for motorcycles, while he tore the asphalt on his then Royal Enfield. He definitely lived true to his words, when he said,

Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.