The past few years have seen a big change in the way a lot of custom motorcycles are created. Technology is everywhere, with many builders now using computer-aided modeling and machining to create and replicate parts faster and more accurately.
But some builders prefer to keep the traditional craft alive. In the USA guys like Craig Rodsmith and Max Hazan are wizards with traditional tools, and in India, we have Jay D. Patel of J&D Custom Co.?the builder of this raw and beautiful Electra 350.

Based in Vadodara, a city in western India, Jay eschews digital assistants and sticks to decades-old methods of craftmanship.
?I?ve called the bike ?Handmade,? because I hand-built everything from scratch, apart from the the engine and wheels,? he tells us.
Jay?s father owns an engineering workshop, and that?s where Jay learnt fabrication and other technical skills. The litmus test was restoring his dad?s Land Rover Defender: ?One of the greatest experience of my lifetime! It taught me a lot of lessons.?
Jay quickly moved on to building custom motorcycles from scratch, and first caught our eyes about three years ago with his ?Baroda Bobber,? based on a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350.

He?s now honed his skills still further with this compact and elegant Bullet Electra, which was RE?s best-selling model for many years.
?The concept for this bike was to showcase the true craftsmanship of building,? says Jay, ?without ?layering it? or hiding anything. Whatever I have learned ...