Retro Rides from Motorcycle Live 2021

Following on from the Bespoke Café Racers I posted yesterday, there were some more affordable offerings on show too.

One of the most admired was Royal Enfield's gorgeous Classic 350. Whilst it may look very similar to the previous classic 350 and 500 that was based on the bullet, it is an all new model with a new frame, smoother single overhead cam engine and Euro 5 emissions. It only pumps out 20.2hp but as a back road cruiser it`s ideal, these sorts of bikes are not for hurrying anyway and means its A2 licence holder friendly in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Priced at £4279 upwards depending on the colours you choose they should sell well, especially as the finish looks great.

Another classic name that has recently been resurrected by Indian giant Mahindra is BSA, and they were there with their new Gold Star 650. Powered by a liquid cooled single cylinder producing a claimed 45bhp , performance should be very similar to what must be their natural competitor, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. It`s a great looking bike with some nice styling touches, prices TBC but expected to be in the £5-6000 mark.

Moving away from old British brands for a minute to have a look at the Benelli Imperiale 400. This good looking bike is influenced by the 50s Benelli's, and was released last year.    Power output at 21bhp is similar to the classic 350 and is priced at only £3699 plus on road costs. At that price point it`s a great looking, well made bike and they are getting very good reviews from their owners.

Next time we`ll be having a look at some of the electric bikes and scooters that were at Motorcycle Live 2021.