Royal Enfield Constellation
Royal Enfield Constellation | |
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Royal Enfield Constellation
Big parallel twins may have been the
staple fare of the British industry in the late 1950s and 60s, but there were
plenty of variations on the theme. With a character all its own, Royal Enfield's
twin offered one of several alternatives to BSA/Triumph conformity, and was for
several years the largest of its kind.
Royal Enfield's first post-war twin
appeared in 1948 and owed more to the company's singles than the competition. A
500cc engine in the 350 single's swinging-arm frame, it featured separate heads
and barrels that improved cooling and serviceability at some cost to strength,
while the crankcase had a cast-in oil container at the rear. Ignition was by
battery, coil and distributor, and although the Albion gearbox was a separate
unit.
It was rather unimaginatively called
the 500 Twin. A few years later the 1953 700cc Meteor went one better than the
rival 650s by offering what was effectively a doubled-up 350 single. Design
changes to the engine, lubrication system and cycle parts resulted in the 1956
Super Meteor. A year later, with the Vincent V-twin already gone, the big
Enfield was the largest capacity twin on the market.
The 700cc Constellation launched in
the USA in 1957, first appeared in Britain in 1958, along with a new, much
lighter 500, the Meteor Minor. With new engine castings, the 'Connie' was
sportier with a very robust bottom end, hot cams and, initially a single racing
Amal TT carburetor.
With a suitably tuned cylinder head,
the resulting bike was a real road-burner capable of well over 110mph. On test,
it bettered I 15mph. The racing carb disappeared in favor of twin Monoblocs in
1959, but the bike was still fast -although it soon gained a reputation for
fragility, while the front brake was inadequate for the power and speed. In
fact, there were a number of niggles, which meant that the model never achieved
the popularity of the Triumph twins, despite its theoretical advantages and
better acceleration.
To counter complaints of heavy vibration, the crankshaft was
redesigned. The rather weak clutch was altered in 1961, and there were a number
of styling changes. This became the ultimate example of the 'Connie', because in
1963, Enfield launched the even larger 750 Interceptor (actually a 736cc design)
while the Constellation was relegated to sidecar duty before production ceased
that year. The 750 twins only lasted a few years more before bowing out at the
start of the 1970s, with the company suffering from the financial malaise of
much of the industry.