Riding the Enfield wave
Updated Apr 4, 2021, 1:27 pm IST
Amrit Raj’s Indian Icon A Cult Called Royal Enfield follows the England-born motorcycle brand, which attained cult status in India
Amrit Raj
The distinctive look and feel and the bass, throaty sound of the engine of the Royal Enfield bike create an instant image of the brand in the minds of any bike enthusiast. And journalist and author Amrit Raj pays his tribute to the machine through his book Indian Icon A cult called Royal Enfield. The book talks about the motorcycle brand, which was born in England in 1901 and came to India in the 1950s and then later on attained a cult status in the country.
Got the this book a couple of days ago for my birthday. I am really enjoying it.
I am not a biker at all. My RE Bullet has been the only bike I have ever owned. But I do recognise that very special feeling riding a Bullet, especially through India.
I have had some of my best adventures exploring India on my 1974 Bullet. The book describes well that special RE feeling. When you rock up with 20-30 REs thumping away in a little rural village you feel like a celebrity with the whole village coming out to see.
I have interacted with all sort of other bike owners. Whereas many will share the general sort of “freedom” feeling riding a bike brings, none came close to the overal RE experience as many RE owners will claim.