Enfields at St Albans
MIKE FLOYD reports: The picturesque and historic McDonald Valley village of St Albans in NSW was the venue for the Royal Enfield Club’s weekend away on the 30/31st January 2016. The weekend had been billed as an Enfield ONLY event. The club’s aim is always to have more Enfields than other marques at rides but that is not always possible. It was hoped that a $50 penalty for not bringing an Enfield would mean that Enfields would be the preferred mode of transport. No penalties were collected. The threat worked. There were 13 Enfields present with only 6 other marque machines being brought along. Of course these bikes, Guzzis and BMWs and even a new Multistrada, were totally outclassed by the crowd pulling and superior handling Royal Enfields. Why is it that at any club event it is always Royal Enfields that people are interested in gawking at to the exclusion of other more expensive bike marques? Why would you bother with anything else? St Albans is only 80km from Sydney so most of us had ridden from Sydney and environs, with one exception Gary Eyles coming from Bungendore. To ride from Wisemans Ferry to St Albans it is necessary to catch a punt across the river and the road, now sealed, is lovely and curvy, which Enfields love. That night we all had an excellent dinner at the ancient 1834 Settlers Arms Inn and spent the night there and at the superb old stone Court House B&B with its cells, complete with thick metal clanging doors, now converted to bathrooms and its beautiful Victorian bedrooms. The oldest bike in attendance was a 1920 2 ¼ HP two stroke Royal Enfield and a smattering of the cast iron carby Enfields pre 2008, about 6 or 7 C5s and a new Continental cafe racer. All Enfields performed beautifully.
The Royal Enfield Club of Australia Inc. is a national club. Its NSW arm organises monthy weekend rides publicised on its club website at www.recoainc.com