Middleweight ICON
Classic British brand blends heritage with quality and affordabililty in its current range
British name, Indian made, and one of the largest motorcycle manufacturers in the world. It can only be the one and only Royal Enfield.
Making claim to being the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, starting out in 1901, Royal Enfield recently celebrated its 120th year of motorcycle manufacturing with a pair of instantly sold-out modern classics.
Royal Enfield goes about motorcycle manufacture in a very different way to the majority of players, with a focus on the 250-750cc middleweight segment. It’s a strategy that is certainly paying off, with Royal Enfield one of the fastest-growing brands in the world.
For a long time, Royal Enfield was regarded as a bit of a joke in the industry, producing the same single-cylinder Bullet motorcycles which were originally designed in the 1950s up until the turn of the century.
The current line-up, however, is anything but a joke and consists of affordable modern motorcycles which meet the latest emissions standards and also pack a few handy tricks into their build as well. They are also styled in the modern classic form, but unlike the competition in the segment, are priced at a far more accessible level.
With design centres in both the UK and India, Royal Enfield is producing five models currently, with a sixth due here by the end of the year.
The Enfield line-up starts at $7990 with the Classic 350. Designed to evoke the Bullet range that kept Enfield afloat for decades, the Classic 350 leans heavily on the past with a design that looks like it’s been plucked right out of 1948. It continues the same design principles we’re familiar with from the old Classic 350, but the new engine gives the central mass a lot more visual girth than the old bike.
Matching the Classic 350 for displacement, but taking a more practical and modern approach to riding is the Meteor 350. A groovy little urban cruiser, the feather in the cap of the Meteor is the addition of Royal Enfield’s Tripper navigation pod as standard. This allows the rider to visualise a planned ride via the Royal Enfield app straight on the dash while their phone is safely out of the elements on their person. Oh, and it only costs $8190.
Despite the propensity for Royal Enfield’s Indian owners to traverse the Himalayas on all manner of classic Enfield machinery, the company dipped its toe into the wildly popular adventure motorcycle craze with the Himalayan. With a fresh update to Euro5 and a new look, the 2022 Himalayan (priced from $8390) has even spawned a factory scrambler variant — the Scram 411 — which is due here later this year.
The crowning jewels in the Royal Enfield range are the UK designed 650cc twins. Bringing the popular modern classic class down to earth, the Interceptor 650 (from $11,190) and Continental GT (from $11,390) are the only multi-cylinder offerings from Royal Enfield and look every part the classic British twin from the middle of the 20th century.
With every model in the current line-up LAMS approved, Royal Enfield is working hard to prove that pure motorcycling fun is attainable for anyone and at a very affordable price point.