Karman Design Royal Enfield bobber  e

Debut Build: A custom Royal Enfield Bobber by Karman Design

Karman Design Royal Enfield bobber (1)

Ritesh is an old friend. Now an industrial designed by profession, he was better identified in college by his steed – a custom Royal Enfield chopper, based on a ’85 Standard 350 – one badass motorcycle built with his own hands. He has been riding it for 9 years now, apart from customizing it twice. The very same motorcycle has now been transformed into this shiny, freshly minted, custom bobber.

Calling themselves “Artistic Engineers”, the duo of Ritesh Sharma and Ashwin Bhardwaj form Karman Design, a New Delhi based custom motorcycle outfit. The theme of their debut build is that a bobber, with a pleasant mix of contemporary and period elements. According to the creators, the most appropriate words that sum up the build would be “elegant, minimal & classy”.

As mentioned before, the base is a 1985 Standard 350cc Royal Enfield model. The first things that went on are a pair of 100 spoke rims that look decidedly retro. The wheels have a staggered setup, with an 18-inch front rim size paired to a 19-inch rear rim size, and are wrapped around with a set of Pirelli tires (F-120/70 & R-140/70).

The frame has been left untouched, and the duo concentrated on the bodywork instead. The tank was custom built, and so were the side panels and fenders. A slightly leaning forward riding position was kept in mind before the build started, and the shape of the tank was honed putting Ritesh’s industrial design expertise to good use. He says that a lot of mock ups of the tank and side panels were created before getting it fabricated into the final shape.

Karman Design Royal Enfield bobber (6)

The battery box has a metal base with a leather covering to keep it in place. The minimalist fenders hug the tires, while the ignition key has been done away with. Instead, the wiring was modified and a 3.5mm jack extender masquerades as the key. Most of the electrical parts & accessories are stock but kick pedal, gear shift lever and both the foot rests have been fabricated in house.

Everything has been topped with glossy black paint, and instead of using pinstripes, there are “strokes”, highlighted in gold. The motorcycle took 6 months to complete, and the pair did it by juggling regular 9-5 jobs.

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