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Royal Enfield 120-year helmet series: The backstage story & what more to expect

To adventure motorcycle travel writer Gordon G May, the most important episode in the Royal Enfield Bullet’s 90-year history is its arrival in India

Royal Enfield 120-year helmet series: The backstage story & what more to expect

Royal Enfield is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. So, presumably the teams across various verticals in the company are throwing the brand a massive birthday party. This year, we also saw the unveiling of a 650cc concept and a working replica of the very first moto-bicycle Enfield ever built. The apparel and accessories division are marking the occasion in their own way and rather a very interesting way that lets the brand’s community built over the century participate as well. We’re talking, of course, about the 120-year celebration helmet series.

The celebration series includes 12 helmets which have designs narrating a story from a decade – 1910, 1920, 1930 and so on. All of the 12 helmets were limited to 120 units and sold out. So, safe to say that they’re a hit. Hence, our Ed Arpit Mahendra got in a conversation with the people behind the new helmet series – Puneet Sood, Head, Apparel & Accessories, Royal Enfield, and Gordon G May, Royal Enfield historian & enthusiast – to learn about what went into making of the series and what more is in store.

Also read: 2021 EICMA: Royal Enfield unveils 120-year special edition Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650

The backstory, the why & how

May explains that it was rather difficult to pick certain stories from the many that Royal Enfield has accumulated in more than a century. “So, selecting them, in the end, came down mostly to the design because there were so many of them. So, for example, with the 1940s, we went with the Flying Flea, not because it was the best story for the 1940s because there were other great stories, like the swingarm suspension that we brought in in the 1940s.”

Limited number of celebration helmets

The celebrations series helmets were built in limited numbers and have been sold out already. Would that mean some enthusiasts and fans will not be able to be a part of the celebration as the limited-edition helmet stocks empty out? To this, Sood explains that Royal Enfield is tremendously grateful to its community of riders and fans.

“There can’t be a celebration without sharing it with them. That being said, there is the limited edition helmet collection, which is just the beginning of it, and there’s quite a lot in the pipeline. The celebration is about celebrating with our community, and we will find more ways. And hopefully, you will see us doing a lot more of this, a lot more coming up in the next few days.”

You may also like: Remembering Royal Enfield ‘Flying Flea’: Super lightweight RE125 that helped English troops during WWII

90 years of Bullet

To adventure motorcycle travel writer Gordon G May, the most important episode in the Bullet’s 90-year history is its arrival in India. Initially when it was used by the Indian Army and then when the production began in Chennai.

“None of the other manufacturers in the UK were doing this. Nobody else had a partnership agreement and were sending CKD motorcycles halfway across the world to be made in a country with completely different road conditions and a completely different culture, riding culture, and also for it to be so successful.”

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First published on: 06-12-2021 at 13:22 IST
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