Royal Enfield has made quite a mark on themselves over the years. Utter their names in conversation and images of retro-themed bikes are bound to show up in most people's minds, and that's completely justified. They've built up a solid reputation for building some very capable retro-styled machines that have found favor with a great many people. But did you know that at one point, Royal Enfield tried their hand at selling lawnmowers?

UPDATE: 2024/03/16 11:40 EST BY RAUNAK AJINKYA

Today, Royal Enfield stands shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the top motorcycle manufacturers in the world. And that's in no small part thanks to the rich legacy they've had so far. Given that, we have updated this list to include a few more highlights from RE's storied past.

With a history as long and diversified as Royal Enfield's, then, there are bound to be things that may have slipped past you, and that's a good enough reason to get yourself acquainted with some of the less-known facts about an Indian motorcycle manufacturer with British roots.

All the information in this piece has been sourced from Royal Enfield's official website. For missing information, other reliable sources across the internet have been referenced.

12 Technically The Oldest Motorcycle Company In The World

Active Production Years: 1901-Now

Royal Enfield has been in non-stop production for more than 120 years. This is an incredible feat in any modern industry, let alone the infamously fickle motorcycle industry, where companies always come and go.

It is more complicated than plain fact, though, because there was a transition period during which the company expanded to India, then ceased to exist in the country of origin but continued in India unabated, and is now expanding into different markets once again, including the UK, its original country of origin.

11 Helped The Allied Forces In Both Great Wars

Their most famous contribution was the Flying Flea, a light-duty motorcycle that could be parachuted in to aid ground forces. It is honestly one of the most advanced ideas in a time when troops were forced to scatter and regroup after parachuting into a battle with few resources.

1943 Royal Enfield Flying Flea Specs

(Specs sourced from MCN)

10 The Bullet Is The Longest-Running Production Motorcycle

Active Years: 1931-Now

The Royal Enfield Bullet has been in production for over 90 years now. It has seen several updates over the years, but at its core, it still looks very similar to the original bike. It is still their staple motorcycle; it is affordable, fun, and fits right in with the retro crowd that has grown so much in recent times.

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

9 Six Days Success

You would not think it by looking at the modern version of the big, heavy, slow Bullet, but in the '50s, it was a Six Days champion. Over the years, the motorcycles they use for endurance racing have changed quite a bit.

All the bikes today are dedicated high-performance machines, but back in the '50s, you simply took a reliable road bike and modified it yourself for dirt riding.

8 End Of An Era In 1970

Royal Enfield first teamed up with an Indian motorcycle manufacturer to produce bikes under license in 1955. Since then, bikes have been made in India non-stop.

Technically, Royal Enfield was in administration (bankrupt) by 1967, and the last of their bikes were shipped by 1970, but the Indian manufacturer bought the naming rights, and they evolved into the company we are all familiar with today.

7 Economies Of Scale

The single biggest issue that Royal Enfield had in the UK was labor costs, frequent strikes, and slow production.

Workers in India were paid a lot less, but it took some time for them to get the bikes up to standard, and by the time they were consistently getting them right, their design was dated and no longer relevant in Europe or America.

6 Iconic And Timeless Design

The old, outdated designs were not much of a problem for the domestic Indian market, which still had a lot of respect for the old British brand that had by then become a staple.

You could easily criticize them for not spending anything on research and development, but they simply embraced the throwback design theme, and when it came back into fashion worldwide, they reinvested in other models like the Himalayan.

5 They Made A Diesel Motorcycle

In what actually turned out to be a fairly large-scale experiment, they launched an Enfield Diesel, which was a small displacement diesel squeezed into the Bullet frame.

Hopes for the compression ignition engine were at an all-time high back in the '90s, but they ended up falling well short of all emissions targets in reality, and the rise and rise of electric bikes has all but doomed the technology in small-displacement applications like motorcycles, but you have to love them for trying.

4 They Also Dabbled In Lawn Mower Production

In case you missed it, Royal Enfield's famous 'Made Like A Gun' slogan, coincidentally or not, has a bit of context. The Royal Enfield we know and love today wasn't always in the motorcycle manufacturing business.

Before they got handy with two-wheelers, Royal Enfield tried producing lawnmowers and, quite curiously, firearms. Given the period, though, the latter wasn't that surprising. Royal Enfield used to supply rifles and sporting guns to armies. Considering the necessities of war, RE probably felt it wise to focus their attention on firearms for the time.

3 New Models Met With Critical Acclaim

Many publications have hailed Royal Enfield's Continent GT 650 as the best middleweight retro bike, and for good reason; 47 horsepower might not sound like much, but it is almost twice as much as their other air-cooled bikes make. It is also well put together, and the design is timeless.

Aside from that, the latest Himalayan rectified many early teething issues and is now highly regarded in the Adventure bike community. Their latest offshoot of the Himalayan looks great and offers more value than any other would-be scrambler on the market.

2018 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Specs

(Specs sourced from Motorcycle Specs)

2 They Made Large Displacement Engines At One Point

1938 Royal Enfield KX Displacement: 1,140cc

Since we're on the topic of their newer models and what powered them, it's likely that you won't remember the fact that RE used to make even larger displacement engines in the past.

The model in question was the 1938 KX, which featured a 1,140cc V-twin engine. This, incidentally, was the most powerful motorcycle of the time, and it goes to show that RE has some experience building liter-class motorcycles.

1 Beautifully Utilizing Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a very powerful marketing tool. For so many, the past is something that seems both fascinating and intangible. And retro bikes make it, in some small way, tangible.

Unlike the bikes of the past, these are actually incredibly reliable, thanks largely to their simplicity, and will serve you well as a basic form of transportation as well as a little time machine.

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• Source for features: CarToq, MCN, Royal Enfield, Mashable India
• Source for technical specifications: Motorcycle Specs