2020 ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR 650
Custom Cafe Racer
I knew I wanted to build a cafe racer type bike when I started looking at the twins and I knew I wanted to do all the work myself. I had to learn a few thing, watch a few videos, some practice, but the bike has come a long way and has really met all my goals thus far! Follow along on my custom 650 Project. Here's a list of all the work done so far with product links, information and much more.
CUSTOM WORK
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Stainless Steel Welded Short Tail Hoop and Custom Fender
I measured the subframe and found a Stainless Steel Hoop on Amazon matching the specs of the stock subframe. I bought a welder at Harbor Freight and practiced in my garage for a few weeks. Once I felt comfortable, I gave it a shot. A little light grinding with the flap disc, some sanding and some VHT Gloss Black Roll Bar and Chassis Paint gave the new hoop a factory look. I didn't want to have a fender stick out past the hoop so I made a template from cardboard and traced it on to a steel plate. I cut, sanded and smoothed out the plate for paint. I also welded in the spacers needed for the mounting points which also required a tab to be welded on the inside of the hoop. I painted everything with the same roll bar and chassis paint mentioned above. The finishing touch was a rubber edge seal around the plate. It gives the rear a nice finished look and blocks any light from passing through which helps in photos.
Custom Painted Headlight Bucket, Custom Short Fender, Fender Bracket, Heel Guard and Intake Covers
I started to black out some of the parts starting with the heel guard and intake covers. I used the same VHT Gloss Black Roll Bar and Chassis Paint that I used on the custom hoop. I wanted to go a little further with the headlight bucket and front fender. First, I cut the fender down by cutting the ends off and tracing them on what was left of the fender. I cut them with an angle grinder and a cutting disc and then sanded and smoothed with a handheld electric sander. I prepped the bucket, ring, fender and bracket for paint using a method on YouTube, Professional quality paint job for under $100. He list all the supplies and materials on his video page, this includes all the prep and painting supplies. He uses a green in the video, I used the Dupli-Color Black Magic Pearl Volkswagen Perfect Match.
Engine Case Letters, Inspection Cap and Oil Cap Painted with Black Enamel
This always looked so slick to me, the contrast and just the overall classy look. This one took some patience and a steady hand. There are a lot of old school painters and pinstripers who are really good at this. There's also a good amount of tutorials out there. I used Testors Gloss Black Enamel, some brushes, Q-Tips and acetone/paint striper. After painting in the letters, I used the Q-Tips and acetone to clean up the edges. After all the letters were done I used some Autosol Light Metal Polish to clean up the rest of the case which I also use in my regular upkeep.
UPGRADES
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MAINTENANCE
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