Royal Enfield
Early Days
The very first Royal Enfield motorcycle went on sale in 1901, but it was only in 1927 that the company launched its first 500cc-single – the Model 500. Costing £52 (around £3,290 today!), the Model 500 was a grand success back in the day and laid the foundation for Enfield’s 500cc single.
Two years later, the company showcased the Model 505, featuring the manufacturer’s first 500cc OHV engine, but it was in 1930 that some rather monumental steps were taken in engine design. This year saw the introduction of dry-sump lubrication and an oil pump arrangement that featured on every iteration of the engine for the next 78 years, until the AVL era ended.
Post War Era
Huge hit locally but the demand in the international market moved towards the more powerful motorcycles. In 1989 the first 500cc Royal Enfield 500 Bullet was manufactured in India featuring a re-engineered version of the Redditch made 1956 JS 500 with more recent technology like coil-ignition and alternator electricals. The rest of the bike, like the chassis and even the Albion gearbox, was a straight fit from its younger 350cc sibling. After 15 years, in 2004, the powertrain was replaced by a new ‘Lean Burn’ 500 engine that was developed with powertrain research specialists AVL from Austria. This move marked the end of the classic engines and a shift to the modern era for the 500.
Modern Day
Styled as if it’s straight out of the Second World War. And that’s because, more or less, it is pretty much straight from that era. It’s a bicycle with a 500cc, 27hp engine.
Royal Enfield wanted to retain the characteristics of a traditional British-style OHV push-rod engine, but the advent of stricter emission norms made this difficult. And this is where the UCE 500 came into existence. Launched in 2008, the UCE 500 was the most significant step forward the company made with its big-single, featuring a gearbox that was now integrated with the crankcase, hydraulic valve lifters and fuel-injection – all firsts for a Royal Enfield to do so.
Example of Royal Enfield Classic 500 web-page replicated using my own photographs
Sources:
AUTOCAR India
https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-news/history-of-the-re-500-engine-417204
GQ Magazine
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/royal-enfield-classic-500-review
Royal Enfield UK
https://www.royalenfield.co.uk/new-bikes/bike/2020-royal-enfield-classic-500-efi-17
Motorcycle News
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/royal-enfield-classic-tribute-black/
Royal Enfield
https://www.royalenfield.com/
*This is not in any way a paid promtion, ad, sponsorship, collaboration, or partnership with Royal Enfield. I happen to photography a few pictures of a Royal Enfield 500 Classic motorcycle and during the editing process I had the idea to create a small presentation like creative package thus improving my UI and web design skills.
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