Flat Track - Harley-Davidson

Its the norm these days to send out Save the Dates pre-invites but this one that I received about 20 days ago was the best one I have got for a while. Harsh and I have been talking about Flat track and how awesome it would be to have a few tracks in India where the lot of us can trash around and have a ball. I mean we have a load of friends in the UK (Sideburn and Co-Built) who do just that and have built up a great little community of mad flat tackers. 

We got a taste of Flat Track at IBW where we saw Vijay Rajputana take his custom built Harley around the oval just having a great time. We also got a peek of John Singh Speedway outside the Pink City and Vijay again hammering away on his flat tracker we had a go at the track but on much more modest and calmer machines (Sleet) and I can tell you I had a great time. 

I cant even begin to imagine doing that oval on a custom 750 and trying to go sideways. Going to need a whole set of new gear for this one because like Sideburn says IF YOU DONT LIMP YOU AINT SHIT.

Riding the Himalayan Sleet in Jaipur

The voice at the other end of the line said "Hi Vir. I am calling on behalf of Royal Enfield can you please keep these following dates free. We would like you to join us in Jaipur to ride some motorcycles. We shall be in touch with more details" CLICK.  Cut to we are in Jaipur at the hotel with a cold beer in our hand sitting down for a presentation. The room is filled with some familiar faces. Lots of moto peeps who are popular on Twitter, Facetube, Instagram and other Social Media channels. So team Royal Enfield splits us up into groups of 4 and then starts telling us what the plan is.

We will be riding the new Fuel Injected Royal Enfield Himalayan and each team will have one Royal Enfield Himalayan Sleet with the new Explorer Kit. (The explorer kit has the new panniers, a new wider double walled braced handlebar and engine guards). The Sleet refers to the new paint scheme the bike will come in adding to the two colours it was originally launched in Granite and Snow. (Remember we rode them at the launch).

Anywho the idea was to spend a day riding these new motorcycles around Jaipur but Team Royal Enfield had a spin to this. They broke us up into teams of 4 and gave us all 10 GPS coordinates (there were 5 spots which held points when we had to collect. It was actually 7 which they didnt tell us and left it as a secret) and told us we needed to get to as many as we could in the day and be back in the hotel by 5P.M. Every minute later and we would loose points. I luckily was teamed up with some map ninjas. They plotted and planned the route down to the detail while I drank beer with the other teams trying to infiltrate their plans and throw them off course.

The next morning we were the first ones out of the gate and started knocking the points down steadily. By lunch time we had 5 points and 4 locations left (we had no time for lunch we were to busy kicking ass). There was one coordinate that was giving us trouble. We knew how to get there but it was through a national forest and to enter we needed tickets for all 4 bikes and riders but also we needed to pay for every camera we were carrying. Just me I had 5 cameras not counting the phone. In the team we had over 20 and a drone so we were in financial trouble. We left that one till the end because we had to find another route to it. A longish highway ride and a flat tyre later we found the spot and grabbed the last point and made it back to the hotel. Needless to say guess who was the big winner that day YEP. What a day it was. The best part was when I caught up with Harsh (who was in a different team and went and spent the day at Sambar Lake) and compared our days ride and they were like totally different experiences. What a way to ride a new motorcycle and have a ton of fun doing it.

But it seemed that team Royal Enfield had more in store for us. Vijay Singh Rajputana boss man and visionary at Rajputana Customs has built him self a flat track that he has named John Singh Speedway after his grandfather who was an avid motorcyclist and dirt track enthusiast. So team Royal Enfield  got Vijay to spend the day giving us some tips on flat tracking and boy what a day it was. We spent the whole day riding around the track kicking up dirt and having a great time doing it. I was so taken by the Flat Track that I am actually itching to get back out again. What a incredibly fun day what an incredibly fun two days hosted by Enfield for their new Himalayn Sleet.

 

The 500 special edition Sleets went out on sale yesterday on the Royal Enfield website and were sold out within the day. Now if you want a Sleet you can buy one but without the adventure pack that will now be sold separate at an extra cost.

Harshs Kit

Jacket - Icon DKR Raiden

Pants - Rev'it Defender Pro GTX

Gloves - Icon Raiden Arakis

Boots - Sidi Adventure 

Helmet - Icon Varient Carbon

Virs Kit

Jacket - Icon DKR Raiden

Pants - Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0  (they are 10 years old and kicking ass)

Gloves - Ikon Raiden Arakis

Boots - Sidi Adventure 2 Gore-Tex

Helmet - AGV AX-8 EVO

MKM ride, Day 5: Rajputana Custom

A trip to jaipur would not be complete without a quick trip to our good friend Rajputana Custom Motorcycles workshop. We can't tell you about all the killer stuff we saw because you got to wait till the bikes are fully done. Rajputana we will be back..
Sent from BlackBerry® on Airtel

New Rajputana Customs motorcycle video

When we got Rahul Datta, an old friend of ours who is an amateur filmmaker and a sailor by trade, and Vijay Singh of Rajputana Customs together, this is what they came up with.

Interview: Vijay Singh of Rajputana Customs

Vijay Singh runs Rajputana Customs and is the newest custom bike builder in India(and he is damn good at what he is doing) we at Helmet Stories caught up with him and got a low down on what makes him tick and to know "when the hell will he pimp our rides"? 

Who are you and where are you based? 

Vijay Singh, Age 24, Mass Communication Major from Carleton University, Canada. Graduated in 2009 and started up RCM in Feb 2010. Rajputana Customs is based out of Jaipur, literally out of the house. So its rather convenient; living and working at home.  

When did you get interested in bikes?

My Dad used to race motocross back in the day (1970s) for JMC (Jaipur Motorcycle Club) and i was quite literally being ridden around on the gas tank of my dad's Yamaha RD 350 since i was 6 months old. He then restored a BSA bond/falcon (50cc) for me when i turned 6 yrs old and got me on the motocross track which has now been converted into "central park" in Jaipur. Its a balls ass place now, the track wouldve kept the sport alive and done much good for road rage. Oh well... 

Vijay on his dads RD 350

Racing in Central Park in Jaipur when he was 6 years old

What was your first bike you ever owned/rode?

BSA Bond/Falcon 50 cc. 

BSA Bond/Falcon 50 cc. a super way to start riding.

What prompted Original Gangster and how did it come about?

I was basically treating it like a post-university project to keep myself occupied during my few months of chutti before i really dove into the "work-world". I finished the bike just in time for the auto expo this year and my cousin brother Avijit Singh who is part of the heritage motoring club of India spoke to HMCI and convinced them and me to showcase my bike along with his Triumph Tiger at the expo. OG got a very positive response at the expo and since then we've been building bikes on an order basis. 

Who are your influences?

If its simply a love for motorcycles and who triggered my love for 2 wheels i will have to say my father Mrityunja Singh. As for custom bike builders i like Billy Lane, Jesse Rooke, Shinya Kimura and Indian Larry (R.I.P) 

Do you work alone?

I have 2 metal fabricators and 1 shop manager (Tappan) who is also my childhood friend (the gardener's son).

What is your favorite bike?

Ducati 996 :)

What do you do for fun? 

I shoot skeet & trap at the range on sundays, play golf with the cousins, play football in the mornings, kill the PS3 with the boys post work in the evenings, and Bissau House pool parties.

What bike would you like to see in India?

Suzuki GSX R1000 

What is the worst bike ever according to you? 

none really. 

Functionality vs bling? 

Functionality.

What is your favorite road to ride on? 

No road, would love to hop onto a ktm enduro and rip across the semi-arid Rajasthani countryside.  

How does one get in touch with you?

People can feel free to call me at 9928164795  (makes life easier) or just email me at rajputanacustoms@gmail.com or visit our site. 

How long does a build usually take?

A build from scratch takes between 50-70 days usually.

How does one get their hands on a Rajputana custom? 

Grab a beer, discuss certain design ideas (just to make sure the client doesn't want any flames and skulls on the bike), approve my sketech, and write me a cheque. haha

What is the latest bike you are working on? 

Working on 2 bikes simultaneously....one's for my uncle Vikram Singh and the other is for the actor Vivek Oberoi. 

any sneak peaks to what it looks like? 

Will send you some once i am home.  :D

Check out some of the bikes that have come out of the Rajputana Custom shop so far. Check out their facebook page for more images and info on upcoming builds.

Original Gangster

Light Foot

Nandi