What you see here is no ordinary Bullet. This mean looking 700cc Royal Enfield V-Twin has been constructed using two 350cc top ends. The finish of the bike is top notch and the owner calls it the Musket.
This is what Aniket Vardhan said about his Musket : -
I was born in and lived in Delhi, India till 1999 when I came to the USA – ostensibly for a Masters in Industrial Design, but here’s the dirty truth- I came because of the sound of a Harley Davidson. Saw one once in Delhi, long ago, belonged to some filthy rich type, heard it start up and rumble away, wet myself publicly and resolved that one day, I would visit their homeland.
That didn’t seem likely at the time I was studying architecture in Delhi so the next best thing was to see what I could do with my Bullet, dearly loved as the only real motorcycle available in India back then (and perhaps even now). Thats when the idea was sort of baked into my brain, in the heat of 115 degree Delhi summers, over cigarettes, the smell of steaming cow dung and chats with biking buddies in the college cafeteria. I would build a V twin Enfield- it should feel right, with its long stroke, heavy flywheel, beautiful cylinder and head. Looked for any and every book I could find on vintage motorcycles, V twins, engine design, metal casting, machining- all of it. Bought an old enfield engine to use as reference.
Jump ahead to 2002. I did in fact find myself in the USA, now an industrial design faculty member at an art and design college. On a trip to Delhi in 03, I picked up my old engine and brought it back Began to work on the idea on weekends, sketching, 3d computer modeling, measuring all internal parts, figuring out how to make the whole thing work using only standard enfield parts. You guessed it – came across the Norcroft V twin Enfield online, sort of destroyed me for a week. Then I figured, this is sort of fun anyway, so lets keep at it. I guess a couple more years passed, about 18 developments of my CAD model later, I was ready to start building patterns, and then, what do you know, the Carberry comes to my attention! By now, I was beginning to suspect that my next door neighbors were working on an Enfield V twin as well. As you’d expect, after a month of depressed moping, it was back to the basement again and I also noticed that my approach was rather different anyway, so why not put forward the way I thought made sense to me?
1. Keep it as ridiculously simple as the original Bullet engine. Therefore, no modern updates to major engine internals, so it still has the stock tappets, no hydraulics, and the stock piston oil pumps. Vintage bike lovers really like to tinker and tappet adjustment is almost a religous ritual for many.
2. Improve the oil filter – I machined a new filter housing which uses a standard modern cartridge type filter available at Advance. This is not a screw on car type filter – that doesn’t look right, so I have a finned aluminum housing I made.
3. Aesthetically, and this was very important to me being an industrial designer- keep the “vintage” and “Enfield” cues strong. I thought I would pick up from the last Enfield big twin- the Interceptor. The rounded profile of the front of the crankcase and pleasingly smooth and gently radiused forms of the castings and the cooling fins on the side of the wet sump. A wet sump simplifies matters and also ties in with the last Enfield big twin- the Interceptor Mark 2, which also had a wet sump.
4. I love the external copper oil pipes that are such beautiful visual elements on vintage engines, so I decided to incorporate that as well. This also helps to keep the oil cool as it travels through them, exposed to the air.
5. Keep the frame mods to a minimum and again keep the “vintage” feel going by keeping the single down tube- the Enfield big twins of yore had single down tube frames and handled well. The look of the “vintage V twin” I think is the very simple and elegantly “cradled” engine between two tubes- front sloping forward and rear sloping back.
I ended up quitting my teaching job last year, was getting the feeling that my heart was in projects like this. Since I wasn’t a machinist, I had to learn that too. This is where the stars lined up – a student’s family business is a machine shop close to my home, and his dad, Mr. Boggs was sufficiently amused by the project and my excitement to allow me to come in and start working on my project, early last year.
Well, it took about a year for the machining to get done, I learned everything as I went along and here we are. I have skipped all the “oh darn!” moments but there weren’t too many, just one huge one, when the first foundry I went to pretty much destroyed my patterns built over 3 years by leaving them near an open window in the rain…still get stressed out when I think of that- had to cut away and repair the whole thing after a couple of months of very evil thoughts.
But…the holy rider in the sky must have smiled upon me because from the very first firing, it runs like it WANTS to! It starts first kick every time! It isn’t quite as explosive as my 750 Triumph Bonny, but it has the very mild Bullet cams and stock 7:1 compression and small carbs, so a healthy increase in output can be expected with the usual mods. But, the torque is really lovely- cleanly pulls top gear at around 20 mph (!!) and accelerates from there without any snatching! I’m keen to try the new 5 speed gearbox the new Enfields have – my old one has 1-2-3 really low and a huge gap to top. My final ratio is 4.22 to 1 right now and she feels like she could pull even taller.
The amazing part is that its SMOOTH! It shakes much less than my Triumph and I think less than my old 350 single engine! That second piston is really helping to cut the vibes.
The sound? Beyond my wildest dreams, from those baking hot summer days in Delhi, ten years ago.
Videos of the 700cc Royal Enfield V-Twin
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April 28th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Amazing bike. Hats off to Motorbeam for getting this writeup. Am really impressed with the bike – cant see the video now but will check it out in the evening. Aniket Vardhan – congrats on sticking to your dream and executing it perfectly. Hope you get this featured on a Indian magazine cover.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Awesome structure….!
Aniket – U’ve created a wonder with our very own Bullet. Gr8 design
April 28th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Saw the videos just now and the bike sounds really good.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
WOW….. its truly amazing. I am basically a big fan of Enfield and own a machismo 350 with cast iron head. Its an amazing creation. BTW where have you done the modifications and which country is this bike in? I personally wanna visit this bike.
Anyways, congratulations and i have no words to express it.
April 29th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
OMG OMG OMG OMG… here i am daydreaming about the colors that i want to have on my bike… and there u are…
Great job mate! I hope to hear u thump past me someday.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I forwarded the link to umpteen people and all I hear is praises for this guy!! I wish he starts selling such bikes commercially…
May 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
Thanks guys!
I hope to bring the bike to India soon- it must visit its original home.
Hope to meet with you all.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:10 am
It is really great to see such a creation….
I very much would like to appreciate the design intricacies and the work that you have put in on the bike!!!!
I personally am a automobile enthusiast and it is great to see your work.
Many Congratulations!!!!
May 20th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
as hot and simple as it should u just made my ,amazing work this is what enfield needs amazing and talented people like u. .
June 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Hi Aniket!
Ever since I have seen your creation, I have huge regards for you. I can imagine the interest and determination you have taken to built your ride. Now you have got me thinking of building a bullet V-Twin in bangalore.
Cheers!!
VJ
June 21st, 2009 at 1:52 pm
sir, hats of to you……finally you have got a beast….
June 21st, 2009 at 1:53 pm
sir, I’m 19 yrs old from Kolkata(India). I’ve a royal enfield 350cc bike, I fallen in love with your 700cc royal musket. so, I want to convert mine into a 700cc like yours…will you please help me in the project……plz dont say no….
June 21st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Kiran, this project will cost alot of money. Whats your budget.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:36 am
well, I know it will cost a lot but,as I told I’m in love with the engine,I’ll try to achieve it………
June 26th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Kiran, you should try to get a good bike mechanic, lots of work to make your bike like this.
July 17th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
yup,I know a good mechanic, and he is a specialist in bullet and other vintage bikes thats not a problem. Actually, I need the internal mechanism view of that which parts had to be changed or modified and how they will work together for my personal study about the engine……can u help me
July 17th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Kiran, I don’t know much about what needs to be done, but I have emailed you the contact details on Aniket.
July 18th, 2009 at 1:00 am
******* AMAZING MAN!!!!….. YR THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!….. LOVE YR BIKE THOUGH!!!…… its like the GRAND DADDY of the BULLZ!!!!…. lol….man… u should start a whole production line man!……….. i wud definately wana have a GRAND DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
n also…. hw abt a 1000cc bullet!!!.. KRAZY SHIT MAN!!….. 500cc X 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ENVY U!
July 28th, 2009 at 12:21 am
State-of-the-art…………
09899430430
July 31st, 2009 at 12:22 am
Hi Ankit,
Good job.
Congratulations; you had a very good dream.
It looks like a proper vintage British bike. Sounded good too.”MUSKAT” any reason behind this name? What is the approximate weight of this bike? How much time did it take in all the convert ur 350 to 700? How much did you spend?
Am an ardent fan of Royal Enfield. I own a 350. Anyways now your Muskat is on my laptop background.
Would surely like to ride Muskat some day.
All the best!
August 6th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Hi Ankit ,
good job …
I need the internal mechanism view of that which parts had to be changed or modified and how they will work together for my personal study about the engine.. your bike is my dream bike …
pls help me …….
August 16th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Hey!
Congrats on the Mod, its awesome !!
Just a few queries-
1) what about the firing order and the crankshaft?
2) You are using CB points or electronics?
will see the pictures and video later
I used to ride bullets and RDs as a teen then job happened and its been 10 years since i last rode a bike.
Nostalgia !!
September 28th, 2009 at 11:50 am
unbeleivable stuff man….
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:18 pm
dude , hats of to u, uv done somethin even the company couldn, here in india. i saw the videos, love everythin about the bike. the quality of craftsmanship is superb. it sounds great and uv done a great job in cutting the vibrations. congrats.
November 5th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
For a single man ride. is 700 cc necessary? Waste of fuel is killing the nation.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Rama,
Go and get a Luna for yourself…..We are talking abt passion…Its amazing Aniket…just love ur bike.When are you coming to India?
November 12th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Dear Indrani, Kindly note that I keeping Bullets from 1967 they are 350cc, they gave 35KMS/Pl of petrol. What is the mileage in 700cc bike? It is sure, that if we want to improve our life, our people, our nation, we shall go by economical way. If it is handling by Luna, it is OK. Buy a Luna (Even in seconds), You should enjoy and feel the easiest life. You should not feel hard to stand the bike after stooping the engine.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:57 am
Wonderful effort …. and an appreciable job done… with a long patient work accomplised successfully…
all the very best for the future projects
November 24th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Hello Aniket,
I saw your all the videos and have only this to say “MINDBLOWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Awesome man just AWESOME. HATS OF TO YOU MAN HATS OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really YOU ARE GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!
And PLZZ PLZZZ tell me that you can do this with 500 cc also.
And most important thing is when are you planning to enter in market with this “MAMMOTH”(Musket).
At least plz tell me can you prepare one of this mammoth for me withh 2 500 cc royal enfields.
PLZ REPLY
Ashish Jadhav
November 25th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Attention all two wheeler manufacturers, Keep mind of our road condition, and proceed to produce the cc of of the bikes.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hello Mr. Ramakrishnan,
The condition of road is improving day by day. some drawbacks are there but they are in every country. No country is perfect. I totally understand your concern about fuel efficiency but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t improve our standard or living style or we should always display that we are 3rd grade country. People are buying 7th series BMW and merc350 knowing the fuel efficiency and road condition too.
You can not mix everything with politics and current situation of India. People are doing progress in every field. and so they are living, coz they are never satisfy. The day people will get satisfy then god knows what will happen.
I am not stopping you to keep up the good work but you can’t object or criticize the innovations.
Bye
Ashish Jadhav
December 11th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Can I have the contact Details of Mr.Aniket Vardhan in context with his magnificent Musket.
Regards,
Prashant, Bangalore (India)
January 18th, 2010 at 6:06 pm
hi,
ur the one ive been searching for, even i hve similar dream like u,
m trying to built custom made twin engine,
plz help me to achieve my dream.
warm regards
vinoth
coimbatore.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Father of reborn enfield V-Twin i.e. Aniket Vardhan. I’m 27 yrs old from Punjab (ludhiana).Doing M.Sc. on plant biotechnology. but i was always crazy to modify my car n enfield. So, I’ve a royal enfield red electra 350cc bike, I ve fallen in love with your 700cc royal musket. so, I want to convert mine into a 700cc like yours. For God sake help me, chahal(dot)manu(at)h0tmAil(dot)c0m
Looking forward very positive response from you, my big brother!!!!!
February 9th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
700cc india in lonch plezeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
February 20th, 2010 at 9:21 am
hi,
luv that design,im a bike builder and customiser in india,i would luv to buy the engines off you for my projects,will appreciate it if you contact me.by the way im located in goa/mumbai.
thanks
mike
February 21st, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Hyder ali Bike . But, Price is comparing to a luxury car….
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:19 am
hi,
i thought being built in india this engine would cost a whole lot lessser.i can import a 100 cubic inch brand new twin cam engine for around $6000 including customs and shipping.
February 28th, 2010 at 3:18 am
hey,
am planning to buy a bike..
am a die hard enfield fan, but now since the harley is in india so am a lil confuse,
BUT AFTER SEEING THIS BEAST.. I FEEL I SHUD GET A BIKE LIKE THIS ONE
please revert.
how can i get twin enfield in india
March 5th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
fantastic work we from bhurat motors dealers for royal enfield really appreciate your work hats of to you