It?s never shouted from the rooftops, but custom builders occasionally get pre-production versions of new bikes before they are revealed to the public?or even the mainstream press. Confidentiality agreements are signed, contracts are drawn up, and back rooms are suddenly secured by padlock.
That?s how it all started for ?Desert Runner,? this very smart Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 built by Alan Stulberg?s crew at Revival Cycles in Texas.

?In the darkness of night, a big crate was unloaded from a truck,? says Alan. ?We were excited to see Royal Enfield?s first breakaway from the ?tried and true? single in almost 50 years. And we got a chance to ride the Interceptor 650 months before the motorcycling press. What a treat!?
Revival were immediately struck by the quality of the new twin?a step ahead of anything Royal Enfield had built before. ?This was a machine that everyone in the workshop could see putting into daily use,? says Alan. ?The other thing worth considering when assessing Royal Enfield is that nobody sells more motorcycles worldwide these days than they do. Nobody.?
After poring over the precious goods in their workshop, Revival decided to turn the Interceptor into a seriously capable offroad machine.
?The goal was to build a machine that harkened back to the days of Steve McQueen, and the ?hare scrambles? of California. And the ultimate goal was to enter it in the L.A.-Barstow to Vegas off road race that happens every Thanksgiving.?

Andy, Revival?s lon...