The History of the Marque

The Indian Debut 1949

In 1949, the 350cc Bullet was launched in India. Madras Motors won an order from the Indian Army for the supply of motorcycles. It was the beginning of the reign of the Bullet in the subcontinent.

Royal Enfield was incorporated as Enfield India Limited on the 21st of November 1955 with the first bikes being assembled from CKD kits. It was the first 4-stroke motorcycle manufacturer in India. In 1956, the plant in Thiruvottiyur was set up and by the end of the year, 163 Bullets had been assembled and rolled off the new assembly line.

Enfield India launched the 173 cc Villiers-powered Crusader in India in 1973 to follow the successful Sherpa, a small motorcycle developed indigenously using many Bullet parts for those diffident about handling a Bullet which was followed by the Mini Bullet a 200 cc two stroke sporting `contemporary’ design to provide a zippy, reliable and economical two-stroke bike.

Enfield India tied up with Zundapp of Germany, and put up a plant in Ranipet, near Chennai in the 80’s to manufacture small, light weight two stroke two wheelers. The competition was hotting up and like the adage that goes, “when the going get tough, that’s when the tough gets going”. Enfield India launched a slew of light weight machines. The 50 cc Silver Plus step-through and Explorer motorcycle and the Fury 175 and these bikes redefined the entry-level segment. The Fury with a five-speed gearbox came fitted with a hydraulic disc brake a first in the country. The 80’s also saw the Bullet in many different avatars the Deluxe models, in resplendent chrome and metallic colours.

The 1990’s saw many revolutionary models from the Company. The Taurus Diesel was the first production diesel motorcycle in the world. The Bullet 500 was launched in June 1993 and went on to become the most coveted model of the brand. In 1994 the Eicher Group acquired the Company and changed the name to Royal Enfield Motors Limited.