I hope they haven't "modernized" themselves out of business with this bike. The attraction of Royal Enfield is less the name, but the fact that you could buy and ride a brand new, honest-to-god vintage motorcycle fresh from the factory. I doubt this new bike will have the same charm.

Hey Spiros: Really interesting article as I prefer stroke at a minimum of 86mm (3.5 inches) as this gives good low and mid speed characteristics for this type of operation especially off the pavement and such an engine running at 4,000 does not require a whole lot of breathing. Also appreciated was the added *bit* that RE bought Harris Performance! The weight is on the high side, true, but given the Harris input this may signal extreme durability and long life which is not actually a defect. Thanks!

I owned the 350cc made in India, it was qualitatively of much lower quality than the first run out of England. It was almost as if they were just learning how to make a motorcycle. While it was simple to maintain it was not a memorable motorcycle to ride. It had no acceleration and the ride was bone jarring. I really don't understand why people are nostalgic about this piece of ..... They saw the newer one are much better made but give me an European or a Japanese bike any day.

i do not think that India was part of the British empire in 1955.

Quite right Kevin Burke. India was partitioned in 1947.

I think this model can be excused its 400 odd pounds of weight as
1. It is not using exotic materials (cheaper and easier to maintain)
2. It is designed to be rugged and carry more weight than most.
I think this new version is a logical and somewhat overdue extension of the Bullet range, and providing they don't stop producing the Bullet, I see only good things for the company.
I will be interested to see how the projected US$3000 price translates when it gets to Australia....

Enfields did not rely on single cylinder bikes for 60 years, I raced a 700 interceptor for a couple of years on the dirt track circuit {open class}, did ok, switched to a BSA Lightning, actually won a few after that.

The continental GT, (best looking bike ever?) with this engine, would find a niche market here I think, especially if they could hot it up to maybe 30 hp.

Kudos to them. I hope they sell well.
Ive been riding a suzuki LS650 (S40) thumper for 7 yrs now. Theres something to be said for the simplicity and economy of this type of machine.
One trade off - you cant push start a big single in the event of a weak batt. What ever happened to kick starters?!

A very rugged and utilitarian design for the masses. Motorcycling in America is much more of a hobbyist activity than elsewhere, so it obviously will not make a big sales splash. The design and specs make good sense for a non-freeway commuter bike here.