Riders are queuing up for retro bikes in London, with many wanting light, low, stripped-down machines that make sense in traffic. The Royal Enfield Classic — with its 499cc single engine, five-speed gearbox and kick-starter — appears to fit the bill.
It’s a handsome-looking machine, sold by MotoGB, and comes in different styles. The Classic 500 in Battle Green is based on the Bullet, and is also available in Desert Storm, Classic Chrome and Squadron Blue.
It has electronic fuel injection, mildly uprated suspension and a front disc instead of a drum but not a lot else has changed. Some of the wiring looks crude, as do some of the castings, and it can prove a little slow to fire up. But when you open the throttle and roar off into traffic, you tend to forget these foibles. I never tired of the boom from the exhaust and its ability to filter efficiently between traffic. Prices from £3,995.
Old-fashioned bike design you can work around but it’s not easy with riding gear, and while Royal Enfield’s Storm Rider leather jacket might look the part I wouldn’t want to put its crash-worthiness to the test.
Priced at £349.99, there is no armour, or even slots for it. If you are seduced by the look, you could consider separate under-armour. See the bikes and gear at Royal Enfield’s two concept stores — Hartgate Motors in Mitcham and TTT Motorcycles in Bethnal Green.
More at royalenfield.com
Refreshing C3 all set to be a winner
With dramatic new lines, better internal packaging and big ride and handling improvements, this is the eye-catching new third generation Citroën C3.
The C3 is the best-selling Citroën worldwide so if the pricing’s right (Citroën suggest it will be “in line” with current pricing) this one — with lines reminiscent of the refreshingly styled Cactus — should prove a winner, too, when it hits the showrooms in January.
