The Royal Enfield as currently produced is a throwback to the mid 1950s, same style and engineering as the original with very little change until just this past year. The 500cc thumper is a very basic machine with British bloodlines and pretty much the performance you would expect from a mid 50s half liter single, which is to say, it could use a boost. Paul Carberry, down in Australia, had the idea of adding another cylinder and creating a V-Twin out of the basic engine, doubling displacement, giving it a satisfying sound and getting a nice performance increase at the same time.
Paul enlisted the aid of Ian Drysdale, a fellow Aussie, who you may remember builds the Drysdale V8, and together they took the concept and turned it into the machine you see here. The “Double Barrel” as it’s called, is a 55 degree V-Twin with 50 horsepower running through a 5 speed transmission. Hydraulic lifters run above the cams eliminating the need to modify the barrels. The 55 degree angle was chosen over anything tighter to provide clearance for the carbs and also for style and balance. They also retained as many standard Royal Enfield parts as possible to keep maintenance costs down.
This engine looks right at home in the bike without any cobbled together appearance whatsoever, it looks to be very well engineered. Although it doesn’t have massive horsepower, it’s an appreciable boost over stock and delivers decent performance for someone who wants the look of a classic British V-Twin and everyday reliability.
The Double Barrel requires a stock Royal Enfield Bullet as a base, then:
Essentially the Petrol tank is modified, the frame is modified (the front half of the frame is modified by us and it is a much stronger design with twin backbones , twin down tubes and also has front and back cylinder head mounts and includes the engine within the strucure). The motor is modified with a new crankcase and internals and an extra barrel and head is needed! The seat is also modified. In each case if no disc is present one is ftted.
Cost of modifying your donor Bullet is $A13,000, which currently is $8,892 in US dollars. Paul can also supply the donor bike and simply sell you the complete machine when he’s done.
I mentioned this engine project over 4 years ago!, and though I checked in from time to time, things didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Then I got a tip from Mark (Thanks!) that it looked like it was going into production. I followed up with Paul Carberry and indeed, he’s ready to build one for you right now.
The prototype has been exhaustively tested and Alan Cathcart (shown below) has put some miles on it, too. This seems to be a well done build with a little bit of a Vincent look to it. The short video on Paul’s website gives you a taste of the sound. Very classic, very nice. I like it.
Link: Carberry Enfield
aaron welton III says
looks great! Aaron
Jim says
About once a year I get the jones to put an Enfield in the garage. I don’t and the urge passes. Nine grand atop the cost of the donor bike? Not to forget the shipping cost to and from Australia. A nice Ducati or Guzi could be had for a similar investment.
Bigshankhank says
Slick, it looks extremely well done, however my first thought was it looks like a garage built ironhead sportster. Don’t get me wrong, I loves me some ironhead sportster, and Enfields are cool, especially the scrambler kit, but this is the answer to a question that’s already been answered.
Doug K says
Dream machine? Over in India countless thousands of Enfield owners have probably pasted a picture of that v-twin Enfield on their garage wall as if it were an MV Agusta. More power to them (literally).
Doug
Mr. Tanshanomi says
“…a classic British V-Twin…”
Hmm. Not a very populated category, other than the Vincent — which this clearly is not. Which makes this a rather unique bit of oddness. In other words, I LOVE IT.
Watching that video, I could just imagine showing up at a classic bike meet with this. Or a Harley meet. Or any other meet.
Very cool.
johnny says
awesome, I want one! great idea, and nice looking motor.
todd says
sweet! Much cooler than a HD, just as powerful, and really pretty close to HD pricing. I think they’ll sell enough to keep themselves busy.
-todd
mark says
What a cool bike and at very reasonable price considering what it is. Sure would look good in my garage.
wd515 says
I love the idea and it looks wicked.
justpete says
I’ll take a Scrambler with a Buell 1203 instead. Why mess with a classic? Especially when you have to ship it across the pond just to add another cylinder.
coho says
Seems like a great place to put a Versys engine.
Peter in Brisbane, Australia says
Your comment about only 50hp amused me. The mighty Vincent, in Rapide form, developed just 45hp and in Black Prince form, 55hp. These guys are on the money for a Vincent-style retro. It’s quirky, looks well made, and could be a lot of fun to ride.
Continuing thanks for a great website.
hoyt says
a couple comments about shipping costs….
ummm, not everyone lives in the US. In fact, many motorheads live in Australia. “Free Shipping”
revhappy says
wowwieeeee….this is amazing.Im from India and a classic bike enthusiast and i own a few bikes from a CB750k8 to an 08 MV Brutale 910R. Ive always wanted a 500 Enfield twin from the 50’s but the lazy bastards at Enfield here make the same old single 350/500. Carberry is ‘god’, period. The styling i understand is kept basic to keep costs low and retain originality. Imagine how nasty it would look in the cafe racer form? slurp slurp…we are talking one hell of a bike here. Any praise would be an understatement for its creators.
tim says
I like it, but no way can I justify it. Even to myself, and thats usually pretty easy!
3dp says
the fact that it looks “factory” is praise enough
sadly it’s the wrong side of the world for me at the price point
i’d love a motor to slap into a sunbeam/indian style 50’s ballon tyre cruiser to get gearheads thinking
Den says
Nice
I remember reading about the idea for this a while ago in an australian bike mag. I am glad the project has got of the ground. Mr Drysdale has made a lot of interesting machines in his time, including a two wheel drive two wheel steering dirt bike using hydrostatic power transmission.
I believe the original concept I read about did have more of a Vincent style to it. I agree a Rapide or cafe racer style bike would be fantastic, even a modern style chassis could be fun. Remember people that our dollar has dropped considerably lately so you yanks may be closer to affording this than you think, and yes they have managed to keep the price quite low for what the machine is.
B*A*M*F says
Great looking bike. I would love to see Royal Enfield buy the rights to build this bike from the factory.
paul carberry says
just to address the main concern for overseas people about the cost of shipping a bike.
this has been considered and I will be soon releasing kits to overseas customers so shipping costs will be on the kit only; bottom end, pipes, etc. then your lokal dealer can build a bike up from parts and bikes already in the country, I would also send extra frame tubes with a jig, drawings and engineers certifcate wich can be taken to a competent engieering shop for the frame extensions to be done.
as for compairing bike this to a ducati or a harley if you dont want something different then this bike is not for you. secondly I could be wrong but I predict the resale price will stay high like any other unique hand built machine
thank you for your coments!
paul carberry.
Mehul Kamdar says
Paul Carberry should be applauded for bringing back modern version of a rare Enfield model – yes, Enfield made very small numbers of a twin cylinder bike though the displacement was smaller than this AFAIK. From the pictures, at least, the bike looks beautifully put together and I do think that if the Royal Enfield owners had any sense, they would invite Carberry to join their board of directors and have him work with them on future models. Like Enfields as I do, the quality of the motorcycles coming from Chennai has been sorry to say the least. I dare say that a visionary like Carberry who cares for the brand enough to come up with a remarkable conversion by himself would help the Enfield company improve its quality and produce more innovative products in the future.
Sam Isaac says
Sexy is just not the word………..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bob Nedoma says
With a few “cosmetic” changes and two 350+cc cylinders (a 750cc machine), this would be EXACTLY the bike I am looking for. Long live simple good looks, reliable power and clasic engineering.
bushmaster says
i tried a similar experiment some years back with two 350 engines placed placed behind each other and then coupled by crank with a tooth belt. the idea was to have an option of a single and a twin together.i was a kid then and couldnt do a good job but i rode the machine from delhi to kashmir over a distance of alittle more than 1000 kilometres.the bike didnt handle well because of the extreme rake i had given to acommodate an extra engine.u can check my lightening on my orkut site. this runs on a car alternator driven by a belt.
clawbrant says
to Bob Nedoma:
350+350=700
XcaptiainXbloodX says
All that amazing engine work and my eyes keep getting pulled to that seat. fix that and this thing is (near) perfect!
miles jagot says
How about just buying an engine and building a bobber, chopper whatever takes your fancy. Just need to look at the price of other aftermarket big twins with more power than can be used, puts everything into perspective. Saw a finished bike at the ABR and they had an alloy engine as well on display.
David Walker says
I live in Las Vegas , Nevada , USA . I really want one of these works of art you have made ! Can you tell me how this set-up would work with a side Car . Not as young as I once was and my wife wants to go along . Any other facts and pricing you may have would help . Again , a work of Art !
ashish says
thats a great bike , somehow remeinds me of Vincent , may be coz its brit v-twin , though not really as lovely as a black shadow , still it a dream machine , i wish there was some way of importing it to India , d RE ppl hea , jus mak d 350z n 500z (only on order). great work, i wish some i did that to d Vincent black shadow. keep d classic bike spirit rokin !!
aichbe says
Besides design and fabrication of the cases, it seems like almost a machine shop-type conversion. Since you don’t find cases just lying around, and building them probably requires an engineering degree, why not try the modification with a set of relatively common Harley 45 cases? These were made from 1925 to the 70’s in a couple of different versions, all flatheads, but had 4 cams in the case, and were very reliable; the WR and WLD racing versions were pretty fast, as well. They aren’t getting scarce yet, though the price is creeping up. There have been several “45 Magnum” conversions built using ironhead Sportster cylinders, which require a LOT of special welding and machine work, but are very light and powerful. I have also seen at least one bike with 45 cases using either Matchless or BSA 500 cc jugs. Since they aren’t making any more BSA’s or Matchless’s, but there are literally millions of Enfield cylinders, pistons, heads, etc., all over Asia and elsewhere, why not? They’re probably more prevalent than Sporty Ironhead parts, and cheaper, too. Drop one into a Featherbed or similar cradle frame, and freak them out…
Ivan Castellino says
Paul, dude i wana build a cafe racer project. can i get the part lists you spoke about
as in i would like to evaluate the cost and oh yes your projest is damn goodand all the ducati lovers we dont care a damn a ducati cannot be a classic enfield chew on that
adam says
Can you do it too the diesel?
Looks awesome…..
Radhey Shyam Dhanjal says
you are great man carry on
Jai says
anyone any info if i can order the crankcase, crankshaft, and timing gear assy, and build this bike myself???