Quick spin: Royal Enfield Classic 500

Name: Quick spin: Royal Enfield Classic 500
Brand: Royal Enfield

The Classic 500 can trace its roots back to the 1950s, so it's a stayer par excellence. We attempt to unlock its charms

Royal Enfield can be traced back to the 1800s. Like BSA, the company first manufactured small arms before moving onto its first two-wheeled bikes in 1901. In its heyday, Enfield was one of the leading British motorcycle manufacturers and perhaps the one with the greatest foresight -- or perhaps it was just luck.

The company did its bit in WWII by producing the little airborne 125 that was shipped to the Allies around the world and dropped from planes with its own accessory parachute to provide the necessary ground transportation to the troops. Perhaps the war was part of the reason that the Enfield name became a household name in the 1940s and 1950s.
In the early 1950s, Enfield started exporting to India, where an order for 800 bikes was supplied to the Indian army. The bikes were rugged, reliable and cheap, which was just the type of machine a country like India needed. In fact the demand grew so fast for Royal Enfields that a deal was struck with the Indian importer to manufacture the machines there. While all this was going on, back in England Enfield was in the midst of a torrid battle with the Japanese. The equation was quite simple: Britons were not after reliable or rugged anymore but something different. And the Japanese factories were supplying technology way above the British standard at the time.

In 1970, the last British-made Royal Enfield rolled off the production line, but that didn't bother the Indians as they were pumping out masses of them.

It takes a week to produce a Royal Enfield now, with the machines still completely handmade and road-tested ó but even so the massive factory pumps out a new one every 70 seconds! That's a lot of motorcycles.

The Classic's roots can be traced back to the í50s, and it's one of the longest-running models of all time. Thatís good news though, as over the years tweaking and modernising of the original machine has seen some valuable changes that make this bike what it is today. It's the resto mod of the bike world, which still has your friends thinking that it's a perfectly restored machine. However, you get a disc front brake, fuel injection and even an electric starter. There is still a kickstarter if you feel so obliged, a centrestand and a range of colours which range from its army heritage through to the tan which I tested.

Most bikes I review are aimed at a certain sector of the market with a complementary marketing strategy. I don't think Enfield has a real strategy: it just makes bikes. It got me thinking as to whom the Classic 500 could be aimed at, and it's probably someone who's into bikes and wants a cool look without the associated stress a real classic gives. On the flipside, an older rider who is heavily into bikes but is just struggling that bit to start it or keep the maintenance up to it could also be a target. And let's not forget it's also a LAMS bike, so there's another potential audience.

The Classic 500 is in Royal Enfield Australia's 'Retro' range alongside the Classic Desert Storm, Classic Battle Green and Classic Chrome, while the other two ranges are 'Cafe Racer' (Continental GT) and 'Standard Street' (Bullet 500).

CLASSIC 500 IN BIKE SHOWROOM

I wanted to get some more intel on the Classic 500, so I called my father-in-law who is in his 70s and rides a BSA B31. I say he rides it, but I haven't actually seen him on it too much lately as it's a pain to keep up the maintenance and it's only got a kickstart. I invited Pete for coffee and told him to bring his gear -- which he reluctantly did as he is old school and doesn't normally like to ride other people's machines. After I assured him it was okay, I showed him the bike and he was suitably impressed by the low seat height. The single seat (there is an option for pillion accommodation) makes throwing your leg over the machine extremely easy, which is something to consider.

Anyway, I farewelled him on what was going to be a 30-minute ride -- and he kept it for a week! The outings included a Saturday afternoon shindig with the local Ulysses Club.

But I also like old bikes and enjoy riding the British beasts of the 1950s, so I was keen for the $8290 rideaway Classic 500 to make its way back to my garage. On my first hitout I decided to go old school and kick the bike into life rather than use the electric leg. The auto decompressor takes a lot of the guess work out of having to find top dead center, so it wasn't long before I was on my way.

It's comfortable, the clutch is light and the bike engages easily into gear. There is plenty of torque from the simple air-cooled two-valve 499cc single, which means taking off from a standstill is a breeze. Claimed maximum power is 27.2hp (20.3kW) at 5250rpm, with 41.3Nm of torque at 4000rpm. The five-speed gearbox is easy to use, although I did detect a bit of clutch drag which made it difficult to find neutral when the Classic 500 was at a standstill.

Cruising along in traffic is a simple affair, with the bike's suspension handling tram tracks and the city streets well. The power delivery is smooth thanks to fuel injection, which also meters the fuel more precisely. At no time did I think the bike was going to stop, stall or cause me problems, which is a nice feeling when you are at the head of the queue at traffic lights.

Itís a bike that has always has been dependable, and that dependability shines through to the user. The rear drum brake works well. There is a disc fitted to the front and it looks good but it works only slightly better than a drum. I think a set of less durable pads might make all the difference giving more bite.

The absence of a tacho never bothered me, but it does mean you need to use your gut instinct to know when to change gears. It's a low-revving beast and that's how you get the best out of it. It comes with Avon tyres which work very well and much better than the ribbed tyres that once would have adorned a motorcycle like this.

I get this motorcycle. Is it for me? Probably not, as I would buy a genuine UK-made Enfield if I was in the market. If I was older, younger or into the cafe scene, it could certainly fit the bill.

Quick spin: Royal Enfield Classic 500

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