The Royal Enfield Bullet

It’s all about style over speed

The continuing history of the Royal Enfield marquee can be traced as far back the 1870's and from early on was associated with bicycle manufacture. However, it wasn't until 1893 that the prefix of 'Royal' was first used: as with many other businesses and forms of advertising at the time, the usage of a regal sounding name helped make a product more attractive to the public, despite the company having no actual royal connections.

In 1902 The Royal Enfield Manufacturing Company Ltd followed the example of many other bicycle manufacturers in developing a fascination for attaching internal combustion engines to their bikes, thus producing the first motorcycles, three-wheelers and even four-wheeled models.

The 'Classic' Bullet we know today has its roots firmly planted in the town of Redditch, in the West Midlands of England. The first Bullet was a British built over-head valve, single cylinder, 4-stroke workhorse-of-a-bike, with the unique distinction of having remained continuously in production since 1948. The name, 'Bullet', first appeared in the 1930’s with a range of 250cc and 350cc overhead-valve singles, which were successfully aimed at the sporting trials competitions -- a good way to put a new product through its paces. After wining many competitions the Bullet gained the reputation for being both sturdy and reliable. So much so, that Royal Enfield was chosen to supply 30,000 units (the 350cc model), to the Army for dispatch rider service, and a further 3,000 units were supplied to the RAF during the Second World War. In 1948 the more familiar post-war Bullet model was introduced with the pioneering 'swinging-arm' suspension, telescopic front-end and a semi-unit construction engine (the gearbox is a separate unit bolted directly to the engine casing). The 500cc model appeared in 1953.

From 1949 the Indian army placed vast orders for Bullets to use in patrolling its borders, well known for their challenging terrain. As a result of additional large orders it was decided (quite wisely as it turns out), to open a second factory based in Madras, India. So, in 1955, in a partnership deal established with the Madras Motor Company, the first 350cc Bullets left the new factory. But these bikes were actually sent out from the Redditch factory in kit form to be assembled by the new Indian workforce. Soon Enfield India Ltd developed their new factory to produce Bullets entirely themselves, with no input from Redditch; thus more effectively meeting the heavy demands of the Indian Army. For years to come, the production of the 1955 model would remain virtually the same and the factory produced over 20,000 Bullets annually, taking great pride in their home-grown product.

By the late 60's/early 70's, new Japanese-built bikes gained the advantage in the UK market over the more traditional British built motorcycles. Many companies couldn't compete and were slowly forced out of business, including Royal Enfield. However, the Enfield India Ltd. factory flourished with business spreading throughout Asia thus keeping the 1955 Bullet design alive and well, and riding abroad. The Bullet was finally re-introduced to the 'home' market in the UK back in 1984, under the manqué 'Enfield' (for legal reasons), but sadly its reputation at the time was not all that it once had been. Then, between 1993 and 1994, the factory was taken over by Eicher Motors Ltd during their merger with the Enfield India Company. With the launch of Royal Enfield Motors Ltd, and thanks to dynamic new management, substantial investment in research, design and development with modern engineering and production methods, a new breed of Bullet 500 proved once more to be a reliable and robust machine. Finally, in 1999, the right to market the bike in the UK as 'Royal Enfield' was granted to Royal Enfield Motors Ltd. The Bullets they produced were proudly labelled as such for the developing export market.

The Bullet today is a bike with good looks, low running costs and insurance group and has the added attraction of an affordable price. But despite its 'modern classic' status, it is still essentially a 1955 motorcycle that requires a certain amount of care and attention. Yet, surely this is how the real enthusiast develops a personal relationship with his/her bike? The Royal Enfield: she's a fettler’s dream, becomes one of the family, is lovingly nurtured and - more often than not - given a pet name. As every Royal Enfield owner knows, there’s nothing like the distinct thumping sound of the single cylinder engine of a Bullet. The legend lives on, untainted by technology.