On to the final gears and settle down to 70 kph and you are actually enjoying the new Enfield. Sure, it will go faster and it can cruise at slower speeds, but things are peaceful and more manageable at 70 kph -- it will steer, stop and be ready for overtaking at this speed, hence. But what hurts is the mechanical rhapsody that is packaged into this new engine as the speed climbs to 80 and beyond. The exhaust note is inimitably British, but the cacophony is not.
Maybe the test bike was really out of tune as it had been to a Himalayan Odyssey, amongst other things. Vibrations of the tuning fork variety attacks the foot pegs and takes over at 80-100 kph -- which is a shame, since you really are enjoying the ride at this point. Surprisingly the vibes don't get transmitted to the short-arm rear view mirror, which work well.
The best way to come to a halt in an Enfield is to reduce your speed through the gear box -- which, I must say, worked well for me. There are false neutrals that you can stumble upon every now and then, still. The rear drum is spongy on the feel and good for parking speeds at best.
The 280 mm front disc bites with a vengeance though and when combined with the rear drum, provides more than adequate panic-stopping ability to the motorcycle. That said, the braking could get more progressive and may be a better bedded-in pad up front would do wonders.
Photograph: Royal Enfield
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