Royal Enfield Thunderbird to BIG daddy Harley cruiser: Ultimate Tourer modification

Cruiser biking category consists of bikes that have an easy riding position, lots of grunt and comfortable seats along with tanks big enough to run continuously for long without resting. However, for more hardcore vagabonds, there is a category above cruisers, known as tourers. Apart from the qualities of cruisers, touring bikes have large bodies, big engines, lots of storage spaces in the form of panniers, top box etc and a large front cowling to keep wind resistance away.

Harley Davidson CVO Limited is considered to be the ultimate touring bike by many and it comes with features like sat-nav and music system to name a few. Now the CVO Limited is priced at Rs. 49.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), so only a few lucky souls can afford to rest their rear on it. However, what we have brought you today is a CVO lookalike in budget. Take a look at the bike below before we get into details.

The motorcycle pictured above is actually a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. This radical mod-job has been done by Delhi based Neev Motorcycles, who earlier had created many more stunning bikes and designs. Among the various modification works done on the Thunderbird bike, this one is among the best in touring category. The Thunderbird is already quite a comfortable bike but with all these modifications, it looks ready to go on an intercontinental trip.

Starting from the front, a big cowling houses the Headlamps, indicators, LEDs and windscreen, all in one piece. This is quite similar to the Harley CVO, which was among the first bikes to introduce this design language. The front fender, tyres and rims all are replaced by new units that suit the design language better. The instrument console has been kept stock but the rear view mirrors have made way for bigger units. The seat is a more comfortable custom made unit and it ends towards a large backrest for the pillion. The bike has been done in black paint shade with silver and red highlights around the body panels.

The rear is what sets this Enfield apart from other modified examples. Both the panniers have been made flush with the rear fender that flow down towards the end, reminiscent of the Harley Davidson CVO. The custom made rear fender houses the vertical, vintage style tail lamp with chrome detailing around it. Twin exhaust pipes complete the tourer look, especially with those fin-end pipe ending. Viewed from a distance, it is quite hard to tell that this was once a Royal Enfield Thunderbird instead of the Harley lookalike it is now.

If you always have been a fan of long distance riding and a trip to Leh-Laddak is in your bucket list, this is the type of weapon you need. Along with the looks, it provides a ton of practicality in the form of two big spacious panniers and large front windscreen. Also, a proper top box can be mounted on the rear to add more storage space as per need. On a whole though, this one gets a thumbs up from us.