Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

A heart beats in this machine

Proud Enfield-owners of the city wax poetic to RAKESH MEHAR on the intangible pleasures of riding the king of the road and its signature guttural thump, as the bike turns 50 in India

BEAUTIFUL BEAST On an Enfield, you're listening to the bike, feeling it every minute, say those in love with the bike Photo: SHAJU JOHN

I must admit, rather embarrassedly, that unlike most other guys, I know precious little about bikes. I wouldn't know a Hayabusa if it bit me on the nose. However, even an infidel like me can't help but feel something deep inside when I see that magnificent beast, the Enfield.

Ever since the first Indian Bullet hit the road 50 years ago, Enfield has had a rich heritage in India. As ubiquitous as it is exotic, the Enfield has captured India's imagination like none of the recent costly imports can. It is as much at home being the utilitarian steed of a milk farmer in rural U.P. as the collector's pride and glory in urban Bangalore.

To fly away

There are obvious comforts that every Enfield has to offer — a long stroke with high torque that makes travelling long distances on Indian roads exceptionally comfortable; easily available spares and local tech support and fairly low-maintenance dependability. Any urban rider will tell you that there's no better bike to get on to if you're planning to hit the open road. Muthu Kumar, the proud owner of four Enfields, explains that the gearing ratio that allows the rider to do anything between 25 and 120 kmph on the fourth gear lets him forget the mundane details of riding and enjoy the experience.

But talking about just comfort with the Enfield is like stopping at the bright colours with a Dali painting. As most riders say, the real pleasure of owning an Enfield is a deeper, intangible feeling. Like Anil Kumar S., an I.S. auditor with HP says: "It's a feeling you can't really describe. When you're on the road on an Enfield, you feel truly free." The ride isn't just about freedom, however. It's also about connecting with your bike. On most other Indian bikes, Enfield riders like Sudeep Srivastav say, every minute is uncharacteristic as the next. "On an Enfield, you're listening to the bike, feeling it every minute. It's like having a woman in your arms."

For some riders, that's what makes their Enfield special. There are faster bikes, bikes with better mileage, and even more comfortable bikes on the market. In fact, most riders will tell you that their Enfield has more quirks than they can keep track of. Some of these quirks can turn into quite the pain in the posterior. These quirks, though, are what give the bike character. "The design is from World War II and is outdated, it needs a lot of maintenance and so on. But most people love being clued into those quirks, and that's the charm of an Enfield," says Sandeep Menon, a director at Novell India.

The charm can even swallow the rest of your life. Like it happened to Nandan, who gave up successful careers in a dozen different industries to follow his passion of Enfields with his own garage, regular classes in Enfield maintenance and repair and a website called www.bulletech.com. His love for the Enfield stems primarily from the simplicity of the machine. "It's like with software. Most people would buy Windows, where everything is proprietory and you can't do anything except use it the way you're supposed to. But some people like Linux, which is open source and you can do just about anything you want with it. But no one will spoonfeed you. It's the same reason many people buy Enfields. For that hands-on experience, that value addition." The Enfield, he adds, is a simple machine that can also be completely reverse engineered at affordable costs, and that contributes to the individuality of most machines.

Then there's the sound of an Enfield, music to most riders' ears. The Harley Davidson may have its thump patented, but closer home, the Enfield thump needs no such protection. Nothing on the Indian roads has managed to capture that unmistakeable beat that can really get your heart going. Mechanics and ergonomics come later. The first thing that every boy and girl falls in love with is the strong, bass thump that announces every Enfield's arrival. Anil, for example, still remembers a family friend from childhood as the "bud-bud uncle", and cannot recall him without his trademark Bullet.

Driven by passion

A lot of riders take their love for their Enfields to the next level, forming clubs like the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. Every member in the club is only about one thing, passion for his bike and for the joy of riding. The rules are simple — age no bar, sex no bar, profession and interests no bar. The only catch is that you must treat your bike with the respect the magnificent machine deserves, which immediately disqualifies drunken driving, recklessness and treating your bike like the latest toy daddy bought you.

In everything, there are the posers, and the Enfield is no exception. A sizeable portion of younger buyers go for the Enfield because they see it as the shortcut to cool, the nearest they'll get to being the American bad***. Look harder, though, and you'll see what most Enfield lovers do, that the machine has a soul, and lives and breathes almost as we do.

Watching the legend just ride on

It was in 1955 that a new age in Indian biking began, with the launch of the first batch of Enfields manufactured right here in the country. Further back, the earliest roots of Royal Enfield lie in the 19th Century, with motorised bicycles manufactured by Albert Eadie and Bob Walker Smith. Now, with Enfield India having turned 50, the company has brought out a coffee table book that chronicles the illustrious history of that grand old bikemaker called Royal Enfield — The Legend Rides On.

With quality production, stunning photography and a comprehensive historical record of the company, the book makes for exciting reading for most bike enthusiasts. However, what really works for it are the human stories told of riders, collectors, mechanics and a host of others involved with the bike. Fascinating tales of British collectors restoring the earliest Enfield models; local mechanics working the assembly lines; policemen keeping the peace on intimidating Bullet Standards; women who break the conventional mould of femininity and a whole lot more people the pages in this book. While an excellent collector's edition for the serious bike lover, this book is worth a look for anyone who's ever dreamt of owning an Enfield.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail