Friday, July 16, 2010

Royal Enfield rocks to different drummer


(Ace Cafe photo)


The romance of Royal Enfield motorcycles and British style motorcycles in general is tied up with their role in youth culture in Britain (and, eventually, in the U.S.) in the 1960s. The young Rockers who hung out at the Ace Cafe in London had the looks, the music and the motorcycles we loved.

The exhibition "Teenage Rebels at the Ace Cafe: 1955-65" opens Jan. 16, 2010 at Worcester City Museums in England and continues to April 17. According to the museum, "it features a selection of historic Ace Cafe artifacts, 1950-'60s household objects, music and movie memorabilia and a host of iconic classic black and white images."

Sounds terrific. I'd love to see it, although I would view it with really very little personal sense of recognition. I love the Rockers' style, but it's not my style.

At the time I would have been intimidated by the Ace crowd, and over awed by the powerful motorcycles. No one I knew had one, or dressed like Brando, although everyone listened to rock'n'roll music.

In a way, it's nice that my 1999 Royal Enfield Bullet is the made-in-India motorcycle design that left Britain in 1955, before the Swinging Sixties. It takes me back to a time I associate with a slower pace, more modest clothes and less intimidating motorcycles.

It doesn't wail rock'n'roll. It hums a quieter tune.

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