Royal Enfield has been one of the most coveted bikes in India as an off road bike. The company started its operations in Redditch, Worcester England but now the production facility is in India entirely. The company has a number of bikes on offer such as the Classic, Bullet and Thunderbird and is in the process of developing more bikes. The Royal Enfield corporate is currently developing a 400cc engine using the single cylinder, air cooled 346cc engine that powers the hot-selling models of 350cc such as the Bullet 350 and Classic 350. Rather than developing the model newly, the 346cc is being enhanced to provide a higher displacement of 400cc by enhancing the dimensions.
The crankshafts, connecting rods and other important changes are being made in the 350cc platform. The peak power output of the 346cc engine is roughly 20bhp while the 500cc bike is supposed to generate a peak power of roughly 27 to 28 bhp. The 535cc single cylinder engine that powers the café racer Continental GT produces a 29 bhp power. The company is planning get a new engine which provides higher delivery of power over the basic variant within the range of 22bhp and 24bhp. In terms of pricing, it is worthy of notation that the basic model with 350cc engine is around Rs 1 lakh (price on road) while the most affordable 500cc model which is the Bullet 500 costs around Rs 1.5 lakhs (price on road).
With a brand new engine coming up, the popular motorcycle manufacturer based in Chennai is thinking of positioning the latest bikes in the price range of Rs 1.1 lakhs to Rs 1.5 lakhs (price on road) and shall eventually flood the segment with 4 commercially usable options- the almost 400cc bikes, the 346cc, 500cc and the 535cc (single cylinders, air cooled) in the coming future.
Royal Enfield has had a good year as it has sold almost 1.6 lakh motorcycles between April 2013 and January 2014 compared to the approximately 98,000 bikes which were sold in the previous year. The growth rate recorded was 63.07 percent. Between April 2013 and January 2014, the company has sold 443 units of the café racer Continental GT in the national market while the exports have been around 737 units for the same period.
Aside from introducing a new engine, the company has also introduced the Bullet 350 in the new features. However, opting for the new model is optional. The new and improved Royal Enfield sale of Bullet shall have a single cylinder 350cc engine which has the electric starter and frontal disc brake. However, the new features come at an added cost. The new bike has been priced at Rs 1.2 lakhs. Not only has the bike been modified but also the bike has been introduced in newer colours. The new Royal Enfield sale is in ash and off-white colour which makes the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has an attractive rustic look and the logo of the new Royal Enfield is done in gold and black. The bike is also available in a blue lagoon shade which makes it look quite racy. Currently the waiting period of the bike is around 6 to 8 months. However, there has been no increase in price. The Classic 500 and the Thunderbird too have undergone change in colours. The former is available in silver while the latter is available in blue.
The Royal Enfield brand has been popular in recent times mainly because of the Bullet and Thunderbird line of bikes. Right now, Eicher Motors has decided to take on its sales to foreign countries in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Most expect that the bike maker shall take three years to break into foreign shores and find foothold there. The company has two manufacturing centres in Tamil Nadu. By the year 2015, the company wants to develop a production facility which can produce 4 lakh bikes. Aside from targeting the developed markets, the brand wants Royal Enfield sale to reach emerging markets in the coming 1 to 3 years. The company has great ambitions for Colombia and other Latin American countries. The company plans on opening many showrooms prior to the year’s end.
Apart from India, the company is already selling their bikes in different international countries such as Europe, United States and United Kingdom. The company wants to fulfil the gap that exists for middle sized motorcycle bazaars in Latin American countries. The company believes that with the rise in production capacity, the company’s waiting period for motorcycles shall reduce. The number of waiting months for a motorcycle is around 5 months. The company plans to invest Rs 600 crores or so in various activities related to expansion.
The popularity of Royal Enfield is immense in the country and there are many off road bikers who swear by the quality of the bike. The roaring sound made by the bike when ignited and the smooth performance on roads is what attracts most bikers. Every major city has a Royal Enfield club that goes for rides to different parts of the state. A lot of women into off road biking are also a part of this club. These bikes are most suited for mountainous terrains which do not have too many pitched roads.
The Royal Enfield sale in India was initiated in 1955 by the Indian Police Force for policemen who had to patrol the roads at night. Roughly 800 bikes were ordered for the purpose. The Royal Enfield Company joined hands with Madras Motors India to make the first batch of motor cycles. As a merged venture, the company was called Enfield India. In 1957, the British company decided to sell its stake of manufacturing tools to Enfield India. Through a good part of the 1970s and 1980s, the demand for Royal Enfield bikes fell, mainly because of new entrants and bikes which were sleeker and offered more refined engines. However, over the last decade of 1900s and good part of 2000s, the sales of the bike have resurged, especially after Eicher Motors took over the reins.
If you are planning to own a Royal Enfield you may try for a pre owned too. Find used Royal Enfield motorcycles at Quikr.