In 1851, George Townsend would launch a business in Redditch, England that produced sewing needles. Some three decades later, Townsend’s son – also named George – would begin producing bicycle parts. By the mid-1880’s the company was producing complete bicycles sold under the brand name “Townsend and Ecossais”. After the business suffered a financial collapse in 1891, Townsend’s bankers selected an engineer from D. Rudge & Co. (a cycle company) named Robert Walker Smith, and the sales manager of Birmingham’s Perry & Co Ltd (pen makers who began making bicycle parts) named Albert Eadie to run the business. The following year the firm would be reincorporated under the name of “Eadie Manufacturing Company Limited”.
In 1901 Robert Walker Smith and Albert Eddie would together start “The Enfield Cycle Company Limited”. Though the manufacturer would release its first motorcycle during its inaugural year, the company was also producing bicycles, lawnmowers, and stationary engines. The company would also try its luck in a new emerging industry; the automobile sector, with the Enfield Autocar. The Autocar would be a massive flop and after the failed endeavor had largely bled the company dry, BSA would swoop in to absorb it in 1907. Eddie would pass away in 1931, with Smith passing away just two year later in 1933.
Royal Enfield would first introduce the Bullet in 1931 as a four-stroke single with inclined engines boasting exposed valve gear featuring four valves per cylinder, offered in 350cc (346) and 500cc (499) sizes. As of today, the Bullet has been in constant production since 1948, giving it one of the longest production runs of any motorcycle. But before the Bullet was being built in India, examples were churned out of Enfield’s Redditch, Worcestershire factory, with the classic British scoot’s moniker reportedly coming from Royal Enfield’s ties to the Royal Small Arms Factory.
In 1924, RE would unveil its first four-stroke 350cc single, though it was powered by a Prestwich Industries engine. The 350 would receive various updates over the years such as a curved “saddle tank” and center-spring girder forks – supposedly making RE the first company to offer this type of suspension. The marque would struggle throughout the Great Depression though it would never be forced to close its doors. By the time WW2 came around, Enfield wasn’t in great shape, but would massively benefit from huge orders being placed by the British military who would commission an order for some 3,000 units for the RAF. On a semi-related note: in 1953 Madras Motors was tasked with purchasing motorcycles for the Indian Army which would result in the order of 750 Bullet models.
The company’s contribution to the war effort lea to it building a secret factory in Southern England in 1942. There, a handful of “WD” – or “War Department” – models were developed for military use, including the iconic 125cc “Flying Flea”, also formally known as the WD/RE, which was reportedly designed to be dropped via parachute along with airborne troops. Other WD models included the larger 570cc side-valve WD/L, a 250cc side-valve known as the WD/D, as well as a trio of 350’s: a side-valve model called the WD/C, and the WD/G and WD/CO which were both overhead-valve models. In addition to motorcycles, Enfield would also produce other various military hardware for the war effort such as “predictors” for anti-aircraft weapons.
After the war, RE would resume producing single-barrel 350’s under the name “Model G”, and 500’s under “Model J”. The Model G is essentially a WD/CO with a telescopic fork and a few other minor differences though the engines are identical. Because of the ample demand for transportation following WW2, RE opted to factory recondition – or “civilianize” – a large number of ex-military (WD) models that would be sold off to the public as military surplus. It was around this same time that the marque began introducing its race-developed rear suspension onto production models including the 350cc Bullet.
This particular WD/CO 350 Bullet example has undergone a restoration that included a complete top-end rebuild using only genuine OEM components, though a more modern piston and ring set was used for reliability’s sake. It isn’t wearing its factory paint, but this bike still boasts a lot of old-school flavor; the girder forks, beefy fenders, hand-shifter, and (pre) bobber-style saddle all give the machine a lot of character. The seller says this example is in fairly solid mechanical condition, with no problems firing up or running, albeit he does report an unknown issue with the dry clutch that effects shifting.
In addition to being a matching numbers example, this one has been verified and is listed in the official Enfield registry. The seller also documented some of the resto work via photos that have been thrown together to make a YouTube video of the project, plus said video includes footage of the bike being ridden around Southern California:
You can find this “civilianized” 1943 Royal Enfield WD/CO 350 Bullet (VIN: M19395) for sale here on Craigslist in Scotts Valley, California with a price of $6,800.