With the success of Triumph’s Bonneville Bobber, it’s a wonder more manufacturers aren’t pushing out factory bobbers. But the Royal Enfield Classic 500 is close to the mark, with a timeless, minimal design that?s a little on the utilitarian side.
This bob-job from KR Customs is a superb example of what could be done, if Royal Enfield were feeling daring. And KR Customs are even based in the same city as Royal Enfield’s HQ?Chennai, India.

The shop opened its doors a few years ago, when founder Krish Rajan was relocated to Chennai by the IT company he worked for. A lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, he decided to build his first custom bike, but couldn’t find anyone to help him do it.
?For the most part, custom bike shops were still an esoteric notion in most parts of India,? he explains. ?After scratching around for a year to build a custom bike, I finally decided to take the plunge and start my own shop.?
?I must say, somewhere the ‘bike gods’ were smiling, because a chance meeting led me to Suresh and his father. They are old time mechanics, who have spent over 35 years working with Royal Enfield bikes.?
Krish acquired a second hand lathe, a gas welder and a pipe bender, and KR Customs was born. And even though Krish still holds down his day job, this is already their fourth build.

The brief came via a casual phone conversation with their client, Vikas. He’s from Mysore, and was looking for custom shops in and around Ban...