Analog Motorcycles: Royal Scrambler

Bike Name: Royal Scrambler
Model: 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT
Builder: Analog Motorcycles
Owner: Analog Motorcycles

Royal Enfield has recently decided to make their presence more known in the US by setting up a US head quarters in Milwaukee, WI. They have staffed the headquarters and are restructuring their dealer network to have a bigger impact state side for years to come. With this new presence they have opted to hand out a few stock models for builders to do with what they please. I was contacted and told I was near the top of that list. Probably because I am pretty close to Milwaukee but regardless I was up for the chance to build my first custom Royal Enfield.

“It has the already stylish “Café Racer” style look to it and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet, so I took it for a spin.”

They sent me the Continental GT and no build cue. My criteria was, do what you want and to allow Royal Enfield to show it if they wished for up to a year. Oh yeah and have it done in a month and a half for Mama Tried show in Milwaukee. So I get to do what I want but have very little time? Hmm… It has the already stylish “Café Racer” style look to it and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do yet, so I took it for a spin. To be honest it was slow and not something I really viewed as a racer of any kind. It would be great in the city maybe or for a newer rider but my riding style on roads is not heading anywhere near the city and I am not a new rider. I prefer county roads with lots of twisty sections and to get to those around here you have to spend some time on long straight highways to get to there. I was impressed with the torque, as one should be with a half liter single. I also assumed there might be a little more torque hiding in there somewhere. So what sort of build would like grunty low end torque and not so concerned with high speed. A dirt bike or if it were street legal a scrambler. But I have built a number of scramblers recently. Oh wait, it needs to be done in time for the Mama Tried show. They have ice riding on the last day of that show so I decided to go ahead and build the scrambler style bike but lace up another set of wheels and mount studded tires for the Ice. Boom, the plan was set.

“Started with tearing the bike down to it bare essentials.”

Started with tearing the bike down to it bare essentials. I had contemplating building a tank but with the time crunch I didn’t have the time. Besides the stock tank has some good lines already. So the tank stays but everything else goes. I then sorted out the geometry. I lifted the front end up so the forks sit at the top of the top triple and modified the triple to house a set of bar risers and a set of Moose Racing aluminum handlebars. The stock clip ons used to mount on top of the triples so that added nearly 2” of lift. I lifted rear to match but it seemed a little too high so ended up at about 1.5” of suspension lift. Measured everything up and sent the forks to Race Tech and the rear dimensions for a whole new suspension set up with G3-S custom shocks. They were happy to help and offered to help sponsor the build. This is now probably the best handling Royal Enfield on the planet. I mounted a set of Conti TKC80 tires on stock Excel aluminum rims. Tore the wheels down and treated them to contrasting powder coating. I also build another set of wheels for the ice tires and decided to do another color combo to give it another look because why not? Proceeded to chop down and modify the sub-frame and make a rear fender that would fit nicely with the sub-frame. I then fabricated a new seat pan for solo use only since I cut off the passenger pegs. For lighting I opted for an aftermarket 4.5” headlight and custom made a bracket to hold it. The taillight is a new version of our popular Analog Motor Goods Revolver Taillight. This one we are calling the Reverse Bates Taillight and will be available on our website soon along with the Mini LED Bolt turn signals we used on front and rear. I decided since I had the space on backside of handlebars that I would use the Koso DB01r speedometer. It is nice and discreet and a breeze to wire and program. Motone sent us their new button set up which work really well with the Moto Gadget M-unit and M-button we used for wiring. A Biltwell Whiskey Throttle handles the Braap.

Throughout the whole process I was torn between trying to get more out of the efi or ditching the system and running a carburetor. In true Analog style I ditched the efi and picked up the Hitchcock Amal carb conversion. While I was at it I ordered their performance cams, valve springs and CDI box. In order to make it all work it need the stator from the India carb’d model engine so they sent me one of those. I called up Cone Engineering and we chatted about some exhaust solutions. I wanted to build a high mount exhaust system and wanted it to look like a straight pipe but have some muffling. They of course had all the components I needed and sent them my way. Built the exhaust and tore the bike down. Engine went to Moto and Motor in Northbrook, IL to refresh top end and install the internal performance goodies while I powder coated some of the engine cases wrinkle black.

Started putting it all together as quickly as I could as parts started to trickle in. I called up Free Form Design who makes all of Analog Motor Goods CNC’d parts and sent them over a new heel guard design, tank emblem idea and we talked about a new version of our grenade peg design to fit this bike. A few days later they were able to whip them up for me and had them all clear anodized with taillight and a signal spacers. I had a set of Low Brow Customs ox blood grips lying around and made the whole color scheme based off those grips. Ox blood material seat and bar wrap done by Dave Purney. Paint by Kiel’s Kustom’s and pinstripes by Brando. Powder coating in house and by J and J powder coating.

This was probably the quickest turn around on a build of this level I have ever done. It is still really cold here and the roads are full of salt so, so far the only testing I have done is up and down the shop road. It is seat of the pants faster and will send a wheelie up no problem now. Can’t wait to get it out on the ice and then come spring into some dirt. This machine is scheduled to go out on the Whiskey Grade tour (May 2016) with the Dirt 750 I built for them and will end up at Motos in Moab where I plan to do some exploring of its new capabilities.

Special thanks to build sponsors. Race Tech, Cone Engineering, Moto and Motor and Motone.

Photography courtesy of Ian Peldonia