Royal Enfield Model 200

Royal Enfield boasts one of the longest histories in the motorcycle industry. The original company, Givry Works, began in 1851 in Hunt End, England making needles and fish-hooks. When safety bicycles burst on the transportation scene in the early 1880s, the company began making bicycle parts, and complete bicycles soon followed. In the 1890s, following a name change, the company contracted with the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. To celebrate this union, the company named its first new bicycle design the Enfield. In 1892 the word Royal was added to Enfield and in 1893 the trademark slogan, “Made Like a Gun,” was coined. Both were references to their Royal Small Arms Factory contract.

The company began producing motorized vehicles in 1897 with motorcycles following quadracycles and tricycles. Royal Enfield produced a variety of machines, with the single-cylinder middleweights, which catered to limited budgets, being the most successful. Enfield helped pioneer the chain drive and dry sump lubrication in the motorcycle line. One visionary idea was the foot shift lever for gear changes. In 1955, the company began production in India, where it continues today.