Black Bullet: Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Café Racer

Prize-Winning “Black Bullet” from Nicolas Baux of MCNC… 

The Royal Enfield Bullet is nearing a century of continuous production — the longest of any motorcycle model in history. Introduced in 1932, the four-stroke single-cylinder machine was available in 350cc and 500cc variants, and the Bullet served both the British Army and Royal Air Force during the Second World War. In the 1950s, Enfield shipped its Bullet tooling from the old factory in Redditch, England to India, where production continued relatively unchanged for decades.

A revolution came in 2009, when Royal Enfield introduced their new fuel-injected unit-construction engine (UCE), which boasted maintenance-free hydraulic lifters, integrated 5-speed gearbox, and lighter aluminum construction. While some purists balked at the loss of the old cast-iron Bullet engine, the new machines performed well enough to convert quite a few Enfield diehards:

“I’ve owned and maintained a 500cc British Single that dates from 1954 and have to admit there is a pretty powerful attraction to what the new Enfield offers. The character is there when you’re riding, and you get it without all that character building in the garage. But I think they intentionally left the oil drain plug just a little loose so I’d have something to do. Thanks. I feel needed.” -Mark Hoyer, Cycle World, 2012

Enter our old friend Nicolas Baux of France’s MCNC, which stands for Motocyclettes Certifiés Non Conformes or “Certified Non-Compliant Motorcycles.” It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to the high level of modification performed in the MCNC workshop, and the “certificate of nonconformity” that accompanies each build (example below).

Though Nicolas had owned and ridden motorcycles for years, his passion for customization was sparked 12 years ago when he swapped the engine from his two-stroke Honda CR500 supermoto into a CRF450 chassis.

“That day I cut up my first frame! From there I felt that the limits in the modification of a motorcycle are in fact the ones that we set ourselves!”

Two-Stroke Supermoto: Honda CRF / CR500 Hybrid!

In 2022, we featured Nicolas’s absolutely stunning ’78 Moto Guzzi 850 T3 Café Racer. The Guzzi was the third build to roll out of the MCNC workshop, and it not only made our list of the Top 10 Café Racers of that year, but won 1st prize during the prestigious Cafe Racer Festival at the historic Montlhéry racing circuit outside Paris.

La Macchina: Moto Guzzi 850 T3 Café Racer

Somehow, we missed that Nicolas had also built one hell of a Bullet 500. Today, we’re excited to take a look back at his Royal Enfield “Black Bullet” — his second project, built from a 2012 Bullet 500.

In French, the word gromono refers to a single-cylinder motorcycle, and to Nicolas, the 500cc Bullet is the “ultimate gromono” — the perfect candidate for a custom-built café racer.

“The original Bullet is a very beautiful bike, but I wanted a model that was as refined as possible, with a racy but also elegant side. I wanted this bike to seem to come out of the Royal Enfield catalog.”

Nicolas was well-equipped to build such a special, as his workshop includes a 2.6-ton milling machine, lathe, small CNC, rolling machine, welding setup, and more.

One of the most impressive aspects of the build is the wealth of cast-aluminum parts — a fabrication process that Nicolas learned on the fly: building himself an oven, melting aluminum at 700°C, and casting it in homemade sand molds.

Many of the bulkier components were cast, such as the rocker, starter, and fusebox covers, as well as various emblems and logos.

“This very old technique allows you to give free rein to your imagination. It’s really very pleasant to think of a piece, draw it, sculpt it then make a sand mold and finally pour the molten metal and discover the finished piece!”

Nicolas also fabricated the swingarm, upper yoke, tail section, electrical box, intake manifolds, various switches, and much more — more than 100 custom parts in all!

 

The completed “Black Bullet” truly looks like something that might have rolled out of the Enfield catalogue if the company had designed and produced a limited-edition café racer in the 1960s, or a retro model more recently. It’s one of our favorite Enfields ever, and incredibly impressive for someone who only has time to work on his projects on the weekends and the odd weekday evening.

Like the Guzzi, the “Black Bullet” also took home 1st prize at the Café Racer Festival, and Nicolas reinvested the funds back into his workshop, purchasing a new TIG welding station. He says has several other projects in the works, and we’re waiting with baited breath to see them!

Below, Nicolas gives us a full rundown of the build in his own words, with many more details, along with a build sheet. Photography credits go to Jean Luc Benassis — enjoy!

Enfield Black Bullet: In the Builder’s Words…

For me, Royal Enfield is a legendary brand, and the 500 Bullet represents the ultimate gromono [single-cylinder]: long stroke, low-end torque, good vibration, magnificent engine… The original Bullet is a very beautiful bike, but I wanted a model that was as refined as possible, with a racy but also elegant side. I wanted this bike to seem to come out of the Royal Enfield catalog.

I wanted to keep the original tank with its very specific gold trim. I wanted to stay in the spirit of this bike, by highlighting the essentials: two wheels and an engine! So I did a lot of work to move the bulky elements: battery, air filter, tool box, fuse box…all the electrical equipment is now under the saddle, the electrical harness has been simplified, no more switch on the right, the starter is now controlled by the MCNC button on the steering axle.

To accentuate the dynamic side, I decided to lengthen the bike by making a new swingarm 80mm longer and a minimalist saddle backrest.

To make the special parts, I used several techniques: turning, milling, mallet forming on sandbag and English wheel, chemical etching, thermoforming, and aluminum foundry. At the time, I had never done foundry work in my life, so I learned about the different techniques, I made myself an oven, a crucible, and with activated charcoal and an old hair dryer, I melted pieces of aluminum at around 700°C. What a pleasure to learn!

This molten aluminum must then be cast into a sand mold obtained using a model, itself hand-sculpted in a special resin, which is worked a bit like wood. All this is exciting, and when the first parts were unmolded I was really proud of the result.

Ultimately, out of more than 100 parts made especially for this motorcycle, 16 parts are made in aluminum casting. They bear the name of my brand: MCNC Moto Certifiée Non Conforme.

The main handmade parts are as follows:

• MCNC swingarm (+80mm)
• Rear controls mounted on MCNC bearings
• MCNC rear brake switch
• MCNC seat backrest + “Akotabé” saddle
• Electronic component housing in MCNC box
• MCNC left switch
• Starter control, indicator lights and speedometer integrated into MCNC upper Y-bar
• MCNC air filter integrated into the MCNC intake horn

And in cast aluminum:

• Fuse box cover
• Wire grommet
• Footrest plate x 2
• Rocker rod covers
• BRAKE/GEAR donuts x 2
• Black Bullet logo electronic box x 2
• Bullet emblem on front mudguard
• Starter covers x 2
• RE headlight and injection control lenses x 2
• Royal Enfield tank logo x 2

All this work was spread over 9 months, since I only work on weekends and sometimes in the evening after work.

It was a real pleasure to work on this bike, which I enjoy riding now, I have done several thousand km with it, always with a smile! Now, I am infected with the motorcycle creation virus, so other projects are in progress or to come!!!

More Photos

Build Process Gallery

Follow the Builder

Website: mcnc81.jimdofree.com
Instagram: @atelier_mcnc
Photography: Jean Luc Benassis (www.flickr.com/photos/130251386@N08/)

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