Indian Air Force inspires Royal Enfield’s new Squadron Blue-coloured Classic 500

Royal Enfield, the world’s oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, has introduced a new colour – Squadron Blue – for its Classic 500 range of motorcycles. The bikemaker says the inspiration for the new colour variant has come from the Indian Air Force and is a tribute by Royal Enfield for its longstanding history with the soldiers of the skies. 

Commenting on the choice of colour, Rudratej Singh, president, Royal Enfield, said, “The Classic 500 Squadron Blue is a tribute to Royal Enfield’s war-time presence and association with the armed forces. We wanted a variant with a genuine armed forces heritage for our customers and for this, Royal Enfield turned to the Indian Air Force for inspiration. We had to be very particular about the colour to create an authenticity and also provide the motorcycle its post-war appeal. This inspiration led us to create the Classic Squadron Blue which is now available at price of Rs 186,688 on-road Delhi.”

Royal Enfield’s tryst with the armed forces began way back during the World Wars where the motorcycle was extensively used by the British Army. The manufacturer received its first-ever order from the Indian Army in 1952 for 800 motorcycles. The company started production in India from 1955 onwards and has been supplying to the Indian Army ever since. The Indian Air Force also started using Royal Enfield in the 1950s and it has been most popularly used by the Air Force Police. Royal Enfield's motorcycles continue to be one of the commonly used motorcycles in the Indian armed forces and also state police.

The Classic is one of the most successful products in the Royal Enfield stable and has been the company’s bestselling model. The new Squadron Blue variant is powered by the 500cc Unit Construction Engine. The motorcycle is available at an on-road price of Rs 193,372 in Mumbai, Rs 189,350 in Chennai, Rs 198,649 in Bangalore and Rs 196,700 in Kolkata.

It may be recollected that Bajaj Auto’s recent move to introduce its V brand of motorcycles, which embodies metal from India’s venerated aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, has seen a handsome  response from motorcycle enthusiasts and the general public. Earier today, the company announced the bike's pricing at Rs 62,000.