Thailand needs the Enfield

[VocalNeal]

^ Thanks for that well thought out argument

[jkinbkk]

Royal Enfield tank pin striping.

Taken on the factory tour for sure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng

[VocalNeal]

Royal Enfield tank pin striping.

Taken on the factory tour for sure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsTIMxeO_ng

Amazing craftsmanship ..and they dressed for the occasion.

RR has better background music

Edited November 21, 2013 by VocalNeal

[ll2]

The untold story about the Thai entrepreneur who wanted to bring Royal Enfield to Thailand. After a few meetings with Royal Enfield in India and in Thailand, the papers where signed and our Thai entrepreneur was officially the Thai distributor of Royal Enfield.

Now the problem started, our entrepreneur had little experience in the Thai automotive industry, and like many as you expect was quickly lost in the maze of rules, regulations and uncooperative civil-servants. But with seer luck and lots of motivation he got pretty far and even imported a badge of Royal Enfield motorcycles.

The real problem started when he, and the rest of motorcycling Thailand, found out that motorcycles produced in India are pretty expensive after being imported to Thailand. So he looked for an alternative, he found the alternative be importing the motorcycles in parts... Now he only needed a official registered/licensed company that could assemble the motorcycles in Thailand.

Our Thai Royal Enfield entrepreneur found, in his eyes, the right Thai company that could assemble the motorcycles. Now things go really wrong, as the Thai assembling company saw the potential of selling Royal Enfield motorcycles in Thailand... They rather simple to assemble and have a global status. So the Thai assembling company also started to contacted Royal Enfield HQ in India. Of course Royal Enfield is not a shaggy company so they where directly informed that Royal Enfield already had a distributor for Thailand.

So in a nasty move the Thai assembling company informed Royal Enfield, and they even traveled to India, to show papers that they where contracted to assemble the motorcycles and that the Thai entrepreneur who had the Thai Royal Enfield distribution rights had absolutely no experience with motorcycle distribution – had actual has a successful construction company and a few more enterprises. So after the sales of the bikes where stalling as the price of fully imported motorcycles where on the high on price. And the Thai assembling company not very motivated to help our Royal Enfield entrepreneur on how to get things rolling a bit quicker... They had the simple idea if the current distributor fails they would take over. So the end of the story is that indeed the Thai distributor failed as everybody seemed to work against him. The Thai assembling company who was sawing the legs of his chair where also rejected as potential distributor... I think I can remember that Royal Enfield said something like “the way they do business doesn't fit into the Royal Enfield mindset”.... could be wrong was said bit long ago...

Of course the whole story is a bit longer and not everybody was maybe not as bad as I picture, still the truth is we had almost Royal Enfield in Thailand if a few people had helped our entrepreneur. To be honest I also did not do anything... had a contract with another company and it would have looked inappropriate....

P.S. Another thing is that I never received the information that the distribution contract with our Thai entrepreneur was canceled. So maybe he is liking his wounds to come back soon with more knowledge and more products....

thanks for your information Richard. This was insightful.

What a pity that we lost the chance of cheap Enfields assembled in Thailand bc of a greedy and shady assembling company.

So, can the distributor still import models to Thailand?

Do you have any contact details to reach the guy as i met with him as well before at Motor Expo, talked with him i remember and took his card but cannot locate that card now.

thanks a lot.

[pokerkid]

Nice story Richard. its great to hear what goes on behind the scenes.

A lot of people on this forum seem to laugh at your expense all the time ( sometimes justified) but you know a lot.I hope you can share more of these stories with us .

[Wong!]

^ Thanks for that well thought out argument

No problem.

I'm going to start manufacturing Penny Farthings. Anyone interested?

[VocalNeal]

^

Join the others then

The world needs to slow down from the manic pursuit of interesting but mostly useless and costly technology. Enfield may not be exciting but you can rumble down to the pub on a Sunday for lunch or rumble out for a relaxing weekend ride. Not too far but...

Edited November 21, 2013 by VocalNeal

[Richard-BKK]

I not mind that people laugh about me, actually I laugh a lot about myself – they say that laughter is good for you – and I surely know that I have more fun and less stress than most on this forum...

Anyway, as I said I never hear that the entrepreneur in my story loose its distribution rights so maybe he's still able to import bikes, it's even possible that he has bikes on stock as he had imported a badge of them in the beginning...

The person is Nick Tripati (he is a Thai from Indian descent) and he not really likes to speak English over the phone... So best to let somebody that speaks Thai call. His office phone is 02-361 3782.

[thaicbr]

I not mind that people laugh about me, actually I laugh a lot about myself – they say that laughter is good for you – and I surely know that I have more fun and less stress than most on this forum...

 

Anyway, as I said I never hear that the entrepreneur in my story loose its distribution rights so maybe he's still able to import bikes, it's even possible that he has bikes on stock as he had imported a badge of them in the beginning...

 

The person is Nick Tripati (he is a Thai from Indian descent) and he not really likes to speak English over the phone... So best to let somebody that speaks Thai call. His office phone is 02-361 3782.

If he still has the rights why not just assemble here in Thailand. If he uses 40% Thai products his import tax will be reduced hugely. It would take about 2-3 days to organize the parts manufacturers needed. Then just get the parts approved by Enfield.

Sent from my phone with the app thingy.

[thaicbr]

^^^ mind you. I'm surprised anyone would have signed a distribution contract without due diligence on import taxes etc

Sent from my phone with the app thingy.

[ll2]

I not mind that people laugh about me, actually I laugh a lot about myself – they say that laughter is good for you – and I surely know that I have more fun and less stress than most on this forum...

 

Anyway, as I said I never hear that the entrepreneur in my story loose its distribution rights so maybe he's still able to import bikes, it's even possible that he has bikes on stock as he had imported a badge of them in the beginning...

 

The person is Nick Tripati (he is a Thai from Indian descent) and he not really likes to speak English over the phone... So best to let somebody that speaks Thai call. His office phone is 02-361 3782.

Richard. Thanks a lot man.

We all laugh ourselves at times, no worries.

Regards.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[VocalNeal]

I not mind that people laugh about me, actually I laugh a lot about myself – they say that laughter is good for you – and I surely know that I have more fun and less stress than most on this forum...

Anyway, as I said I never hear that the entrepreneur in my story loose its distribution rights so maybe he's still able to import bikes, it's even possible that he has bikes on stock as he had imported a badge of them in the beginning...

The person is Nick Tripati (he is a Thai from Indian descent) and he not really likes to speak English over the phone... So best to let somebody that speaks Thai call. His office phone is 02-361 3782.

Richard ,

That story struck a chord with me, sort of happened to me as well but the company said they already had an importer same as Enfield. I should buy a bike just to support the guy's vision.

Edited November 21, 2013 by VocalNeal

[Bung]

I actually emailed Royal Enfield in India years ago asking why they didn't see their bikes in Thailand and received a reply asking if, given I had the money and experience, would I like a dealership!

I still think they would be popular here if India was part of ASEAN and they were priced reasonably. Many older Thais had BSA's etc years ago before the Japanese scoters invasion and many people still love to see the old bikes. I get lots of Thais asking me about my modern Triumph Classic and thumbs up etc.

[chaiyapoon]

I have many old classic motorcycles back in the Uk and have watched the Enfield saga with interest over the years .The early built Indian Enfields left a lot to be desired, poor chrome, weak big ends and bearings ,crap electrics, to name but a few.Most did not last 5 years if used regularly some if hammered failed very quickly.

A few people started rebuilding them in the Uk with better components and they became a decent motorcycle and started getting a following.

However the last 10 years or so have seen Enfield India change completely having a german designer engineer radically improve/modernise the range.So now we have alloy 600cc barrels 5 speed gearboxes electric starts etc plus hugely improved components and build quality.The model range is there to suit most enthusiasts unfortunately the prices have gone up massively as well.

A friend who has a few classics of his own bought one of these new models a year ago and is realy pleased ,with its classic looks and more modern reliability. Shame we likely will never (in the next few years) to see these at reasonable prices in Thailand.

[AllanB]

For those who criticise these old simple models, in favour of a more modern bike, I would say this. When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998, without electric anything, no turbo, few electronics, the reason being when it goes wrong there is less to fix and it costs much less to do so.

I look a little further than the shiny paint job, bhp and gizmos, preferring instead the assurance of knowing that when things go wrong they can be fixed. I always preferred Land Rovers to anything Jap, as the marginal loss in reliability when travelling off-road was more than offset by the fact that I could fix things easily.

Knife and folk technology is even more important out here, have a problem with a CBR in the middle of nowhere and who can fix it, unless it is a puncture or a blown light bulb?

Then there is the character of the machine, the looks and especially the sound. I have a Wave for the shops or work, it gets me there faster than any bike on earth, but with fall asleep character, so these bigger bikes are hobby bikes, purely for for our pleasure. I prefer a real woman with all her little faults and foibles, others prefer reliable high tech inflatables.

[harrry]

On the ride from India to Europe I passed many newer machines....BMWs (which I love) seemed to litter the route as when they broke down there was a long long wait to import the precision parts they requrie to function. Every village had a blacksmith and he could allways get my Enfield 200 going with little more than a set of heavy hammers and a shifting spanner. Sometimes old is good.

[billd766]

For those who criticise these old simple models, in favour of a more modern bike, I would say this. When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998, without electric anything, no turbo, few electronics, the reason being when it goes wrong there is less to fix and it costs much less to do so.

I look a little further than the shiny paint job, bhp and gizmos, preferring instead the assurance of knowing that when things go wrong they can be fixed. I always preferred Land Rovers to anything Jap, as the marginal loss in reliability when travelling off-road was more than offset by the fact that I could fix things easily.

Knife and folk technology is even more important out here, have a problem with a CBR in the middle of nowhere and who can fix it, unless it is a puncture or a blown light bulb?

Then there is the character of the machine, the looks and especially the sound. I have a Wave for the shops or work, it gets me there faster than any bike on earth, but with fall asleep character, so these bigger bikes are hobby bikes, purely for for our pleasure. I prefer a real woman with all her little faults and foibles, others prefer reliable high tech inflatables.

That's why I like my 200cc Honda Phantom so much.

Cheap, simple, easy to maintain, comfortable to ride (I did 400 km each way to BKK and back a couple of years ago in the same day).

I climb on it, start it off and go where I need to go with no hassle.

[Wong!]

When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998

A big difference between pre 200 and pre-war.

[transam]

For those who criticise these old simple models, in favour of a more modern bike, I would say this. When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998, without electric anything, no turbo, few electronics, the reason being when it goes wrong there is less to fix and it costs much less to do so.

I look a little further than the shiny paint job, bhp and gizmos, preferring instead the assurance of knowing that when things go wrong they can be fixed. I always preferred Land Rovers to anything Jap, as the marginal loss in reliability when travelling off-road was more than offset by the fact that I could fix things easily.

Knife and folk technology is even more important out here, have a problem with a CBR in the middle of nowhere and who can fix it, unless it is a puncture or a blown light bulb?

Then there is the character of the machine, the looks and especially the sound. I have a Wave for the shops or work, it gets me there faster than any bike on earth, but with fall asleep character, so these bigger bikes are hobby bikes, purely for for our pleasure. I prefer a real woman with all her little faults and foibles, others prefer reliable high tech inflatables.

My 1988 Volvo was all electronic.............

[harrry]

For those who criticise these old simple models, in favour of a more modern bike, I would say this. When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998, without electric anything, no turbo, few electronics, the reason being when it goes wrong there is less to fix and it costs much less to do so.

I look a little further than the shiny paint job, bhp and gizmos, preferring instead the assurance of knowing that when things go wrong they can be fixed. I always preferred Land Rovers to anything Jap, as the marginal loss in reliability when travelling off-road was more than offset by the fact that I could fix things easily.

Knife and folk technology is even more important out here, have a problem with a CBR in the middle of nowhere and who can fix it, unless it is a puncture or a blown light bulb?

Then there is the character of the machine, the looks and especially the sound. I have a Wave for the shops or work, it gets me there faster than any bike on earth, but with fall asleep character, so these bigger bikes are hobby bikes, purely for for our pleasure. I prefer a real woman with all her little faults and foibles, others prefer reliable high tech inflatables.

My 1988 Volvo was all electronic.............

Does the volvo come with a spare hat?

[AllanB]

When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998

A big difference between pre 200 and pre-war.

Not really when it comes to repairs and their cost, the big changes arrived around the turn of the millennium when all the high tech crap arrived. My 206 1.9d has no turbo, or inter-cooler and very little in terms of electronics, okay it's a Peugeot, so things go wrong, the central locking has problems, but I figured a way around it, the indicator switch was fixed with a rolled up piece of paper. But new tyres are just 35 quid each and it does 80+mpg, cost me only 450 quid to buy 125 quid to insure, cheap almost trouble free motoring, that gets me where I want to go. So, I will get my money back when I sell.

This is what I want from a bike, cheap relative trouble free riding, with the knowledge that when things go wrong it can be fixed, if not by me, by a Thai mechanic with his 3 spanners. A modern bike sounds like a sewing machine and has as much character.

It also seems these old bikes are reliable, more so that modern machine, if you read many of the first hand accounts of owners here, so maybe many of these improvements they have made, aren't. There is no shortage of bullshit when it comes to the modern marketing men, after all they convince millions of us daily that MacDonalds is real food..

Edited November 22, 2013 by AllanB

[Wong!]

When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998

A big difference between pre 200 and pre-war.

Not really when it comes to repairs and their cost, the big changes arrived around the turn of the millennium when all the high tech crap arrived. My 206 1.9d has no turbo, or inter-cooler and very little in terms of electronics, okay it's a Peugeot, so things go wrong, the central locking has problems, but I figured a way around it, the indicator switch was fixed with a rolled up piece of paper. But new tyres are just 35 quid each and it does 80+mpg, cost me only 450 quid to buy 125 quid to insure, cheap almost trouble free motoring, that gets me where I want to go. So, I will get my money back when I sell.

This is what I want from a bike, cheap relative trouble free riding, with the knowledge that when things go wrong it can be fixed, if not by me, by a Thai mechanic with his 3 spanners. A modern bike sounds like a sewing machine and has as much character.

It also seems these old bikes are reliable, more so that modern machine, if you read many of the first hand accounts of owners here, so maybe many of these improvements they have made, aren't. There is no shortage of bullshit when it comes to the modern marketing men, after all they convince millions of us daily that MacDonalds is real food..

Good to see you want to buy a Honda and not an Enfield.

[AllanB]

When I go England I always a buy a car that was built pre 2000, or preferably pre 1998

A big difference between pre 200 and pre-war.

Not really when it comes to repairs and their cost, the big changes arrived around the turn of the millennium when all the high tech crap arrived. My 206 1.9d has no turbo, or inter-cooler and very little in terms of electronics, okay it's a Peugeot, so things go wrong, the central locking has problems, but I figured a way around it, the indicator switch was fixed with a rolled up piece of paper. But new tyres are just 35 quid each and it does 80+mpg, cost me only 450 quid to buy 125 quid to insure, cheap almost trouble free motoring, that gets me where I want to go. So, I will get my money back when I sell.

This is what I want from a bike, cheap relative trouble free riding, with the knowledge that when things go wrong it can be fixed, if not by me, by a Thai mechanic with his 3 spanners. A modern bike sounds like a sewing machine and has as much character.

It also seems these old bikes are reliable, more so that modern machine, if you read many of the first hand accounts of owners here, so maybe many of these improvements they have made, aren't. There is no shortage of bullshit when it comes to the modern marketing men, after all they convince millions of us daily that MacDonalds is real food..

Good to see you want to buy a Honda and not an Enfield.

I said no such thing. I do own a Honda, an old NV400, but only because I can't get an Enfield, or old Bonny, which was the purpose of starting this thread.

I own a bloody Jap truck too, but only because I have no real choice, I hate protectionism it stifles competition and stops me buying what I want.

So given free choice I would ride an Enfield and drive an Alfa.

[Garry]

I said no such thing. I do own a Honda, an old NV400, but only because I can't get an Enfield, or old Bonny, which was the purpose of starting this thread.

 

I own a bloody Jap truck too, but only because I have no real choice, I hate protectionism it stifles competition and stops me buying what I want.

 

So given free choice I would ride an Enfield and drive an Alfa. 

 

 

I would love to own a 500 Bullet or Bonny (750) myself. What model Alpha?

[harrry]

I said no such thing. I do own a Honda, an old NV400, but only because I can't get an Enfield, or old Bonny, which was the purpose of starting this thread.

I own a bloody Jap truck too, but only because I have no real choice, I hate protectionism it stifles competition and stops me buying what I want.

So given free choice I would ride an Enfield and drive an Alfa.

I would love to own a 500 Bullet or Bonny (750) myself. What model Alpha?

Well they do paint a few bullets red.

[prestburypark]

Clocked some in the UK recently and they were not as cheap as I thought they should be, I grew up on 1950's bikes, C15's, Bantams , AJS's all bought for pennies and god I am glad for modern machinery, I distinctly remember taking an Enfield 250 2 stroke from Uxbridge to London and back and wishing the damn thing would go vaguely where I pointed it.

I can see the market for the retro's but if I went that route it would be a Thruxton or maybe a Bonnie.

[Garry]

I said no such thing. I do own a Honda, an old NV400, but only because I can't get an Enfield, or old Bonny, which was the purpose of starting this thread.

I own a bloody Jap truck too, but only because I have no real choice, I hate protectionism it stifles competition and stops me buying what I want.

So given free choice I would ride an Enfield and drive an Alfa.

I would love to own a 500 Bullet or Bonny (750) myself. What model Alpha?

Well they do paint a few bullets red.

ha ha, the Bullet I saw in the Middle East was British Racing Green and the exact same color I would like. The color just depictes the Bullet.

[AllanB]

I said no such thing. I do own a Honda, an old NV400, but only because I can't get an Enfield, or old Bonny, which was the purpose of starting this thread.

I own a bloody Jap truck too, but only because I have no real choice, I hate protectionism it stifles competition and stops me buying what I want.

So given free choice I would ride an Enfield and drive an Alfa.

I would love to own a 500 Bullet or Bonny (750) myself. What model Alpha?

New, or old?

I had an Alfa 33 greencloverleaf, flat 4 boxer with 2 twin choke Webbers,... easily the best company car I ever had, went like stink, sounded fantastic, had it 3 years, 100,000 miles, never had a single problem, except it ate brake pads, but may have been my fault. The press stated it, so what do they know?

It is a bit like this thread, the people who have had one, ridden one, especially for some distance, they know what's what.

The slaggers are all under 15 years old and we all know what they know about bikes, what they read in the press.

PS, If I had that car today it wouldn't last 5 minutes, I would have 12 points on my licence before I reached the end of the street, I could never drive that thing slowly.

Edited November 23, 2013 by AllanB