“Huncut” Interceptor 650 from Earth Motorcycles…
Since the introduction of the Royal Enfield 650 twins in 2018, more and more custom workshops have been turning to these retro twins for customization. A brand-new donor costs less than many vintage bikes, the air-cooled engine and twin-shock chassis lend themselves to modification, and reviewers across the board continue to rate it highly:
“The Royal Enfield INT650 is old school in all the best ways. It has just the right amount of technology to make it easy to live with and a pleasure to ride for new or experienced riders… One should never underestimate a plain, simple, classic-style motorcycle and the joy it can bring.” –Cycle World
Recently, we heard from our friend Aleš Tomis of Slovakia’s Earth Motorcycles, whose BMW R100 “Galgan” we recently featured. Aleš built several bikes out of a tiny workspace in London before moving back to his home country to open a larger workshop with his friend Vlado Dinga, and the team’s builds have been making big waves in the custom world.
This Royal Enfield 650 project came their way in a unique way. A foreign customer contacted the workshop with a 3D model already created, designed by his brother.
Aleš really liked the vision for the build and accepted the project, though it would turn out to be much work than he anticipated:
“I thought it was going to be a quick job. Shave some brackets off, cut all the plastic boxes inside the frame triangle, cut the subframe, and fit a newly-built steel tank. Well, the reality was totally different.”
Once the brackets were shaved, the whole frame had to be re-powdered, and a whole new yoke was designed and machined from 7005 aluminum, micro-sandblasted and black anodized.
The forks were shortened by 5cm, and the rear lights from the shop’s previous project, the “Cikula” Honda Dominator 650, were used, as the client was a big fan of them.
They had the customer into the shop to set up the controls for him, positioning the rear foot pegs to suit him and CNC-ing them from 6000-grade aluminum before anodizing.
Next up was the tank:
“The tank was a big challenge. First, we printed the tank on a 3D printer. It was just a shell without a bottom. We took the black plastic tank to the steel shape specialist. My idea was to cut the top of the original tank and use the bottom as a base for the new one.”
Wiring can be a headache when dealing with a modern bike, and this case was no exception. It took Aleš hours of studying the electrical scheme and experimentations to integrate the Motogadget M-unit Blue with the original 100+ connector CDI unit.
“It was a nightmare but after quite a few versions I finally did it.”
Aleš then created a neutral switch to work with the Daytona speedo, placing a modified BMW airhead switch in a laser-cut steel housing sealed with an O-ring.
Upholsterer Milita Seats made up the one-piece seamless saddle from faux leather — real leather was preferred, but too thin to roll under the seat pan smoothly.
Next up was the exhaust, made from 50mm stainless steel:
“I was not sure if the angles were OK on the 3D model so I decided to do it the old fashion way. I welded the whole top of the exhaust, sanded it down, and polished it with a scotch brite wheel.”
Aleš says the project ended up taking so long that the engine had earned a nearly permanent place in his workshop:
“When I finally took the engine off the bench and mounted it in the frame, I found an unusually empty space in my shop :)”
With the bike back together, it was taken to a professional for a full tuning, making sure everything ran optimally with the new intake and exhaust.
While the bike was more work than anticipated, the client was happy and there’s sure never to be another machine like it:
“The customer was very specific and one of his conditions was to never make this bike (tank) again. I think it is a good decision. Now he is a happy owner of (I think) a unique Royal Enfield 650.”
Aleš says the nickname “Huncut” is a Slovak word meaning a rascal, prankster, or scallywag. We say “Bravo Zulu” (Well Done) to Aleš and team for this unique creation!
Builder Thanks
Seat: Milita Seats – www.militaseats.cz
Photographer: Marian Svitek – www.mariansvitek.com
Follow the Builder
Earth Motorcycles: www.earthmotorcycles.com
Instagram: @earthmotorcycles
Beautiful and clean, reminiscent of Honda’s GB500 which I always liked as well. I’d have to opt for more suspension travel for our lousy roads but that aside, it’s a beautiful custom. Easy to enjoy visually.
Nice build. But I would immediately get rid of the headlight and put a fairing instead.
Sounds like a selfish pr*ck with a one of a kind bike. I was expecting more of a new bike to be introduced for the general public. Not a rich twit with a selfish concept designed all for himself.