Rajputana Customs 'Nandi'
Monday, January 3, 2011 
This bike, believe it or not, was a wedding gift. No, it wasn't on the gift registry but the soon-to-be groom Subhayou Nayak decided to buy himself a little present before the big day. Smart guy. So he commissioned Vijay Singh and his team at Rajputana Customs in India to build him something special. The brief for the bike was pretty straight forward. "Subhayou specified that he wanted an old-school-looking fatty, with a 300mm rear tyre and a Royal Enfield 500cc engine" said Vijay. Apart from that, they could pretty much do what they wanted.
Vijay and co-workers spent two solid months building everything on this bike which they then named 'Nandi' (after the bull in Hindu mythology that Shiva rides and is protected by). "The thing with building custom bikes here in India and more so at Rajputana Customs is that every bike is literally built from scratch, the chassis, gas tanks, hubs, rims, sprockets, jack shafts, springers, girders... and the list goes on" says Vijay. "Apart from the engine and tyres we pretty much build everything in-house. It's an 'eventful' learning experience."
Rajputana Customs are receiving some worldwide attention for the motorcycles they are building. Sure, the fat tyre on Nandi might not be to everyones taste but there's no denying this is a beautiful piece of workmanship and one very cool bike. We can't wait to see what they build next.
Spec list:
Royal Enfield Twinspark EFI 500 Engine
300 mm Rear Tyre
23in Front Tyre
Spoke Rims turned on our own dyes
Billet Aluminium Hubs machined here
Rear Sprocket and Jack Shaft (secondary drive chain) also made in-house
Springer front end in-house
Drop Down Mirrors
Brass Ring highlights and etching
Copper tubing to run the wiring for the rear tail lights
[Thanks Raghu for the tip]
Reader Comments (24)
VERY VERY worthy metal & wrench.
I just wish the owner hadn´t requested that rear tire. Other than that it looks pretty sharp.
+1 to baader's comment.
NICE scooter except rear tire. IMHO done to death...
skillet
done to deth in the US, yes. Done to death in India? Who knows. Either way, the bike looks really good.
thanks for the laugh: "...smart guy" remark.
This bike looks great. "Fatty"...I don't mind it for some bikes but to a point. A 200 or 240 rear would be much better for both looks and handling.
I love the leather work this shop does.
Why the puny motor on a tough-guy bike? It's well done in many ways, over-done in some and under-done in the cc department.
What's the torque on that? 20lbs?
In India 500cc is a "big" bike. Agree about rear wheel.
Not really keen on the big fat back wheel, however I love the whole package. A beautiful steed indeed :)
other than the ride probably feeling like a pogo stick, it looks nice. more rake would have been a little better..
500cc on a bike is not "big" in India, only easier to avail and used respectfully enough compared to higher volumes. thanks to the skewed taxes n duties. with some conventional "big" players seeing a market here, things might change to never be the same. moreover, this config is good enough for any seasoned rider to make his way gracefully on the road amongst other gentlemen around here. this particular motor company(RE) provides good enough engines of 350cc on which I know numerous folks doing a cross country cruise comparably well without hurting either the machine or the ego. "big" engines would obviously not hurt and would be definitely put to task, as and when they get available.
"Nandi" is just one of the first full hearted attempts at customization I have seen in these quarters with obvious owner pokes, nevertheless, beautiful in terms of basic built quality and finish. not to forget a certain amalgamation/blend of universal and local traits and tastes have come out immaculately on these wheels.
Cheers guys. i know where u heading ;) - Bhole
Awesome bike fer sure.They are doing awesome stuff up in Rajasthan.
For more info on them check out our blog we did an interview last month.
Ahem..Seems a few people here are overtly influenced by the authors last remark. Wide tyre ? .5 L? The Client asked for it, thats fashionably the definition of Custom. Fantastic job RCM. Craftily spirited; indulge in the details!
the bike looks pretty cool - except the over-dimesioned rearwheel
a nice vintage 16x5.00 AVON would habe looked much better
thumbs up for the guys who built it!
Thomas
VERY nice looking bike - would tend to agree with the wide wheel comments - on the other hand have you seen the size of the potholes over there? enormous, you could lose an elephant in them!!
And we in the UK are rapidly catching up with them what with all the snow and ice creating new ones daily - now why did I sell my Honda Baja?
I'm thinking of getting an ex War Department Enfield to ride as a winter hack... any colour you like as long as its green..
She's a beaut! The back wheel works for me, and I suspect the owner also.
Love it, back tire works well in my opinion ! Has bad ass simplicity. Maybe the 500 engine is a little small but doesn't seem too look out place with it's simple yet vintage styling.
Thumbs up Rajputana !! sweet customs.
if the pot holes there can swallow elephants maybe the front wheel should match the rear?
that rear tire look so much out place it makes me wanna cry why why why!!!???
Fabulous, love the fat tire and paint job....great bike guys.
One of the best Bike i have ever seen... good going Rajputana Customs.... i have became a big Fan or Yours...you guys Are Just AMAZING...!!! I want to know the exact price to built up such a nice bike... keep going all the very best to u...!!
What is the price range for RAJPUTANA CUSTOMS bikes?
i need rear alloy and tire whr i m buy it and how much it cost?