They say that genetics are responsible for what’s passed down through the generations. But anyone out there with kids will realised that there’s so much more than just DNA that goes into making a person a person. In fact, it can be down-right scary what they pick up from adults. Or even what they don’t pick up. And then there’s the little things that lay dormant for years and years, like seeds once planted that take an eternity to sprout. For Reginald Hilt from New Delhi’s Bull City Customs, that dormant seed contained the DNA to build an entire bike shop. And that’s just what it did once the conditions were right.
“Hi. I’m Reginald Hilt from New Delhi, India. I am a Fashion Designer by profession and I run a buying agency for the Japanese Market. I consider myself a new kid on the block, as this is only my second build. With that said, motorcycles have always been a force in my family. When I was a kid I would see my dad tinkering with his bike every weekend, cleaning a filter or tuning a carb. But at that time I wasn’t really into the culture.”
“Over the years I’ve seen bikes like the RD350, Yezdi, Yamaha RX100, Rajdoot and even a Suzuki 125 roll in an out of our place every 6 to 7 months, depending on how long it took my dad to get over his current ride and crave for his next indulgence. It wasn’t after I was done with college and started working full-time that I got hooked on this culture.
I started modifying bikes in 2011 and there was no looking back since. We are called Bull City Customs and we believe in unity of like-minded people who follow the same passion – creating something truly unique. My wife Naavika is also a designer and has designed a range of Tees for bikers. She handles the marketing of the merchandise. A friend Henry, who we meet at one of our bike build meets, now helps us out with logos and 3D bike sketches.”
“The most recent of Bull City’s two-wheel custom work manages to transform one of the world’s most popular motorcycles into a custom machine we think is worthy of almost any garage. The Royal Enfield has been toyed and tampered with many times before. It’s an old favourite to work with; being one of India’s biggest selling motorcycles for over three decades. So you’d think that the platform might just have been exhausted; if so we have hopefully pushed the boundaries to create a classic thumper with a streamlined, modern edge.”
“The modifications are quite extensive. There’s a 22 Litre custom-built fuel tank, custom triples with risers, pro-racer handle bars, brass-customised grips, and brass break and clutch levers. The headlight is an old aluminium fog light. The rear wheel is off of a CBZ Honda. Rubber is Dunlop Monsters.
The fenders are hand-built, along with the battery and toolbox. The seat is also custom, with a spring underneath. The carb’s a Mikuni and the filters are K&Ns.”
Overall we are really happy with the result. We like to refer to it as a ‘Street Bobber’, and it’s the first of five new projects that we are planning to have completed in the next few months. We can’t wait to show them to you and your readers, and we are also very excited by the untapped possibilities of the custom bike scene here in India. Until next time…”
