Royal Enfield wins “Future Classic” award

[Bob]

The Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5 has been awarded the title of "Future Classic of the Year" award at the 11th Carole Nash Classic & Motorcycle Mechanics Show.

The Bullet has been in continuous production since 1949, with Enfield India manufacturing 24,000 motorcycles a year at their plant in Madras, following the closure of the original UK factory in 1970.

‘Future classic’? Surely a bike has to become a classic by surviving long enough to be one? Whether a current RE will last 20 years has to be open to debate.

(Lapsing into personal opinion - something I try to avoid, but this makes me laugh - they have voted a "Future Classic" a bike that is built essentially from a 50-odd year old template. What a joke. To me, the whole point of a "future classic" award would be to identify a bike that people thought would be considered a classic - in terms of performance or what it did to affect the world of biking. NOT a bike that looks like a classic and is in all likelihood being made to similar production values to 1960's Brits!)

[AMPS]

Don't forget that these are the people who consider a Morris Marina to be worth restoring.
Lou

[Hitcher]

Don't forget that these are the people who consider a Morris Marina to be worth restoring.
Lou

Ah! English lemons! The Austin 1100, 1300, Maxi, Allegro, Metro. The Vauxhall Viva, Chevette. The Hillman Avenger. The Ford MkIV Zephyr. The Talbot Alpine. The MG. The Jaguar XJ6. The Rolls Royce.

And particularly sad models that (fortunately) never came here, like the Reliant Robin.

I am often amazed that the Poms still have an automotive industry. Thank goodness for globalisation!

[vifferman]

By all accounts the Enfield is a pile of poop anyway. Don't know about the origianl Enfield, but the Indian one is agriculaural to say the least.

[Hitcher]

agriculaural to say the least.

Indian artisans clearly have much to answer for...

[Blakamin]

Ah! English lemons! The Austin 1100, 1300, Maxi, Allegro, Metro. The Vauxhall Viva, Chevette. The Hillman Avenger. The Ford MkIV Zephyr. The Talbot Alpine. The MG. The Jaguar XJ6. The Rolls Royce.

And particularly sad models that (fortunately) never came here, like the Reliant Robin.

I am often amazed that the Poms still have an automotive industry. Thank goodness for globalisation!

still have??? according to that list, they never had an automotive industry... just some really drugged-f***ed designers building shite!

[Fryin Finn]

I would define a future classic as a motorcycle that is currently in production that paves new ground. Such as the Harley V-Rod, Honda Fireblade, Yamaha R1 and SRX600 etc.
I would catergorise the Enfield into the 'really old design brought forward into the 21st century with minimum updates classic' category.
Who's Carole Nash anyway - is she shaggable.

[vifferman]

Who's Carole Nash anyway - is she shaggable.

Insurance coy. "Don't f*ck with us - it's our job to f*ck you!"

[Paul in NZ]

Well I doubt an Indian Enfield could be a future classic...

They can be pretty cool though! You would be a bit worried how fast they can go with a bit of twidling and i often thought a one make race series on them would be hilarious!

They have come on in leaps and bounds and the new ones are heaps better than 10 years ago so who knows. The are no R1 but if people want to ride em? So what? No odder than buying a harley or riding a scooter to the Cold Kiwi. It's all fun!

As for people restoring morris marinas? I love people like that! Mad as a box of frogs!! I work near Cuba mall in Wellie and see all the latest destructionist radicals with their tribal tatoos, odd hair, multiple piercings and shit and laugh! These people all pretty well conform to a uniform (a bit like bikers) and most of them are very conservative when it comes down to it!

But someone that restores a car that was despised when it was new, has no marketable value, is impossible to find stuff for and unlikely to even get around the block without failing is likely to be a pretty interesting person that truely marches to the beat of their own drum!

I kinda like those nutters...

Then again I like old Moto Guzzis (hey, stop laughing) and...

[Bob]

I am often amazed that the Poms still have an automotive industry. Thank goodness for globalisation!

We don't!

With the exception of Caterham, none of the "Pom" car companies are British any more. And have not been for a long time now. Every other company is owned by Merkins or Germans or Japanese.

Always makes me laugh when people over here think FORD is a British car! It might be made here, but it most certainly ain't British!