We’ve Given Birth To Twins

The 500 Twin made its first appearance in the 1948 London Motorcycle Show. Miles ahead in comfort to its contemporaries, thanks to the same revolutionary swinging arm rear suspension as the Bullet, the 500 Twin was the genesis of a long line of iconic Royal Enfield parallel twins.

The parallel twin craze that swept through the motorcycle industry in the late 1940s was set to dominate British motorcycle design for the following two decades.

Royal Enfield’s first parallel twin - simply called the 500 Twin - was developed in tandem with the post war 350 Bullet. Designed by Ted Pardoe - affectionately known as Snowball due to his round head and shock of white hair - and developed by chief engineer, Tony Wilson Jones, it was unveiled at the prestigious London Motorcycle Show in November 1948.

The 500 Twin was streets ahead of its competitors in the the comfort stakes. While all other manufacturers’ twins had either a rigid frame or rudimentary plunger suspension, the Royal Enfield enjoyed the same revolutionary swinging arm rear suspension as the Bullet.

The motorcycle’s silky smoothness continued in the engine department. Most engines of this era were statically balanced. Royal Enfield went the extra mile to both statically and dynamically balance the 500 Twin, the latter step ensuring the rider experienced no finger-tingling and teeth-chattering vibrations.

The engine’s design had many praiseworthy qualities. Not least, nearly all parallel twins of this time had one-piece cylinders and cylinder heads. The 500 Twin had separate heads and separate cylinders. The benefits were numerous - airflow between the two cylinders aided cooling, one cylinder could be decoked at a time and if a head gasket was to blow, as it did to British team rider Stan Holmes in the 1951 ISDT, the motorcycle could still be ridden on one cylinder.

Another advancement was the 500 Twin’s electrical system. This was still the era of magneto ignition on motorcycles but Royal Enfield took a giant leap forward, opting for coil ignition with a car type distributor driven by a 75W Lucas dynamo. This benefits were easy starting and low maintenance.

The 500 Twin’s frame and cycle parts were painted with rich battleship grey enamel and its tank chrome plated with frosted silver panels. This striking combination, with the addition of highly polished aluminium crankcases and primary cover, led to the motorcycle being described as ‘undoubtedly one of the most handsome machines in production’.

These attributes should have made the 500 Twin one of Britain’s best selling motorcycles but that wasn’t to be. In the aftermath of WWII, Britain was close to financial collapse. ‘Export or Die’ was the motto of the times, the government telling the population, ‘We must sell the things we like to buy the things we need.’ As Royal Enfield’s top of the range, luxury model, nearly all 500 Twins were exported to international markets.

Consequently, the British motorcycling press didn’t get their hands on one until two years later. When The Motor Cycle magazine finally did undertake road tests, the journalist adored the ride comfort and handling, ‘The excellence of the Royal Enfield suspension… a high standard of comfort is provided and high speeds are possible on the worst of surfaces. Corners and bends could be taken stylishly at speed, the wheels hugging the chosen line in the highest confidence-instilling manner.’

The engine also came in for considerable praise. ‘At traffic speeds the Royal Enfield proved to be tractable to an extent not hitherto experienced with a modern parallel twin. It would trickle happily at 15 mph in top gear. Cruising speeds of 60, 70 and 75 mph were commonplace throughout the test. There was at no time the slightest indication of excessive heat. Because of the engine’s excellent low-speed torque, acceleration in the highest gears is particularly good.’

The 500 Twin continued in production until 1957 with only minor changes. Its legacy, however, was much greater than the sales it generated and reputation it gained. The 500 Twin evolved into the Meteor and Super Meteor, the Constellation and the daddy of them all, the mighty Interceptor - and look at what that means to Royal Enfield today.