Miss Sabotage

This is my new baby, a 1963 Royal Enfield Meteor Minor

Well, it’s registered as a 1963 but we think it’s actually a ’61. It was a little difficult to identify at first with the modifications, most of which we believe were done in the mid 70s. You can tell right away from the trendy headlamp, bars and paint job. On the outside it looks rusty and gross, but there’s a lot of key parts that are in great condition.

A little about the Meteor Minor:

These bikes were offered from 1958-1963 and are the last of the RE 500 twins. It’s a smaller bike but still has the piston size of the 700cc Meteor with a stroke of 64.5mm. Royal Enfield boasted that it was ‘compact’ and ‘power packed’ with ‘amazing new easy to handle performance.’ All versions weighed around 390lb, had a saddle height of 29 inches, wheelbase of 53 inches and ground clearance of 5.5 inches – pretty standard for roadgoing twins of the time. In 1960 Royal Enfield suggest that the 500 was one of those ‘have your cake and eat it’ motorcycles: ‘the luxury touring model that goes really fast!’

Welcome to my sassy and adventurous side. You can call me “Sab” or “Sabs” for short.

Recently it was suggested to me that I should start something online to document this motorcycle I will be working on. Do I know anything about taking apart and putting together a bike? Nope. Why am I doing it? Because I was gifted a 1960s Royal Enfield and it hasn’t run in ages. Along with the massive amount of sentimental value it possesses, it’s also is a pretty awesome bike. More details to come on that….

So the main goal is to share my experiences, as someone who is a new rider and only a short while ago dove into motorcycle knowledge, culture and adventures…to rebuilding one. I also plan to share any other experiences involving a motor, the open road, whiskey and mischief. Over the last decade or so I’ve put in time watching friends work on bikes, cars and trucks…absorbing knowledge and wanting to know more.