the early days
enfield Cycle Company manufactured motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines under the Royal Enfield name at its facilities in Redditch, Worcestershire. The company's gun-making heritage is reflected in the logo, which includes the barrel, and the motto "Made like a gun". Use of the Royal Enfield trademark was authorized by the Crown in 1890.
the early years
in 1909, Royal Enfield had surprised the motorcycle world by introducing a small motorcycle with a V HP double Motosacoche engine of Swiss 2 1/4 origin. In 1911, the next model was powered by a 2 3/4 HP engine and distinguished by its familiar Enfield 2-speed gearing. In 1912 came the JAP 6 HP 770 V DC twin with sidecar combination. This motorcycle gave Enfield a name in the field. 1914 had seen the arrival of 3 HP motorcycles this time with Enfield's own engine, which now had the standardized Enfield paint scheme with black enamelled parts and green tank with gold trim.
between the wars
by the outbreak of the First World War, Royal Enfield had supplied 6 HP sidecar motorcycles with stretchers to the Crown. This same motorcycle also came with a Vickers machine gun as a sidecar accessory, which could also be turned skyward and used against low-flying aircraft. Royal Enfield had a large number of motorcycles for the British War Office, and had also won a motorcycle contract for the Imperial Government of Russia.
as the factory expanded in the '20s, so did the range of models, and by 1924 Royal Enfield was offering four versions of the 2 1/4 HP two-stroke motorcycle, two new JAP motorcycles with 350 cc engines, and two versions of 8 HP Vickers engine combinations with sidecar. During the Great Depression of the '30s, Royal Enfield had also been affected, and demand for motorcycles had plummeted, but bicycle production had continued at the same pace, even though it could only allow the company a painful evolution. The Cycar, a fully enclosed motorcycle model, appeared in the early '30s.
during the Second World War, like other manufacturers of the time, Royal Enfield had also been called upon by the British authorities to develop and manufacture military motorcycles. Models produced for the military were the WD / C 350 cc SV, WD / CO 350 cc OHV, WD / D 250 cc SV, WD / G 350 cc OHV and WD / L 570 cc SV. One of the best-known Enfields was the Royal Enfield WD/RE, known as (Flying Flea), a light-weight 125 cc motorcycle designed to be dropped by parachute with airborne troops.
the India connection
royal Enfield motorcycles had been sold in India since 1949. In 1955, the Indian government began looking for a motorcycle suitable for its police force and army to patrol the country's borders. The Bullet 350 emerged as the most suitable motorcycle for the job. The Indian government ordered 800 of these 350 cc motorcycles, a huge order at the time. So in 1955, the Redditch Company entered into a partnership with Motors Madras in India to form what became known as Enfield India to assemble Bullet 350 cc motorcycles under license in Madras (now called Chennai). Under their agreement, Madras Motors held the majority (over 50%) of the company's shares. In 1957, the tooling was also sold to Enfield India so that they could manufacture components and begin full production. The Enfield Bullet dominated Indian roads, and with each passing year, its popularity grew steadily.
liquidation in the UK
royal Enfield UK had continued to manufacture motorcycles and had developed some more powerful and innovative machines including the Royal Enfield Meteor, Constellation and, finally, the Interceptor 700, before being sold to Norton-Triumph-Villiers (NVT) in 1968. Production ceased in 1970, and the company was dissolved in 1971. Leftover tooling and equipment for Redditch jobs were auctioned off. In the meantime, the Bullet 350 had continued to be manufactured in India, and in the 1980s the bikes were even exported to Europe. Even after the closure of motorcycle manufacturing, the precision engineering division continued to operate for some time, and even bicycle production continued well into the future.
eicher chapter
in 1990, Enfield in India had entered into a strategic alliance with the Eicher Group, and later merged with it in 1994. It was during this merger that the name Enfield India was changed to Royal Enfield. The Eicher Group is one of India's leading automotive groups, with diversified interests in the manufacture of tractors, commercial vehicles, automotive gears, exports, clothing, management consultancy and motorcycles. Since then, the company has made considerable investments in modernizing its manufacturing technology and systems. In 1996, when the Government decided to impose strict standards against emissions, Royal Enfield was the first motorcycle manufacturer to comply, a tradition has been established making it a company for which emission standards are one of the most important factors to focus on.
Credits: Royal Enfield