VOLUME 58 ISSUE 19 MAY 11, 2021 P77
A
lot has happened between
1939 and 2021. A glance
between our two motor-
cycles was clear testament to that.
My friend Dave rolled his 1939
Indian Daytona Scout off the trailer
and parked it next to my brand new
2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
The fireball red tank of the Meteor
reflected in the hand-polished
aluminum of the Indian. The two
couldn't be more diametrically
opposed—eight decades apart,
from opposite sides of the globe,
a 350cc single versus a 950cc V-
twin, modern comfort and technol-
ogy versus raw vintage mechanics.
Yet here we were, drawn together
by a last-minute stroke of fate that
had me packing my bags and
heading to California's Central
Coast for a weekend of riding.
A weekend in Paso
Robles, California
aboard the new Royal
Enfield Meteor 350 was
a welcome escape.
As Dave coiled up his cable
lock, I laughed about even need-
ing to lock it up, as any casual thief
wouldn't have a clue how to even
start it, let alone ride it. No keyed
ignition, but a kick start, jockey
shift and foot clutch are the virtual
combination lock here—not many
people know how to operate a
classic like this. The few who do
understand the mechanics of a
stunning restoration like Dave's '39
Indian Scout might say it belongs in
a museum. Dave thinks it belongs
on the road.
Royal Enfield has its share of
historic motorcycles, the company
celebrating its 120th anniversary
in 2021. While the Enfield has
introduced several innovations to
the two-wheel world (including the
articulating swingarm, as I recently
found out), Royal Enfield doesn't
strive to define the future, instead
maintaining a foothold in classic
design elements, fused with care-
fully thought-out modern touches.
