Royal Enfield sales boom - NGC

[Pasta Hog]

The cafe racer freaks are doing neat things with these bikes.

http://thekneeslider.com/mcdeeb-royal-enfield-specials-six-days-thruxton-clubman-brand-new-classics-from-italy/

The link is a little old.

[Stephen]

Love the looks, but for the price, I'd buy a Honda CB300F or a CB500F.
Or a used Goose, of course.

[Travman]

Love the looks, but for the price, I'd buy a Honda CB300F or a CB500F.
Or a used Goose, of course.

The least expensive Royal Enfield model costs $4,999. The most expensive is the GT at $5,999.  Seems like a good deal for a machine that can deliver all the fun and experiences of a motorcycle on the back roads. The engine and flywheel are big enough that it provides plenty of power without any of the buzziness of some bikes.

[jabberwocky]

A friend of mine bought a new one about 3 years ago, and he's had what I'd consider to be an unacceptable number of problems with it. It is a fun, and likable thing, but it has just had one problem after another, and lots of them point to terrible quality control and metallurgy. No thanks for me.

[redrider]

'Wocky has a point. I have seen several in these parts and the metallurgy is horrid. The Asian stuff in the 60s comes to mind. (Even today, some of the cheapness remains still despite spit and polish.)

The engine design is derived from the attempt to keep taxes low. The Brits had a complex formula for computation. 

[roofus]

'Wocky has a point. I have seen several in these parts and the metallurgy is horrid. The Asian stuff in the 60s comes to mind. (Even today, some of the cheapness remains still despite spit and polish.)

The engine design is derived from the attempt to keep taxes low. The Brits had a complex formula for computation.  

You are right about the metallurgy being horrid. I saw one at the Toronto Motorcycle Show last year. It looked great from about 50 feet, from 5 feet not so much, really crappy looking cast metal. The seams had not even been ground off.

[danketchpel]

It may be a new engine, but everyone that reviews that motor finds it to be sloppy. For the price of an Enfiled here in the US you can buy any number of better bikes brand new. Unless you MUST have the retro look, in which case the only thing that competes with it is either a bonneville or a V7, and I'd rather pay the extra money for a refined engine. Or buy an old POS for cheap and spend the difference on making it truly special.

If they were priced cheaper they'd sell the shit out of them over here too. In India the sell for just over $3k, I'd actually consider buying one if they were that cheap here, but as it is, the bikes just aren't worth the money they want for them in north america.

This is my feeling exactly.

I test rode a new Bullet 500 classic a couple years ago thinking to build what is now the Continental GT. I checked out the Connie GT at the bike show, it's pretty.

But my feeling after the demo ride was the bike is worth about $3,500 new. Build finish is crude and the ride experience is straight out of the late 50s early 60s. I'd be fun on tight back roads up to say 45 mph. After that the vibes set in big time.

In comparison on the ride home my KLR 650 felt like a rocket powered magic carpet ride. Anybody who's ridden a KLR knows how clunky and slow they are.

I bought my 2013 Husky TR650 new for less than a RE and it makes 50 hp and is incredibly smooth.

I dig the retro look of the REs, but the $6k they ask for them is just nuts. If they added a decent counter balancer and improved build finish by 2x the $6k price would be reasonable.

[Muzz]

Could be.   It's a big-arsed country.   I'd love to visit, but even my Indian friends inviting me over tell me that once we get on the bikes, and start buying food at roadside stalls, I'd be sick as 3 dogs for a week before my intestinal flora adjusted ...

Lannis

We were there for a fortnight some years back doing a back-packer tour of the more northern parts. Ate local; main thing is don't eat raw.  Loved the place! Didn't get sick.

Not many RE's on show at that time, but there was a locally made tiddler called something like a Bajaj. One of the prettiest little bikes I have ever seen. Seemed to go OK too.

[bad Chad]

Are we sure those numbers are real?

I believe I read just a few years ago that RE was a smaller player in the Indian market.  Something less than 15%, granted it's a huge market, but that kind of growth seems really over the top.

[JJ]

* Yes, India has 1.2B people and is a huge market. :o

* The quality of Royal Enfield's has improved dramatically over the years, as is the same with URAL's, but in terms of technology and reliability, they are both still no where near any modern motorcycle today from any of The Big Four from Japan. ;)

* The Continental GT is a fabulous looking bike.  However, for $6K, there are tons of other motorcycles available (again, mostly from the Big Four) that are a far better value with superb reliability, IMHO. 8)

* One of the members of our local riding group rides a modified RE 500 Bullet.  He likes it but it took him about 1.5 years to get all the bugs out and make it a reliable steed.  It's a cool bike and something different and it is good to see them on the road! ;-T 8)

[Chuck in Indiana]

* Yes, India has 1.2B people and is a huge market. :o

* The quality of Royal Enfield's has improved dramatically over the years, as is the same with URAL's, but in terms of technology and reliability, they are both still no where near any modern motorcycle today from any of The Big Four from Japan. ;)

* The Continental GT is a fabulous looking bike.  However, for $6K, there are tons of other motorcycles available (again, mostly from the Big Four) that are a far better value with superb reliability, IMHO. 8)

* One of the members of our local riding group rides a modified RE 500 Bullet.  He likes it but it took him about 1.5 years to get all the bugs out and make it a reliable steed.  It's a cool bike and something different and it is good to see them on the road! ;-T 8)

I met a guy at Newcomb's on the Angeles Crest that had one he'd cafe'd. He said it was slow, troublesome, and the most fun he'd ever had on a bike.  ;D 

[nick949]

They must have something going for them.  I just arranged to rent one in the UK for a while (for the second time, so it's not as if I don't know what I'm in for!).

For the same money, I could have rented a BMW, V-Strom, Honda - you name it, but meh!  Too dull, too efficient - just conveyances for getting from one place to another.

The Enfields may have all the issues itemized above, but so what: they have charisma, and you can't manufacture that.

Nick

[kidneb]

         ;-T

[Arizona Wayne]

* One of the members of our local riding group rides a modified RE 500 Bullet.  He likes it but it took him about 1.5 years to get all the bugs out and make it a reliable steed.  It's a cool bike and something different and it is good to see them on the road! ;-T 8)
[/quote]



I talked to that guy @ the Datil rally last August.  He said he put a taller front sprocket on it to get taller gearing and that yes, things vibrate off riding down the road.  But it sounded good.  ;D

[Penderic]

Does it need OEM hi-tech oil?  ;)

[Daniel Kalal]

Somewhere in southern India, I'd expect a woman is wearing a sari made from a Kansas Flag...  And, what a perfect bike for the location.