Violent thunderstorms failed to deter approximately 1,600 people from visiting the Watsonian Squire factory to see the latest generation of Bullet motorcycles for the first official Royal Enfield Open Day in over 35 years.
Interest in these classic British bikes, which have been built in India since 1955, has increased steadily since Watsonian took over UK distribution in 1999 and they currently sell over 500 a year in the UK. People came to the event, held near the Cotswold market town of Moreton-in-Marsh, from as far away as Cornwall, South Wales and Darlington. The new alloy-engine 500cc Electra proved extremely popular and over the course of the weekend more than 200 riders took demo bikes out around the country lanes, accompanied by group leaders from the BikeSafe and Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists.
Visitors were also able to tour the Watsonian sidecar factory and see some of the UK-specific models of Royal Enfield motorcycles being prepared. There were plenty of experts on hand to offer advice, including author of four books on Royal Enfield, Gordon May.
“The atmosphere this weekend has been really buoyant” he commented. “It’s been fascinating how many people have come who are considering buying a Bullet and have had a really positive experience.”
The Shipston-on-Stour Sea Scouts, who worked ceaselessly to satisfy demand for tea, coffee, buns and curry provided refreshments and raised several hundred pounds towards their new scout hut in the process.
“We have been absolutely bowled over by the enthusiasm for these modern classics,” notes Watsonian Director Peter Rivers Fletcher. “We wanted to keep the atmosphere friendly and informal, rather than turning it into a corporate sales drive and all our staff have worked incredibly hard to make the event so successful. We hope to run something similar for next year, so make a date in your diaries for July 2007.”
You can get details from Watsonian-Squire on 01386 700907, or click on the link below.
Related Linkswww.royal-enfield.com
