The history of Royal Enfield is a long and interesting one, with two rather distinct phases; the British phase, then the Indian phase.
Today they have defied all the doubters and shown the world that they are fully capable of producing good, reliable motorcycles. For many years their bikes were viewed as a cheap new alternative to a used bike, not unlike some of their Chinese counterparts. After years of expansion, that is no longer the case, they are producing retro motorcycles in the middle of a retro bike craze, and they are fully capable of producing enough bikes to meet the global demand.
10 Oldest Motorcycle Brand
It is the oldest motorcycle brand by some margin, with most early brands dying off and then in some cases getting resurrected some years later.
With Royal Enfield, it has been non-stop production for 120 years, an incredible feat in any industry, let alone one as fickle as motorcycles.
9 Supplied Motorcycles To Allied Forces
Like so many companies in the early 20th century, they weighed in with the war effort, supplying motorcycles to the allied forces in both world wars.
The most famous of which was the Flying Flea, a light-duty motorcycle that could be dropped by parachute to aid ground forces mobility.
8 Bullet Launched In 1931
Technically, the Bullet is actually still in production today. That gives it the longest production run for a vehicle of any sort, by quite a margin.
Although it has been updated several times in its incredible 90-year history, it retains the trademark Royal Enfield retro look.
7 Won Several Six Days Events
Today, dirt and enduro riding are highly specialized with bikes tailored to every type of trail or track. Back in the late 40s and early 50s, that wasn’t the case.
Riders back then would have to modify road bikes, and the bike of choice, for a time, was the Royal Enfield Bullet.
6 British Phase Comes To An End In 1970
In 1955, Royal Enfield teamed up with Indian motorcycle manufacturer Madras Motors to produce bikes under license.
It was effectively the start of the second phase of the company's history, as the British wound down and closed shop by 1967, the last of their bikes were shipped by 1970.
5 Enfield Of India Continue Alone
The main problem the British Enfield struggled with was keeping up with demand, simply unable to produce enough bikes to supply demand and make a profit.
With workers in India getting paid a whole lot less, this was not a problem for the now only made in India Royal Enfield, but the bikes were dated and no longer relevant in Europe and America.
4 Retained Their Iconic Design
The old designs were not so much of a problem for the Indian market, who still had much affection for the old British brand.
Although you could easily criticize the company for not spending all that much on research and development, they have truly embraced the throwback design theme.
3 The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycle
In a fairly large scale experiment, they launched the Enfield Diesel, which was a small-displacement diesel neatly shoe-horned into the existing Bullet frame.
Although back in the 90s many had high hopes for compression ignition engines, they have fallen well short of global emissions standards, and now the rise of electric bikes has all but doomed the technology in small-displacement applications.
2 Interceptor 650 Met With Critical Acclaim
On the back of strong global sales of the 350 and 500 singles, they were able to invest in their new twin. It is their best offering to date, with many publications naming it the best retro/café racer in its class.
Although it retains their famed air-cooled approach, 47 horsepower may not sound like much, but it is substantially more powerful than their previous machines, if you like retro bikes but don’t necessarily want a used bike, this machine was quite literally designed for you.
1 Ultimate Nostalgia Machine
Nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool, and that is what Royal Enfield is able to sell you; a little slice of the past.
No matter which air-cooled machine you choose, you will get an incredibly reliable, simple, if underpowered retro machine that has been perfectly designed for the growing retro bike market.