The original idea for this Article was to create a list of the best Royal Enfield builds across India. Unfortunately or should I say fortunately the collection of custom builds were so good that it became difficult to pinpoint just motorcycle and not the story behind it. So, In order to appreciate the countless hours and dedication which went into making these motorcycles, let’s take a look at some of the best Custom motorcycle builders in India and at their custom built Royal Enfield motorcycles.
TNT Motorcycles:
With their Team of 17 people including Nitin, Naveen, Rathi and John, these were one of the builders chosen by Royal Enfield to make a custom motorcycle. For their sponsored build they used a Continental GT and made a custom Café Racer around it. The part which stands out the most is the single sided swing arm; it looks straight out of a 1000cc motorcycle and goes well with the bare bone design.
The clip-on at the front is replaced with a straight handlebar. Front headlight too is redesigned and has a hand build feel to it. The frame of the motorcycle is kept exposed and besides the tank and the seat, there aren’t enough parts of the body either. The under-seat exhaust and the monoshock take the whole design of the bike to a new modern spin which looks detailed and authentic.
Rajputana Customs:
It is easily one of the most recognized names in the Indian Custom motorcycling industry. Rajputana Customs began life in Jaipur when Vijay Singh came back from Canada after studying Mass communication and decided to give motorcycle building a serious chance. His hard work paid off and today Rajputana Customs is the most sought-after name in motorcycle custom builds. Though they have a huge collection of custom Royal Enfield motorcycles ranging from Café racers to cruisers, the build which spoke to me was “Matilda”.
The bike had a 500 cc UCE engine underneath and a gorgeous styling outside. The single spring seat setup looks nothing short of royal and the carefully designed tank with a revised “Royal Enfield” logo is a work of art. The Royal body of the motorcycle is further complemented by big royal boots as big chunky rubber takes place of the tyres. A new USD front suspension replaces the old one and the raised handlebar gives you a comfortable riding position.
The rear drum brake wire stands out on its own and adds its own charm to the build. The silver paint job and blacked out engine take place of the traditional chroming. The frame of the bike is reworked to remove the suspension swing arm and form a triangle from the tank to the rear wheel. Rajputana Customs have even displayed the price of the custom build, so if you have enough cash, they will build an awesome motorcycle for you as well.
Bombay Customs:
The Royal Enfield Classic series is a mixture of the Model D and the swing arm suspension bullet. These bikes have a post-world war styled detailing and Sahil Seth from Bombay Customs utilized the same for their Royal Enfield build. Without tampering much with the tank of the motorcycle, he went after the front and rear fender to give them outline-pinstripes.
The motor being used is from a 500 cc model that spits gas using a custom exhaust which looks like it’s straight out of 1942. The rear of the bike is the most tampered area because of a chopped off the fender and just one tail light which sits tall above it. The seat, the tank, and the handle grips have been given leather treatment which compliments the striped white tank. The engine area is blacked out because everything looks better in black and the front headlight is covered with a metal cage. This bike looks like a rugged gentleman who is ready for deployment.
Bull City Customs:
Reginald Hilt, a NIFT student who took a different career path and founded Bull City Customs. They are a Custom Motorcycle builders based out of Khan Market New Delhi, who came to light when they were commissioned by Royal Enfield to make a beautiful beast. They chose a 500cc motor for their project which was heavily inspired by the Classic Chrome 500 cc. “Chrome” was the buzzword which they chose to replicate in their build by chroming their custom Royal Enfield, and the result speaks for itself.
The front suspension seems to be gone while the rear has been chopped off and placed below the saddle. From the tank to the steering head and suspension, everything is of chrome. The quality of the chroming is comparable to the Royal Enfield themselves, which speaks volume of their hard work. The overall styling of the bike is of a bobber, amidst which there is no rear suspension. The exhaust though short in length reflects the bobber character of the Motorcycle.
Inline-3 Customs:
The brainchild of Aseem Pawar, Inline-3 customs began life when Aseem decided that a 9 to 5 job wasn’t for him. Well, lucky for him and us because if it wasn't for his decision we wouldn’t have this beautiful creature among us, presenting the beach tracker.
Underneath the 80’s styled piece of art, we have a 500 cc motor from Royal Enfield with EFI. Though the chassis of the motorcycle has not seen much change, it is the aesthetic which have undergone a big makeover. The rear section has a chopped off fender with stripes and so does the front. The headlight is made out of wood and the seat is made out of copper.
The silencer too gets patches of copper to match with the seat. To match the white colour of the striped fuel tank, special whitewall Coker motorcycle tyres are used. The special thing about these tyres is that they are not even available in the India and costs nearly Rs 80,000 to import. Just one look at how they look on the bike and its all worth it, that’s how beautiful a bike can be.
So these were a few custom Royal Enfield builders who have made their name known among us, I am sure that there are still many remaining who are busy working day and night for their moment of glory, which will soon come.
All many of these people have one thing in common; many of these were not inherently from a custom building background. Some of them were designers, while some were journalists. They are self-taught, self-made people from whom all of us can take inspiration. As there is one problem faced by anyone who is on a journey to pursue his passion. It takes a lot of self-convincing, you will end up wondering for days whether you have taken the right choice or not. So, if you’re faced with a lot of problems in the beginning then don’t worry, because if the video games have taught me anything is that "if you encounter enemies then you’re going in the right direction".
For everything related to Motorcycles stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey
TNT Motorcycles:
With their Team of 17 people including Nitin, Naveen, Rathi and John, these were one of the builders chosen by Royal Enfield to make a custom motorcycle. For their sponsored build they used a Continental GT and made a custom Café Racer around it. The part which stands out the most is the single sided swing arm; it looks straight out of a 1000cc motorcycle and goes well with the bare bone design. The clip-on at the front is replaced with a straight handlebar. Front headlight too is redesigned and has a hand build feel to it. The frame of the motorcycle is kept exposed and besides the tank and the seat, there aren’t enough parts of the body either. The under-seat exhaust and the monoshock take the whole design of the bike to a new modern spin which looks detailed and authentic.
Rajputana Customs:
It is easily one of the most recognized names in the Indian Custom motorcycling industry. Rajputana Customs began life in Jaipur when Vijay Singh came back from Canada after studying Mass communication and decided to give motorcycle building a serious chance. His hard work paid off and today Rajputana Customs is the most sought-after name in motorcycle custom builds. Though they have a huge collection of custom Royal Enfield motorcycles ranging from Café racers to cruisers, the build which spoke to me was “Matilda”.The bike had a 500 cc UCE engine underneath and a gorgeous styling outside. The single spring seat setup looks nothing short of royal and the carefully designed tank with a revised “Royal Enfield” logo is a work of art. The Royal body of the motorcycle is further complemented by big royal boots as big chunky rubber takes place of the tyres. A new USD front suspension replaces the old one and the raised handlebar gives you a comfortable riding position.
The rear drum brake wire stands out on its own and adds its own charm to the build. The silver paint job and blacked out engine take place of the traditional chroming. The frame of the bike is reworked to remove the suspension swing arm and form a triangle from the tank to the rear wheel. Rajputana Customs have even displayed the price of the custom build, so if you have enough cash, they will build an awesome motorcycle for you as well.
Bombay Customs:
The Royal Enfield Classic series is a mixture of the Model D and the swing arm suspension bullet. These bikes have a post-world war styled detailing and Sahil Seth from Bombay Customs utilized the same for their Royal Enfield build. Without tampering much with the tank of the motorcycle, he went after the front and rear fender to give them outline-pinstripes. The motor being used is from a 500 cc model that spits gas using a custom exhaust which looks like it’s straight out of 1942. The rear of the bike is the most tampered area because of a chopped off the fender and just one tail light which sits tall above it. The seat, the tank, and the handle grips have been given leather treatment which compliments the striped white tank. The engine area is blacked out because everything looks better in black and the front headlight is covered with a metal cage. This bike looks like a rugged gentleman who is ready for deployment.
Bull City Customs:
Reginald Hilt, a NIFT student who took a different career path and founded Bull City Customs. They are a Custom Motorcycle builders based out of Khan Market New Delhi, who came to light when they were commissioned by Royal Enfield to make a beautiful beast. They chose a 500cc motor for their project which was heavily inspired by the Classic Chrome 500 cc. “Chrome” was the buzzword which they chose to replicate in their build by chroming their custom Royal Enfield, and the result speaks for itself.The front suspension seems to be gone while the rear has been chopped off and placed below the saddle. From the tank to the steering head and suspension, everything is of chrome. The quality of the chroming is comparable to the Royal Enfield themselves, which speaks volume of their hard work. The overall styling of the bike is of a bobber, amidst which there is no rear suspension. The exhaust though short in length reflects the bobber character of the Motorcycle.
Inline-3 Customs:
The brainchild of Aseem Pawar, Inline-3 customs began life when Aseem decided that a 9 to 5 job wasn’t for him. Well, lucky for him and us because if it wasn't for his decision we wouldn’t have this beautiful creature among us, presenting the beach tracker.Underneath the 80’s styled piece of art, we have a 500 cc motor from Royal Enfield with EFI. Though the chassis of the motorcycle has not seen much change, it is the aesthetic which have undergone a big makeover. The rear section has a chopped off fender with stripes and so does the front. The headlight is made out of wood and the seat is made out of copper.
The silencer too gets patches of copper to match with the seat. To match the white colour of the striped fuel tank, special whitewall Coker motorcycle tyres are used. The special thing about these tyres is that they are not even available in the India and costs nearly Rs 80,000 to import. Just one look at how they look on the bike and its all worth it, that’s how beautiful a bike can be.
So these were a few custom Royal Enfield builders who have made their name known among us, I am sure that there are still many remaining who are busy working day and night for their moment of glory, which will soon come.
All many of these people have one thing in common; many of these were not inherently from a custom building background. Some of them were designers, while some were journalists. They are self-taught, self-made people from whom all of us can take inspiration. As there is one problem faced by anyone who is on a journey to pursue his passion. It takes a lot of self-convincing, you will end up wondering for days whether you have taken the right choice or not. So, if you’re faced with a lot of problems in the beginning then don’t worry, because if the video games have taught me anything is that "if you encounter enemies then you’re going in the right direction".
For everything related to Motorcycles stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey