Custom Royal Enfield Continental GT Is Elegantly Subdued and Full of Antique Charm

For instance, the Triumph Bonneville and Kawasaki W800 will both set you back over $10k, while the Enfields cost just over six grand a pop. They’re an attractive proposition for those who are on a tighter budget and don’t mind sacrificing some power in favor of affordability. What’s more, these things are reliable, their build quality is great, and you can still have a ton of fun with the 47 ponies coming from their 648cc parallel-twins.

If you’re beginning to think the aforementioned traits seem rather well-suited to a custom project, then you’re totally correct. We’re sure Royal Enfield would approve, too, as the brand is known to be very supportive of the bike-modding community across the globe. They’ve even collaborated directly with a number of workshops over the years, encouraging more and more builders to have a go at customizing their motorcycles.

Now, the project we’re about to analyze wasn’t commissioned by the Indian firm or anything, but it does look absolutely top-notch, nonetheless! It all started with a bone-stock 2020 MY Continental GT, which was restyled by Takashi Nihira of Wedge Motorcycle for one Takayuki Haga. Better known as George Tokoro, Haga-san is a Japanese celebrity and the founder of Daytona Magazine – a respected motorcycling publication from Japan.

As you might expect, the man is an avid custom bike aficionado with great taste, and someone who can really appreciate the idea of beauty through simplicity. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that he commissioned a build to Wedge, because understated brilliance is what this Tokyo-based outfit is all about. It took four months for Takashi’s transformation to unfold, with a truly spectacular result at the end of it all.

Starting with the cosmetic changes, the aim was to refine the Continental GT’s appearance rather than to modify it beyond recognition. Nihira-san kept the original fuel tank in play, but he cleverly massaged it in order to boost its visual appeal. Gone is the obnoxious ridge previously found on the tank’s underside, as Takashi shaved it off and welded everything back together in a seamless manner.

He then revised the brackets to achieve a perfect fit between the gas tank and upper frame, subsequently turning his attention southward. The motorcycle’s subframe got shortened and looped, while the factory saddle, rear fender, and lighting components have all been deleted. Takashi upholstered a new solo seat using standard leather on the sides and suede up top.

A handmade fender can be spotted a bit further back, wearing a Bates-style LED taillight and a tiny license plate bracket. Moreover, we find premium aftermarket turn signals attached to the subframe tubing, and an identical pair was installed at the front, right below the fuel tank. The bike’s lighting hardware is completed by a vintage-looking headlamp, with all these goodies coming from Posh.

Peeking up at the cockpit area, you’ll come across Motogadget’s Chronoclassic speedometer where the OEM dials had once been. The speedo is accompanied by a chromed aftermarket handlebar that sits on custom risers, adorned with unobtrusive switches, stylish rubber grips, and a single-cable throttle. Having ditched the stock airbox, Takashi made use of the empty space beneath the seat to stash a tailor-made battery box.

The Continental GT’s twin-cylinder mill now breathes through a pair of high-grade pod filters. On the exhaust side of things, we notice bespoke stainless-steel pipework running into reverse megaphone mufflers. These new pipes carry a lot less visual mass than the OEM parts, thus contributing to the specimen’s tighter overall proportions. Before moving on to the final touches, Wedge needed to find some appropriate shoes for the reworked Enfield.

He settled on a pair of 270 Super Classic tires from Shinko’s range, as their tread pattern made them the logical choice for this type of build. Takashi and Takayuki agreed that the suspension, brakes, and engine internals should remain unchanged, so this project was mainly a stylistic exercise above all else. Last but not least, there’s the low-key color scheme enveloping the fuel tank, battery box, and rear fender.

A glossy olive-green hue is the base color used here, but it’s also joined by faded greyish highlights and light green pinstripes. The frame remains black just like it came from the factory, while the 18-inch wheels got stripped of their paint and nicely polished. Wedge sent the motorcycle back to its owner in early 2023, and you can be certain that Tokoro-san was stoked to see how it turned out.