The great thing about motorcycles is that interesting ones do the more mundane stuff just as well as more ordinary machines. You might want a two-wheeler to dispense with dense traffic or dire public transport on a five-mile commute to work, and there are plenty of worthy and sensible ones from which to choose. Or you could go for something mad like a BMW S1000RR, excessive like a Harley Electra Glide or dirty like a KTM. They’d all cope, they’d all be fun and they’d all be talking points when you’re socialising.
Or you could be really left field: how about a modernised version of a Fifties British single, styled with an off-road look? Welcome to the Royal Enfield Woodsman.
Where until quite recently the Indian-built Enfield Bullet and its myriad derivatives used the original engine, built with some of the same machinery that once resided in Redditch in the Fifties and Sixties, the Woodsman’s motor has been created in response to modern emissions legislation.
It looks the part and retains the old engine’s thumping, low-rev character due to identical bore and long stroke, but it’s much cleaner burning and considerably more dependable.
It now has an electric starter and fuel injection, and the power is up to a dizzying 27.5bhp (like a child’s age, the extra half counts at this level). You get a five-ratio gearbox and a modern-style wet, multiplate clutch, too, none of which dents the traditional 80mpg-plus fuel economy.
That economy alone would justify the Woodsman as an everyday bike, as it’s equal to or better than that of most scooters. The Enfield is also an easy bike to service at home and the company is happy to support you in that – indeed, such is the bike’s simplicity that it encourages you to tinker with it. And you’re not going to be shredding rear tyres every week, either.
As long as you’re not expecting the agility of a modern machine, riding it is a genuine pleasure. The top speed is about 85mph, a pace it will maintain all day thanks to the modern engine internals, although in truth it’s more suited to slower, twistier roads than motorways. At a slightly more sedate pace the Woodsman chugs along on its adequate torque, making pleasing noises and shudders.
The chassis doesn’t respond to attempts at sudden direction changes, but it swings through turns accurately enough and the suspension copes pretty well most of the time. There’s not a great deal of spring travel, so bigger bumps can have the bike kicking around, but it’s a lot better than older Enfields.
Even the brakes aren’t bad, the front disc providing acceptable performance and the rear drum being more effective than some rear discs. The riding position is good for general use and around town, being upright with high, wide handlebars – wind-blast at high speed will never be a problem.
As standard, there’s no passenger facility although rear footrests and an extra seating pad are available for occasional two-up use.
The styling itself is very purposeful and well balanced, and despite the chassis being as new as the engine it very much looks like an original Fifties single. You even get an aluminium bash plate should you decide to venture off road (the bike copes with gentler trails quite well). Bear in mind, however, that it’s something of a myth that old British bikes were lightweight compared with high-powered modern machines: at 412lb (187kg) the Woodsman weighs as much as a typical 110bhp, Supersport middleweight.
What it has that one of those doesn’t is charm and character. While it will happily shrug off your commute, the Woodsman is an endearing machine that on sunny evenings is likely to tempt you to take the long way home, just for the pleasure of it.
THE FACTS
Royal Enfield Woodsman
Price/on sale: From £4,995/now
Power/torque: 27.5bhp @ 5,250rpm/30.4lb ft @ 4,000rpm
Top speed: 85mph
Fuel tank/range: 3.2 gallons/ 250 miles
Verdict: Modern manners, emissions and dependability with old school economy, character and looks – it’s a fine combination that blends genuine utility with the kind of simplicity that encourages you to tinker with it for the sake of tinkering.
Telegraph rating: Four out of five
THE RIVALS
Triumph Scrambler, £6,799
This is an ultra-modern machine with inevitably much better performance and long-distance capability than the Enfield. It does cost almost half as much again, however.
Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, £6,274
The V7 Classic is an air-cooled V-twin with Sixties styling and a general feel that an Enfield rider will recognise. It’s not too costly, either, and its performance is gentle.
Harley-Davidson SuperLow, £6,150
Bigger and much heavier but easy enough to ride, and a bike you’d buy for esoteric reasons, then discover it’s perfectly capable of getting you to work each day.
