Busted Knuckles: Five knockout Royal Enfield twins

Royal Enfield are adamant that their Interceptor and Continental GT 650 models are ripe for customization. And so far, we’ve seen plenty of proof from some of the world’s best customizers.

To push their point even further, Royal Enfield has just held their second Bustle Knuckles build-off. Five Royal Enfield dealers in Australia and New Zealand were each tasked with customizing the 650 twin of their choice, in a no-holds barred custom build contest. Royal Enfield hasn’t picked a winner yet—but they have given us a peek at the entries.

Take a gander, and let us know which one you’d take home.

‘Regency’ by MotoMax The last time MotoMax entered the Busted Knuckles build-off, they built a track-specific race bike. So the Perth shop decided to shuffle the deck this time around, with a scrambler that takes inspiration from the Californian desert sleds of the 60s.

It was an easy decision for shop boss Ric Steele, who adds that he “wanted it to be something that customers could build for themselves, with parts that are off-the-shelf.” But despite Ric’s aspirations to not build anything “too crazy,” MotoMax’s Royal Enfield Interceptor looks incredible, thanks to a well-judged list of parts and mods.

It starts with the front end, which features the forks and 21” front wheel from a Royal Enfield Himalayan. The wheels are blacked-out and wrapped in Pirelli MT-21 knobblies, with a set of YSS shocks propping up the rear.

A few tasteful changes to the bodywork complement the stock Enfield fuel tank. The stubby scrambler-style seat is custom, as are the side covers. The bike’s capped off with generous polished aluminum fenders at both ends.

Up in the cockpit you’ll find a wide set of tracker bars, with Biltwell Inc. grips and pared-down switchgear. A Motogadget speedo is embedded in the Bates-style headlight, which sits just in front of a custom number board. There’s a matching taillight out back, and this scrambler even features a license plate bracket and tiny LED turn signals.

Another highlights is the high-riding exhaust system, which terminates in a pair of Zard mufflers. MotoMax also added a sump guard, and a radiator cover and chain guard from Enfield Precision. The simple, yet stunning, paint job was requested by the bike’s new owner, who made an offer to purchase it before it was even finished.

Despite the fact that it’s street legal, Ric assures that this Interceptor is made for hooning in the dirt. “We’ve built plenty of road-biased scramblers in the past,” he says. “This isn’t one of them.”

“It’s a true off-road bike and we want it to get dirty.”

MotoMax | Facebook | Instagram

‘RevElation’ by Revelry Cycles Sydney’s Revelry Cycles is run by the husband and wife team of Will and Santina Keith, and they know how to build motorcycles that go fast. The shop has a vast portfolio of custom builds—including a recently-built 10 second Royal Enfield drag bike, which, in a way, inspired this project.

“From that build we realized that the 650 motor is totally over engineered,” says Will. “For a bike that’s so user-friendly and has such a broad appeal for so many riders, it has a forged crank and an incredible robustness, too. We’ve done some crazy things with it and we’re yet to find its limits.”

With that thought in mind, Revelry Cycles set out to turn the Royal Enfield 650 Twin into a pukka salt racer. A daunting task, but as Will puts it: “How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time, that’s how.”

Step one was to 3D model as much of the bike as possible, to make sure it would fit Santina perfectly. That’s right—she’ll eventually be piloting this down a salt pan. “I think of it as a token of Will’s affection,” she says. “It’s like a love letter in metal.”

The Enfield’s low slung stance, custom frame and extreme ergonomics are all designed for going fast in a straight line. It has an engine to match too; Will’s not keen to disclose every detail, but we do know that it’s been bumped to 960 cc with an S&S Cycle big-bore kit and an upgraded crank. Revelry also built their own throttle body setup, along with a pneumatic shifter.

It also features a deafening free-flowing two-into-one exhaust, and nitrous, obviously. There’s a lot to digest here, from the stretched swingarm to the chunk rear fender. But the big takeaway is that this bike is all about function.

Revelry didn’t just build it for Busted Knuckles fame either. They’ll be making a play for the Australian land speed record, as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

Revelry Cycles | Facebook | Instagram

‘Dr. No’ by Fast Fuel Fast Fuel in Albury, New South Wales picked the Continental GT 650 for their build, opting to amplify its out-the-box café racer styling. It was a good move, too—their Busted Knuckles entry might not break any new visual ground, but it’s a neat example of the genre.

The shop started with a bolt-on fairing and tail from C-Racer in Greece, then tweaked the latter to suit their vision. “It had a brake light incorporated into the tail piece,” says shop owner Lincoln Smart, “but we really wanted that to be sleek. So we modded the plastic to get that minimal look we were going for.”

The Continental GT come with clip-ons fitted, so there wasn’t much work to do in the cockpit. Fast Fuel simply swapped the stock trimmings out for a set of Motogadget grips and switches, and installed bar-end mirrors. Instead of the tiny LEDs we’re used to seeing on builds, the crew fitted bigger, square turn signals up front, giving the bike a neat 70s vibe.

For the exhaust, Lincoln originally envisioned a set of low-slung drag pipes. But when he pitched the idea to local exhaust company Lextek, they suggested something a little more unique. This high-mounted two-into-one system was the result—and it reportedly sounds mad, too.

Lincoln’s biggest concern was getting the finishes just right. “I wanted it to be done using modern coatings, but in classic 1970s colors,” he says. So he roped in Mitch at 74 Works to treat a number of parts with a gold Cerakote finish, with the rest of the bike done in black—a classic combo.

“I hope that it inspires people to customize their own 650s,” adds Lincoln. “Nothing we’ve done here is really rocket surgery; we kept that in mind to make sure people could do something similar themselves.”

Fast Fuel | Facebook | Instagram

‘No. 55’ by Royale Motorcycles This Hamilton, New Zealand shop also customized a Continental GT 650 for the contest. But they took theirs to the extreme, turning the GT into something resembling a production race bike. And frankly, it’s totally bonkers.

“It was all about doing something very different,” says the shop’s resident talking head, Dylan. “We kind of went a little crazy. Mainly because we didn’t want to build another café racer, bobber or tracker.”

The team sourced a number of parts from various other bikes to piece this sharp racer together. The front forks, wheel and twin Nissin brakes were lifted from a Triumph Daytona. There’s another scalped alloy wheel out back, complete with a Brembo caliper.

Royale also ditched the classic twin-shock setup at the back for a monoshock system. It uses the modified alloy swingarm from an old Honda of undisclosed origin, hooked up to an Öhlins shock. The tires are grippy Pirelli Diablo numbers.

Then there’s the Enfield’s sharp new bodywork. The fuel tank is stock, but the fairing, tail section, front fender and bellypan all sport contemporary designs.

Other tweaks include a custom subframe, crash bars for the engine, and an airbox delete. Royale also installed new rear-sets, clip-ons and levers, then removed all the street legal bits they didn’t need—along with half of the switches.

The sultry black and grey livery is somehow both modern and classic at the same time, punctuated by the polished engine and swingarm. The exhaust system is equally tasty, with custom headers flowing into HP Corse silencers. It’s an intriguing mix of parts that shouldn’t work—but it does, beautifully.

Royale also assures us that their radical reimagining of the Royal Enfield twin hasn’t wrecked its usability one bit. Extra care was taken to make sure that the final geometry was just right—and it has enough adjustable bits now to be tailored to any rider.

Royale Motorcycles | Facebook

‘No. 40 Himalayan Twin’ by SurfSide Motorcycle Garage We’ve been pining for Royal Enfield to release a 650 cc twin-cylinder version of their robust Himalayan dual-sport for a while now. And this scrambler from Sydney’s SurfSide Motorcycle Garage is exactly what we’d like it to look like.

SurfSide’s in-house custom builder, Trevor Love, recently teamed up with German transplant, Tomy Thöring (of Schlachtwerk fame) to handle the shop’s custom work. But when the Busted Knuckles contest rolled around, Trevor’s plate was full. So he handed this one over to Tommy and told him to “go big.”

Tommy was all too happy to oblige. “I wanted to take all the best parts of the Himalayan and the 650 and mash them together,” he says. “The Himalayan itself is a great bike for going pretty much anywhere.

“But for someone with plenty of off road experience, it might be a little too gentle. So what if you were to triple the power?”

With that in mind, SurfSide sprung for an 865 cc kit from S&S Cycle. Then Hallam Engineering in Melbourne worked their magic, doing the head work and installing bigger valves, performance springs and a Hallam camshaft. The Enfield’s also running oversized throttle bodies, and a Verex muffler fitted to custom two-into-one pipes.

Up top is a full complement of custom aluminum bodywork that rides the line between the Himalayan’s vibe, and classic scramblers. We particularly dig the headlight nacelle, and the subtle way Tommy blended the taillight into the rear fender.

There’s more trickery lower down, with a custom swingarm hooked up to a custom mono-shock arrangement. The front end’s sporting longer forks and a 21” front wheel, and there’s a generous sump guard keeping the important bits safe. Up top, a Garmin GPS dashboard takes center stage, mounted off a set of scrambler bars.

Anyone who’s followed Tommy’s work knows that he’s a meister of shaving weight off builds. Here, he’s shed a whopping 30 kilos [66 lbs] from the Royal Enfield twin. “We ended up with a bike that weighs 182 kilos on a full tank, and makes a bit over 70 hp,” he says. “It’ll be a weapon in the dirt!”

As we’ve said to numerous manufacturers before: Royal Enfield, please build this.

SurfSide Motorcycle Garage | Instagram

With thanks to Royal Enfield

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Reasons to Purchase a Pre-Owned Vehicle

If you are open to the idea of purchasing a pre-owned car, you may actually save money in the long run. If you live in the Woodlands area or surrounds, you may know that finding auto repair shops in the Woodlands, Texas area is not always easy.

The good news is that Adams Automotive situated in The Woodlands deals with all sorts of car repairs in the Woodlands. Now that you know for a fact, that there is a quality tire and transmission repair center that deals with all the make and models of vehicles, you can choose literally any car.

Top reasons for choosing a pre-owned vehicle

1. Affordable and economical

If you find the right preowned vehicle at a good price, you will actually be saving money. Some car owners, look to sell their cars when they are in excellent condition. That gives the purchaser, like you, years of use and happy driving. This all comes at a fraction of the cost, plus if you are looking into getting a car loan, you won’t need to loan too much.

2. You can afford to maintain your car

Purchasing a brand-new vehicle does not only come at a cost, it also can be very expensive to maintain. One of the biggest reasons why people consider a pre-used vehicle is that the maintenance costs will be far less. Your car repair costs will not end up breaking the bag, which is a very big deal for most people. Purchasing a brand-new vehicle is one thing, but maintaining it is quite another.

3. Vehicles lose value

Many people know that property increases over time in value, cars have a tendency to decrease in value. Buying a brand-new Mercedes, Lexus, Land Rover, Ford, or even BMW, will decrease in value the moment that it steps foot off the showroom floor. Regardless of the brand of car, the value decreases significantly. This makes purchasing a brand-new vehicle not worth it to many people. Purchasing a pre-owned vehicle is a better long-term decision for many people.

4. Car parts are expensive

Regardless of if you own a new car or an older car, the chances are high that at some point you will need to buy replacement parts. When it comes to a brand-new vehicle, everything is much more expensive. From Lexus repairs to Chevrolet repairs, all new car parts are highly-priced. It is not uncommon for new car parts to start to cost a high percentage of the actual car. A pre-owned car will have significantly lower costs.

5. Access to history reports

Many pre-owned vehicles come with certified programs. You will be able to add all sorts of warranties and guarantees to your vehicle. Some are even new models from last year or the year before. When you purchase a preowned vehicle from a reputable provider, you will receive a full history report. You will not be buying blindly, but rather making a purchase when you have all the information and history at your disposal.

The post Reasons to Purchase a Pre-Owned Vehicle appeared first on Automotorblog: Daily news on cars and motorcycles.

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The Unexpected Benefits of Selling Your Car

If you’re looking at buying a new vehicle, you’re probably thinking about what you’ll do with your current ride. You may wonder, “Should I sell my car for cash?” Here are some unexpected benefits if you decide to say “yes.”

Options for Selling Your Car

First, let us consider the options you have to sell your car. The most obvious choice for many buyers is to take it to the dealership as a trade-in. While this can be beneficial if you want to buy a new model, you’ll probably get less than if you sell to a private party.

Another option is to sell your car to an individual. You’ll have to put an ad out and be willing to let people take it for a test drive. This option may mean more money than trading it in, but it will take more time. It could be months before you find a buyer willing to pay your price. You’ll probably have a lot of hagglers who want to negotiate with you as well.

The third option is one a lot of people may not be aware of. You can sell your car to a cash buyer. They are professional buyers who know the value of a vehicle. These buyers will provide you with a cash offer based on the value of the vehicle.

Get More Money Than You Expect

With the demand for used vehicles as high as it is today, car values have increased. This means more money in your pocket. You can often get more money by selling for cash than as a trade-in. It’s possible to still use this money as a down payment or save it to pay for registration and sales tax. No matter who you sell to, they know that it will require more money than just a couple of years ago.

A Safer Option

When you sell to a cash buyer, you don’t have to worry about dealing with people you don’t know. You won’t have to set up times for strangers to look at your vehicle. Instead, you work with a reputable buyer.

Many cash buyers even pick up and drop off the vehicle for added convenience. For some sellers, this one benefit may be enough to sway them to a cash buyer. Safety and convenience are two features you can’t put a price tag on.

Save Money on Repairs

You can save money that you’ve been spending on repairs for your vehicle and put it towards a newer model that won’t break down on you. Even if you haven’t started having issues, you may want to sell before you get to that point.

Some buyers plan to sell all their vehicles by 100,000 miles, while others prefer to sell when the original warranty expires. The advantage is that you won’t have to worry about when your vehicle will start needing repairs if you make the sale before issues come up.

Lower Car Insurance

You might be surprised to find out that you can save money on car insurance when you buy a new vehicle. Many of the newer models come loaded with advanced safety technology to keep you safer on the road.

While insurance companies don’t treat all safety systems the same way, some features can reduce your premiums. If you have an older model without any of the advanced systems, you could see a major reduction in cost if you upgrade to a brand-new model.

Sell My Car for Cash

After seeing all the advantages of selling your car, your next step is to find the right buyer. Then, you can start dreaming about your new set of wheels.

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How Long Does it Take to Install a Performance Chip?

Modifications on one’s car help with improvements to the car’s system. The effect is a ride with better handling due to the additives. One such additive that offers drivers more control is the performance chip. The performance chip as an aftermarket modification is best installed at the best Chevy dealership. It works as a mediator between the engine and its control unit (ECU).

Wondering how long it takes to install a performance chip? It depends on one’s expertise and tools, but the whole process usually takes under half an hour.

Benefits Of Performance Chips

Performance chips, although tiny devices, are high-powered. It implies that they have a grand effect on the vehicle, since they pack a powerful punch. Below are some benefits of performance chips.

Improve the Fuel Economy

The fuel economy on race cars is often low since the engine overworks to generate the necessary amount of power. It means that one has to spend more at the pumps, which can sometimes mess with their finances.

The solution to poor fuel economy in one’s car is to install performance chips. They offer the engine a boost, resulting in enhanced fuel efficiency. It means that the driver can save a bit on the gas bill while retaining quality performance.

Note: The amount of money one saves on gas after performance chip installation depends on the car model and year. Performance chips might not improve the fuel economy of older cars, like in newer models.

Better Horsepower

Most manufacturers down-tune the vehicles to meet the stringent emission standards on new cars. It leaves space for enthusiasts to harness all of the power from their engines through modifications. Most people prefer to boost horsepower by installing a performance chip.

Performance chips alter several parameters on the engine control unit, including:

• Injection timing
• Air to fuel ratio
• Turbo boost

All of these alterations combine to offer the engine some top-of-the-line horsepower gains. The engine can unlock the stowed away power and bring it to the core for better drivability.

Performance chips help improve the horsepower on smaller engines where turbos can’t fit. They are also perfect for larger turbocharged engines and improve them without spending more on a bigger charger.

Easy To Install

Most automotive upgrades require many hours of work to get right. Also, one requires technical knowledge about what each upgrade does to determine the best effect for their cars. Performance chips are easier to install, meaning no lengthy stays at the auto shop or expensive mechanic fees.

Depending on the performance module type one is about to install, the process can be hassle-free. All one needs is some basic knowledge and tools to hack the installation.

There are also upgrades to the recent performance computer chips, boosting the chip’s speed in use. One does not have to reset the ECU for the chip to work, saving significant time.

Offer Value for Money

Installing auto parts – whether new or aftermarket – can be expensive, running up to thousands of dollars. Most of the modification parts serve a single purpose, which can be very ineffective. Performance chips are the perfect modification addition to boost drivability.

The performance chip is the ideal all-around addition to one’s car. It improves the ECU’s parameters to suit one’s needs without spending too much. As a result, one enjoys value for their money by installing the performance chips.

Head Into the Best Chevy Dealership

Handling modifications by oneself can prove challenging; so many aspects come together to improve a car’s functionality. Installing performance chips can be pretty easy for any car owner, but one should let the experts handle it. One should try the best Chevy dealership in their area for proper performance chips installation.

The post How Long Does it Take to Install a Performance Chip? appeared first on Automotorblog: Daily news on cars and motorcycles.

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Subtly brilliant: A flawless BMW R75/6 from 46Works

In the rarified world of artisan bike builders, Shiro Nakajima stands apart. His bikes are usually functional, and sometimes even practical: the kind of models a factory might conceivably build.

Some are designed to win races, and others to tackle the occasional dirt road. And then there are the machines that distill the pleasure of motorcycling down to its simplest, most mechanical elements. Like this BMW R75/6, which is almost fifty years old but perfectly capable of keeping up with modern traffic.

To the untrained eye, this R75 could be a restoration. But keen-eyed BMW aficionados will spot a huge number of well-judged modifications.

“I built this at the request of a customer,” Shiro tells us. “It’s simple and classic looking. But with 1000cc of displacement, a new gearbox and the forks from a Japanese bike, it can enjoy the mountain roads to the fullest.”

When it left the Berlin factory in 1973, this slash-6 boxer had 745cc and a modest 50 hp at its disposal. But when it arrived at Shiro’s workshop, a traditional wooden building on the island of Honshū, the engine was past its best. So Shiro dismantled it, down to every last nut and bolt.

He bored out the cylinders for a capacity increase, installed new pistons, and remodeled the valves and their seating. New big end bearings soak up the extra power and all the seals and gaskets are new too.

The headers are mostly stock, but refurbished and modified at the end to accept new mufflers. Unusually, these are chrome-plated brass, which is only slightly heavier than steel.

The brass mufflers are known for their ‘musical’ qualities—and sold in the Japanese aftermarket for Harley-Davidson fitments. A drilled inner silencer tube moderates the exhaust volume.

The original Bing carburetors are gone, replaced by Keihin FCR39s, which can take advantage of the bigger capacity and help deliver smooth power.

That power now hits the shaft drive via a complete new drivetrain, built from post-1982 BMW components—from the flywheel to the clutch and gearbox. (“The engine response is improved, and shift touch is better.”)

The entire powertrain has been blasted clean, from the gearbox to the engine cases and cylinder heads. Classic airhead motors have never looked so good.

The fuel tank was rusted out though, so Shiro sourced a larger reproduction unit with the classic kneepads, and subtly modified it to fit. The deep gloss paint (and iconic pinstripes) was shot by local specialist Stupid Crown.

The tank sits on the top rail of a modified frame, which has a new rear loop, seat pan and shock mounts. The tubing has been meticulously refinished and cleaned up, and coated in thick black powder.

Shiro sculpted the shape of the seat himself in urethane foam; it’s just long enough to accommodate a pillion passenger, but looks more like a factory option seat than a 21st century custom design.

Two leather seats were then built and upholstered by Razzle Dazzle. The customer can switch them out to suit his taste: one unit has an upper panel in soft gray buckskin leather, while the other is finished with a classic Porsche houndstooth fabric—a favorite of the customer.

So far, so good. But one area where classic style needs a bit of help is in the suspension department, so Shiro has grafted on the 41mm Showa forks from a much more modern Japanese sportbike.

They’re hiding new internals, and are hooked up via Honda triple trees and a custom-built steering stem. The front brakes use Yamaha 300mm discs, plus four-pot calipers and a radial master cylinder from Brembo.

The front end doesn’t look too out of place, helped by the old school rubber fork gaiters—and neither does the back end, suspended by equally old school Öhlins shocks.

The wheels are new Excel rims wired up to restored hubs. This meant machining up several spacers, for accurate fit and alignment, but it was worth the effort. The rubber is Dunlop’s K81/TT100 compound, a modern reproduction of a popular OE fitment on many 1970s bikes.

Muck from the tires is deflected by a pair of aluminum fenders. Shiro has taken regular universal fit fenders, modified the shape and sizing, and hand-made struts and brackets to fit them seamlessly to the fork legs and driveshaft cover.

He’s also fabricated multiple smaller, less visible components like the brake pedal and battery holder [above], which are works of art in themselves.

Simplicity rules in the cockpit though, which sports classic aftermarket bars furnished with Tommaselli grips and a mix of Honda and Kawasaki switchgear. Train spotters will note that the headlight casing and speedo are from a /5 rather than /6 though: a stylistic request of the customer.

To get the headlight to fit, Shiro had to machine up a new bracket. It’s not fabricated from metal, but machined from a block of Duracon, an engineering thermoplastic.

It’s all wired up to a brand new electrical harness, plus a keyless ignition system from Motogadget. And to completely eradicate electrical gremlins, Shiro has also refurbished the starter motor and alternator.

He couldn’t find a taillight or license plate bracket that suited the build though, or complied with Japanese regulations. So he designed and machined up these parts himself, along with a rather stylish fog lamp attached to the engine protection bars.

This is one of those deceptively subtle customs that will still draw appreciative glances in ten or twenty years’ time. And given the solid engineering, it’ll probably still be running smoothly too.

Shiro’s skills also extend into the digital domain: he’s created a mesmerizing video that showcases not only his next-level machining and fabrication skills, but also the workshop equipment and techniques he uses to get results.

The next time you get a few minutes to yourself, switch off the rest of the world and enjoy.

46Works | Facebook | Instagram

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