Royal Enfield G5 Military looked ready for anything

The Royal Enfield G5 Military looked like it had just rolled off the parade ground.

"Just how rare are these?" a reader named Mike asked about the Royal Enfield G5 Military motorcycle. He was responding to my October, 2010 post about the "rare Royal Enfield G5 Military."

Well, they were hard to find at the time, and in demand, too. Some people seemed to prefer them over the new C5 model with its smaller front wheel and, initially, no kick starter.

If you were going into the woods, the G5 seemed to have what it would take to get you there and bring you back. (Much of this advantage is gone. The C5 now comes with the kick starter and there's even a C5 Special with the bigger front wheel; it even comes in military colors.)

G5 Military (with some options).

To some, the upright G5 in olive drab just looked, well, more "military." When it was introduced, Classic Motorworks (Royal Enfield USA) fit one with some attractive options and took it out  by the river for a series of great photographs, some of which you see here. The motorcycle's appeal is evident.

The G5 is still available from Royal Enfield USA dealers in Deluxe and Classic models. But if you seek military colors, the C5 in Battle Green or Desert Storm (sand) are what you want. Their "vintage military style harkens back to WWII," the online catalog notes.

But back to Mike's question: only a certain number of G5 Military model motorcycles came to the U.S. No more are likely to come. So how rare are they?

The G5's kick starter stood proudly at attention.

I asked Royal Enfield USA and, to my delight, got an answer, from Doneen at Classic Motorworks:

"I counted 95 G5 Military models that came to the U.S."

Sometimes manufacturers offer "limited edition" models of their vehicles and sometimes that's just the way it works out. I've written about how the Royal Enfield Bullet Sixty-5  became one interesting example of this.

In the G5 Military I think we have another curiosity. Does that mean it would be worth paying extra to get one? Yes, absolutely: if you want it.

Royal Enfield Military adopts a commanding pose.