Myths and legends surrounding Royal Enfield - its birth, death and rebirth are numerous and at times stretched to the limits of imagination. Here we have presented a potted history of the Royal Enfield marque and a few key stages in the development of the Indian Royal Enfield brand.

Royal Enfield’s early beginnings were humble indeed. The company started making bicycles and un-powered vehicles in the UK around 1898 then called the “Enfield Cycle Company”. The early motorcycles they produced in 1900 used other engines produced by other manufacturers.

After about 5 years production stopped and only recommenced in 1910 with the production of a 425cc V-twin boasting 2.25 hp - a major selling point being its mechanical oil pump.

Enfield Bullets in their present form were first built in England in 1949. The machine had a 350cc engine and incorporated the then innovative rear suspension design; the Swing Arm, a feature together with the string engine that lead to its success as a trials bike. A 500cc model was introduced in Britain during the 1950's, itself winning hundreds of races bringing international acclaim and recognition with the Redditch factory receiving orders from all over the world.

A giant leap forwards came in 1954, with an order from Indian government for 800 Bullets required for rapid deployment on the border with Pakistan. Despite this heavy burden of responsibility, the factory delivered and the success of the motorcycle is service lead to further government orders of a similar size in ‘55 and ‘56. It was decided in Redditch to set up a factory in India.

In 1955 an Indian partner was selected and trainees were sent to Redditch to learn the production methods. Initially kits were shipped to Madras for assembly and by 1956 a full scale plant had been built in Madras marking the birth of Enfield India Ltd.

Eventually the Enfield Bullet was built entirely in Madras. And since those early days, every year the factory has produced over 30,000 motorcycles, all based on that 1955 model.

Improvements over the years have included higher quality metals, modern machining techniques and stronger more durable parts.

In 1990 a diesel version of the Bullet was produced, thought to be the only diesel motorcycle in production anywhere in the world. In 1993 a 500cc model was introduced. A year later in 1994 Enfield India was bought by the Eicher Group and the company name was changed to Royal Enfield Motors Limited.