Page 79 - Motorcycle Trader (February 2020)

café racer culture, with tours of the
Ace Café, Soho, Lewis Leathers and
Brooklands. There was even a run to
Brighton, though the suggestion we
re-enact the mods versus rockers brawls
of 1964 met with disapproval.
As for the bike, it was a sweetheart. The
styling was spot-on.

THE MEAT & VEG
Spec was reasonably basic. The alloy
engine had been given a modest capacity
boost to 535cc, and remained a two-valve
air-cooled unit with electronic injection.
It claimed a little more horsepower
than the Bullet at 22kW (29hp) and was
matched to a five-speed transmission.
The chassis was based around a very
conventional twin-loop steel frame,
with non-adjustable fork and twin Paoli
shocks with ride height adjustment.
That lot rode on wire-spoked Excel rims,
with single disc brakes at both ends. Of
course, Brembo supplied the hardware
for the stoppers.
All up it claimed 184kg rolling weight,
with all fluids except fuel.
There’s no question Royal Enfield hit
the proverbial nail on the head with the
styling. To that point it was easily the

ENFIELD INDIANS

Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Late-
model Royal Enfield Interceptor
twins were sold in America as
Indians. The deal was done by the
Brockhouse Corporation in the US
from the mid 1950s.
Then came along another
generation of Enfield-powered
Indians, assembled for the often-
colourful Floyd Clymer. The
English engine was hosted by an
Italjet-designed chassis. Just 15
of the final model pictured below
were built, just before Clymer’s
death in 1970.

MOTORCYCLE TRADER 77