ROYAL ENFIELD CONTINENTAL
James French has a soft spot for Enfield’s sporting 250 singles. He’s owned a few, and suffered a bad case of seller’s regret after parting with one in particular…
James French has a soft spot for Enfield’s sporting 250 singles. He’s owned a few, and suffered a bad case of seller’s regret after parting with one in particular…
In mid-1962, Roger Boss of Royal Enfield put together a prototype 250 single and invited dealer Wilf Green to view the proposed new model. Roger was RE’S home market sales manager and had obtained management permission to put together the prototype and assess how British dealers and riders might respond. Wilf Green’s dealership in Sheffield was a big seller for Royal Enfield and his opinion was respected. Wilf indicated to Roger that the new bike would be successful with its sporty looks, ace bars and so on.
This was the kind of bike the young rider of the time would want. Riders were fitting aftermarket clip-ons from suppliers like Deeprose to the more staid roadsters of the time. The suggestion of speed was fashionable and this was what the youngsters wanted on their bikes. Years later, Roger told me that motorcycling was receiving some bad press at the time and selling ‘sporty’ bikes was frowned upon by the industry association. Legend has it that he forgot to mention this to the
management when he showed them the prototype Continental. And thank goodness Enfield went ahead with it: the new bikes were indeed fashionable and just what the young rider wanted to be seen on. Royal Enfield were right, and some 500 of these machines were sold in the first year.
The new model used the Super 5’s engine but had the normal front telescopic front fork, with matched black chronometric instruments behind the small fly screen, 7’’ front brake with air scoop, half-exposed rear shocks and that fantastic petrol tank. Colour schemes were Blaze (a darkish red colour) or Gold with hand-lining on the tank.
In 1964 the petrol tank reverted to a more conventionally styled Crusader type but was still heavily chromed. A second version also appeared that year; the standard had painted tank and mudguards and the De-lux came with all the chrome. The tachometer and fly screen were omitted from the standard model – a curious move which Enfield reversed within a year as the machine sold on its sporty looks and performance.
When I was 16 in 1969 I bought my first Royal Enfield, which was already a well-abused bike; a 1964 Super 5 with a knackered gearbox. The engine was rebuilt by Greys of Thrapston and I passed my test on it. Does CRP 831B still exist? I doubt it… unless someone knows different.
In later years I became an REOC member and found an advert in the club magazine, The Gun, for a
1965 250 Continental which needed restoration. It was priced at £550 in 2005; the owner emailed me some pictures and we did a deal. It was a bitsa, missing the front forks and fitted with a humped racing seat and clip-ons. I did a full restoration and still have it. Together we’ve ridden more than 12,000 miles. This bike would have been one of the last of its type as they were discontinued in mid-1965.
I also wanted one of the first models which