Hitchcocks Forum

Just read on Newsify, Pierre Terblanche, late of Confederate and Ducati Motorcycles, is to join Royal Enfield as head of design. We wait with baited breath!

One of the reasons they have been successful is they retained the original design and simplicity and people tolerated the reliability issues because of this, but once you break away from this all you have will be just another motorbike in the market place

Thanks Norm for your open-minded, positive response!

Well it seems that Sid wants to be the leader in the mid range bike market.



This will never happen with pushrod overhead valve engines, they will have to switch to something of an ultra modern design to have a hope of success.



I guess they will still make 'classics, using the original design frame and parts, but the resemblance to and old iron bullet or indeed a Redditch design will fade over time.



I love both my iron and EFI bullets, but I suspect that just like Royal Enfield, England, the redditch design of bullet has sadly come to an end. I know that the Indian bullets have been updated here and there for many years now, but my definition is this, "If it looks like a redditch bullet', then it's a bullet" Even if it was made with mumetal ! (melting point 96 degrees?).



There is a chance that I may be wrong, but we already know that the iron bullet is sadly now a historical subject.

I guess wait and see and hope?

Er did I hear something about a 750 veetwin, dohc of course.

Nope. REgards, Mark

I say bring back the flat tanks.



you could rest your tea on those!

Interesting chap, worked for Norton on the NRV project for a couple of years..

Didn’t seem to do them too much harm.. Then moved to confederate in the states where he came up with this..






Take a look here for the spec..http://confederate.com/x132-hellcat-speedster/

Two point one litre engine developing 121bhp.. All for only $65000 USD.

He doesn’t spend too long in any job and probably earns a substantial salary,so we shall see..

Personally i like to see the old names like Norton and Enfield live on, obviously in a modern guise that sells to the thirty somethings..

Either that or sink without trace.. Still loads of the old stuff for me to tinker with so i’m happy..

Note that the Hellcat is a large V Twin.. Maybe just maybe….. We shall see..

Hmmm, methinks I should look after th'old iron barrel. She could be worth a bob or two in the coming years.

It wasn't mumetal I was thinking off, it was Gallium!



that's what some Enfield pump spindles are!







Now don't that explain a lot.