We spotted this Royal Enfield 500 on social media and asked the builder, Frontwheel Motors in Indonesia, for some more photos and information.
Chandra, Frontwheel's founder, explained to us he worked for Royal Enfield, in Indonesia, but then started his own business during the 2019 pandemic. He has built some beautiful Royal Enfields recently.
If you know the model of Enfield 500 single it's based on, you'll realise just how little Frontwheel has altered to make a massive visual change. It's a very similar model to the one we used for our Royal Enfield project bike, back in 2011, that was on the cover is SB10. Frontwheel started with a 2016 Bullet.
This era of Enfield, known as the UCE - Unit Construction Engine, laid the foundations for the company's massive growth, under the leadership of Siddhartha Lal. The chassis of this era of single has a very kooky design. Look around the swingarm pivot, to see how it different from most frames. Royal Enfield still use this basic frame design in 2024 on the newly redesigned Bullet 350.
There's a triangular loop,that the exhaust and rear footpegs mount off, and then another bracket at the top for the rear shock mount. To fans, it's the core of the bike's charm and heritage. Frontwheel hardly change it, instead adding a rear loop to mount the 1960s Trackmaster-style rear mudguard and P-pad.
'For the frame, I still use stock, I just changed the angle of the neck,' Chandra explains. 'I made the swingarm 7cm longer than the original. I made the subframe fit without cutting the frame, so it can be bolted on.'
We're not entirely sure on the steering head modification. Things were getting a little lost in translation, but it looks pretty raked out for a flat tracker.
Surprisingly, to us at least, the tank is made from 1.2mm galvanised steel plate, not alloy. It's a piece of work to create those Trackmaster-inspired lines from steel.
Other modifications are Yamaha MT 25 41mm forks, and 19in rims with a very period-looking front spool hub.
Chandra says, 'I am very enthusiastic about flat track racing, although in Indonesia itself there is no proper circuit, I hope this culture can develop further.'
There were still a few details to finish when these photos were taken, but what an inspiration for someone to build an affordable classic-looking tracker.
See more at Frontwheel Motors Instagram
