India's Royal Enfield to begin making motorcycles in Thailand

[baansgr 9,658]

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I have an Interceptor 650 and it is a great bike. 

 

The new Royal Enfield twins are a completely different proposition to the older bullets and single cylinder thumpers with all their issues.

 

It should be noted that the RE Interceptor 650 is the best selling bike in the UK for 2019.

Nothing but good reviews about them. Would certainly be my choice. And they look.....great

[Pottinger 1,256]

16 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

Great bikes and no real issues with reliability. There are some people using them to travel around the world

Check out this lady: 

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by Pottinger

[Mr Meeseeks 4,036]

12 minutes ago, PremiumLane said:

Great bikes and no real issues with reliability. There are some people using them to travel around the world

Itchy Boots on YouTube is a good channel. She rides a Himalayan round the World. 

 

57 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Thanks for replying, but I'm none the wiser regarding the gears and brakes? Did you mean because they're modern motorcycles they have now changed the gears/brakes to be the same as everyone else?

They are exactly the same as all other manufacturer's bikes. Clutch on the left hand, front brake on the right. Gear shifts with the left foot, rear brake on the right.

 

Incidentally the gearbox on the 650 twins is superb. A real joy to operate. Better even than most Japanese brands I have ridden. 

The only negs about the bike would be the rear suspension at speed is a bit iffy, and could do with an upgrade, and the bike is a bit heavy for what it is. Other than that, all good.

[cjinchiangrai 260]

In India the 125 Hondas dominate. Unlike Thailand, they have a full clutch system in the transmission. The Enfields are pretty but don't perform like a 500cc bike.

 

Harley pulled out because it is hard to get the money out intact. The same reason Walmart and Carrefour walked out on the deals to open there. A big heavy bike like a Harley is a terrible choice for the heavy traffic anyway. 

[toofarnorth 4,153]

3 hours ago, findlay13 said:

Yes but this is 2020 .My first two meridan Triumphs used to leak like sieves too, but my Hinckleys certainly dont. Surely Enfield could have picked up their game by now.

I had a RE in England , a 500 Bullet , after a hotter cam fitted and a straight through ex Triumph silencer it was a lovely bike , I bought it in Cornwall and on buying it was told it might not get me home.

Visiting my brother in North Devon it would stop running after about 40 miles , the same coming home. Turned out in the end to be the Lucas coil. 

Had to leave the bike on coming out here in 2005 , my bro sold it for 100 quid , someone got a bargain , no leaks started first kick. Oh now I miss my RE ...oh and decent beer.

[David in the north 241]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Yeah well....... uhmmm.

Should that not be"ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" not "uhm"????????

[bluesofa 40,202]

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

They've been assembling Royal Enfields in India since 1955, so the chances are the bike you hired was locally produced. 

OK, thanks. I stand sit corrected. I had no idea they had been produced in India for anywhere near that long.

I thought it was about twenty years or so, and all the ones before that were British made exports which had been well looked after.

[watso63 1,142]

Assembling in Thailand should lower the already highly attractive price. CFMOTO have a decent range of medium sized bikes that have a good design (partnered up with Austria's KTM), well built and cheap. They make high spec ATV's too. Can't ever see Harley Davidson competing in Asia in the near future. There will always be brand loyal enthusiastic buyers but the writing's on the wall.

[richard_smith237 25,989]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Note to m/c manufacturers.

I want a 400cc single cylinder for under 100,000kbht.

 

 

Stallions Centaur CT400 - 115,000 baht...  as close as it gets I think.

 

 

I wonder about the vibration of single cylinder machines though... 

 

 

[richard_smith237 25,989]

The Himalayan would be great to kit out and do an Asia Pacific tour...  

 

THB 170,000 - not to costly to worry about leaving it over night like a big 1200 GS. 

 

The Continental GT looks like good fun for an ‘about town bike’ not that practical though. 

 

[Grumpy one 2,783]

6 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

But I thought Thailand was going electric ...............LOL

Well they do have light bulbs   

[bluesofa 40,202]

7 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

Well they do have light bulbs   

That's only because heavy ones are too difficult to change.

[maxcorrigan 1,152]

3 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I understand the Indian produced bikes have the brake on the right and gears on the left now?

I rented one in India years ago (obviously British produced), it took some getting used to.

All British bikes were likes that one time, until the US insisted they change for bikes exported to the US can't remember exact details but something to do with using the same foot to brake as in a car!

[PETERTHEEATER 3,139]

6 hours ago, findlay13 said:

Well at least Thai made

 is better than Indian. Enfields re lovely looking bikes and I contemplated getting one, but I can't fault my Thai made 650 Kawasaki except it has too much plastic.A friend in Australia just got rid of his Enfield 500 for a Yamaha.He had nothing but trouble with the Bullet.Oil leaks plus,oil leaks ! Back to be supposedly fixed under warranty twice,Wrong!.No wonder they used to call them Royal Oilfields.

 

An American colleague once told me that the reason the British had never made a successful personal computer is that they could not get it to leak oil.

 

 

[CGW 9,859]

3 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Turned out in the end to be the Lucas coil.

Best not to mention "The Price of Darkness" 

 

The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

Lucas is the patent holder for the short circuit.

Lucas - Inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas - Inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

The three position Lucas switch - Dim, Flicker and Off.

The Original Anti-Theft Device - Lucas Electrics.

>Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices

Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.

"I have had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never had any trou..."

If Lucas made guns, wars would not start.

A friend of mine told everybody he never had any electric problems with his Lucas equipment. Today he lives in the countryside, in a large manor with lots of friendly servants around him an an occasional ice cold shower...

Back in the 70's, Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which did not suck.

Q: Why do the British drink warm beer? A: Because Lucas makes their refrigerators

Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb. Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.