Old Empire's Royal Enfield Interceptor Custom Looks Like A Piece Of Art

It also features a keyless ignition system, a twist action clutch and more!

“There is a poetic nature to minimalism that is about striking a balance between full and empty.” - Jennie C. Jones

The Interceptor 650 is a bike that changed our perception of Royal Enfield as a brand. What was once known for its single-cylinder “thump” and vibrations, is now known for one of the smoothest 650cc parallel-twin engines developed by an Indian bikemaker. As for its overall design, the bike was designed with minimalism in mind with a touch of modern elements. As good as it looks, the folks at Old Empire Customs from UK were given the task of taking it up a notch. The brief given by Royal Enfield was pretty straightforward, “Design a custom Interceptor 650 without going too crazy and keep the engine as the focus area.” 

With that in mind, the complete bike was taken down while retaining only those elements that were absolutely necessary. Minimalism took top priority. To begin with, the halogen headlamp was replaced with an aluminium shroud to keep the front end sweet and simple. The front and rear fenders went out the window too! Atop sit custom handlebars with 90-degree bends which represent an ant’s antennas. Additionally, the handlebar grips feature an internal throttle and clutch system which give the bars an uncluttered look. Essentially, the clutch works with twist action, just like a typical throttle system. 

Keeping in line with the theme, the brake and clutch cables are routed through the handlebars. Speaking of the handlebars, its yoke or stem has been machined to incorporate a start button. Interestingly, the keyless ignition system is incorporated into a pair of riding gloves. Pan to the midsection, and you’d notice the fuel tank remains pretty much untouched, except for a flush fit T800 race fuel filler cap.

The folks at Old Empire were able to achieve a single straight character line running from the tank to the rear end by using a longer seat. The seat is made from rich leather and waterproof suede put together with a near cross-stitch pattern. Not only this, the handlebar grips and footpegs are also wrapped in Empire leather. The side panels give way to simple sheets of rolled and wheeled aluminium with a mesh air intake on one side and the brake proportioning valve on the other. To finish off the bodywork, Flying Tiger Paintworks sprayed the bike with a unique paint colour that changes its shade from black to metallic ruby red in the sunlight.

All this work to draw attention to the star of the show, the 648cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine. Though the bike sounds good with stock exhausts, it lacked a custom touch. Hence, a set of stainless steel, big bore pipes were designed with hidden internal baffles. And, last but not the least, the bike’s spoked wheels were painted in black and wrapped in stickier Metzeler tyres for some extra grip. Unfortunately, this custom Interceptor 650 is a one-off and was solely built to showcase the customisation possibilities of the bike.