By Kaustubh Shinde

Four years ago if you had questioned us which bike should I go for, we would have given you 2 options: Pulsar or Karizma. Then, after 5 years of R&D, Royal Enfield decided to flex its muscles and launched Bullet Classic 500 & 350. Since then the biker boys have just gone berserk!

We at IAB love the recent trend among college goers and young executives to not go for a mainstream bike and rather go for a ‘Bullet’. So you can imagine our joy when Royal Enfield, part of the Eicher Motors, announced that they will be doubling their production capacity within 2 years.

Dr Venki Padmanabhan, COO, Royal Enfield, said

We thought that new Enfield models would have a very small demand, with the Classic we expected to do 200 units a month, surprisingly the demand is close to a 1,000. We’re building both capacity and R&D capability. In the next 2-3 years we’ll be doubling capacity

As of today, Royal Enfield produces 5 models in India of which the Thunderbird 350 has a waiting period of 3 months, whereas the waiting list for Classic 350 and 500 can stretch right up to 9 months!

And there is more good news….

The cult bike ‘Machismo’ would soon be re-launched with new design and engine. The company has also planned to introduce higher capacity 750 cc-1000cc bikes, including a high-end Café Racer.

Source – Wheels Unplugged

The bike has the Hobgoblin beer brand logo as the centre piece of this one-off machine.

The Hobgoblin Bullet is based on the Royal Enfield Classic 500 EFI model and features fuel injection and electric start. The bike has a blue paint job and the livery of the Hobgoblin.

The bike has been built has a one-off project between Royal Enfield Motorcylces and Wychwood Brewery’s Hobgoblin and will be the only one of its kind in the whole world. The bike will be showcased at the Great British Beer Festival and the NEC Bike show.

Ian Ward, Wychwood Brand Manager -

The Hobgoblin Bullet is a great ‘one off’ with a unique blue paint job and legendary graphics of the Hobgoblin, there was no way we could put a price on it. So we’ve chosen to give it away to one lucky beer and bikes fan

The bike after being showcased at the above mentioned events, will then be given away in a prize draw to one lucky beer and bike fan. If you want to win yourself this one of a kind Hobgoblin Bullet, than all you have to do is to log onto the Wychwood website (www.wychwood.co.uk) and file in your entry. The prize draw is open till 30th November 2010.

Source – Super Bike

In order to shorten the ever increasing waiting period for its products, Royal Enfield will now expand capacity at its Chennai manufacturing plant in order to cater to the growing demand for its products in India and abroad. Royal Enfield’s current installed capacity has been pushed to the limit, so much so that they have been forced to use Kinetic’s paint shop to get certain parts of their bikes painted.

Royal Enfield will be doubling the current 50,000 units per annum production capacity to 1,00,000 units per annum over the next three years in order to be able to cater better to its prospective customers in India and abroad. Royal Enfield will also be investing in a modern paint shop, die and tooling upgrades, aesthetic and sheet metal refinements, in order to add a better degree of quality and finish to its products. Also from now on, Royal Enfield will have an even sharper focus on new model development.

These new much needed plans to finally increase capacity and invest in better equipment, in order to satisfy the demand for its products, would also go a long way in ensuring that future products from Royal Enfield will be up there with the best in terms of quality and reliability.

Source – Power Sports Business

The seventh edition of the Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey has been flagged off from Delhi. Mr R.L Ravichandran, the CEO of Royal Enfield Motorcycles, was present at the flag off ceremony, to see the riders off on their epic 15-day journey in which they will cover 2560 km. The Himalayan Odyssey is an annual event in which Royal Enfield riders ride through some of the toughest roads and highest mountain passes in the regions of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

Mr. R.L Ravichandran, CEO, Royal Enfield Motorcycles -

The Himalayan Odyssey has become a pilgrimage for the riders. They come from far and near to take this ride. Last year, Royal Enfield ventured into other rides as well. We’ve set course on the ‘Southern Odyssey’, the ‘Tour of Rajasthan’, the ‘Rann of Kutch’ and the ‘Mumbai‐Goa Highway’ rides. We are soon to embark upon the ‘Spiti Valley’ ride and the ‘Ride of the North‐East’. Royal Enfield is a powerful brand and our initiatives of ‘Keep Riding’ facilitate a poignant experience for our customers wherein they can tune‐in to the soul of the outdoors and yet stay connected with the claustrophobic hustle‐bustle of today’s modern world. I wish the riders a great time on the Himalayan Odyssey. The route to be taken this year moves via Kelong to Sarchu, Ladakh and then Khardung La. However, the novel feature of this year’s ride is that this year, the riders will ride on towards Nubra and pay tribute to the earthy vale of Nubra by erecting a Royal Enfield flag on its sand dunes.

Sachin Chavan, Lead Rider, 2010 Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey -

The sheer pleasure of discovering oneself while surmounting the challenges of perilous terrain is a tribute to the togetherness, the attitude and the bond that a motorcycle can create amongst total strangers

The riders on the 2010 Royal Enfield Himalayan Odyssey will now have to endure 2560 km of tough conditions and harsh terrains over the next 15-days before re-converging in Delhi on the 3rd of July. The group of riders has been provided with a backup team consisting of doctors and mechanics, just in case anything happens to them or their bikes.

It is no secret that Royal Enfield is currently facing a problem of demand out-numbering supply. Royal Enfield’s Classic Range of bikes consisting of the Classic 500 EFI and the Classic 350 have been huge hits for the company in terms of sales figures, ever since they were launched into the market late last year.

The company is now facing an acute production capacity shortage which has caused the waiting period for its bikes to escalate into several months and has even forced the company to suspend bookings of the Classic 350.

Mr. R.L Ravichandran, CEO, Royal Enfield -

It is a difficult situation and we are looking at a variety of options to get over this problem

The company in order to find solutions to its problems, has sought the help of Kinetic. Though Kinetic’s two-wheeler business has been sold to Mahindra and Mahindra, the paint shop at Kinetic’s Ahmednagar facility has some spare capacity left, which Royal Enfield will be utilizing.

Kinetic’s paint shop will now also paint parts of Royal Enfield motorcycles such as front and rear metal fenders, cover tubes, toolboxes and ornamental covers for Royal Enfield’s Classic range of bikes.

Mr. R.L Ravichandran, CEO, Royal Enfield -

There is only so much this plant can take, but it is not as if we can just start producing motorcycles overnight in a new facility

Though using Kinetic’s paint shop will help Royal Enfield to some extent, the company needs to do something fast in order to find a permanent solution to its growing list of problems.

Source – Hindu Business Line

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) is to equip its fire-fighting forces with Royal Enfield motorcycles fitted with micro fire-fighting guns in order to reach fire sites quicker and start dousing the flames. The main reason for this concept being implemented is that, since bikes can navigate through traffic quicker, they can reach fir sites quicker and start dousing the flames until the fire-trucks arrive.

The motorcycle fire squad will also come in handy, in case there is a fire in a vehicle, which is caught in a traffic jam.

The bikes have been equipped with two water and nitrogen gas-filled cylinders for fighting fires and the cost of each motorcycle amounts to approx Rs. 11-12 lakh. The main reason for the high costs is that the fire fighting equipment for the motorcycles has been procured from Germany.

The MCG will initially procure three bikes in the first step and will increase the number as and when the need arises.

Source – Hindustan Times

Classic Motorworks, the exclusive licensed distributor of Royal Enfield motorcycles in the US, is conducting “Royal Enfield Experience” in the United States. This campaign, offers demo rides of its products to interested buyers.

Classic Motorworks is conducting this campaign this month at America’s two very popular motorcycle events. The first stop will be in Lake George, New York from June 7-12 for Americade 2010 and the second one happens in New Hampshire for the 87th annual Laconia Motorcycle Week from June 12-20.

The promotional event will be conducted in the presence of RE’s American management team who will be present at the venue to answer questions, if the riders have any. Anyone who is over 21 years old and has a valid driver’s license can take a demo ride on the bikes.

Kevin Mahoney, President of Royal Enfield USA -

Many riders are searching for a new motorcycle that delivers retro style, solid reliability, and outstanding value. They’re also looking for something a lot more unique than what’s offered by most larger brands. These are the riders that really need to experience the new Royal Enfield. Even among riders who are familiar with Royal Enfield, very few have had the opportunity to experience these outstanding new motorcycles first-hand. Bringing the Royal Enfield Experience to these popular events will help us change that and introduce today’s Royal Enfield to a whole new group of riders

Royal Enfield is keen on setting up more dealership outlets in America, and has plans to introduce more models. Recently, the company introduced  the Olive Green Military 500, which is capturing many American imaginations.

The company is reportedly working on V-Twins and high capacity motors for its future products. It even showed off a cafe concept at the Delhi Auto Expo and is planning to put this into production in the years to come.

Source – Motorcycle USA

The Royal Enfield Classic 500 is a tremendous hit. The bike, launched in Europe in November, 2008 was launched in India a year later in 2009. Even before the launch of the Classic 500, prospective customers came flocking into showrooms to inquire about the launch.

When Royal Enfield finally launched the bike with the price tag of Rs. 1,25,000, enthusiasts just booked the bike right away not deterred by the high price tag. Royal Enfield received as many as 1,000 bookings in just two weeks of the Classic 500 launch.

The company has delivered over 5000 Classic 500′s since November. Currently the waiting period for the Classic 500 is between 6-8 months. Royal Enfield can’t do much to boost the production as the company faces certain limitations as the bike carries a number of specially painted components that take time to be delivered.

Right now, Royal Enfield is manufacturing around 1000 units of the Classic 500 per month. The company is planning to increase this number slightly. But still Classic 500 lovers would have to wait to get their hands on one.

The Classic 500′s younger brother, the Classic 350 attracted so many bookings and was so such demand that Royal Enfield could help but close bookings for the Classic 350 indefinitely.