Just the other day, we praised the simplicity and affordability of the new Royal Enfield twins. They’re easier to pull apart than most modern motorcycles, making them gold dust for custom builders.
Then, we were examining a striking Interceptor from Thrive of Indonesia. Today, we’re looking at a custom version of the Interceptor’s sibling: the Continental GT 650. It’s a lean and purposeful cafe racer from the Thai custom powerhouse K-Speed.
K-Speed got the commission from Royal Enfield late last year. But there was a catch: they had just 45 days to build it. The Continental had to be ready for the Bangkok International Motor Show in March, but it was only delivered in February.
The Continental GT has a solid dose of classic cafe racer style straight out the box. So the K-Speed crew decided to ramp that up with a sportier, aggressive vibe—while keeping it within their signature style guide.
They started out back—chopping the frame, and building a custom tail section that both complements the tank, and carries a hint of 90s sportbike design.
There’s a minimal seat pad up top, upholstered in a tuck and roll pattern with contrast stitching. Lighting is by way of a single round LED, embedded in the back.
Lower down, K-Speed ditched the airbox, and relocated a bunch of components to neaten things up. Then they built a small box to host the leftovers, and a blank-off plate to act as a rear muck guard.
Up front, they swapped out the classically styled but big OEM clocks for a much tinier unit. It’s hiding behind a custom-made cowl, mounted on hand-made brackets. It’s fitted with a small round headlight, to match the round taillight.
Just behind the fairing, K-Speed installed new clip-ons that sit much lower than stock, with mini switches and vintage-style grips. They also installed a hydraulic clutch, with new master cylinder and lever combos for both that and the front brake.
Then they added a new set of rear set foot pegs, for a more aggressive riding position.
The Continental GT has had its stance tweaked too. K-Speed slammed the forks with a lowering kit—then added custom fork sleeves up top, and new fork boots lower down. The rear end’s riding on a new set of YSS shocks.
The wheels are smaller too; down a size from 18” to 17”. They’re wrapped in chunky Firestone Deluxe Champion lookalikes. And the brakes have been upgraded to Brembo units.
There’s some subtle tweaking going on elsewhere. See those ribbed engine covers? They’re actually made from heavy-duty ABS plastic, and fit over the existing covers. K-Speed mocked them up as a prototype, and plan to add them to their own catalog soon.
Even though the exhaust headers aren’t radically different from the originals, they are custom, and do follow a more swooping line. They’re capped off with a pair of mufflers from K-Speed’s own ‘Diablo’ range of parts.
The final coloring on this Enfield is typically K-Speed. The engine’s been redone in matte black, and the bodywork’s done in a dark grey. There’s a little pin striping too, and some hand lettering on the tank and tail.
The tank carries the Royal Enfield name, but the tail reads ‘Vayu.’ In Hindu, Vayu is the lord of the wind. “That means this bike can run smooth and fast as the wind,” K-Speed tell us.
The stock Continental GT is already good looking, sitting on the showroom floor.
But K-Speed, with admirable taste, have shown that there’s always room for improvement. Top marks.
K-Speed website | Instagram | Images by Hipmotography
