Legendary British motorcycle arrives in Indonesia

Legendary British motorcycle arrives in Indonesia

Des Price, Contributor, Jakarta

Indonesia is the world's third largest market for motorcycles so
it is little wonder that manufacturers in China and Korea are
trying to get in on sales which have long been dominated by
Japanese names like Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki.

New machines from China and Korea have found their way into
the cities and kampungs of Indonesia and offer affordable
transportation with price tags often considerably lower than
their Japanese counterparts.

While the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans battle it out for the
small commuter bike market, mid-size machines with a long
established pedigree are now being imported to capture the
interest of commuters and enthusiasts alike.

The name Royal Enfield has its roots firmly in British
motorcycle history with the first bike produced in 1901.

Twenty years before production ceased in Britain, the company
formed a subsidiary in India in 1956 where to this day the best
selling model, the Bullet, is still made with only a few
modifications after almost half a decade of supplying Indians
with reliable though somewhat agricultural-looking
transportation.

Paul Carberry, an engineer from Queensland, Australia, was
brought up with British bikes and was dismayed at their demise in
Britain with the advent of more appealing Japanese motorcycles in
the 60's and 70's.

Paul has nurtured his passion for motorcycles from his early
years when as a teenager, he experimented with building his own
motorcycle by bolting a lawn mower into a bicycle frame using car
parts to secure it in place.

After this he bought production motorcycles -- names such as
Triumph, BSA, AJS and Ariel. So fond of British motorcycles was
he that, now living in Indonesia and finding himself with time on
his hands, he decided to have a go at importing Royal Enfield
motorcycles from India to Indonesia.

His experience of importing a Harley Davidson motorcycle into
Indonesia together with his engineering background meant that he
was a good contender for the business and eventually opened his
showroom on Jl. Warung Buncit in South Jakarta which now sports
two old and one new model of the legendary machines.

The three models graciously displayed in the showroom are the
Bullet, which is a 500cc version of the original 1955 350cc
Bullet, the Lightning and a more recent addition -- the Machismo
-- a 535cc stylish bike with a "peanut" tank, and more chrome
that is aimed at the American market and definitely a toy for the
boys which is undoubtedly what the company had in mind when they
gave it such a name.

The Machismo is a wonder of modern engineering. Though only
put into production a few years' ago, the engine was recently
redesigned by a company in Austria whose brief was to increase
fuel efficiency due to the high cost of petrol in India.

The result was a machine capable of returning up to 50
kilometers per liter -- a reliable and energy efficient machine
that fits nicely into a well-designed cycle frame with classic
lines.

But what about reliability, performance and the infamous oil
leaks that almost all British bikes suffered?

Paul sees oil leaks as only a minor problem on Royal Enfield's
range: "British bike engine casings are aluminum-based whereas
Japanese engines are constructed with magnesium. Aluminum moves.
British bikes got a bad press for this. Remember that these bikes
are around decades after Japanese bikes go to scrap. Be kind to
an old man!"

While seeing the short-term benefits of owning a Japanese
bike, Paul is less than flattering in his general critique of
them: "Reliability? Let's define reliability: Compare it with
your Honda. You can go out to your Honda after it has been left
out in the rain and just jump on it. It'll last some years but it
won't be worth rebuilding. It'll deteriorate and that decreases
the value of the bike.

"Now, with a Royal Enfield you might get water in the wrong
place while you're washing it and it won't start. You'll need to
tighten bolts up here and there and adjust the contact points
etc., but it'll just keep on going. You have to tinker with them
a bit. Enthusiasts like that. You can rebuild them over and over
again and they're easy to work on. Many Indians I met had done
the big trip around the country and reported very few problems.

"There's nothing in the world like an Enfield. You can't ride
an Enfield like a Honda. You can wring the neck on your Honda but
with the Royal Enfield you can't. Apart from that they'll just
keep going and going. Japanese bikes seem like good value but
after a few years everything's stuffed inside them. You can't get
the parts and if you can they're expensive."

Royal Enfield, as mid-size single cylinder motorcycles fill a
niche in the market between the Asian bikes of up to 250cc and
the big Harley's which are often too expensive for many bike
enthusiasts.

Many of the big British bike manufacturers produced mid-sized
single cylinder bikes in the 50's in Britain, and the buyer would
have been spoilt for choice.

Now with only Royal Enfield surviving, Paul sees a bright and
prosperous future for the import of his pride and joy -- which he
admits is a toy.

"People interested in buying one of my bikes are usually those
with money to spend on a toy -- an interesting and nice toy to
play with on a Sunday afternoon. Both expatriates and Indonesian
classic bike owners are interested in my bikes. Many classic bike
owners have bikes that they can't use because they can't get
spare parts for them.

"Also, not many of the big bikes are legal on the road. The
bike can be used for commuting as it is in India but I don't
think people will buy it just for that. People who'll buy this
bike for commuting are those who love this kind of bike and will
want to go out with their mates at a classic bike club on the
weekend as well as using it to commute."

As far as environmental factors are concerned the manufacturer
has paid particular attention to reducing fuel consumption and
polluting emissions.

Two of the models -- the Lightning and the Bullet -- have
catalytic converters fitted and although they don't quite match
the Machismo's extremely low fuel consumption, both models return
between 34-38 miles per kilometer of unleaded fuel.

These motorcycles are among the least environmentally
destructive motor vehicles on the road today.

In Britain, Royal Enfield motorcycles gained a reputation for
being sturdy, well-built motorcycles. The company, which also
makes rifles, used the slogan "made like a gun".