{"id":26575,"date":"2024-05-29T00:01:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T07:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=26575"},"modified":"2024-05-28T19:09:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T02:09:17","slug":"so-cal-royal-enfield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2024\/05\/29\/so-cal-royal-enfield\/","title":{"rendered":"So Cal Royal Enfield"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n

Sue and I visited the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda (one of our favorite So Cal destinations) to hear Fox News’ Jesse Watters speak a couple of days ago.\u00a0 I’ll post a blog about that in a few days.\u00a0 On the way home, we stopped at a motorcycle dealership in Brea, California.\u00a0 Normally, I avoid motorcycle dealerships for a lot of reasons (as outlined in 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM<\/a>), but I used to have my 1200 Daytona<\/a> serviced at So Cal Motorcycles and I thought I’d stop in for a visit.\u00a0 So Cal Motorcycles is a multi-brand dealership selling Ducati, Triumph, Royal Enfield, and Suzuki.\u00a0 I stopped with the intention of looking at the Enfields, but I also spent some time in the Triumph showroom.\u00a0 This blog focuses on the Enfields; I’ll post another one on the Triumphs in the near future.<\/p>\n

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As you probably know, I ride a Royal Enfield 650cc Interceptor.\u00a0 Joe Gresh and I tested two Enfields in Baja a few years ago<\/a>.\u00a0 You can see those bikes at the Paralelo 28 military post in the photo above (we were about 500 miles south of the border when I took that shot).\u00a0 Our conclusion was that the 650cc Interceptor was a marvelous machine (I liked it so much I bought one), but the 500cc Bullet needed muey<\/em> attention before it would meet our low bar for approval.\u00a0 That was a few years ago, though, and that’s why we visited So Cal Motorcycles.<\/p>\n

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As soon as we parked, I noticed several Enfields parked outside.\u00a0 I had not seen their new singles up close and personal yet.\u00a0 \u00a0The model line has become a bit confusing for me.\u00a0 It used to just the Bullet (their single), then they added the Interceptor (the 650cc twin), and my 15-kilobyte mind could handle that.\u00a0 Now they have several different versions of the 650 twin and a whole bunch of singles in 350cc, 411cc, and maybe other displacements.\u00a0 I won’t try to explain the entire model line here, mostly because I don’t feel like expending calories trying to wrap my mind around it all.\u00a0 I just wanted to see the bikes and take a few photos.\u00a0 I did that, and I have to tell you:\u00a0 Royal Enfields are still great looking motorcycles.\u00a0 \u00a0Check out the 350cc Meteor singles below:<\/p>\n

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The Meteor 350 is the bike you see at the top of this blog and the two you see immediately above.\u00a0 \u00a0The price on Enfields has always been attractive; on the Meteor it is even more so.\u00a0 So Cal Enfield had a 2023 leftover Meteor and the price on it was especially attractive.<\/p>\n

Next up were the Himalayan models, Enfield’s ADV bikes.<\/p>\n

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The Himalayan has a 411cc single cylinder engine.\u00a0 The colors are attractive.\u00a0 I didn’t see any with luggage, but I know panniers and top case are available.\u00a0 I saw a guy riding one of these one time when I was returning from northern California on Interstate 5.\u00a0 I was cruising along at 77mph; I think the Himalayan was running about 70mph.\u00a0 \u00a0Enfield’s spec sheets puts the horsepower at 25.\u00a0 I guess that’s enough.\u00a0 \u00a0My RX3 had 24.8 horsepower, and it took me all over the western US, Mexico, Colombia, and China.<\/p>\n

As an aside, a bunch of folks (including Royal Enfield) are offering trips through India (and the Himalayan Mountains) on Royal Enfield motorcycles.\u00a0 I’m tempted.\u00a0 I’ve always wanted to visit that part of the world, and the thought of doing it on a motorcycle is appealing.\u00a0 The photo ops would be amazing, and I’d get another book out of it, I think.\u00a0 Ah, maybe someday.\u00a0 Maybe I should write a letter to Enfield and ask them to sponsor me.<\/p>\n

Enfield’s Classic line looked good, too.\u00a0 At just under $800, the freight and setup fees are ridiculous and larcenous (they were lower than what I’ve seen other dealers charging, though).\u00a0 Motorcycle dealers’ posted freight and setup charges are often nothing more than a suggested negotiating starting point, but it’s still annoying to see this kind of imaginative exaggeration.\u00a0 I wrote about this common dealer misrepresentation in 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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So Cal Enfield had what apparently is a 650 twin anniversary model.\u00a0 It was a used bike with an asking price of $15,999.\u00a0 Hope springs eternal, I suppose.<\/p>\n

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Like most motorcycle companies, Royal Enfield has a clothing line.\u00a0 I saw a sweatshirt I thought I might want until I looked at the price.\u00a0 It was $88.\u00a0 I put it back on the rack.\u00a0 \u00a0I don’t think I would ever pay $88 for a sweatshirt.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed viewing the Enfield line at So Cal Motorcycles<\/a>.\u00a0 My negative comments about freight and setup (and $88 sweatshirts) notwithstanding, I believe So Cal Motorcycles is a reputable dealer.\u00a0 \u00a0When I rode Triumphs, I sometimes had So Cal service my bikes, and they always did a good job.\u00a0 Unlike my experience at other dealers, I never had to bring my bikes back because they botched the job.\u00a0 If I was in the market for another Enfield, this would be the place I would go.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Sue and I were the only people in So Cal’s Enfield room.\u00a0 The Ducati room was similarly empty (other than lots of outrageously expensive red motorcycles).\u00a0 Maybe we just hit a lull when we were there.\u00a0 The Triumph showroom, on the other hand, was hopping.\u00a0 I’ll talk more about that in a near-term future blog.\u00a0 Stay tuned.<\/p>\n

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Never miss an ExNotes blog:<\/p>\n

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