By: Joel Schwartz, 26/12/2021
Royal Anfield. Photographer: Ronen Topelberg
what’s the story?
ROYAL ENFIELD, one of the oldest two-wheeled brands in the world, is celebrating its 120th anniversary, and is officially renewing its marketing in Israel. The brand started in 1901 in the UK as ‘The Enfield Cycle Company Limited’ as a manufacturer of motorcycles, bicycles, garden tools and industrial motors. Over the years the name was shortened and established on Royal Anfield, when from the mid-1950s the brand passed into Indian ownership and has since also been manufactured in India.
In recent years the brand has made significant moves towards becoming a significant player in the global motorcycle market and especially in the US and Europe, including: acquisition of British chassis manufacturer ‘Performance Harris’ in 2015, establishment of R&D center in 2017 in Blaster, UK – at the heart of the UK motorcycle racing industry. And as of January 2021, all the company’s models meet the latest European standard for the DoG, Euro 5.
Today, the brand produces about a million motorcycles a year, of which about 100,000 units are marketed in Europe, the United States and Australia. It is not surprising to find that the English market is the strongest for the brand in Europe.
What’s new?
Throughout Israeli history, the brand has appeared in Israel several times in personal imports, since 2010 in commercial imports, by a Jewish-Canadian businessman Natan Jacobson, and in 2014 by an importer ‘GBR’ owned by Eitan Ben Ari. In December 2020, imports moved to the DLB Group, an importer of Polaris, KTM and Indian, when a quiet sale began in August. The brand is now officially launched in Israel. During the silent sale, about 40 tools were sold, joining the sales of 200 motorcycles in Israel since 2014. The target for 2022 is 200 tools.
Royal Anfield Himalayan 400. Photographer: Ronen Topelberg
What’s on offer?
The latest product line consists of 3 model families:
meteor. Light blue Nike tool with basic assemblies that is supposed to arrange for its owners low maintenance costs. There are 3 versions and they all have a 350 cc engine, a single cylinder with 20.2 hp, and a 5-speed gearbox. A fireball version for NIS 25,300, a stellar version that adds a backrest and chrome touches for NIS 26,000 and a supernova with a high front mirror and a price of NIS 27,000.
Interceptor and Continental GT. These are two versions of the same motorcycle. Both have a parallel twin engine with a volume of 650 cc, which produces 47 hp and a torque of 5.3 kg combined with a 6-speed gearbox. The handles are lower to create a more sporty riding position with the cropped rear seat completing the combat look.The price of both versions is the same and stands at NIS 45,300.
Himalayan. A dual-use tool that combines an upright riding position and a tough design. At its heart is a 411 cc engine, a single cylinder that produces 24.3 hp and is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Its price is one of the lowest for a multi-purpose adventure tool in Israel: NIS 31,300. According to the importer, this is the tool with the largest sales potential in Israel.
Royal Anfield Interceptor 650. Photographer: Ronen Topelberg
What in the future?
The manufacturer plans to expand as early as 2022 with additional models led by the ‘Bulit’, one of the most nostalgic names, and the oldest serial production tool in the world that is probably familiar to travelers in India. Other models are the Classic 350, Roadster 350, which will be joined by other versions such as the Scrambler version for Himalayan, Cruiser 650 and Woodster 650.