Royal Enfield have made a habit of commissioning customs from top workshops. But they’ve got a big range of skills lurking in-house—and a whole lot of creativity, too.
This wily Royal Enfield Himalayan, dubbed ‘MJR Roach,’ is what happens when you combine a pile of leftover parts with a vivid imagination, over a series of caffeine-fueled late nights. It was built at Royal Enfield‘s Technical Centre in the UK, by the ‘Royal Enfield Custom Crew.’ It features a stretched swing arm, a manga-inspired livery … and a turbocharger.
It’s total overkill for the rugged little 411 cc adventure single, but that’s exactly what the Custom Crew were after. Drawing on influences like Mad Max, Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite, they envisioned a post-apocalyptic ‘future military’ vibe—and the Himalayan wears it surprisingly well.
Just about everything attached to MJR Roach was salvaged from within the Custom Crew’s workshop. They started with the motor from a wrecked bike, then dug out an intact Himalayan chassis to wedge it into.
The front forks were swapped out for a set of lowered and re-valved MX forks, mated to the original 21” front wheel.
It’s out back where things get really wild. A single-sided swing arm that had been gathering dust was sent over to the experts at (Enfield-owned) Harris Performance, to stretch. It’s matched to a rear wheel from the same donor bike, and runs with the stock Himalayan shock, which was also lowered and re-valved.
Up top you’ll find a factory-issue Himalayan fuel tank, held down by a repurposed parachute harness strap. This military aesthetic is carried through to the seat, where the team stretched leather over nylon webbing to create their own ‘gripper’ effect.
The arrangement is finished off with a custom-made rear rack, connected to the seat via one more strap and buckle.
Move to the front, and you’ll notice that the Himalayan’s quirky ‘fairing frame’ is still in play. Except now, it’s been modified to hold an insect-like cluster of four projector lights, with a repurposed Royal Enfield Continental GT fairing brace up-cycled as a token fly screen.
Just behind it is the Himalayan’s original instrument cluster, along with new handlebar clamps and a set of Renthal Fatbars. The kill switch has been swapped for a missile launch-style switch. Keen eyes will spot a custom-made bracket with a pair of extra dials … because this Royal Enfield’s been boosted.
Why add a turbocharger to a single-cylinder scrambler? According to the Custom Crew, “when the zombies are after you, a bit of boost goes a long way.” Sounds like solid logic to us.
The arrangement features a rear-mounted Garrett GT 125 turbo for a maximum boost of 1 Bar (about 50 hp). There’s an external wastegate and a custom-made screamer pipe, with Goodridge plumbing throughout. Naturally, the motor’s rev limit has been raised too.
Other mods include a K&N filter to replace the air box, and an upgraded fuel pump and regulator setup. There’s a new lightweight Lithium-ion battery, too, and the bike rolls on Continental TKC80 rubber for max dirt fun.
As for the white, turquoise and yellow color palette, that was reportedly lifted straight from a mange illustration. Royal Enfield’s in-house model maker mixed up the custom colors and laid them down, while their brand identity team cut and applied the decals.
And to drive the DIY point home, the protagonist and antagonist in the video below are guys that worked on the project, coming from RE’s Concept Engineering and Technical Administration departments, respectively.
So how does a turbocharged Himalayan with a lowered ride height and a stretched wheelbase ride? According the the Royal Enfield team, pretty wild, with plenty of slides.
The turbo and motor have taken a fair amount of abuse in their stride too, so the crew’s about to do the only logical thing: upgrade it for even more power.