MAJESTIC TWINS
Before I’d ridden these bikes, I’d written an informative yet somewhat amusing paragraph outlining Royal Enfield’s lengthy history while simultaneously bagging their customer base outside of India as a bunch of hipsters looking for something quirky to be seen fixing at the side of the road. Although it wasn’t a bad read, most of it doesn’t appear here because having ridden the bikes, my pre-conceptions of what Royal Enfield now stand for have been demolished.
Having said that, some bits are worth repeating. For instance, Royal Enfield boasts the longest continuous production run of any current motorcycle manufacturer, stretching back to 1901 and manufactured exclusively in India since 1967. This is proper heritage, unlike some other brands whose link to the original marque is in little more than the name.
What I hadn’t realised, and which made my slightly flippant opener seem somewhat unworthy, is that Royal Enfield is the most profitable and fastest-growing motorcycle manufacturer on the planet, boasting sales of 850,000 units annually in 53 countries. That’s over 70,000 per month, which is more than double what itbasis only 10 years ago. That’s what you call an impressive-looking sales chart and goes some way to explaining the obvious pride and enthusiasm being shown by the high-ranking Royal Enfield officials from India present at the launch. None of which precludes me from bagging out the hipsters later though, just so we’re clear.
