Royal Enfield Bikes in India

In 1909, Royal Enfield took the motorcycling world by surprise when it introduced a small motorcycle with a 2.25 horsepower V-twin Motosacoche engine of Swiss origin. In 1911, the next model was powered by a 2.75 horsepower engine and boasted of the well-known Enfield 2-speed gearbox. In 1912 came the JAP 6 horsepower 770cc V-twin with a sidecar combination. It was this motorcycle which made Enfield a household name.

During the First World War, Royal Enfield supplied consignments of their 6 horsepower sidecar Outfit motorcycles retro-fitted with stretchers to the English Army. The same Royal Enfield two-wheeler also came with a Vickers machine Gun sidecar attachment which could also be turned skywards and used against low flying aircraft. Royal Enfield supplied large numbers of motorcycles to the British War Department and due to their reliability and tough build quality, also won a motorcycle contract for the Imperial Russian Government.

During the post-war years, the factory continued manufacturing the models developed during the war and the legendary J2 model appeared which went on to become the ancestor of the legendary Bullet, the same motorcycle which perhaps had the honour of the being the motorcycle with the longest production run, in the world.

When it comes to Royal Enfield bikes India, the motorcycles are on sale here ever since 1949. In 1955, the Indian government started looking for a suitable motorcycle for its police forces and the army for patrolling duties on the country's border. That is where Royal Enfield latest bikes come in, wherein the Bullet 350 was chosen as the most suitable bike for the job. Of all Royal Enfield bikes, the Indian government ordered a fleet of 800 of these 350cc motorcycles. Thus, to cope with the huge order, the Redditch Company partnered with Madras Motors in India in 1955 to form what was called Enfield India to assemble these 350cc Bullet motorcycles under licence in Chennai (erstwhile Madras). As a result, the Bullet 350 became the first Royal Enfield bike model in India.

In 1990, Enfield India entered into a strategic alliance with the Eicher Group and later merged with it in 1994. It was during this merger that the name Enfield India changed to Royal Enfield, as we know the brand today. In 1996, after the Indian government decided to impose stringent norms for emissions and Royal Enfield is said to be the first motorcycle manufacturer in India to fully comply with those norms.

Royal Enfield has a wide network of 11 exclusive brand stores, 250 dealerships and 200 authorised service centres across India as of 2018. The company also exports and sells motorcycles in 42 countries including the USA, Bahrain, UK, France, Germany and many other countries through 40 importers and over 300 dealerships across the globe. Royal Enfield bikes price list (as of late-2019) start at around ₹ 1.17 lakh for the 2018 Bullet 350 and go up to ₹ 1.99 lakh for the 2018 Thunderbird 500X.

The range of Royal Enfield bikes in India consists of the Bullet 350, Classic 350, Thunderbird 350, Thunderbird 350X, Bullet 500, Classic 500, Thunderbird 500, Thunderbird 500X, Classic Chrome, Classic Desert Storm and the Himalayan.