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Common Tread

How Royal Enfield sold 15 motorcycles in 15 seconds

Dec 17, 2017

Royal Enfield is known for simple single-cylinder (and now twin) motorcycles, not ultra-limited productions.

But RE made an exception when it helped members of India’s National Security Guard embark on a 5,000-mile journey to commemorate the NSG’s 33rd year of service. The elite group toured to promote solidarity across India while raising awareness of their commitment to combat terrorism.

Here’s how Royal Enfield did it.

Step 1: Pull some Classic 500s off the line, and black them out. Add the NSG crest and presto — Stealth Black Edition. Now, time to get some real stealth cred.

Step 2: Find 15 NSG Black Cats in need of a little R&R. I imagine road tripping across India is easier than jumping out of airplanes or whatever other training they do in a normal day. Their new mission? Promote unity and ride bikes. They’re outfitted with Royal Enfield gear, but the Black Cats don’t seem to be fans of hi-viz.

The Hi-Viz Cats weren't available that day. Royal Enfield photo.
The Hi-viz Cats weren't available that day. Royal Enfield Stealth Black Classic 500. Royal Enfield photo.

Step 3: Let the Black Cats loose on their road trip. Don’t forget a camera crew to record some of the action as they make stops in Kolkata, Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad and Chennai (home of Royal Enfield).

Step 4: On their return, give regular folks a chance to buy the bikes. Apparently there’s some overlap between Indian motorcyclists and admirers of the Black Cats, as they had 2,000 entries for just 15 bikes!

Step 5: Sell one Classic 500 per second for fifteen seconds. Give every rupee to Prerna, a non-profit benefiting underprivileged kids, and call it a day.

The base Classic 500 used for the ride. The limited versions have the NSG crest and about 5,000 miles on them. Royal Enfield photo.
The base bike, a Classic 500. The limited editions got the NSG insignia and 8,000 kilometers on them. Royal Enfield photo.

Royal Enfield has traditionally supplied the Indian Army with bikes, but like a few of their other initiatives, they’re pushing things to the next level. Twins and special editions... what's next, RE?