Romance of the Royal Enfield

Tim Luckhurst is carried away by the archetypal British bike, still a best-seller in its new Indian homeland

The romance of the Royal Enfield Bullet is apparent to anyone who still believes machines have a soul. This motorcycle first emerged from a grimy factory in Redditch, Worcestershire two years after the end of the Second World War. It is a relic from an era before Britain had heard of Honda. There were no motorways and roads trembled to the thunder of classic British motorcycles. Many of them, like the Bullet, were designed in the 1930s and only modernised superficially to meet the demands of the peace-time market.

We know the rest. Complacent assumptions about the enduring patriotic appeal of antiquated technology combined with poisonous industrial relations destroyed many legendary names. A generation came to believe that "motorcycle" was Japanese for the humiliation of British manufacturing. That Royal Enfield factory in Redditch died as the Commonwealth replaced the British Empire.

But in one of the most populous and democratic parts of that Commonwealth there was a demand for simple technology. An Indian company, Madras Motors, acquired the rights and began making Bullets for the Indian army. The motorcycle soon gained a civilian market. The Bullet's single-cylinder engine and simplicity was perfect for a developing economy.

In 1994 the Madras factory was acquired by Eicher Group. A new plant and better quality control allowed for improvements, but there was no major redesign. In India the Bullet's simplicity remains an asset. So does fuel economy that allows it to cover 75 miles on a gallon. About 25,000 Royal Enfields are sold every year in India and it is still used by the army.

But the nature of the beast meant it had limited appeal when the importers Watsonian-Squire reintroduced it to Britain in 2000. With its four-speed, right-foot gear change it was unfamiliar to riders under the age of 50. Even those accustomed to traditional British controls found the bike an exercise in nostalgia rather than a practical purchase. Watsonian-Squire sold a few hundred a year, making Britain the Bullet's biggest export market, but that looked like the limit of their ambitions.

In 2003, Peter Rivers-Fletcher of Watsonian-Squire persuaded Royal Enfield to produce a five-speed version with its gear change on the left, where modern riders expect it. The machine was christened the Bullet Sixty-5. It turned the Bullet from an eccentric item to a truly practical classic motorbike.

At the British motorcycle industry's annual showcase at Mallory Park in Leicestershire last month I rode the latest version of the Bullet Sixty-5: the Sixty-5 Street. With its chromed tank, trials handlebars, solo seat and chrome rack it is a gorgeous reincarnation of the "street scrambler" style British makers exported in the 1960s.

The Bullet is basic. The kick-start of the Indian version has been augmented by a starter motor, but it has drum brakes front and rear and a top speed of less than 80mph. This is not a bike for motorways. But it is a joy on winding A-roads. Its suspension is firm but not brutal and the cornering on upgraded TT100 tyres is charmingly precise. Even at maximum speed it does not feel remotely strained, just adamant it is not designed to hurry.

Constable Ian Beresford, a police motorcyclist with West Mercia Constabulary, is a Royal Enfield owner. He says: "After a day riding my police bike, the Enfield always puts a smile on my face. It is a joy to ride." Having ridden the Sixty-5 Street across miles of rolling Leicestershire countryside I have to agree.

The Bullet Sixty-5 is the sort of motorbike that conjures dreams of adventure. It is a machine you want to persuade your best friend to buy as well then load with camping gear and set off on the overland route to Nepal.

Potential owners may want to move fast. In 2006 EU emission requirements will make the Bullet's engine obsolete. It will be replaced by lean-burn technology. There is no doubt that it works, but the link to Redditch will no longer be quite as clear.

The Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5 is supplied by Watsonian-Squire. www.royal-enfield.com