Mid 19th century England. The firm of George Townsend & Co. opened its doors in the tiny village of Hunt End, near the Worcestershire town of Redditch. A firm specializing in sewing needles and machine parts.
In the first flush of enterprise, flitting from one opportunity to another, they chanced upon the pedal-cycle trade. Little did they know then that it was the beginning of the making of a legend.
Soon, George Townsend & Co. was manufacturing its own brand of bicycles. And in 1893 its products began to sport the name ‘Enfield’ under the entity Enfield Manufacturing Company Limited with the trademark ‘Made Like a Gun’.
Hunt End, England was a village of several small mills manufacturing needles and fish-hooks. It was here in 1851 that George Townsend put up his needle-making mill, which he named Givry Works. But it wasn’t until his passing away that his son, George Jr. and his half-brother brought into Givry Works one of the first 'boneshakers' – a crude cycle. It had a backbone of iron, with wooden wheels, iron tyres and pedals of triangular pieces of wood! Though the bike was a source of some amusement, George and his team felt they could easily improve on it.
The earliest modern safety bicycle with two wheels of equal size had appeared in about 1880. All manufacturers were trying their hand at this new venture. So was George Townsend Jr. By luck, he chanced upon an invention in his neighborhood – a saddle that only used one length of wire in the two springs and in the framework. This was adopted, patented and marketed as the 'Townsend Cyclists Saddle & Spring'. He had entered the bicycle parts trade!
From bicycle parts, Townsend slowly moved on to producing bicycles himself. He was also supplying a wide range of parts to other manufacturers - Givry Works was growing rapidly. Over the next three years he developed his own range of over two-dozen machines. Each machine, known locally as the 'Townsend cycle' was reputed for its sturdy frame, a character that all Enfield bikes would follow.
1891 - A Little Trouble
Townsend got himself into a bit of financial trouble in about 1890 and called in some financiers from Birmingham. Unfortunately, they didn't quite see eye to eye. So Townsend parted ways with the financiers leaving the company to them. The financiers then brought in Albert Eadie and R.W. Smith. They took control of Townsend's in November 1891. The following year the firm was re-christened "The Eadie Manufacturing Company Limited". Soon after, Albert Eadie got a lucrative contract to supply precision rifle parts to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, Middlesex. To celebrate the contract, Eadie and Smith decided to call the first new design of bicycle, the "Enfield".
1892 - Kick Starting Royal Enfield
A new company was created to market these new design bicycles called "The Enfield Manufacturing Company Limited". By October 1892, the Enfield bikes were announced to the public. The following year the word Royal (after the Royal Small Arms Company) was added and thus Royal Enfield began. Then in 1893 the Royal Enfield trademark "Made Like a Gun" appeared. Britain was caught up in a patriotic fervor and the slogan caught the spirit of the time.
In 1899 the first mechanical vehicle was advertised by Enfield Cycle Company. It was available in both tricycle and quadricycle form, powered by a De Dion 1.5 hp engine. The high wheels, solid tyres, block chains and heavy cross frames had by then given way to Diamond frames, the Hyde Freewheel, Enfield 2 speed hub and the well known Eadie Coaster. Then came the "Riche Model" with more refined fittings. By 1907, the cycle industry was still headquartered at Redditch, producing run-of-the-mill conventional cycles of the Roadster, Sports and Racing range.
1897-Quadricycles
In 1897, R. W. Smith built himself a quadricycle - a simple bike with four wheels and a French engine placed under the saddle between the rear wheels. During the next two years several developments were made. About then, an Enfield quadricycle completed the 1,000-miles road trial of 1900 organised by the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. The Enfield vehicle was awarded the silver medal, although it had its share of troubles and breakdowns.
1904 - Four Wheelers and Three
Buoyed by success, Smith and Eadie decided to extend the range of quadricycles and tricycles to include motorcars. The first Royal Enfield cars were built in 1901 and were on the road in 1902. It was an 8hp, using a DE Dion engine. The body was made in Leicester and painted yellow hence the car was known as ‘The Yellow Car’. But this was just a temporary phase, a wild romance that was soon to die.
1909 - Motorcycle Craze
It would be interesting to note here that motorcycling was thought to be a temporary enthusiasm that would soon fade out! A brief spin on a motorbike then took several hours of preparations - tuning the tiny water-cooled engine, getting the tyres pumped, the gears oiled and a supply of spare parts packed. In 1909, Royal Enfield took the biking world by surprise. At the motorcycle show that year, they displayed a small 2 1/4 hp V twin-engine machine built in the Swiss tradition, which ran very well. A slightly larger model was developed in 1911. A 2 3/4 hp, with all chain drive incorporating the well-known Enfield two-speed gear. This model stood up until 1914.
1911 - Enfield and the War
The First World War began in 1914. Royal Enfield was called on to supply motorcycles to the British War Department and even awarded a contract to build bikes for the Imperial Russian Government during the same period. The machine gun combination and the 6hp stretcher-carrying outfit were some of the models produced for the war purpose. Enfield started using its own engines - a 225cc two-stroke single and a 425cc V-twin about this time. Post-war, it produced a larger 976cc twin and continued to produce the two-speed 225L until 1929. In 1917, the officers of the Women’s Police Force were issued with a 2 1/4 RE 2 stroke.
1924 - The First Four-stroke
The interwar year was a period when the sidecar reached its zenith. In July 1925, the Royal Enfield V-Twin-engine Dairyman’s Outfit took part in the ACU Six Days’ Trial for Commercial Sidecars and obtained a Special Certificate of Merit for completing an arduous course without loss of marks. The year 1924 saw the launch of the first Enfield four-stroke 350cc single using a JAP engine.
1928 - The Depression
In 1928, Royal Enfield adopted saddle tanks and center-spring girder front forks – one of the first companies to do so. The bikes now with a modern appearance and comprehensive range, meant continuous sales even during the dark days of depression in Great Britain towards the end of 1930. In 1927 Royal Enfield produced a 488cc with a four-speed gearbox, a new 225cc side-valve bike in 1928, and a four-stroke single in 1931. Several machines were produced in the next decade, from a tiny two-stroke 146cc Cycar to an 1140cc V-twin in 1937. Can you even imagine that Royal Enfield’s range for 1930 consisted of 13 models!
1933 - The Bullet Arrives
In 1931 a four-valve, single-cylinder was introduced, and christened 'Bullet' in 1932. It had an inclined engine and an exposed valve gear. It was then that the first use was made of the now famous Bullet name. Longer stroke, four-valve head exposed valves and heavily finned crankcase were the features that ran from 1932 until the end of 1934.
1940 - The Second World War
The most well known offering for the Second World War was no doubt the ‘Flying Flea’. Also known as the ‘Airborne’, this lightweight 125cc bike was capable of being dropped by parachute with airborne troupes. The Flea was fitted into a steel tubular cage called the ‘Bird Cage’, which had a parachute attached to it. The cage aided in packing turning handlebars easily. The Enfield Cycle Company was called upon by the British authorities to also manufacture a variety of special instruments and apparatus to use against enemy forces. So it was not bikes alone during the war years.
1948 - Bigger and Better
The 1939 Bullet 350 kick-started the post-war models. They used two rocker boxes for the first time. This enabled better gas flow and consequently higher volumetric efficiency. Royal Enfield’s own designed and manufactured telescopic front fork placed the Redditch marquee at the very forefront of motorcycle design. The biggest advancement introduced by the new Bullet was its swinging arm rear suspension system and hydraulic damper units themselves. In 1947 Enfield made a J2 - the first model with a telescopic front end, followed in 1948 by a 500cc twin (Enfield's 25bhp answer to the Triumph Speed Twin), which stayed in production until 1958.
1949 - The Indian Debut
In 1949, the 350cc Bullet was launched in India, when Madras Motors won an order from the Indian Army for the supply of motorcycles. It was the beginning of the reign of the Bullet in the subcontinent. The Madras Motor Company started off by receiving the Bullet in kits and simply assembling them. Then they began making the frames. After this Enfield started sending the engine in parts to be assembled in India. Eventually they were also manufacturing the engines, which meant that they were making the complete bike. For the next thirty years, the design of their bike remained unchanged!
In 1950, several models were introduced: the 650cc Meteor twin; a 250cc Clipper; a short stroke 250cc Crusader; 250cc Trials; Super 5; Continental; 500 Sports Twin; Super Meteor; Constellation and the Interceptor.
1951 - In the UK…
Never before in British automobile history had so much been done in a single decade, not just by Royal Enfield, but the every other marque of the time. All new engines, all new configurations, new paint schemes, new capacity classes… the motorcyclist had never had such a wide choice ever before.
The 1950s saw the market open up both ways, downwards for smaller capacity, light and maneuverable machines, and upwards for larger capacity, high powered and reliable motorcycles. The Royal Enfield showrooms in the UK saw everything from 125cc two strokes to the mighty 700cc Meteor.
1955 - Meanwhile in Madras…
The Indian Army, the sole reason why the Bullet was brought to India in the first place, insisted that they would continue doing business with Madras Motors only if the Bullet was produced indigenously.The Enfield India Bullet of the late fifties was quite a different motorcycle from the one we are used to today. Using the famed Lucas Magdyno ignition system, the 1955 Bullet was almost a clone of the 52 Redditch Bullet. The frame, electricals tinware and rolling chassis, however, were to undergo many changes over the next ten years, with the Bullet slowly evolving into the familiar form we know and love today.
1961 - Back in the UK…
In 1960, the badge arrangement with Indian (Of America) had ended, so Enfields were no longer sold under the Indian marquee (Royal Enfield rival, British AMC company, acquired the Indian Sales Corp. in 1959). However, in 1961, Eddie Mulder won the Big Bear Enduro on an Enfield, which gave the company a new foothold in the U.S. under its own name and started a new marketing of the product. Models available in the U.S. that year included a 700cc twin and six street scramblers, ranging from the 250cc Hornet to the 500cc Fury (essentially the single-cylinder Bullet) to the 700cc Interceptor. Elliot Shulz also dominated the half-mile dirt track in Los Angeles on an Enfield that year. Enfields won 31 out of 39 races in 1961 and had several spectacular victories in 1964. Royal Enfield had arrived on The Continent!
Back home in Madras…
By 1970, Enfield India was a company established in its own right, and with a production line going full steam, the need for collaboration with Enfield of the UK and Villiers of the UK was no longer seen. But the Bullet flew true and strong. A number of changes had already been made to the tinware on the Bullet. Mudgaurd design took on different forms, taking into account the wet, slushy and messy road conditions during the Indian monsoon. The Magdyno also gave way to the alternator ‘Delco’ ignition system. And front and rear hubs were designed to provide more efficient cooling for Indian conditions, and thus improve braking performance.
1973 - The Mini Bullet
With the success of the Sherpa, Enfield India launched the 173cc Villiers-powered Crusader in India in 1973. A totally indigenous effort, this small motorcycle used many Bullet chassis parts, including fork legs and mudguards, and instantly found a market among the many that wanted a Bullet, but were diffident about handling it’s weight and size.The Mini Bullet too was introduced this year. This motorcycle was a 200cc two stroke sporting ‘contemporary’ design. Enfield India attempted to reach out to the young market, providing them with a zippy, reliable and economical two-stroke. An entry-level bike, even before the term was coined in the Indian context.
1974 - The Japanese are coming!
Like everywhere else in the world, the swift, accurate and compact Japanese were nipping at the venerable heels of the Old Motorcycle Industry. And Enfield India attempted to check the invasion by doing a deal with Zundapp of Germany, and putting up a plant in Ranipet, near Chennai, to manufacture small, lightweight two stroke motors in a license agreement similar to the Villiers one of the previous decade. The competition was hotting up.
Would the regal Enfield Bullet soon have a younger contender?
1983 - Here come the Lighweights
Like the adage that goes, "when the going get tough, that's when the tough get going". Enfield India got squarely into the fray with a slew of lightweight machines.
The 50cc Silver Plus step-through and Explorer motorcycle are launched. Powered by the Zundapp-engineered 50cc, 6.5hp two stroke motors, these bikes redefined the entry-level segment. The Silver Plus, initially a two-speed and then later a three speed, found a ready market not only among the young office going male, but among an increasing number of women who found the step-through design convenient. The Explorer, with its contemporary bikini fairing and 'fastback' tailpiece, was also a pioneer in its time.
Both bikes sported alloy wheels, a first in India. Close on the heels of the little wonders came the Fury 175. Powered by a 175 Zundapp two-stroke engine with a five-speed gearbox, this refreshingly quick motorcycle came fitted with a hydraulic disc brake. Again a first in the country. And a bike, many feel, much too early for its time in India.
1984 - Brand New Vintages
The 80s also saw the Bullet in many different avatars. The Deluxe models appeared, in resplendent chrome and metallic colors, and 12 volt electricals were offered as an option, to aid in brighter lighting and easier starting.
It was also the year when Enfield India grew confident enough about their flagship product to begin sending 'coals back to Newcastle'. Owing to their status as 'brand new vintages', Enfield Bullets found a strong niche market in the UK and Europe, among people looking to come back to motorcycling.
1990 - Heavy Fuel
The 1990's saw many revolutionary models from the company. The Taurus Diesel was the first productionised Diesel motorcycle in the world.
1993 - Bullet 500
The Bullet 500 was launched in June this year. It went on to become the most coveted model of the brand.
1994 - Eicher acquires Enfield
In March the company got a new lease of life when Eicher group acquired Enfield India Company. The company name changed to Royal Enfield Motors Limited.
2001
The Dare Devils, the motorcycle display team of the Corps of Signals, Jabalpur forms a Human Pyramid of 201 men on 10 Enfield 350cc bikes and rides a distance of more than 200 meters.
2002
India’s first Cruiser – The ‘THUNDERBIRD’- is launched.
BBC Wheels awards it ‘The Best Cruiser 2002’ title.
The Bullet Machismo enters commercial production.
2003
Dan Holmes and Johnny Szoldrak won the National Road Race Championship (60’s Class) on a Bullet.
2009
The all new Royal Enfield Bullet 500 series debuts in the US. With the inclusion of the completely overhauled and now fuel injected Unit Construction Engine an exciting portfolio emerged.
