Royal Enfield is one of the premier
bike and motorcycle manufactures of the world. Royal
Enfield's origin can be traced back to 1851 when George
Townsend put up his needle-making mill in Hunt End,
a village in England. After he passed away, his son
George Townsend Jr. established a bicycle-manufacturing
firm. In 1891, due to financial trouble Townsend's company
was taken over by Albert Edie and R.W. Smith. They re-christened
the firm as 'The Edie Manufacturing Company Limited'.
Soon after, Albert Edie got a lucrative contract to
supply precision rifle parts to the Royal Small Arms
Factory in Enfield Middlesex. To celebrate the contract
Edie and Smith decided to call the first new design
of bicycle, the 'Enfield'. A new company was created
to market these new design bicycles called 'The Enfield
Manufacturing Company Limited'. In 1893, the word Royal
(after the Royal Small Arms Company) was added and thus
Royal Enfield came into being.
In 1909, Royal Enfield launched its first motorcycle
and during First World War Royal Enfield supplied motorcycles
to the British War Department. In 1931, the company
came up with a four-valve, single cylinder bike and
christened it "Bullet".
In 1949, the 350cc Bullet was launched in India, when
Madras Motors won an order from the Indian Army for
the supply of motorcycles. In 1955, Indian Army insisted
that they would continue doing business with Madras
Motors only if Bullet was produced indigenously and
thus Enfield India was established. In 1993, the Eicher
group acquired Enfield India Company and changed its
name to Royal Enfield Motors Limited.
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