Beschreibung
This is Lot 347 in the Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale on April 20 & 21, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
By the turn of the 19th Century, George Townsend & Company had been reorganised as the Enfield Cycle Company, makers of the 'Royal Enfield' motorcycle. By 1904 they were concentrating on car production, resuming motorcycle manufacture in 1910. In 1927 Enfield introduced its first 500cc (3½hp) model, which used the 1, 000cc v-twin's 85. 5x85mm bore/ stroke dimensions for an actual capacity of 488cc. An overhead-valve version joined the sidevalve original for 1929 and both used Enfield's own four-speed gearbox.
This Royal Enfield Model 501 was supplied new via Messrs Anderson & Wall of Bridgwater, Somerset to a Mr A G Broughton and first registered on 8th October 1928. The machine was bought by the late owner at Bonhams' Harrogate sale in November 2010 (Lot 614). Its immediately preceding owner had purchased the bike at Harrogate in 2007, the owner before him having acquired it 31 years previously and just completed a five-year restoration (although there are no related bills on file). During the 2007-2010 ownership the carburettor and electrics had been overhauled, and although the machine had been started occasionally it had not been run on the roads. Recommissioning will be required before further use. The machine is offered with a history file containing a V5C document; an old-style green logbook (issued 1973); a few invoices; a reproduction spare parts list; and a quantity of photocopied literature.
