c2007 Carberry Enfield 1000cc Motorcycle

Description

The brainchild of Australian Paul Carberry, the idea behind the Carberry-Enfield was to produce a classic-style British V-twin based around existing Royal Enfield components, suitably modernised to create a reliable, torquey retro cruiser that could be ridden on a daily basis. Carberry's long-standing love of motorcycles eventually led him to establish an Indonesian-based business importing and distributing Royal Enfield motorcycles. This experience gave rise to the idea that it was possible to update the basic Royal Enfield concept, eliminate the build quality issues and generally improve every aspect of these charismatic machines. Carberry sought the help of Ian Drysdale, better known for his outrageous street legal quad-cam V8 monster, to develop the new motorcycle, powered by a bespoke overhead-valve 55-degree V-twin four-stroke with dry sump and pushrod activation of the twin valves per cylinder. With a bore and stroke of 84 x 90mm, the V-twin was rated at 50 horsepower at 4800 rpm, using a low compression ratio of 6.5:1 but more power was easily had with a little tuning. Drysdale designed the crankcase using standard Enfield 500 iron cylinders, with the standard heads and primary drive cover retained. Although the prototype used a four-speed gearbox, production bikes adopted a five-speed set up and an electric start was adapted from a Toyota car. Beautifully executed with superior build quality, the basic concept of turning the classic Royal Enfield into a smooth, vibration-free V-twin motorcycle remains sound but sadly the project ultimately failed to get off the ground. In addition to the single prototype, 12 motorcycles were eventually produced, plus a couple of additional engines, with higher than expected prices and difficulties in reaching key export markets like the UK and US resulting in the Carberry-Enfield's ultimate demise in 2012.