How Royal Enfield Became… The Harley-Davidson Of India

[advrider]

Royal Enfield was basically a sidenote in North American moto history for decades. I remember a review years back (I think it was in Cycle World’s print mag, and I think it was John Burns’ writing) that basically set up the motorcycle as the prop for a 1950s Man act, where you’d ride around and experience vintage motorcycling at its best and worst—and often, it was the worst. Up to relatively recently, Royal Enfield’s made-in-India motorcycles had nowhere near the performance and reliability of their Japanese and Euro counterparts.

But that didn’t stop them from becoming super-popular in India, where they were indeed the rough equivalent to a Harley-Davidson, a brand that inspired nationalistic purchasing fervor. Building off that base, Royal Enfield has completely transformed itself over the past decade. No longer is it simply a provider of cosplay machines for those dressed like the Edwardians, or perhaps 1950s greasers. Now, it is on its way towards the boldly-stated goal of becoming the world’s largest manufacturer of mid-displacement motorcycles. Its current lineup ranges from the Hunter 350 and Meteor standards to the 411 Scram and Himalayan dual sport/scramblers to the Interceptor 650 and Classic 350 retros and the Continental GT cafe racer.

YouTuber bart has the video above, telling you how it happened. I wasn’t there for most of that history, when Royal Enfield was a Brit bike brand, but it has been fascinating to watch the company’s progress in the past few years, as new designs, a new factory and acquisitions such as Harris Performance have transformed Royal Enfield into a 21st-century company, a company that’s not just dominant in its own home market, but starting to attract more and more interest from buyers (young and old alike) in overseas markets.

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