Limited editions of motorbikes appear now and again. There are collectors, individuals and museums, who are keen buyers. So much so that examples of a recent Triumph Bonneville limited edition are already changing hands at three and four times the original price.
The Royal Enfield Electra XR is an evocation of the mid-1950s-style café racers, with more than a passing resemblance to the original Royal Enfield Continental GT. It is the result of a joint venture between Motor Cycle News (MCN) currently celebrating its 50th anniversary and Watsonian-Squire. Only 50 of these machines will be made, which will give them a degree of rarity value.
Rarity value is surely needed if you are at all price-conscious. These machines are being sold in the UK through MCN at £4,699 OTR, but by the time they have been delivered to Ireland and the VRT has been paid, this adds up to €7,959. That is €2,159 more than the price of the Royal Enfield Electra on which the Electra XR is based. It is worth looking at what one gets for the money.
To find out, we paid a quick trip to the Cotswolds, home of Watsonian-Squire, the importers of Indian-built Royal Enfields and the makers of several British-built Enfields. As luck would have it our visit coincided with a heavy snowfall which rendered the nearby Broadway Hill almost impassable and turned the Cotswolds into a winter wonderland. Fortunately, we had ridden the full-power version of the standard Electra, from which this model is derived, earlier last year.
That apart, we were able to thoroughly inspect the prototype Electra XR and see several current production models in various stages of completion. The Electra XR uses the new Austrian-designed lean-burn engine which is a huge advance on the classic Royal Enfields. A high-performance kit increases the power output by around 8 kW at the rear wheel. This gives a maximum speed when properly run-in, of 150 km/h, although for comfort 140 km/h should be considered the maximum.
The instruments, analogue speedo and rev counter, the latter incorporating a fuel gauge, come from the Royal Enfield Thunderbird, a model available only in India. Electronic ignition is standard. The fuel tank, holding approximately 12.5L is steel, with a fibreglass coating and, as with the monoposto saddle, is made in the UK by Watsonian-Squire.
The gearbox is the modern 5-speed, left-hand change box first seen on the 2003 Bullet 500s. Unusually, but none the less welcome, is the fact that a centre stand, in addition to a side stand, is fitted as standard.
In purely financial terms, what you get by way of extra value, if you ignore the rarity value, is certainly not worth €2,159. One could convert a standard Electra to Electra XR guise, using easily accessible components for much less. But you forego the possibly valuable 50 MCN tag on the sidepanel. In performance terms, the Electra-engined Royal Enfields represent a significant improvement on the classic models which were designed for a more leisurely, motorway-free era.
Externally there appears to be little difference but internally modern technology and materials have taken over. The result is impressive enough in standard form.
But the Electra XR has an improved version of the optional high-performance kit which gives a 30 per cent improvement, and that makes a big difference.
Braking, as with the standard Electra, is well up to the bike's performance. The roadholding is amazingly good. The somewhat rectangular, hard single-seat gives reasonable comfort. Being designed and built as a single-seater it should qualify for a 25 per cent insurance reduction.
This is about as close as you can get to authentic 1950s/1960s big-hearted, British, single performance, with the advantage of greater reliability and a distinctive rarity value. In terms of looks and that evocative, deep-throated single sound, if nostalgia weighs in your balance above mere money, then this is one desirable machine.ENGINE: 499cc, single-cylinder,4-stroke, OHV, push-rod, 2 valve, dry-sump. Max. power 25kW (34bhp) @ 5,000rpm. Torque approx. 45Nm @ 3,300rpm. 5-speed gearbox, chain drive, electric start.
FRAME: Telescopic front forks, rear swinging arm with gas-filled shock absorbers. Brakes, front single 280mm hydraulic disk, rear 6" drum. Wheels 18" 90/90 front and 100/90 rear.
DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase 1,370mm, seat height 815mm, fuel 12.5L. Weight 155kg.
PRICE: €7,959