Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 Bobber Mod By Acclaimed Customs

This custom build was showcased at the 2019 Royal Enfield Rider Mania in Goa

• Apart from the bobber look, the most unique aspect of this bike is the suicide shifter.
• With this setup, the rider will have to use his/ her left hand to change the gear on the move.
• The bike also gets a custom exhaust and a carburettor from the Royal Enfield Bullet 500.

Acclaimed Customs, a Bengaluru-based motorcycle custom house showcased their bobber, called ‘Thugee’ at the 2019 Royal Enfield Rider Mania in Goa. They have used a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 as the base for this build and the total cost is claimed to be around Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, including the cost of the base bike. 

The motorcycle reeks of heavy-metal theme, complete with airbrushed skulls on the fuel tank, all black bodywork and a skull adorning the tip of the suicide shifter. Interestingly, the peanut fuel tank is from a Harley-Davidson Iron 883. The most unique aspect about this build is the inclusion of a suicide shifter on the left. There’s a clutch pedal in place of the traditional gear lever and using this, the bike’s suicide lever can be shifted sequentially. Due to its inherent design, the rider will have to take his/ her left hand off the handlebar to shift on the move, and it takes time to get used to the setup.

The engine’s internals are stock but the fuel injector has been replaced by a carburettor from the Royal Enfield Bullet 500. There’s a custom made fishtail exhaust too, which adds authenticity to the bobber. Another interesting attention-to-detail is the tail lamp made from a piston from the Royal Enfield Classic 350. On the other hand, the indicators are made from the Honda Activa’s piston. For extra comfort, the quilted single seat is sprung too.

Acclaimed Customs has done quite a bit of mix-and-match in their build. Up front, the fenders are chopped and the circular headlamp is flanked by slammed clip-on handlebars taken from a Royal Enfield Continental GT 535. The fork triple clamp is from the Royal Enfield Himalayan whereas the inner fork tubes and lower fork arms are from the Continental GT 650 and the Himalayan respectively. At the rear, the swingarm has been extended but the gas-charged shock absorber setup has remained unchanged. Brakes include disc on both ends.

Interestingly, the 18-inch spoke rims are from the Interceptor 650 whereas the wheel hubs are stock. The motorcycle rolls on Timsun tyres on both ends. Overall, this bobber looks pretty old school with just the right amount of steampunk feel to it.