Why Royal Enfield Indian Motorcycles So Famous
Production of Royal Enfield motorcycle is still prevalent even though it is the oldest model of motorcycles ever. The company began in Redditch , Worcestershire and disappeared in 1971 however, India is the only place where production is still carrying on. Thus, the 1963 model was named The Royal Enfield Indian Motorcycle and was then sold to America.
Even though the Royal Enfield tagline is basically used for motorcycles and is famous for their production, it produced many other things like rifle parts, lawnmowers, and bicycles. They had a logo which had a picture of cannon with the motto ‘made like a gun, goes like a bullet.”
By 1955, Enfield of India began manufacturing Bullet motorcycles under a licensing agreement with the UK brand, and by 1962 they were making complete bikes. Even when Royal Enfield dissolved in 1971, the Indian company, in Chennai carried on production and bought the rights to the name “Royal Enfield” in 1995. They’re still in business as of 2009.
The Indian Motorcycle Company in America went through the most trying times, in the year 1950. A company called Brockhouse Corporation had been financing the unsteady Indian company and bought it in the same year. Some unlucky management decisions led to splitting of the Indian unit into two: one for the sales, and one for manufacturing.
The overhead valve engine costs was high and the manufacturing arm could not meet the retooling finances. So it closed in 1953, and some Indian purists thought that it was the end of “real” Indian motorcycles. But the sales arm was still working and didn’t fold.
Since Brockhouse Corporation had the rights to the name after Indian manufacturing went under, they began importing Enfields and selling them as Indians from 1955 to 1970. This was an early example of “badge engineering,” and it was not rewarded. Though dealerships still carried the Matchless/Indian name after 1959, the Indian name was taken away from motorcycles.
Disputes as to who will earn the brand name became a big issue during that time of Indian Motorcycle history. The Enfield Chief was still produced in 1960 – a rebadged Enfield 700 cc twin fitted with the fender guards, saddlebags and other Indian paraphernalia.
Anyhow, Associated Motorcycles of Britain bought the Indian name in 1960. In 1963, the Berliner Motor Corporation overpowered the U.S distributorship of Associated Motorcycles and the Indian name was completely erased for good. These details of the deal became life-like in form of trademark and branding disputes till 1999.
But in the mid 60s, the gross-revenues arm of the Indian company was obtained by Floyd Clymer, a racer, author, motorcycle dealer, and magazine publisher. Clymer spent the last five or so years of his life trying to resuscitate the Indian brand, by fitting Indian nameplates to Italian Velocette-based bikes, and even having a prototype built based on the original Indian V-Twin design. Though well received, unfortunately, the prototype was the only one ever made.
