Forum

[STU]

I tried a HD Fatboy and 883 Sportster before I bought the Electra XS. Fatboy was good and grunty but no ground clearance, 883 was the antithesis.
I reckon that there will always be a UK market for them though.
RE twin coming in 2014, they ARE looking to compete with the big brands and manufacture upwards of 100000 machines p.a.

[Riggers]

What would be really nice to see would be a reintroduction of the Meteor Minor (with an improvement on that stupid name!) or the Constellation at around 3 1/2 grand. Sadly due to our 'friends' in the E.U. and their jobsworth regulations we'll never see it for the same reasons that production of the Bullet Classic 350s and 500s had to cease. What the iron barrelled Bullets proved was that there is a samll niche market for the simple, cheap bikes of the 1960s for those who don't want to be rebuilding some knackered old box of junk. If Enfield do bring out a 500 or 750 vertical twin it will have to compete with the likes of Triumph and Kawasaki and that's a very big ask. Same goes for a V twin and Harley.

[simon]

I think machines like the Musket are more viable than a big mass production twin. As already said the parallel twin market is already well served with retro models but the v-twin market is wide open as its either modern sporting bikes or HD's at the moment. As far as twins goes my preference is always for a v because of balance and smoothness not to mention the wonderful sound! The Indian production is i believe more about serving the domestic market with low emission commuters than anything else so I doubt they are interested in the 5 to 10 thousand enthusiasts sales they could potentially make but for someone like Aniket the Musket chap there should be a viable business model. I'd want to see a bespoke frame and decent brakes but with these features I'd definitely be a potential client. More for a 750 than a 1000 version I think.

[Kicker]

I love what Aniket Vardhan has done with the 'Musket'. What a hero, just shows where a real passion mixed in with a healthy measure of talent can take you. I'll be in the queue when he goes commercial with his gorgeous crankcases, I've been putting a bit aside now and then since I first saw those amazing YouTube videos, the sound of that engine....bliss!! The guys enthusiasm is really infectious! K

[grunda 12]

the musket looks good ,am i right in thinking or did i dream that the chap who designed the engine offered it to r e and they dissmissed the idea ?i honestly don,t see them going by the big twin route i cannot see any reason why the home market would want it,i think they should go back down the diesel route with a proper engine possibly a 1000cc twin that might be where the big twin talk is coming from ? maybe it will have super charger or a flux capacitor get ready for 99mph lmao

[Norm]

The Carberry was offered to Re but they didn't want it, and there is plenty of Carberry cases sitting up at Launching Place doing nothing

[grunda 12]

that was it norm carberry

[marsie]

I suspect Mr Carberry is a very good engineer who thought he could run a business. H.D. make motorcycles as a sideline. Their business is in marketing a brand.

[Paul]

FYI...The full story on the demise of the Carberry V-Twin is in Issue 3 of The Royal Enfield Magazine - www.greenlane.biz

[Kicker]

The Carberry twin didn't really do it for me. It looked too 'crowded'. Although respectful nods to the engineer go without saying.
I agree with the above view that an RE v-twin is going to be a small scale after-market scenario which I sincerely hope the talented Mr Vardhan will fill! Soon!!
As for competing with HD, forget it. The markets not big enough and RE just hasn't got the 'kudos' with the coal scuttle helmet and bandanna brigade. ( for which I'm quite glad!) K