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Where can I try out a Royal Enfield near London?

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spetom
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 30 Aug 2010
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PostPosted: 19:06 - 30 Oct 2010    Post subject: Where can I try out a Royal Enfield near London? Reply with quote

Hi I was looking to try out a Royal Enfield to see what it's like.

Where can I try one out for an hour for example, near london?

There's a Royal Enfield shop in Didcot in Oxfordshire (fairly far) that say you can do a test ride on one but you have to have your A2 license for a year at least. So that counts me out.
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andys675
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Joined: 08 Feb 2007
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PostPosted: 20:47 - 30 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

just a point

someone bought a new one for £4200, six weeks later he decided it wasn't what he wanted having just passed his test and took it to part exchange, dealer didn't want it but offered it out to trade buyers to get the bike underwritten to trade it out, best offer £1500, even the original supplying dealer wouldn't buy it back at any price

still want one?
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hellkat
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Joined: 12 Jul 2004
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PostPosted: 20:56 - 30 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

You could try fronting up the one of the Enfield owners club meetings, and hang around looking interested, maybe one of them will take pity on you Smile

https://www.royalenfield.org.uk/index.php?PageName=branches_south

The owners groups are [not like "bike club" clubs] and usually fairly sedate. Bunch of old farts in a pub, usually talking about gudgeon pins or some such ...
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Ed Case
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Joined: 01 Mar 2009
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PostPosted: 21:16 - 30 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

As Andys350 said, these things are a 'Niche Market' bike and depreciate like an anvil in free flight. You've got to remember that they're effectively a new 1954 bike and tend to be 'Intensive maintenance', modern terminology for 'unreliable'. Don't contemplate buying a new one, if you have to, get something twelve months old, some one else has taken the big 'hit'. I've had bikes for forty-odd years and quite why anyone would want one of those things when you could get a light-years ahead Jap bike for less amazes me, must be masochists. Buy yourself a DIY ear-piercing kit instead, it's less painful. Or take up DIY dentistry.
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spetom
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Joined: 30 Aug 2010
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PostPosted: 13:48 - 31 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wasn't going to buy a new one, just wanted to know what the ride was like thats all.
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steveh
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Joined: 24 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: 13:55 - 31 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

spetom wrote:
I wasn't going to buy a new one, just wanted to know what the ride was like thats all.



shit.
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Gone
Nearly there...



Joined: 01 Sep 2010
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PostPosted: 14:21 - 31 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

spetom wrote:
I wasn't going to buy a new one, just wanted to know what the ride was like thats all.

I'm sure the dealers will be falling over themselves to offer you a ride on a bike you have no intention of buying.
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WildGoose
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Joined: 21 Mar 2002
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PostPosted: 15:00 - 31 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

Search on here for Royal Enfield. Wolf(https://www.moonshiners.org.uk/bullet.htm)
and Stinkwheel both have them. Stinkwheel has written at some length about them recently and pretty much covers all the bases.

The ride won't impress you, and there is some doubt as to the point of the latest models, as they are unit construction and fuel injected, so lose that authenticity somewhat you might as well just buy a Honda, and not have the grief.

I may wander along to that place in Didcot though at some point if they are doing test rides, as I didn't know there was an enfield place there.

I would be interested to know why F2 motorcycles completely dropped Enfields recently, as they seemed to be the biggest dealer around for them in this area, and have a very good rep.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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Joined: 12 Sep 2008
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PostPosted: 17:36 - 31 Oct 2010    Post subject: Reply with quote

Only a guess, but the older model had appeal due to being a kosher blast from the past at a reasonable price, whereas the emissions requirements and the subsequent redesign made the newer models the same price as far superior jap models, meaning less room for a smaller dealer like F2 to make it worthwhile.

It also doesn't fit with the F2 feeling of being able to fix your own bike with a hammer and sickle - FFS, the addition of fuel injection means you don't even get a kickstart on the new models.
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