[Ice]

imho i think  the brand just wanted to get into the global market. did import tariffs help HD and the evo way back when? i never wanted to purchase a HD, but i believe they had governmental support to stay afloat. remember 700cc ujp engines? i don't think RE india was going out of business without our enthusiastic stateside support. as far as i can tell, we seem to be in on the bottom floor of a resurgence of simplicity in our mode of 2-wheel transport.

 R.E.'s sales in the US have grown while sales of other marques have continued to decline.

[Ducati Scotty]

An twin would probably sell very well in India.  The RE 500 is already the largest displacement bike produced in the country.

Scott

[barenekd]

ya gotta remember, Enfield, that last I heard, sold 135,000 bikes in India last year. Total world wide exports >3,000. US imports >700. Anything Enfield does for us is just them being nice to us. They certainly wouldn't miss the business.
I'm glad we're on their good side.
Bare

[Ducati Scotty]

+1.  Think about all the trouble they went through to CARB certify the bike just to sell them in Cali.  Sure, Kevin has sway but that's a lot of money to get that cert and a special run of tanks for those bikes with the extra vent and carb cansiter...

That most of us throw in the trash on day one

Scott

[kammersangerin]

It also might just be some good forward thinking. If you hear me as a woman complaining, I can tell you other women are too. And women are a rapidly growing bike market, especially as they get the good paying jobs. We don't want or like monsters, but we don't necessarily want to be stuck with a 230cc Rebel even though theya re great bikes. I have heard that even the Japanese are thinking of bringing in some of their smaller bikes. With the cost of fuel, and what looks like an urbanization and return to the cities, smaller to midsized bikes will grow in demand. I am just sorry the Vespa didn't work out. And yes, I would happily ride a Vespa 300cc over the distances I would take a RE. They are durbale hard working packhorses and handle the wind much better than a lot of bigger bikes.

I am very grateful RE is here. An antique with a warranty. 

[MrMike]

Don't know if it saved the company but it sold me.  Wanted an RE for some time but was afraid of the reputation they had.  I want to ride it not work on it. 

[Ekatus Atimoss]

Don't know if it saved the company but it sold me.  Wanted an RE for some time but was afraid of the reputation they had.  I want to ride it not work on it. 

Same here...I was pondering getting an RE for a long time but reluctant due to the reputation the pre-unit have. Then reports and "first test rides" about the UCE showed up in the papers, very convincing. So I did it. Bad luck struck me hard as my C5 has got a replacement engine just after 2500km. So I hope bad luck doesn't strike me two times in a row.
 

[Royalista]

They might have thought "Whatever doesn't kill us will make us stronger". 

[wildbill]

what happened to the original motor?

[JVS]

what happened to the original motor?

They phased it out  UCE from now on. Damn emissions crap. Of course, with the amount of Cast Irons and the associated technical expertise back in India, the original will still be alive for many years to come. (I hope)

[ace.cafe]

what happened to the original motor?

The old motor is still very much alive, even though it's no longer in factory production. The factory and CMW and Hitchcock's are still able to supply original and aftermarket parts.
There are people who want the vintage stuff and there are people who will supply them with upgrades and parts.
It's now much the same as most vintage cycles. Eventually after a certain amount of time passes, the aftermarket and vintage enthusiasts keep them alive.

[Ducati Scotty]

With as many of the bikes as there are in India the parts supply won't dry up soon.  There are many bikes there that are several decades old and still running just fine, passed down through families.

Scott

[MrMike]

Once I get the UCE figured out, I hope to get an "authentic" Enfield. 

[Ice]

Once I get the UCE figured out, I hope to get an "authentic" Enfield. 

Hi MrMike.

 Please allow me to share my take.

IMHO the UCE powered Bullets are the REal deal and here's why I think that.

 The frames. While the various lugs and brackets that have changed a bit the base frame and tin works are still the same.....and metal not plastic.
 
 The UCE lump has the same 84mm bore and 90mm stroke and heavy flywheels as before.
 No over head cams. The valves are push rod operated and there's still only two of them.
 True it has hydraulic lifters but those were state of the art 1948 (H-D pan head got them that year)
 Still has a primary chain to drive the transmission. No counter balance shafts here either.
 It has 1970's tech electronic ignition, 1980's tech front disc brake and 1990 tech EFI..wow.

 There was no departure and REturn to it's roots, the Bullet is what it has been since the beginning and has stayed true to what it is only it's easier to live with now. 

At least that's my take.
 
Ride safe.

[Arizoni]

Adding to Ice's thoughts, the snail adjusters used to adjust the rear wheel are the same as those that were on the 1948 350cc Trials bike.
Like them or not, they are a historic part of the motorcycles design.

This Trials bike used the spring/shock mounted swing arm during a time that the other production motorcycles were either still building hardtails or using the vertical plunger rear suspension.

The method of making the rear mounting bracket for these spring/shocks hasn't changed much since 1949 when several of the Royal Enfields with the shock mounted swing arm were put into production.

Although Royal Enfield wasn't the first to sell motorcycles with this type of rear suspension the other companies that had used it were either out of business or had dropped the design.
This newly designed suspension resulted in Royal Enfield definitely being the reason the other companies tried to get their versions of it into production to replace their obsolete designs.

The headlight casquette on the current Royal Enfields with its twin parking light "eyes" is basically the same as those that were used on the 1954 Bullet, the 500 Twin and the Meteor.

The new UCE engine is still using a built in separate oil tank built into the engine along with the dry sump just like the Royal Enfields have always used on their 4 stroke engines.

The best part of it is there is nothing phony.  They didn't have to "recreate" any of it because Royal Enfield has been using all of these old designs from the time they were first introduced.