Indian Motos Blog » Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield to thump even louder – New variants on the anvil

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:00:43 +0000

In line with expanding production, Royal Enfield has announced the setup of its new plant; once again in Chennai. In response to the huge demand in domestic as well as international markets, the new plant will nearly double the production to 1,50,000 units annually. The 50 acre plant which is slated for the 2013 will demand an investment of Rs 350 crore, spread over the next five years. The facility will be equipped to produce the entire range of the company and will be backed by the proximity of vendors and supply chain in the area. In light of the growing ecological concerns, the factory will be installed with an effective auto-eco system at Oragadam.

Although the company has consistently posted an upward curve on the sales graph, the demand supply deficit has never been closed in the past few months. With this expansion plan, CEO, Venki Padmanabhan has put his money where his mouth is. Last month, he had addressed the customer problems of late deliveries and quality issues and promised a hike in production. His ambitious plans include upping the production to 2, 50,000 units per annum through greenfield and brownfield projects over the span of three to five years. The move comes in synch with the launch of a chromed up version of the flagship model Classic 500 for the international market. We at indianmotosblog just hope that it would be available for India as well.

Royal Enfield mulls over plans of higher capacity engines

Shrawan Raja — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:31:08 +0000

At the Auto Expo in January, we saw the café racer version of the RE and we also told you about 750 cc and 1000 cc rumors back then. And now we have a fresh update on that. A series of events like the growing popularity of HD, the entry of Triumph, and the insatiable demand-supply deficit garnished by an ever increasing demand for the 500 cc Classic in domestic as well as international market has led Royal Enfield to think about exploring newer avenues. The company is looking for development of a 750 cc and liter class Enfield for its portfolio by 2013. However, we are still not sure of the engine configuration. Will it be a V-twin or a parallel twin? No one really knows. It's still all speculation at this stage. There is a possibility of a technical collaboration for the motorcycles. And this won’t be the first time RE has entered one. The previous collaboration on the Carberry Enfield and Royal Enfield Meteor back in the day did sum up for decent sales. The collaboration this time will be more engine oriented. We just hope they don’t enter the race too pricey and late!

Royal Enfield planning a Bullet plant in Andhra Pradesh?

Shrawan Raja — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:55:53 +0000

Royal Enfield is known for their delays and inability to cope with the high customer demand. But they are strongly looking at making this a thing of the past. RE is looking at putting up a new manufacturing plant in Andra Pradesh. The company has expressed interests to the state government for their necessities and the government though in favor of the proposal, has not narrowed down to a signed agreement, DNA is reporting. The company currently manufacturing the 350 and 500 series in their Tirivotriyur plant in Chennai want to hike up their production substantially. With many new models and higher displacement engines in the pipeline, a new facility is the need of the hour. The total investment that the company is planning to make is about Rs. 250 crore, split into two phases. Phase one will be a 2 year plan where in RE will create the facility for manufacturing 1.5 lakh motorcycles with a markup of Rs 150 crore and phase two will see the expansion happening to 2.5 lakh units over the preiod of the third year.

Since the presence of a prestigious brand such as RE will also improve the value of the real estate, RE has asked the government to consider the proposal as a mega project. The deal if materializes will give RE special benefits such as subsidized power, reimbursements etc. The government has also asked RE to consider setting up their vendors in nearby locations so as to promote an eco-friendly environment and provide ancillary and component manufacturers a good prospect for future investment. This is also strongly pointing towards RE’s exports going stronger and even domestic demand becoming high. The possibilities of the new plant marking the beginning of a brand new product range are also strong. Since there are internal talks about the production of the 700cc and 1000cc V twins by 2013, a new facility would not sound like a bad idea. The proposed location is at Sri city in Chitoor district Andhra Pradesh. Source - DNAIndia.com

Royal Enfield features in Harry Potter movie

Shrawan Raja — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 07:15:35 +0000

As it turns out even wizards can’t get enough of Royal Enfield. In the new Harry Potter movie ‘The Deathly Hallows Part 1’, the wonder wizard has upgraded from a broomstick to a pale blue Royal Enfield motorbike and he is ridding the streets of London at full throttle! The original plan was to focus on the sidecar but on seeing a Royal Enfield in action the film makers ordered not one, not two, not three but 7 custom made Royal Enfield (and here we have to wait for one for more than 6-7 months). The vehicles were supplied by Blockley-based company, Watsonian Squire, the Royal Enfield UK Distributor. The owner of the dealership admitted that he has never read the Harry Potter books or even seen any of the movies, but his son, Troy, aged 12, is a complete Harry potter nut.

If you want to catch up with the now immortal ride, a version of the ‘Harry Potter’ motorbike and sidecar will be displayed at the upcoming Motorcycle Live exhibition at the NEC from November 27 to December 5, 2010.

Royal Enfield to double its production by 2012; plans Machismo revival

Shrawan Raja — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:30:10 +0000

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

Beer + Bullet = Hobgoblin Bullet

Sachet Parkash — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:55:51 +0000

Royal Enfield Motorcycles has joined hands with Britain based Wychwood brewery's Hobgoblin to create this one of a kind 'Hobgoblin Bullet'. 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

Royal Enfield to expand capacity

Sachet Parkash — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:44:36 +0000

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

Royal Enfield knocks on Kinetic’s doors

Sachet Parkash — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:48:27 +0000

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

Royal Enfield supplies Gurgaon with Fire-fighting Bullets

Sachet Parkash — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 09:55:19 +0000

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

Royal Enfield eager to find more American customers

Shrawan Raja — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:22:19 +0000

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