This Custom Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Is Race-ready!

The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is a great motorcycle for the urban hipster, but can it entice a track enthusiast? Yes, if we're talking about a mod job like this

• The Vigilante is the brainchild of famed custom motorcycle maker Rajputana Customs.
• It gets its name from its dark and stealthy looks.
• It sports a custom Showa USD fork at the front and Öhlins TTX GP at the rear, while brakes are by Brembo. 

Rajputana Customs needs no introduction in the Indian customisation scene. Having gained a reputation for making modern retro renditions of stock motorcycles, like it did with the Harley-Davidson Street 750, it has now been commissioned to make a one-off for Royal Enfield themselves. Unveiled shortly after the India launch of the 650 Twins at the 2018 Rider Mania, Rajputana’s Vigilante custom based on the Continental GT 650 has caught a lot of attention. 

Now, after nearly a year of existence, all the details of the custom have been revealed. And no longer is it just a cafe racer for the urban hipster, it is a serious track weapon.

Being a one-off motorcycle, Rajputana Customs went all out in making it a motorcycle fit for the Indian Batman. While the entire motorcycle gets a blacked-out treatment, the golden forks and highlights on the fuel tank, engine casing, exhaust tip and the chain rollers give the custom motorcycle a contrasting look, making it look quite spectacular. 

In terms of mechanical upgrades, Rajputana Customs has either tuned or replaced each and every component on the stock bike! The entire front end, including the suspension, brakes and the wheel, has been directly lifted from the Ducati 848 EVO. In fact, the rear wheel, hub motor and brake are from the 848 EVO as well. It features a single-sided swingarm built from tubular steel, made especially for this Conti GT 650. One of the reasons why the custom house chose steel is because aluminium didn’t offer adequate strength for what the designers had in mind and making one which could stand the test of time would be a time and money consuming affair. Other changes include a custom rear subframe, 17-inch Marchesini rims (as previously mentioned) wrapped with Pirelli Diablo Superbike slicks and a single-sided swingarm.

Rajputana Customs’ main focus was to make the Continental GT 650 sharper and more dynamic. That’s the reason why it focused so intensely on the suspension and tyre setup. The engine, on the other hand, is identical to the standard motorcycle, though it has been given a free-flow air-filter from K&N. 

As the engine is an air-cooled unit, the Vigilante gets a half fairing with asymmetrical engine cowls, instead of the full fairing. Rajputana has chosen not to give it a fully faired look to avoid heating issues. 

If you want to see the Vigilante shredding some rubber on a race track, head over to Rajputana Custom’s social media pages now.