Royal Enfield to take on Triumph and Harley

ROYAL Enfield might not be associated with cutting-edge technology – the firm only introduced a five speed gearbox a few years ago – but with the Indian bike market booming it's planning to launch a range of large-capacity twins.

Spurred on by the increasing wealth of motorcyclists in India, where Enfields are still the bikes of choice, the firm wants to be in a position to fend off new rivals like Triumph and Harley Davidson. By doing so, it will also be creating machines that are far more likely to appeal to riders in Europe and America.

At the moment, there's still no confirmation as to whether the bikes will be V-twins – like the Australian Carberry Enfields – or parallel twins like the old Royal Enfield Meteor. But the news is that they machines will range from 750cc to 1000cc and the first will be seen in 2013.

Chief executive RL Ravichandran told Indian TV station NDTV: “We feel it will be good to go for a twin,” adding that the idea was “in the conceptual stage.”