Royal Enfield recreates a faithful and honorable working replica of a motor-bicycle from 1901.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:35 When the project commenced, we had so little to go on.
00:39 There were no blueprints, no engineering drawings.
00:43 We had just a couple of photographs, an advertisement,
00:47 and an article.
00:48 And that's all we had to go with.
00:51 So for the engineers, creating a motor bicycle
00:55 that was 120 years old, in effect, was quite a challenge.
01:01 So after the challenge had come out from Gordon,
01:03 it was a great opportunity to go back in time,
01:06 go back in history, and actually understand Royal Enfield's DNA.
01:10 Well, it was certainly a daunting task
01:17 that we were given.
01:20 Usually, the process we take is to go and look
01:23 at other similar motorcycles.
01:24 Or if you're making a reproduction,
01:26 ideally, go and measure the original.
01:30 But in this case, there was none.
01:32 This frame, we're trying to replicate something.
01:37 So it involves a different approach to it.
01:42 If we were building this bike from scratch,
01:46 we'd just simply make it.
01:47 We wouldn't be copying anything.
01:49 We'd make it how we wanted to.
01:51 But the real difficulty here is trying
01:53 to replicate and honor the craftsmanship that
01:57 went into the original bike.
01:59 When we started, we thought we understood
02:04 what we needed to do.
02:05 But of course, our engineers are used to modern techniques,
02:09 current day engineering.
02:11 And what we found we needed was to get into the mindset
02:16 of those pioneers of 1901.
02:21 The only way you can make a tank like this
02:23 is with the 100-year-old soldering irons.
02:26 I was left with these tools, this tank,
02:29 and then I had to learn the technique
02:31 for soldering the seams.
02:34 It's the only way to work on these bikes.
02:35 You can't use modern production methods.
02:38 They thought at 60 miles an hour, you might not breathe
02:40 and you might die.
02:42 It was rocket science of the day.
02:47 So after months and months of work,
02:50 we finally got it together.
02:52 But the big question is, will it run?
02:55 And will it ride well?
02:56 Because it's one thing to bench test an engine
02:59 and know that it will tick over.
03:01 But to actually run as part of a complete motorcycle
03:06 or motor bicycle is a big unknown.
03:09 [MUSIC PLAYING]
03:12 This project's taken us right back to the very origin
03:32 of Royal Enfield.
03:34 120 years, that DNA's been carried forward.
03:38 And you can see it's there.
03:39 And you can see what it means to us.
03:41 And you can see what it means to our riders.
03:45 120 years of pure motorcycling.
03:47 [MOTORCYCLE ENGINE]
03:50 It's important on many levels.
03:53 But it's important for the engineers
03:55 at the UK and Indian technical centers
03:59 and for the team at Harris to be able to do something that
04:04 connects back with this really important heritage
04:08 that Royal Enfield has.
04:10 And I hope that if they're looking down on us,
04:13 those gentlemen, engineers, and designers of 120 years ago,
04:19 and see what we've now achieved today,
04:22 I hope they're really proud.
04:27 In order to know where you're going,
04:29 you've got to know where you've come from.
04:31 And that is Project Origin.
04:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]