Rod Copes rides a Royal Enfield Continental GT in Cedarburg. Copes, a former Harley-Davidson executive, is now president of the North American division of Royal Enfield, a brand that dates back to 1901. The motorcycles, once made in England, are now made in India. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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Royal Enfield Motors, which claims to be the world's oldest motorcycle company in continuous production, is pursuing a comeback in the United States with assistance from a former Harley-Davidson executive.

The India-based manufacturer is counting on Rod Copes, who previously led Harley's efforts in Asia and other emerging markets, to establish its brand in North America with motorcycles akin to venerable British bikes from decades ago.

Royal Enfield produced its first motorcycles in Britain in 1901, two years before William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson built their first bikes for the general public. The company, known for its bikes that capture the essence of old-school motorcycling — a throbbing engine, simple electronics and a low price — is revered in India, one of the world's largest markets for two-wheel vehicles.

Copes left Harley in November 2012 as senior vice president of global sales after a career that spanned nearly 20 years.

In his new job, he is president of Royal Enfield's North American division.

Copes now has something in common with Erik Buell, whose Buell Motorcycle Co. was owned by Harley-Davidson until 2009. Buell has since formed East Troy-based Erik Buell Racing, which is 49% owned by Hero Moto Corp., India's largest motorcycle manufacturer.

Hero brought in designers and engineers from Erik Buell Racing to assist its 300-member product development team. Of 19 new bikes that Hero planned to display at a New Delhi motorcycle show earlier this year, 13 had ties to Buell engineers.

"I need to sit down with Erik because he is working very closely with Hero, and I think there's a lot we can learn from each other," Copes, a resident of Cedarburg, said this week.

Return to cycling's roots

Royal Enfield, once a British company, became part of India-based Eicher Group in 1994. The motorcycle company's ties to India go back further than that, however, in both manufacturing and sales of bikes known for their simplicity but not reliability.

With some of the older Royal Enfields, the owner would take apart the engine to seal it properly so the oil didn't leak out. The bikes were easy to work on, which was good when they broke down.

More recently, Royal Enfield has implemented modern manufacturing methods and engineering aimed at producing motorcycles that are reliable but still have the desired traits of the older bikes.

"Motorcycling, at its roots, was really about having an engine, a chassis and a couple of wheels. Our competitive advantage is getting back to the essence of a motorcycle," Copes said.

Royal Enfield has experienced significant sales growth. It's expected to produce more than 280,000 motorcycles this year, up from about 40,000 in 2008, according to Copes.

He first became acquainted with the company six years ago while running Harley-Davidson's Asia-Pacific division and helping Harley get a foothold in India, the world's second most populous nation.

"I took my first trip to India in 2008 to see if Harley was ready for India and if India was ready for Harley-Davidson. And the answer was 'yes' to both questions," Copes said.

While he was working for Harley-Davidson, he said, Royal Enfield invited him to tour its factories. The company shared its knowledge of the Indian motorcycle market and helped Harley establish an assembly plant in the country.

"At one point, we looked at whether we should do a joint venture," Copes said.

Back in the saddle

His work included adding country/market offices in India, Russia, Brazil, Singapore, the Czech Republic, Greece and South Korea. It also resulted in dozens of new overseas Harley dealerships.

"I was incredibly blessed and had a great career exceeding all my expectations," Copes said. But the overseas travel left him little time at home with his family, which included three youngsters in high school.

So in late 2012, Copes left Harley-Davidson to do some business consulting and become an owner of two Wisconsin companies, Applied Fab & Machining in Waukesha, and Heale Manufacturing in Wausau.

"I always thought I would have two distinct paths in my career," he said.

Royal Enfield wasn't part of that plan, initially, but Copes had stayed in contact with Siddhartha Lal, the CEO of Eicher Motors, and the company asked him to become president of its North American motorcycle business.

"I really didn't think I would be back in the motorcycle industry, but I am excited to be back," Copes said. "They want to grow globally, and that's what I did at Harley-Davidson."

While Royal Enfield is a popular brand in India, the company has only a few U.S. dealerships, including two in Wisconsin. In the next few months, Copes says, he will be hiring a small team of managers for positions in areas such as marketing and dealer development.

The company plans to establish dealerships within multibrand motorcycle dealerships, securing its own floor space, signage and branding at those locations.

Creating brand awareness is a big part of the growth strategy, according to Copes.

"We have to tell our story. Once people hear about Royal Enfield, and they understand that it's the oldest motorcycle company in the world...it's a great story. And there are a lot of people in the U.S. who remember the motorcycle industry in the 1960s, when it was kind of dominated by the European and English motorcycle companies."

Biker nostalgia

The company recently introduced a new motorcycle, the 535cc Continental GT, modeled after a 1960s cafe racer with no fancy electronics and an analog, rather than digital, speedometer.

The bike's single-cylinder, air-cooled engine is less complex than engines on more powerful, modern motorcycles. While the bike has an electric starter, it also has a kick starter — something not seen on many motorcycles today.

The Continental GT has a retail price of $6,000, much less than the price of a larger, more feature-rich touring bike such as a Harley-Davidson Road King.

Royal Enfield could become popular with U.S. riders nostalgic for the 1960s and young adults wanting something unique and affordable, said Leslie Prevish, a former Harley-Davidson executive who now runs Prevish Marketing, a consulting business in the outdoor and motor sports industries.

"I think there is a lot of opportunity for them to grow in North America," Prevish said.

William Church, a British motorcycle enthusiast from Random Lake, has a 1963 Royal Enfield Crusader and 11 other vintage bikes. He's also a member of the British Biker Cooperative, a Milwaukee-based group.

The top speed and acceleration of the older motorcycles and the new Royal Enfields pale in comparison with modern high-performance bikes easily capable of topping 150 mph.

"By modern standards, they won't blow anyone away, not even close. But if you take one of these bikes into the Kettle Moraine, you could have a blast with it. And it's the perfect commuter bike," Church said.