The Royal Enfield is the oldest vintage motorcycle model that is still in production in the present times. The company had sourced out from Redditch, Worcestershire and it became non-existent in 1971, however, there is still production done in India. The 1963 Royal Enfield Indian Motorcycle model was the last one to use the "Indian" tagline joined to its name and sold to America.

The Royal Enfield Group was most famous for the production of motorcycles; nonetheless they also made numerous other things like rifles, lawnmowers, and bicycles. Their logo was a image of this cannon with a motto that said 'made like a gun, goes like a bullet."

By 1955, the Indian Enfield started producing Bullet motorcycles with license from a UK based Brand, and by 1962, they were constructing complete bikes. Even when the Royal Enfield suspended in 1971, the Indian company in Chennai continued the productions and bought the rights to the name "Royal Enfield" in 1995 and it is 2009 and they are still in business.

The year 1950 was a turning point for the Indian Motorcycle Company of America. A company called Brockhouse Corporation was assisting with the finance of faltering Indian company, and bought it in 1950. Some unlucky proceedings led to the India branch being split into two: one for the sales, and one for manufacturing.

The overhead valve engine expenses was high and the manufacturing arm could not meet the retooling finances. So it closed in 1953, and some Indian purists thought that it was the end of "real" Indian motorcycles. But the sales arm was still working and didn't fold.

The Brockhouse Corporation had the rights to the name and after the Indian manufacturing failed, they began importing Enfields and marketed them as Indian from 1955 to 1970. This was an example of "badge engineering" but it was not successful. Even though the dealers still went on with the matchless Indian name after 1959, the Indian name was removed from the motorcycles.

It was during this period of Indian Motorcycle history that disputes about who owned the rights to the brand name begun evolving. The Enfield Chief was still being sold in 1960 - a rebadged Enfield 700 cc twin fitted with the fender guards, saddlebags, and other Indian paraphernalia.

Anyhow, Associated Motorcycles of Britain bought the Indian name in 1960. In 1963, the Berliner Motor Corporation overpowered the U.S distributorship of Associated Motorcycles and the Indian name was completely removed for good. These details of the deal became life-like in form of trademark and branding disputes till 1999.

But in the mid 60s, the gross-revenues arm of the Indian company was obtained by Floyd Clymer, a racer, author, motorcycle dealer, and magazine publisher. Clymer spent the last five or so years of his life trying to resuscitate the Indian brand, by fitting Indian nameplates to Italian Velocette-based bikes, and even having a prototype built based on the original Indian V-Twin design. Though well received, unfortunately, the prototype was the only one ever made.

Indian scout motorbikes are all time classics. For more information on Indian motorcycle parts click on the links.