Royal Enfield
A brief history
The Royal Enfield Bullet started life in the 1933 and first appeared in its
current form in 1949. The company established a satellite factory in India in
1955, to help meet demand from the Indian Army. When the UK factory in Redditch
(Worcs) closed in 1970, production continued in India. In 1994 Royal Enfield
became part of the massive Eicher engineering group, who manufacture trucks and
tractors and who have invested heavily in new plant and machinery.
In 1999 Watsonian-Squire, the World’s longest established sidecar
manufacturer (founded in 1912) took over UK distribution of Royal Enfield
motorcycles. Located in the Heart of England, only 30 miles from the original
factory, they have worked closely with the factory in Chennai (formerly Madras)
to help develop several new models, including the lean burn Bullet Electra-X.
CHRONOLOGY
 | 1851 - George Townsend sets up a mill called Givry Works in Hunt End,
England. 20 years later, Foster, George’s stepson brings into the factory one
of the first " boneshakers", a quasi-cycle with an iron backbone, wooden
wheels, iron tyres and pedals of wood. Amused by this contraption, George Jnr.
and his team felt they could do a slightly better job and entered the booming
bicycle market with a patented spring-saddle, and then goes on to make
bicycles and their parts. All on his own premises |
| 1880’s - the birth; the story begins with the Townsend cycle company in
Redditch UK |
| 1892 - The Royal Enfield Brand coined. RW Smith and Albert Eadie
take control of Townsend’s, rechristening it "The Eadie Manufacturing
Company". Soon, they stumble upon a contract with Royal Small Arms factory in
Enfield, Middlesex to supply precision rifle parts for the making of Enfield
rifles. Meanwhile, they make their first new bicycle - called the "Enfield".
The Enfield is marketed through a new company - The Enfield Manufacturing
Company Ltd. A year later, the cycles were launched publicly and the company
added the word "Royal" to the name. With that, the legendary trademark -
"Built Like A Gun" appeared for the first time. |
| 1901 - The first Enfield motor bicycle manufactured |
| 1939 - The JS Model, the forerunner of the popular Bullet range of
motorcycles |
| 1949 - Bullet Comes to India. Two young businessmen, Mr. Sundaram and
Shankar, of the Madras Motor Company started importing the Bullet motorcycles
into the southern port city Madras, India. |
| 1955 - Enfield India Limited Incorporated. The first plant was set up at
Madras, marking the beginning of the era of motorcycling in India. At first,
kits were sent to India for assembly, but soon full production of complete
motorcycles started. |
| 1970 - Royal Enfield, UK closes operation putting an end to the British
version of a glorious motorcycling legend. |
Notes the history of the Royal Enfield company and its products are
chronicled in two essential books for lovers of Enfield, from which much of the
above material has been excerpted:
- Royal Enfield - The story of the company and the people who made it great:
1851-1969. By Anne Bradford and edited by Ray Knight.
- Royal Enfield - The post war models. By Roy Bacon, Niton Publishing
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