Royal Enfield, the two-wheeler division of Eicher Motors, today unveiled a range of limited edition bikes, inspired by the ‘despatch riders’ of the World Wars, which will be sold online only.

The Chennai-based firm, which sells various models including Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird, plans to introduce the limited edition motorcycles and new collection of gears and accessories in domestic and international markets. “These bikes can be booked online from our gear stores and deliveries would begin by July 15,” Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lal told PTI.

Commenting on the limited edition range, which is based on Classic 500 model, he said that only 600 units of the range would be rolled out and would be available for sale.

The bikes, which are based on riders who relayed vital information between headquarters and ground forces through the World Wars, would be available in three colours with the company planning to roll out 200 units of each colour.

Besides the bike, the World War-inspired range includes gears and accessories such as leather jackets and shoes with ankle guards.

These would also be available at around 50 international markets where the company is present currently, he added.

Elaborating on the company’s network expansion plans, Lal said, “We currently have around 400 outlets across the country. We sell gear and accessories from 250 of these outlets. By the end of the year we plan to have around 500 total outlets and we aim to sell gear from around 400 outlets.”

When asked about the company’s strategy regarding the international markets, he said it was focusing on emerging markets like Latin America and South East Asia.

“In these markets there is huge gap for middle weight bikes as either you have entry level commuter bikes or large bikes from international brands. It is this mid-segment where we want to get in,” Lal said.

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