In 2002 I was fortunate enough to ride a Royal Enfield motorcycle in India. A few years later I rode one again in Cambodia. Along with Triumph and Norton, Enfield was the last of the three great British motorbike manufacturers; all three however went bust under the pressure of fierce Japanese and German competition. Norton and Triumph got resurrected in the 90's and if any of you were reading this blog last year, you'll know of my love for Triumph's stylish machines. But the Enfield story is more interesting. Yes Enfield went broke in the UK but they sold the chassis and blueprints to the Indians and they've been making Enfields continuously for the last half century. Late last year in Madras the Indian Enfield company had exciting news: the first completely new Enfield model in 54 years - the Bullet Classic C5. As of May 1 the BCC5 is now available in the US and Europe for a relatively inexpensive 6000 dollars. With 500cc of power, 80 MPG and enough charisma to cure Angelina Jolie's baby fever this is a lovely piece of equipment. The reviewer the NYT sent to test the Enfield was too chicken to ride it in the streets of Madras but the rest of his justifiably gushing review and some very nice pics are here.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Chassis To India
In 2002 I was fortunate enough to ride a Royal Enfield motorcycle in India. A few years later I rode one again in Cambodia. Along with Triumph and Norton, Enfield was the last of the three great British motorbike manufacturers; all three however went bust under the pressure of fierce Japanese and German competition. Norton and Triumph got resurrected in the 90's and if any of you were reading this blog last year, you'll know of my love for Triumph's stylish machines. But the Enfield story is more interesting. Yes Enfield went broke in the UK but they sold the chassis and blueprints to the Indians and they've been making Enfields continuously for the last half century. Late last year in Madras the Indian Enfield company had exciting news: the first completely new Enfield model in 54 years - the Bullet Classic C5. As of May 1 the BCC5 is now available in the US and Europe for a relatively inexpensive 6000 dollars. With 500cc of power, 80 MPG and enough charisma to cure Angelina Jolie's baby fever this is a lovely piece of equipment. The reviewer the NYT sent to test the Enfield was too chicken to ride it in the streets of Madras but the rest of his justifiably gushing review and some very nice pics are here.
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73 comments:
No, nothing to say on this one, just following.
Seana
The world is divided into those who find motorcycles endlessly fascinating and those who dont. Its just one of those things like ballroom dancing or snooker or the Eurovision Song Contest that cannot be explained.
No, you're right, and it's not completely divided by gender either. I don't judge the fascination, although I do worry about head and spinal cord injuries, having known a few sad circumstances.
I actually just mentioned this over on Sucharita's blog, completely off topic, which is as you know unusual for me, hoping to get a few of her friends there to cross-blog if they have any memories around the Ensfield. As it's hard to be the first one to post--or so I hear--just thought I would warm up the water here, in case.
I do have a motorcycle story, or really news item, come to think of it. Maybe ten years or so ago, Harley Davidson opened a big show room here in, of all places, a former fabric store. The bikes were very beautiful, almost like art installations as you passed by the windows. I mean, sure, this had to be pointed out to me, but once it was, I agreed.
However just a couple of nights ago, I was over that way with friends and they pointed out that Hart's Fabric/Harley Davidson dealership was now standing empty. Another sign of these, our economic times.
My deepest motive here is of course procrastination. Supposed to be getting out of here tomorrow, so of course I am doing every other fool thing I can think of before forcing myself back to work. And this despite the fact that I am moving not a moment too soon. In fact, it's very likely a moment too late.
I don't want a pickle
Just want to ride my motorsickel
--Arlo Guthrie
The deal with motorcycles is that they are so beautiful precisely because they are so deadly.
I suppose that's the equation, or at least one of them. It's just not so beautiful when they do actually die, or, worse, don't quite.
But of course that's true of many things.
Nice Arlo Guthrie quote, by the way.
Patrick
I met Arlo when he played the University of Warwick student's union. I suppose that would have been 89 or so. You dont need me to tell you, nice guy.
Seana
Do you remember that Art of the Motorcycle show at the Guggenheim? It took us three attempts to go there because the queues were out the door every single time.
In this house my devotion to American Chopper and Ewan McGregor's travelogues are met with bemused sighs and of course at the moment I do not own a motorcycle.
She's a beaut! I never owned a Brit Iron. I toyed with the idea several times, but Japanese reliability won out every time. I'm talking about the eighties/early nineties here, when buying Brit meant investing in something at least twenty years old.
Have you ever had the opportunity to visit the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, Adrian? Hall after hall of the most delectable metal. There are so many bikes it's almost overkill. You run out of drool. :)
Oh, and my brother has a Harley, a 2007 Fatboy Softail. I take the piss out of him endlessly. It's a tart's boudoir of a bike.
Mike
And I'll bet it cost him 10 grand easy. Yeah give me a Triumph or an RE or a BSA or an Indian anyday. Saying though if someone were giving it away I'd take it off their hands.
Yes I spent a very nice afternoon at the NMM in Solihull. You're right, lots of beautiful machines. And this was 1987 or 88 when they were only getting started, I cant imagine what its like now. And I wish I'd spent longer there but I was only killing a few hours before flying out of BIA.
Funny thing is too that I've always really liked Birmingham. I know it gets a bad rap, but I like it there. Good museum, good city.
Adrian,
Nice play on words.
Brian
Yeah but the gag only works when you realise its chassis, plural.
Adrian: I saw the Art/Motorcycle show at the Field in Chicago. Lovely.
"Tart's boudoir of a bike"--that's a great phrase, Michael.
Hmm. I would have thought Ewan McGregor would have given you some common ground in those travelogues. But perhaps he's not her type.
I may have mentioned already how I happened to see Ewan McGregor at a red carpet event in London. It was a little odd that we were at it, as my friend had just died a couple of days before and so we who'd been with him were wandering around a bit aimlessly when we happened upon this event for the opening of the Beatrix Potter movie. We sort of stayed for it out of our general inertia. Renee Zellweger and Emily Watson, two actresses whose work I've liked a lot at times came first, and they were very proper and grave and probably freezing in their skimpy dresses--it was December, after all.
And then Ewan McGregor shows up in his tux and white tennis shoes and the voltage of the event immediately goes up. He's out there, gladhanding the crowd and giving megawatt smiles all over the place. Some girl across from us screams, "Ewan! It's my birthday, come take a picture with me!" Which he very obligingly does. I kind of remember thinking, oh--so that's what star quality is. It's a sort of super vitality. Feeds off the crowds rather than being drained by them.
Anyway, it was an odd thing to do after a death, but as everything is surreal at that kind of time, maybe it was as good a thing to do as any.
Those things are too dangerous. Didn't your mother ever tell you that? My mom always told me that I'd have to ask my wife, throughout my whole life. I guess that was her way of saying first I had to wait until I was old enough to get married, and then my wife gets to say yay or nay.
I know people hate him for whatever reason, but my wife and I love Dane Cook. He has this bit about how women love motorcycles, and that he doesn't even to get a bike...he just needs to get a helmet, then claim someone stole his bike and burned down his house and then the chick would feel bad for him and take him to her house for you know what. See, you don't even need a bike, man. Just the effing helmet.
Also, I've just started a new Roman era crime novel, and have posted the first three and a half pages on my blog. If you have the time, well, you know. If not, it's cool beans.
I'm about 3/4 of the way done with Fitty. It reminds me of Hidden River in some ways, and you know River is my fav crime novel. Fitty's getting really interesting. Loving it, bro.
Liam
Have you read I Claudius? Its really very good. The sequel isnt bad but the first is excellent. I'll check out the nov.
Dont know Dane Cook at all. I have heard the name though mostly in relations to those allegations that he stole Louis CK's material. Love Louis CK BTW. My wife was a few years younger than him at high school and her brother and he were (and still are I think) good friends.
Yeah I hear what you're saying about the bikes. My wife made me sell my last bike a humble Kawasaki 250 because she felt I might die and leave her a widow which isnt unreasonable.
glad your digging the book, watch out for those aliens at the end.
Seana
The thing I've learned from watching those series is just what a decent, down to Earth guy he is. he's not faking it, he really is like that. Intellectually curious, happy to be alive, loves his wife and kids - a real solid bloke.
Patrick
Call me a philistine but it was the first and only time I went to the Guggenheim.
I haven't read I Claudius. I didn't even know it was a book. Back in SC, I used to hang out at Barnes and Noble and write a lot. in their music and movie section, they had the box set of I Claudius DVDs. Always wanted to get it, but it was always like 80 bucks. It never came down in price either, so I never got to see it. I will definitely see if I can find the book on Amazon. Despite his speech impediment, minor limp, and drooling problem, Claudius was actually a pretty decent emperor. A lot better than Caligula and Nero.
Adrian:
Mr. Good Voice has walked head-first into the Lady M saga.
He's still alive, and in possession of all his digits, but for how long?
Check it out HEREA word of advice. Things are beginning to complicate in Lady M-land, so I do suggest reading from number 1, which is down the string a ways, and working your way up.
My only authority on British motorcycles is this guy. And "A Chassis to India," eh? Aspiring to Declan Burke's crown, are you?
I had a nice chat with Simon Brett about Douglas Adams at the CrimeFest hotel bar Saturday that I plan to discuss in my next post. You don't me to tell you, but Brett's a nice guy.
I should mention that there was considerable anxiety over the outcome Eurovision in the bar earlier in the week. A number of crime writers really do get the Eurovision thing.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com
Peter
funny too, I'll bet. you're going to post this from Garv's house?
Patrick
two must reads from Robert Graves are : I Claudius and Goodbye To All That.
And if you get hooked, Claudius The God and King Jesus aint bad.
Oh and some nice poems too.
His wife was a lunatic. There's a great obit of her in the Telegraph that I'll post if I can find it
Patrick
Will jump on ovah me old china plate...
BTW Eurovision was excellent but Macedonia was robbed. Clearly the wackiest by a mile which is the only criterion that matters.
Adrian: Re GoodVoice and the Nobel Prize, if you Google Paul Theroux on Bono, you'll find an interesting op-ed!
During the 80s I was a dispatch rider in London. My motorcycle (a v-four Honda) seemed to me at the time to be my tool to make money rather an expression of who I was. But this wasn't so. I adored the experience of motorcycling and all that went with it: solitude, vulnerability and speed. Even when the working day was over, I wanted to ride my bike for pleasure.
I bought a v-four Honda after seeing the great Joey Dunlop lap the Isle of Man in heroic style on one of them. There's a wonderful video of him lapping the course with what must have been a very obstructive camera tied to the tank called V-Four Victory. His deadpan commentary of the lap is unsettling, to say the least.
As a student, I ended up with all sorts of very tired bikes including an early '70s Honda. It was often confused for a Triumph - it was essentially a copy of one but with a four cylinder engine and a dose of reliability - and I took delight in correcting people.
After hiatus in bike ownership I have been looking at bikes wistfully of late and the Enfield would fit my middle-aged requirements perfectly...
Alan
Never done a link before but here's a rather poor quality excerpt from the V-Four Victory video:
Joey!
Forget the last link, this is a better one: A better Joey Joey's fearlessness reminds me of Michael Forsythe's attitude to life.
Alan
I've read that Chelsea fans wanted to boycott the Norwegian competitor because of the Norwegian referee in their game with Barcelona, but it seems it didn't work that well
Adrian, Connolly seems to have carved out a decisive lead.
Try to inspire the troops before all is lost.
Alan
Yeah I had a Kawasaki 250 that was terrific. 100 mpg. Never a mechanical problem. It was an old bike too, one day I took the air filter cover off to see if it needed replacing and there was just a piece of scrunched up newspaper in there, it had run like that for years.
Joey and Robert were the boys.
Saw Joey at the Ulster Grand Prix and NW 200 couple of times, alas never saw him at mecca aka IOM TT.
Marco
The whole thing's obviously rigged.
Patrick
I have to say I agree. BTW Dark Star Safari is a terrific, angry book. Maybe Theroux's best.
Marco
I mean Declan's competition, not Eurovision. Always reminds me of the Father Ted episode when the Irish entered the worst song they could find because they couldnt afford to host it again.
"funny too, I'll bet. you're going to post this from Garv's house?" Nope, I posted it from here in Bristol. I may make a post from the walls of Derry, though.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com
Hi, Seana told me about this post at my Past Continuous blog. I'm not a bike-expert, and have no wind-in-my-hair pillion-riding experiences on the Enfield either. Those were restricted to the sleeker and perhaps-more-modern Hero Honda and Yamaha RX 100s. I remember the Enfield because it was a constant presence in many old seventies Hindi movies, because of its rather unusual 'rounded' appearance and because it seemed to make a great deal of bhut-bhut-bhut (to rhyme with 'but')noise, which is why it is often called 'bhut-bhuti' in Bengali.
Liam,
That 'I Claudius' PBS series was pretty good--not sure how it holds up, but it inspired a fascination in my sister for all things Roman that lasts to this day.
In me, I think it more just inspired a fascination with Derek Jacobi and John Hurt.
Sucharita
Thanks for dropping by.
I rode a little Honda around Connaught Pl in Delhi once. Gotta say the experience was pretty terrifying.
Seana
I too recall the BBC series, but I'm telling you the book is better. Not always but definitely here.
Oh, I don't doubt the book is better. But it was pretty cool for that Masterpiece Theatre gave it such massive exposure.
I'm sure it's the reason HBO was led to do that "Rome" venture, which I've never seen, but which my sister and some friends became obsessed by.
Seana, you'll like the lively graphics that run under the credits of "Rome." You may also like the deliberately squalid setting, both physical and moral, of much of "Rome." The series tried hard to get this acropss -- a bit too hard, I thought, but it was an interesting and worthwhile point to make about Rome.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com
Peter
Michael Apted of Up fame directed some of it I've read. Havent seen it though.
The Rome series is pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of what they did with Cleopatra's character, but Pullo and Verenus are pretty likeable dudes. Antony seems to be pretty dead on.
I remember when the first episode of Rome erred and a lot of people were turned off by the graphic violence. But those who stayed with it got involved.
I wish I could say that my sister's deepest interest in the show was her devotion to Roman history, but I think the real pull was that one or two of the male characters were pretty hot. No, don't ask me who. She told me, but I've of course forgotten.
I'm planning to teach Roman history, as just about every Roman or Greek program on the History Channel or History Internationl, I record. I've just started a Roman crime novel, the first three pages posted on my blog. I thought it'd be an interesting thing to do. Just off of Adrian's recommendation, I've already lined up my wife to buy for me I, Claudius for my birthday.
Liam
Do you read Latin. I would have thought that that was a must for Roman history.
If so you might also enjoy Seutonius's 12 Caesars - sex, murder, violence, madness among the first 12 emperors. You couldnt make it up.
Y'know, I wanted to take Latin next semester. I asked my advisor...should I take Latin because I want to teach Roman history, or should I take Spanish because I'm a Secondary Education minor? He told me the latter, and it makes sense. But, later in schooling, like spring or fall of '10, I am taking Latin on my own volition. It's not part of my program, but I am doing it anyway. I'm already a little familiar with it, and with Italian, but I am looking forward to actually taking it.
I know the 12 Caesars, but I don't have it. I have kinda the updated version, one about the Caesar and the Julio-Claudian line. But, I do need to pick up the Seutonius version.
I am currently without internet access at home, so logging on as I can on my work breaks, but I do want to read your Rome story beginning when I get a bit more time, Liam.
I think taking the Latin at some point sounds great.
Over at the University today, I picked up a Latin dictionary to give me some prep for my classes and to help me along with my book. I am changing the story a bit, and then reposting it on my blog. I'll let you know if you like, or you can check it out when you like. At first, I used a fictional emperor, and have decided to base this story in the time of Caligula, with the mad debauchee a central character.
You can't go wrong with Caligula. Well, you could when he was alive, but as he's safely dead, he's great material.
Many a time have Adrian and I discussed degenerate Roman emperors. I'm a Heliogabalus man myself.
Peter
The Eastern Empire has thrown up its fair share. Also since the last Byzantine princess married into the Russian royal family I like to include those wacky Romanovs too and that takes us all the way to 1917.
Oh, but they were luxurious, decadent Easterners. One expects that sort of thing from them. They'd gouge out your eyes at the drop of a hat.
Justinian might has well have been a mirror image of Nero. He was a pretty terrible dude, genocide and murder conspiracies and whatnot. But alas, he did not resort to torturing the general public with lousy lyre playing abilities and his off key wailing disabilities.
Liam
You should read the history of the Ptolemys in Egypt sometime.
I know Alexander's general Ptolemy and Cleopatra's father Ptolemy. They made inbreeding popular. And yet somehow Cleo comes out brilliant, learns 7 languages and blows them all away in the brain department. As for the rest of the Ptolemies, I know little.
Seana, Adrian, and Peter...the new and improved short first chapter of my Roman book is up. I told Seana I'd let her know, but given our current conversations, I thought you fellows might wanna have a go at it.
They will both certainly be better at spotting historical inaccuracies than I would.
Liam
I think you'd enjoy their histories. They're a pretty interesting bunch. Did you see that the Egyptians have claimed to have discovered the tomb of Antony and Cleopatra?
No, I didn't. That's something I've been interested in for quite awhile, as Antony and Cleo have never been found. I always thought, why doesn't someone just go diving in the Nile and find them for crying out loud. I'll check into that.
Liam
Its a pretty exciting story. You might recognize this bloke from the history channel. He's a bit of a TV slut but even so I think he knows what he's talking about.
cleopatra's tomb
For some reason, I can't open that, won't let me click on it. I'm sure I'll recognize the dude, as I think I know who you're talking about. Egyptian dude, always wears a hat, is on every single special about Egypt except for the ones that instead feature Murphy from Robocop.
That didn't come up as a true link on my computer either, and I don't know which guy you guys are talking about.
sorry guys
try thisyeah Liam its that guy - the one with the hat.
Nope crap that didnt work either. Dont know why.
Anyway heres the first few paras cut and pasted:
Cleopatra and Mark Antony were immortalised as two of history’s greatest lovers, but their final resting place has always been a mystery. Now archaeologists in Egypt are about to start excavating a site that they believe could conceal their tombs.
Zahi Hawass, director of Egypt’s Superior Council for Antiquities, said yesterday that there was evidence to suggest that Cleopatra and Mark Antony were buried together in the complex tunnel system underlying the Tabusiris Magna temple, 17 miles from the city of Alexandria.
The dig, which begins next week, could reveal answers to the many myths surrounding the pair — including speculation about the Queen’s
That's a pretty incredible find. Despite the boon to scientific research and all that this undoubtedly is, I'm a bit uneasy about the dig. I'm pretty sure that Cleo has not held up all that well over time. It seems kind of harsh on a legendary sex symbol to be woken from her slumbers in this way. But I know I'm talking to the wrong crowd here.
Man, that's awesome. I really wondered if their tombs would ever be found. When I first started getting into history, I said that I was going to become an archaeologist and be the one to find their tombs. Didn't happen.
Did you read my post about my modern adaptation of A & C with Irish and Italian mobs in 80's NYC? Of course I took a few liberties, but it follows a lot of actual history.
Did you guys see that speical that suggested Cleo didn't kill herself with an asp? Researches did the math, measured the amount of time it took Octavian to get to her, and the amount of time it would have taken an asp's poison to work? Really good special. They said Octavian had her killed, and as he was then in total control of telling people how the story really went down, he told people she killed herself in order to make himself sound more heroic and honorable. Of course, I like the more romanticized death better, but it really makes you wonder.
Didn't see the special, but that's a fascinating premise. Ancient spin, eh?
So, to ask a ridiculously naive question, if they find them, will they be mummies or just bones?
Not sure if they were mummified or not. Probably not, but I'm not totally sure. I always thought the two of them were Alexandria's burial chamber, which is now floating under the Nile. Hopefully, I'm wrong. I'd love to see a History Channel special on the discovery, even if it is the media hog guy with the Indie Jones hat.
Apparently, there are ten bodies in there. I think it's A & C and Cleo's slaves. My wife thinks it's just the slaves.
Liam
Nice work again on the ol crime front.
I'll be honest I dont really like that guy. he rubs me the wrong way with his hats and his showbiz stuff. But if this is true I am prepared to be blown away. Now maybe they can find Alexander.
Thanks, mate. Yeah, Alex should be next. He was preserved in Alexandria too. He's probably underwater somewhere.
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