The Weston Beach Race on a Himalayan 411 Motocrosser…
Each year the seafront of Somerset’s Weston-super-Mare is transformed to host the UK’s largest off-road motorsport event, the Weston Beach Race. More than 1000 racers and 100,000 spectators turn out as dirt bike, quad, and sidecar riders battle an epic six-mile course for three hours straight in the main “Adult Solo” event.
“The world-renowned Weston Beach Race is the maddest and baddest beach motocross event in the country and it never fails to live up to that heady billing. Thrills, falls and drama are guaranteed as hundreds of daredevil bikers from Britain and beyond race around the beach and over a variety of tough and specially-crafted sand dunes in a motorbike spectacular where amateur riders go head-to-head with the professionals.”
The six-mile circuit combines a 2-km high speed straight with mammoth manmade sand dunes, ruts, mud holes, and other obstacles. Like Austria’s notorious Erzberg Rodeo, the West Beach Race is more a battle of attrition than a normal enduro race, with only a small percentage of the 1000+ riders actually finishing.
As you might imagine, the race is dominated by the latest motocross and enduro bikes. The very last machine you might expect to see in this legendary event is a lowly Royal Enfield Himalayan 411 — the company’s single-cylinder 24-bhp adventure bike that costs less than $5500 new.
However, Max Hind of the 999lazer YouTube channel — along with test rider / mechanic / builder Sean Smith — had the idea to transform a crash-damaged £850 Himalayan 411 into motocrosser…and enter it in the 2025 Weston Beach Race.
If that sounds a bit mad, these same guys are known for building big-bore two-stroke monsters such as their Megalodon 700, Yzilla 500, and Black Panther 600 (more on those in future features).
Test rider Sean Smith carried out the build in just four days and volunteered to race the bike himself — legend! He had no clear design vision other than building a bike that could survive the event, though the machine came out looking like a vintage 60s scrambler…which turned quite a few heads at the beach. Even hard enduro champion Billy Bolt had time to offer advice on the Enfield:
Bolt: “On that thing? Nah, just survive… Avoid getting stuck… And keep your eyes open down the straight, as I think you’ll be going quite a bit faster than everyone else.”
Hind: “It’s got 26 horsepower. It’s 411cc.”
Bolt: “Ah, he’s double-f*cked then!”
They stripped the bike of as much weight as possible, removing unneeded systems like the ABS and EVAP. They upgraded the suspension with YSS components and a rear linkage that increases ride height and ground clearance. A Fuel X Pro system helps sort the various power modifications: exhaust, performance cam, air filter, etc. Other highlights include a tank with external fuel pump, quarter-turn throttle, custom-made sprockets to change the gearing, and pivot pegs.
Nicknamed the “Silver Surfer,” the bike now makes ~30 bhp and weighs 375 pounds — about 65 pounds lighter than stock. Says Max:
“It is surprisingly good to ride…even on a motocross track. I think the video of its first ride speaks for itself!”
So how did the “Silver Surfer” stand up in the UK’s toughest off-road race? We don’t want to give away too much, but suffice to say the Enfield naysayers might be in for a surprise. Below, we interview Max Hind of 999lazer about the entire project, with credit to Phil Hind for the photography.
Himalayan 411 Motocross Bike: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
Max Hind is the owner of the 999lazer YouTube channel, which is known for building big-bore two-strokes including the Megalodon 700, Yzilla 500, and Black Panther 600. The Silver Surfer was actually built by Sean Smith who is a test rider for the 999lazer channel but also an accomplished mechanic with a few custom builds under his belt including a BMW café racer.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
Our base bike was an accident-damaged 2022 Himalayan 411 bought from Copart in the UK (where we are based) for around £850 (around $1100). The build was completed by our technician Sean Smith in 4 days. Sean also volunteered to race it at Weston Beach Race.
• Why was this bike built?
The bike was built for a YouTube series. We wanted to see if we could turn a Royal Enfield Himalayan into a capable dirt bike and the “Silver Surfer” is the result. During the build series we came up with the idea of proving the capabilities of the bike by entering it into gnarliest off-road race in the UK called the Weston Beach Race. It’s a three-hour extreme event and it takes no prisoners with only a small % of the 1000 + entrants actually completing the event.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The build had no real plan other than the goal of making it look and ride like a dirt bike (we didn’t specify the era of dirt bikes in the initial video), so it ended up looking like a late 60’s classic scrambler. In all honesty the build was done on the fly with all decisions being made as we went along. It’s fully documented on the 999lazer YouTube channel so you can see the whole process.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
We removed pretty much everything to reduce weight including ABS system, EVAP Emission system, stands, lights, tyres, etc. We upgraded the front and rear suspension, exhaust, bars, air filter, fuel system, seat, chain & sprocket(gearing), throttle (to a ¼ turn), and added a performance cam.
The hardest part of the build was changing the tank and making an external fuel pump.
The bike is road registered therefore with a few little mods can be put back on the road after the event as a nice little café racer which is our plan.
A few more things I forgot to mention… the forks and shock were YSS suspension upgrades but we also changed the rear suspension linkage to increase the ride height.
We also changed the footpegs for “pivot pegs” and changed the gearing via custom-made sprockets.
We also added a Fuel X Pro system which sorts out the fueling on the bike which we needed with all the mods we made.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
The Silver Surfer.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
Circa 30 BHP (from 24 stock). We think we shed around 30 kilos so it’s around 170 KG now.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It is surprisingly good to ride…even on a motocross track. I think the video of its first ride speaks for itself!
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
The fuel tank conversion and also making a one-piece seat to give it the dirt bike look.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
We had some help with the parts from Hitchcocks Motorcycles and TEC Bike Parts.
Silver Surfer Full Video Series
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Follow the Builder
YouTube: www.youtube.com/999lazer
Facebook: 999lazer
Instagram: @999lazer
TikTok: 999lazerofficial
Photographer: Phil Hind (999lazer)
Videographer & Video Editor: Max Hind (999lazer)
Builder and Test Rider: Sean Smith
