When it comes to platforms that absolutely dominated the custom motorcycle scene in 2022, Royal Enfield stood in a class of its own. Between the wildly popular 650 Twins and the venerable air-cooled singles, builders around the globe used the Indian marque’s machines to craft everything from land-speed racers to rugged scramblers. Looking back at the incredible craftsmanship showcased on Bike EXIF over the year, we have compiled a list of the top seven custom Royal Enfields that captured our attention and refused to let go.
7. K-Speed’s Interceptor 650 Bobber
Did the custom motorcycle workshop team at K-Speed ever sleep? Judging by the rate at which fresh customs rolled off their floor in 2022, we guessed not. The Thai powerhouse’s custom shop ran alongside their humming parts manufacturing business, so the two often bled into each other. Somehow, they still managed to find time to build one-off specials, like this Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 bobber that pushed the highly versatile platform deep into left field.
To achieve the dramatic stance, K-Speed binned the Enfield’s bodywork, suspension, and wheels. They tore into the frame, scrapping and rebuilding the entire top section from the steering neck down to a neat set of custom-made rear struts. The chassis looked like a rigid setup from afar, but it was actually propped up on fully-enclosed aftermarket shocks, creating a silhouette that was dense at the back but lithe and stretched up front, aided by a raked-out springer fork and a brakeless 21-inch front wheel.
The Interceptor’s cockpit and controls warranted close inspection. It was built around chopper-inspired bars fitted with an internal throttle, but lacked a front brake lever, traditional speedometer, and standard switches. The clutch lived on the left side of the bike, attached to a custom-built hand-operated gear shifter that required the rider to reach down and pull a reverse lever to grab a gear. Sure, this bobber lacked practical ground clearance, but it delivered bucketloads of pure, unadulterated style. [MORE]
6. Bad Winners’ Continental GT 650 Drag Bike
The Parisian custom shop Bad Winners navigated heavy pandemic-era hurdles to finish a brutal Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 drag bike. Originally commissioned by Royal Enfield Europe near the end of 2019 for the Sultans of Sprint race series, the project sat on ice until news surfaced of a ‘ghost edition’ of the Wheels and Waves festival. The crew buttoned the GT 650 up just eight hours before it did duty on the infamous Punk’s Peak road, proving their absolute dedication to the craft.
Dubbed ‘Pegasus l’Étalon Noir,’ this Continental GT was all business. Lurking under the hood was a massive 865cc big-bore kit from S&S Cycle, complete with an upgraded camshaft, Carillo connecting rods, and a reinforced clutch. Bad Winners swapped the air box for velocity stacks, plumbed in a Nitrous Express nitrous system, and rewired the machine from scratch with a programmable ECU to extract every ounce of available horsepower.
Since the primary objective was straight-line speed, Walid Ben Lamine and his team stretched the stock swingarm and replaced the twin-shock setup with a single Öhlins unit. The chassis rolled on Dymag aluminum wheels wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC2 tires, anchored by a Beringer brake set. Finished with a full complement of custom 3D-printed carbon fiber body panels covered in a high-gloss lacquer, Pegasus l’Étalon Noir truly lived up to its mythical namesake. [MORE]
5. Greasehouse Customs’ Continental GT 650
India’s Greasehouse Customs set out to build a Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 that ticked the boxes for both vanity and sheer performance. Based in Bangalore, the IndiMotard division received a brief directly from Royal Enfield to build a fast, fun drag motorcycle with minimal imported parts. The resulting machine, dubbed ‘Dunaali,’ became one of the fastest Royal Enfield 650 drag motorcycles in India.
Greasehouse tore the Continental GT down to its bolts, weighing every component to shave mass. To optimize power, they installed high-compression pistons from S&S Cycle, ported and flowed the heads, and utilized Race Dynamics’ Piggyback ECU and FuelX Autotune systems. Sending 62.2 horsepower to the rear wheel, the motor exhaled through a custom two-into-one exhaust and transferred power via a drag-strip-essential Rekluse clutch and quick-shifter.
To shed maximum weight, Greasehouse swapped out stock parts with custom-made aluminum replacements, including a bespoke subframe and an adjustable CNC-machined swingarm. The defining feature, however, was a spectacular handmade carbon-fiber dustbin fairing inspired by legendary land-speed racers. The lightweight, raw carbon fiber bodywork helped the bike clock in at a mere 375 pounds, proving its worth by snagging third place at the Vroom drag race in Bangalore on its very first outing. [MORE]
4. FrontWheel Motors’ Classic 500 Bobber
With Royal Enfield’s 650 twins hogging the spotlight, the venerable Classic 500 single was quietly discontinued, but FrontWheel Motors proved it was still a spectacular starting point for a pared-down custom. Based in Bogor, Indonesia, the workshop took full control of a client’s Classic 500, transforming it into an outstanding work of engineering art. Taking inspiration from Japanese customs, they named the sleek project ‘Raijin’ after the Japanese god of thunder.
The most important task on the checklist was altering the Royal Enfield’s stance to make it significantly longer and lower. FrontWheel achieved this by altering the steering angle, extending the swingarm, and adding custom yokes to push the OEM forks wider. This created the necessary real estate to ditch the stock 19- and 18-inch wheels in favor of a pair of 16-inch hoops wrapped in chunky, vintage-style Coker tires.
The Classic 500’s bodywork received a major overhaul, featuring a dished fuel tank topped with a Monza-style gas cap and a stunning custom ducktail fender. The crew cleverly repurposed the onboard toolbox as a cover for a new air filter housing and swapped the elongated muffler for a shorter, louder unit. Painted in a monochromatic silver-and-black palette with stealthy LED turn signals, Raijin was a masterclass in unassuming, compact bobber design. [MORE]
3. BAAK’s Continental GT 650
The French workshop BAAK answered the call of riders craving more power from the Continental GT 650, enlisting help from the American tuning wizards at S&S Cycle. While the factory parallel twin was smooth, BAAK aimed to elevate its punch with their ‘Racer LTD’ package. It represented exactly how far the 650 Twin engine could be pushed without compromising reliability or daily drivability, accentuating its sportiness without falling into an arms race.
BAAK utilized an 865 cc Big Bore kit from S&S, along with a new camshaft and a reinforced clutch, effectively bumping the compression ratio and lifting engine output to around 70 horsepower. The hefty factory mufflers were replaced by BAAK’s own stubby bobber items, resulting in a deeper exhaust note and crucial weight savings. The tuning was managed by a Power Commander V to ensure the fueling remained buttery smooth across the entire rev range.
To handle the increased power, the chassis was treated to blacked-out Öhlins forks and piggyback rear shocks, supporting a shortened rear subframe and a custom leather saddle. Braking was upgraded to a Beringer system, and new 17-inch rims were laced to the stock hubs. The finishing touch was a clever two-tone paint design on the factory tank, expertly applied to create a 3D illusion that made the stock metal look heavily modified. [MORE]
1 & 2. Royal Enfield & Bikerbnb’s Highland Scramblers
Royal Enfield repeatedly proved they could get their own hands dirty, utilizing their dedicated in-house team and the experts at Harris Performance. For this dual-build project, they collaborated with Bikerbnb to create a pair of scramblers based on the Interceptor 650 platform. Designed to traverse the rugged roads and trails of the Scottish Highlands, these two ‘Highland Scramblers’ were engineered to be 100 percent fit for purpose.
Rather than just bolting on adventure tires, the team properly reworked the geometry and running gear. The bikes featured Öhlins suspension at both ends, tuned to optimize travel, alongside bespoke yokes from Harris Performance. The original wheels were swapped for a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear setup built with Hagon rims and Pirelli Rally STR rubber, while the braking was upgraded with a Brembo P4 four-piston caliper.
The cockpit was upgraded with high-rise ProTaper EVO flat-track handlebars, custom hand guards, and a single Motogadget dial with RFID fob ignition. Finishing touches included a custom enduro-style fender, a Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight tucked into a 3D-printed nacelle, and stylish saddlebags from Longride hanging off custom luggage racks. Dressed in inverted blue-and-white liveries and stealthy Cerakote finishes, these two Interceptor 650s were the ultimate effortlessly cool exploration machines. [MORE]
Looking back at the sheer variety of these builds, it was obvious why Royal Enfield dominated the donor-bike conversation throughout 2022. From the tight, winding trails of the Scottish Highlands to the blistering tarmac of international drag strips, the versatility of both the 650 Twins and the classic air-cooled singles proved completely unmatched. These seven motorcycles not only showcased the immense, boundary-pushing talent of builders operating on a global scale, but they also cemented Royal Enfield’s status as the ultimate blank canvas for the modern custom motorcycle scene.
