Royal Enfield is the brand under which the Enfield Cycle Company (founded 1893) produced motorcycles, bicycles and lawn-mowers and stationary engines. The first Royal Enfield motorcycle was built in the year 1901; the original British concern had vanished by 1970. The Enfield Cycle Company henceforth was responsible for the design and original production of the Royal Enfield Bullet, the longest-living motorcycle design in history.
Similar to other motorcycle manufacturers such as (BSA) and (Triumph) the Enfield Cycle Company started its business as a weapons manufacturer, mostly famous for the Enfield rifle. This legacy is echoed in the company logo which is a cannon, and their motto, “Made Like A Gun”.
In the year 1955, Enfield Cycle Company collaborated with Madras Motors in India to form Enfield of India, located in Chennai, and started congregating the 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle in Madras. At first machines were assembled from components which were imported from England. Since 1957, Enfield of India acquired the machines necessary to build components in India, and by 1962 all the components were made in India.
First World War (1911–1921)
In 1914 Enfield equipped large numbers of motorcycles to the British War Department and also gained a motorcycle contract for the Imperial Russian Government. RE used its own 225 cc two-stroke single and 425 cc V-twin engines. They also manufactured an 8 hp motorcycle side-car model equipped with a Vickers machine gun.
Intermediate-war years (1921–1939)
In the year 1921, RE introduced a new 976 cc twin, and in 1924 launched the first Enfield four-stroke 350 cc single using a Prestwich Industries engine. In the year 1928, Royal Enfield started using the curved ‘saddle tanks’ and centre-spring girder front forks, the first of the companies to do so. Even though it was going at a loss in the depression years of the 1930s, the company was able to count on reserves to keep going. In 1931, Albert Eddie, one of the founders of the company, died and his partner R.W. Smith passed away soon in 1933.
Second World War (1939–1945)
During the brink of World War II, The Enfield Cycle Company was called upon by the British authorities to develop and create military motorcycles. The models produced for the military were the WD/C 350 cc sidevalve, WD/CO 350 cc OHV, WD/D 250 cc SV, WD/G 350 cc OHV and WD/L 570 cc SV. One of the most popular Enfield’s’ was the Royal Enfield WD/RE, well-known as the Flying Flea, a light-weight 125 cc motorcycle designed to be released by parachute with airborne troops.
In order to establish a facility not vulnerable to the wartime bombing of the Midlands, an underground factory was set up, starting in 1942, in an out of date “Bath Stone” quarry at Westwood, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. A lot of the staff was transferred from Redditch and an estate of “prefabs” was built in Westwood to house them.
As well as a motorcycle manufacturer, it constructed other equipment for the war effort such as mechanical “predictors” for anti-aircraft gunnery: the manufacturer of such immense precision equipment was helped by the constant temperature underground. After the war the factory survived, concentrating on engine manufacturing and high precision machining. After production of Royal Enfield motorcycles ceased, the accuracy in engineering activities continued until the final dissolution of the company.
Post War Model G and Model J & Ex Military C and CO (1946-1954)
Post the war, Royal Enfield resumed production of the single cylinder ohv 350cc model G and 500cc Model J, with rigid rear
frame and telescopic front forks. These were ride-to-work basic models, in a world eager for transportation. A large number of factory reconditioned ex-military sv Model C and ohv Model CO singles were also offered for sale, as they were sold off as surplus by various military services.
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