Royal Enfield

[healey36]

Saw this on the business pages...I wasn't aware they were still around:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/indian-bike-maker-royal-enfield-expand-obama-thumbs-144530805.html

Despite the fact that my better half forbids me from owning one, I firmly believe the world can't have enough motorcycles.

Healey

[webenda]

A few years ago they were imported by the one Royal Enfield of Arizona dealer as kits. Now I see there are more dealers and the Royal
Enfield bikes are ready to ride. Glad to see this old British brand making a comeback. Thank you for link Healy.


Royal Enfield (the one I really want)
Starting => http://youtu.be/p9rCK2aajCE
Riding => http://youtu.be/IX_-PYCiREU

[The Dirt]

Healey, you should have married a redhead.

This '32 Harley flathead was for sale at a local bike show. I lusted for it, and told my wife, and she told me to call up the bank and ask about a loan.
I hesitated, then demurred, and I regret it to this day.

[sarge]

Dirt, mate:

I'm a Brit bike kinda guy myself, but if the Lady of the Manor said for me to go ahead and write a cheque for that flathead, I wouldn't have hesitated. Whatever were you thinking, man!

I have to say I like the look of that Enfield, but coming from the land of the Gee-Whiz and the Mahindra faux-Jeep with a Peugeot diesel in it, I'd have to seek a real one perhaps, or at least wait until the plant in Leicester gets going. (Made in d'Midlins wit' proid, mate!)

On the other hand I have no business on a bike again after breaking my back, so I'll stay focussed on the real prize, an old Brit roadster (unless an old Defender crosses my bow).

[The Dirt]

I don't know, sarge, I don't know.

Tramp is probably gagging on his oatmeal at the thought of the flathead. He rides a Ducati.

[healey36]

My younger brother has a Honda Rebel 450 which he bought used probably twenty years ago. It's a nice, simple, reliable motorcycle, a bit unusual in that most of the Rebels were 250 or 350. Every once in awhile I take it for a spin around his neighborhood (sans license), sating my desire to own yet another piece of iron.

Years ago some friend of ours called and said she was cleaning out her car port and wanted to know if my brother and I wanted to buy her son's old motorcycle. She said it was a Suzuki, that it had been stolen, recovered and was no longer running. She said her son had told her the engine was blown.

Never one to shrink from a challenge we offered her two hundred bucks for it and hauled it home. I don't remember the model but it was 1000cc, very basic looking bike. A quick perusal revealed that (1) someone had pried the ignition lock out of it when they stole it, and (2) the engine was not blown, but instead the rear brake caliper was clamped on the disc due to a severed brake-line. We made a list of parts we thought we needed and headed down to the motorcycle repair joint in town.

When we got down to the shop we realized that it was predominantly, perhaps exclusively, geared toward Harley Davidson. Walking inside we were surrounded by guys wearing jean-jackets with the sleeves ripped off, lots of chains, kerchiefs on their heads, etc. My brother and I flipped for which of us was going to walk up to the parts counter and ask for Suzuki parts. Turned out they were very gracious, fixed us up with the brake-line parts we needed and ordered us a new ignition lock. In the meantime, they said, just jam a screwdriver in the socket where the lock should go and we should be able to close the circuit and start the bike.

Took the parts home, replaced the brake-line, threw some gas in it, jammed in the screwdriver as instructed, and with some fiddling she started right up. My brother jumped on it and down the road he went. He cam back a few minutes later, shaken, said the hell with this, we're selling it. What, let me have a turn first.

That bike was an absolute rocket...massive torque, felt like it was going to just take off right out from under you. A slight twist on the throttle might snap your spine. Watching MotoGP all those years, it cured me of ever wanting one of those bzillion CC rice-burners with the fairings and everything. The thing was a loaded gun in the wrong hands.

We sold it to some guy for $1200. The Rebel 450 remains the only bike in the family.

Healey

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.....I have no business on a bike again after breaking my back.....

One might think that that would trump any inclination towards such activities. However, the best laid plans of mice and all.

I on the other hand am perfectly happy to limit my activities on 2 wheels to a bicycle that I can pedal along at 1 clownpower,

[healey36]

A review of the 500:

http://rideapart.com/articles/first-ride-royal-enfield-classic-500

[Mitch]

Back in my younger days, I firmly believed that Royal Enfield was a model of a BSA. I'd scrap that nameplate on the front fender, the fuel tank badge is plenty. I still lust for another Harley, (a real Harley this time, not one made by AMF!), but I'm so poor I can't even pay attention. When I was a lad in high school, the bikes everybody wanted were the Triumphs and BSAs. Harleys were out of our league, and at that time, most of the cop bikes were Harley 45 trikes, with a few police depts. getting the later '74s, the Panheads. My younger brother got an '03 Harley police bike for $9K, less than 20K on odometer. Even that amount is beyond me.

[robert.]

Healey, you should have married a redhead.

This '32 Harley flathead was for sale at a local bike show. I lusted for it, and told my wife, and she told me to call up the bank and ask about a loan.
I hesitated, then demurred, and I regret it to this day.

That's victor's bike.He lives in Trenton. I bought a lot of parts from him. He builds these bikes every year. Your next chance to see him will be Jefferson pa. If your lucky he may be in Brookfield. ny mid to late august.

[The Dirt]

Robert, are you insanely rich and philanthropic and Victor owes you a majorly huge favor???

Just wonderin'.

[robert.]

Robert, are you insanely rich and philanthropic and Victor owes you a majorly huge favor???

Just wonderin'.

i was until the IRS froze my accounts . vic is an idiot savant when it comes to hd. flat heads. Sometimes his shoes don't match each other. All the bikes he builds are done with cast away parts. Things that have been picked over from manY swap meets. Vic buys the bottom of the barrel stuff. What ever he can get for peanuts. Then he welds, laps grinds reams whatever it takes. to make those parts work. If you pull a part out vic can tell you what model, years and what revision or up grade it was. He'll tell what serial numbers that part falls between.

[healey36]

Robert, are you insanely rich and philanthropic and Victor owes you a majorly huge favor???

Just wonderin'.

i was until the IRS froze my accounts . vic is an idiot savant when it comes to hd. flat heads. Sometimes his shoes don't match each other. All the bikes he builds are done with cast away parts. Things that have been picked over from manY swap meets. Vic buys the bottom of the barrel stuff. What ever he can get for peanuts. Then he welds, laps grinds reams whatever it takes. to make those parts work. If you pull a part out vic can tell you what model, years and what revision or up grade it was. He'll tell what serial numbers that part falls between.

So you're sayin' that's not really a genuine 1932 HD Flathead then...???

[healey36]

Things continue to develop...

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2015/08/17/motorcycle-maker-from-india-opening-milwaukee.html?ana=yahoo

It will be interesting to watch as this progresses.

Healey

[healey36]

"We see an opportunity for spouses of Harley riders, especially females who are used to riding on the back, to get their own bikes," Copes said. "We hear continuously that bikes in the market just aren’t conducive to women’s stature."

What??? The price-point looks good, but seriously, I hope the business plan isn't built on that. Otherwise, these guys might be a write-off...

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2015/09/01/exclusive-ex-harley-davidson-execs-look-to-build.html?ana=yahoo

Healey