Royal Enfields are popular with custom bikemakers and from scramblers to cafe racers, we’ve seen them all. But TNT Motorcycles, based out of India has taken the road less traveled and has come up with a one-off custom bagger motorcycle based on a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
Dubbed the Neelkantha, which translates to blue neck (this explains the color), the project was sponsored by Royal Enfield themselves. The whole project costs north of $26,000 and comprises loads of custom parts made by TNT Motorcycles.
Let’s take a closer look at this chopper.
Custom Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Bagger
One look at the Neelkantha and it makes its intentions of being a bagger quite clear. It boasts a huge front fairing and equally beefy panniers at the rear.
All the stock bodywork of the Interceptor 650 has been stripped off and replaced by custom bike parts. The custom bikemaker has even reworked the full chassis, extending both the front and rear parts, to make space for all the extra components.
What appears to be all smooth and clean from the outside also has a lot of attention to detail. You see, everything from the aluminum inserts on the tank and panniers to the handgrips and foldable aluminum footrests, TNT Motorcycles has tailor-made everything from scratch using 3D designing and CNC machining to ensure high-quality levels.
Another neat touch here is the soft closing pannier lids, so you can just leave push and forget em’ without worrying about denting the bodywork.
One thing TNT Motorcycles didn’t make themselves, though, was the 23-inch front wheel. This came from the United States along with its accompanying tire because it wasn’t available in India.
Design aside, my favorite bit about this custom Interceptor 650 is the air suspension. Yes, you read that right. The Neelkantha features air ride suspension at both ends, which lets the rider increase and decrease the ground clearance, varying from as low as 2.5-inches to a more practical 7.5-inches. The air ride suspension can be activated by simply flicking switches on the ape-hanger handlebar.
As for features, the Neelkantha doesn’t get an instrument cluster. What it does get though, are plenty of LED lights including a headlight and two fairing-mounted LED strips which provide an under glow during the night to help you truly stand out, if you don’t already.
Along with this, the fairing also houses two Bluetooth speakers, connected to the alternator so you never run out of juice on these.
Finally, we come to its engine. This is one area where TNT hasn’t done much and the custom Interceptor 650 continues to feature a 47 horsepower pumping 648cc, twin-cylinder engine. Having said that, they have thrown in a K&N race filter along with free-flow exhausts to generate a rumbling exhaust note when you turn up somewhere.
Can You Buy One?
Well, not really. According to TNT Motorcycles, this project was mainly created to showcase the level of customization one can reach with Royal Enfield motorcycles, so it’s more of a proud and prized possession.
But in case you want to do something similar, the Interceptor 650 starts from $5,999. Now that's a lot of bike for the money. As this custom chopper shows us, the sky is pretty much the limit with how far you can go with customizing a Royal Enfield. Do share it with us if you happen to build one!
Images: Rolling Pistons, TNT Motorcycles