The royal romance

It’s the royal romance between two most expensive Enfields and the camaraderie won’t get better than this — at least for the time being. The homegrown warhorse Royal Enfield has pulled a new trick up its sleeve by tweaking its best 500cc Classic motorcycle into two good looking leisure variants – the Desert Storm and Classic Chrome.

Desert Storm, as the name declares, is ideal for places where mud keeps flying around. It looks rugged and has a single pre-fitted seat. It would look equally attractive in the backdrop of very Indian scenarios, say, riding through the crowded Chandi Chowk and Sahara Desert. One need not have to clean or wipe it often, as the dust is not visible in the sand-coloured model.

Leaving a dusty trail behind — wherever the bike treads — is fun. A true biker won’t even mind the dust. The colour palette — policemen’s khaki and the greenish army/navy shade —should make both Desert Storm and Classic Chrome a hit among the uniformed men.

DESERT STORM

At Rs 1.58 lakh, it’s about Rs 25,000 more expensive than the original Classic 500cc so you might be tempted to do a paint job on the original. But be warned: That won’t get it closer to the matt finish of the Desert Storm – in addition to the colour finish, it has sharply placed black coloured thigh pads on the fuel tank as well as sand coloured glove boxes on either side. It somewhat appeals to the mature age group rather than the young boys that the Classic Chrome attracts.

CLASSIC CHROME

A chrome-buttered Royal Enfield is what many people had been demanding for longtime now. It’s a more city centric than Desert Storm.

We do see some old Enfields around with their stickers taken off making them completely naked but the Classic Chrome, not by any long stretch of imagination, could be described as naked. Exactly the opposite, in fact. Laced lines make Chrome look muscular with proper detailing. At Rs 1.65 lakh, this one can be stored in the garage forever as an antique. But clean it with water and it starts to shine like a new bike. But it is more susceptible to scratches than the Desert Storm.

Young boys, especially Punjabis would vie for the Classic Chrome. Even executives travelling to work can be proud of this bike. It goes well with huge glass buildings of corporate offices. Most importantly it carries forward the heritage of the homegrown Royal Enfield to the next level – avid fans could make it a premium pick, paying tribute to the nation’s oldest motorcycle maker.

Start these bikes and it’s the same 500cc twinspark electronic fuel injection engine that does duty on the Classic 500. The pick up is enormous with the first gear enabling you to zip and zap across the streets as soon as you hit the electric start. It does show off quite well: Racing through the blocks and zooming past slow moving cars. Swaying between traffic lanes is easy making you feel like the king of the roads. Other general bikes from Hero, Bajaj and TVS are left way behind.

You won’t consider this as the most comfortable Enfield though – the toolbox keeps rubbing against the inner thighs when you sit astride the bike. The gearshift from neutral to fifth is smooth but dropping down gears — between second to neutral — creates a little confusion. It gets stuck in between too often. This may be a hindrance for long mountaineering trips. The balance of the bike is not aptly centered at the middle of the bike around the seating position – this doesn’t impact the user while riding, which is balanced and smooth but acts as a barrier while maneuvering it out of cramped parking lots.

But these two variants are surely a treat for Royal Enfield fans: They are available in limited quantities only. There are going to be more powerful, high-end Enfields down the road but this one is for the one who seeks pleasure in leisure without compromising on the basic attributes of the cult bikemaker. zz