Problems are one aspect of what a forum is about. That wasn't actually what I was thinking about when I began this string. I was thinking more about the sheer amount of interest in what , up to recently, must be a failrly obscure product| Cetainly the UCE anyway. since it is new Even the Bullet and RE as a product line, though not unknown in North America have probably been thrust into the limelight by the advent of the UCE. Here in Canada, for instance, I dont. think I have actually ever seen an RE "in the flesh" unlsess perhaps way back in the early 1960s when it wouldn't have stood out to me from the other brit bikes then on the road. There was a very breif period when they were imported in the early 1990s. but for reasons I am not familiar with, the import liscence expired. So July 2010 was the effective debut of Royal Enfield in Canada. And though the Iron Barrel and Lean Burn were availabe in the States , based on my ignorance of advertising prior to last year or so, and the dealer network expansion, I have to assume that the brand has increased greatly in public awareness there with the launch of the UCE. Even RE/Eicher's company history with it's near collapse and rescue from oblivion byl Siddhartha Lal suggest that it's thead of destiny was frayed pretty thin just a few short years ago, yet now they are announcing new product launches ,and factory openings fast enough to make your head spin, and posting sales increases of about 30% per annum and order backlogs (not unliike the Ural story) in a very adverse economic environment when most other motorcycle manufacterers are hurtin big time. (Honda, in Canada, did not even make or import 2010 bikes just sold theri backlog of 2009s)
What i see is a fairly small core of actively corresponding mutually suppportive enthusiasts sharing their experience, a few people with puzzles or problems to sort out with the help of collective experience , but more significantly, a HUGE silent audience, who I must assume are listneing in becuse they are at least contemplating purchase. As I have stated before in other posts, I personally find the phoenix like rise from the ashes story as compelling as the bike itself: And as I have said before, the bike is viscerally compelling . To resort to an over used phrase "It punches way above it's weigtht" in appeal I think the large listening audience must agree, . I interpret all the performance enhancement talk as just "buzz" reflecting the underlying torrent of interest in this product.
I also think that a significant part of that listening audience must be women. I talk about the Bullet and show my laptop screensaver picture of it to just about anyone who will listen (People respond very favouraby to the picture, a green G 5 in this case, and often remark something like "Now that looks like a motorcycle") . Inteestingly , one casual acqauaitance I talk with and shared the RE with in a local restaurant, came back to me a few weeks later to announce that his 40 something daugter independantly announced to him that she was buying a C5 (Classic in Canada) That is significant and more than co-incidental. First it means that awareness is growing, but it also means , I think, that an underappreciated market in North America is women riders: This probably represents a bit of a departure from the traditional Bullet customer and one,which based on RE's past very male centric advertising, they are not looking at.
Any way, I had no specific puprpose in this thread other thatn to say "Well done Enfield, and Mr Mahoney" and look out because I think biig things are coming.And maybe think about your female fans because I know they are there.Even in India it is a changing world and I bet a tongue in cheek macho type ad with a suprise female ending (when the helmet comes off ) would be a big hit there. A departure from the "male establishing his independance and cutting the cord from momma by buying a Bullet " mode Just thoghts Nigel