Repeating what Budathoki did three years ago may be called foolishness: first, for choosing a fuel-guzzling bike in an era of high gas prices and second for investing such a huge amount in a used motorcycle. Yet, Budathoki, and many like him, do not mind getting that label because of the name and history associated with Enfield.
Royal Enfield, a British engineering company, is one of the world´s oldest motorcycle manufacturers, with productions dating back to the early twentieth century. Although the company was dissolved in 1971, the Enfield India continued manufacturing the bikes and in 1995 bought the trademark. Today, Royal Enfield´s Bullet is one of the world´s oldest brands of motorbikes that are still in production.
Though it is not known when the first Royal Enfield bike entered Nepal, a select group of motorbike enthusiasts, like Budathoki, have been investing in this machine for a long time. Their reasons for choosing this bike vary -- some like the ´thud´ of this bike and some its solidity -- but most of them agree that it is the classic nature that attracts them toward it the most. They say the bike makes them stand out in the crowd and they feel proud to possess the bike, something akin to what American bikers feel about Harley Davidson.
"These people -- both young and not-so-old -- who are deeply passionate about Enfield, make up our customer base," says Megh Raj Poudyal, senior manager of Dugar Brothers and Sons, the authorized distributor of Enfield bikes in Nepal.
According to rough estimates, there are around 1,000 Enfield bike owners in Nepal. But gradually the number is increasing. In the first 11 months of the current fiscal year alone, Dugar Brothers sold 125 units of these bikes. Sales stood at 95 units in the whole of last fiscal year.
These numbers definitely look feeble in front of thousands of bikes sold per year by other companies like Hero Honda, Yamaha and Bajaj. But this is what it is special about Enfield bikes. "It´s made for a niche crowd," Poudyal says. "Not everyone can ride it."
One of the reasons why not many people cannot afford to ride this bike is because of its price: even the cheapest Enfield bikes cost Rs 325,000. Besides, these bikes are not produced in mass. Even in India, only 44,000 units of Enfiled bikes were sold in 2008. India is planning to increase this number by 15 percent this year and take it to 60,000 by 2010.
"We believe sales will also go up in Nepal after we form a club and organize long distance trips," Poudyal said, adding Enfield bikes are power bikes and are ideal for long cruise rides. "We hope we can establish our own community through formation of a club and promote sales as well."
Bullet Electra 350cc - Rs 325,000
Bullet Machismo 350cc - Rs 350,000
Bullet Thunderbird 350cc - Rs 375,000
Bullet Machismo 500cc - Rs 395,000
(All bikes come with electric start.)
rupak@myrepublica.com
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