Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Royal Enfield lust

A few days ago I stumbled across a mention of a Royal Enfield site here, and I've been surfin Enfield stuff a lot. Man, I'm in love! I know the general consensus of the members here has been that they are poor quality and slow to boot. But, there seems to be a "newer" model out now, with EFI and electronic ignition. It also turns out that Baxter cycles here in Iowa is a dealer now, and I talked to him on the phone. He stated that "the new Enfield's will cruise 65 all day and are a much superior bike that the older models." Jay Leno's site has a review of the same, and he said pretty much the same. Man, honestly, if I wasn't up to my "earballs" right now in the new house, I'd go find the money and go out to Baxters tommorrow and buy one! My favorite is the "classic" with red paint, or even the "teal" one! Beautiful!

I think they are a beautiful looking motorcycle. I would love to add one to my stable.

I like 'em too!

A friend of mine has got one. That was a BIG mistake. It's fine if you want a weekend nostalgia trip but he was looking for something reliable and commutable. They really are poorly made, bad handling, terrible front suspension that can't be modified according to the dealer. He's small and light and the front bounces dangerously over bumps. Top speed is about 120kph (75mph) flat out and is uncomfortable at that speed. The electrics are unreliable too.

I have one,(03 Bullet) and no it cant get out of its own way, the suspension isnt the greatest, (Though not as bad as stated)
It is what it is...I didnt buy it to speed down the highway or tear through the twisties.
If you are looking for "something reliable to commutable" then no that would not be your best bet by a long shot...
I love it though, when i ride it, i think this is what it was like to ride a motorcycle 50 60 years ago, it is a wicked cool looking bike.
If you keep an eye on Craigslist you can find them cheap(where i got mine) an 03 with 900 miles on it for $1800.00 the guy couldnt get it started, i took it home messed with it for a while, just for the hill of it, put a new plug in, and BAMM fired right up...Sweet

I wanted one when I first saw them. But on closer examination I noticed that the engine side cases had voids in the molding and a number of other things that just turned me off about them.

Check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng

Yeah, I think they're better suited for an enthusiast who knows bikes. My friend who I mentioned is neither of those and is probably not a good reference. Also his very light weight (the size of a jockey) exaggerates the bad aspects of the suspension.

I do like RE, but on closer examination of the new EFI range the quality is better than before but still.
Paint finish, frame welding, wireing, rubber components all did not impress me, would rather buy a second hand Bonneville or a W650.

I wouldnt buy one new, but heres a place to start hunting one down cheap
http://www.royalenfields.com

A couple of years ago I wanted a RE bad. But the dealer network sucks in my area, and the more I thought about it, a used Triumph twin, set up exactly as I would want it, is money much better spent, IMO.

OK, I couldn't shake the lust, so I did a day trip over to a dealer in Salem, Ill. Nice, 500 mile ride. Dealer, "Bradly", seemed a nice enough bloke. However, it was just as some have said, the pictures look better than the bike. I walked around it, crawled on the floor, and even took my own pictures. When I look at my pictures, the bike looks great! But when viewing in person, not so great. Truly weird.
A little small in size.
The chrome was less than stellar.
(Strange thing, the chrome had obviously been touched up on a couple of welds with "chrome paint", the dealer swears he unpacked it like that.)
I didn't ride it, although he offered.
I thought the castings looked ok, maybe not excellant, but ok.
I would consider adding one to my stable if I had plenty of extra money sitting around. It is, after all, only 6 grand, brand new. I think it would make an excellant "starter" bike.
The paint was ok, just not as vibrant as the ad's look.

The Spokane Triumph dealership carries them. Saw some when I was there last July for the Triumph demo truck. Not impressed. I've had craps bigger than that bike.

I long have lusted after a '70 R. E. Interceptor, made in jolly olde., well since 1970, the first time I saw one in person.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2m0S7bSmqQ

That Interceptor is one nice lookin' machine there alright, Ryk. However, I'm not so sure I'd care to have another chromed gas tanked motorcycle like the one you've linked here with the American-version R.E. gas tank.

Ya see, back in '71 I purchased a BSA Rocket3, exactly like the one in this link here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4O5_iBBFi4

...and I can't tell you how many times I remember gettin' blinded by it as I was ridin' down the road and when the sun reflected off that sucker and right into my eyes.

No kidding, just our chrome consoles can be like arc welding with no hood. On second thought, in Western Washington State with 11-12 days of sunshine a year, maybe not such a prob.