[parrys]

Around 2005, when the interest in "choppers" was reaching its peak in India due to several popular TV shows, Akshai Varde began tinkering around with his own bike. His modifications drew a lot of interest from his friends and peers, and soon enough he was spending all his free time in a rented garage in Juhu, Mumbai working on even more bikes. His customer base wanted their bikes to be eye-catching and funky. Crowd-pullers. With this, Vardenchi Motorcycles was born; the name coming from the Marathi phrase "Varden-chi" which means of / by Varde.

The facilities have since moved to a bigger space at Jogeshwari (W) and are spread over 4 units within the same industrial estate. 3D modeling, structural fabrication, sheet metal fabrication, painting, chroming and assembly are all done in-house, whilst a few things like CNC milling, tube bending and seat upholstery are outsourced. Currently, the bikes are built on the Royal Enfield base, though they have recently modified a Harley Davidson and are calculating the feasibility of expanding beyond the Royal Enfield line-up. Till date, about 250-300 Vardenchis have been created for customers across India.


Akshai Varde with Vardenchi's latest creation - the Dragster.


About their Motorcycles:

• Every motorcycle is unique. Customers can choose the colours, graphics, handle-bar style, head-lamp design, size of the tank, rear tyre width etc to customize their bike.
• It takes 45 days to create 1 Vardenchi including the 3D computer model shown to the customer for general styling and design approval.
• Customers need to send their own bikes to Vardenchi, which are then stripped down and modified.
• They prefer starting off with a new bike, though they will also work on used bikes, provided they are in good mechanical condition.
• Entry level bikes are chain driven whereas the high end variants are belt driven.
• Initially, these bikes were built around the RE Electra 5S, but now they are built with the unit construction (UCE) 350 & 500 EFI engines.
• The engine specifications remain unchanged. This maximises reliability and retains serviceability. Only the air-filter and exhaust are changed.
• The Royal Enfield thump is maintained and can me made deeper or louder as per the customer's tastes. The down pipe stays stock, but the muffler is altered.
• Fuel efficiency and outright performance do take a beating when compared to the stock Royal Enfield because of the additional weight and larger tyres.
• A lot of parts have been standardised - like the chassis, suspension and braking components to provide better reliability. This is also because for custom motorcycles which differ with each model, the amount of testing each bike can go through is limited.
• Front suspension can easily be mistaken for inverted forks, however they are the stock telescopic forks with a fork shield on top to provide an inverted fork like look. Rear suspension is the Honda Unicorn mono-suspension.
• Rear brake is a RE Pricol disc brake while the front is a Pulsar 220 disc brake. This is also the reason why they have used the Pulsar alloy wheel on some bikes.
• Vardenchi has retained a lot of OEM components from the market. They also service their creations. However for those who do not stay in Mumbai, these bikes can be serviced by road-side mechanics as well. No high end stuff involved. Online support is also provided for service related queries. Replacement parts can be shipped across India.
• All their creations come with a 1 year replaceable warranty.
• Vardenchi also tried a business model with Bolt-On Kits. They used to make tanks, front & rear fenders, tool-box, handle-bars, head lamps etc. which they used to sell as kits. However, the sheer number of RE variants and the minor discrepancies within variants made it very difficult to have assured fitments. Hence, discontinued.
• Vardenchi plans to go into production for custom made alloys especially for their bikes this year. The alloys on the Type 4 bikes are imported blanks that are CNC cut.

Pricing:
Type 1: No longer in production
Type 2: INR 180,000+
Type 3: INR 250,000+
Type 4: INR 395,000+
Note : Engine costs are not included. Prices quoted are for body in white (primer coat) only, and are inclusive of taxes.


Model Specifications:
The classes of bikes are broken up into types based roughly on the width of the rear tyre - as different widths require different drive-train, swing-arms, wheels and chassis modifications.
Type III: Infinity, Turbo, Slayer.
type IV: Sunburn, Dragster, Orange Angel, etc.

[parrys]

Making a Vardenchi:

Sheet metal is cut to create the fuel tank outline.


Its then hammered to give the desired 3-dimensional shape.


The surface is then worked upon to smoothen it out.


The pieces are then welded together, and the inside of the tank is epoxy coated to prevent rust.


Tank graphics are then air-brushed on.


The modified bike frames. CNC bending of pipes is out-sourced, everything else is done in-house.


Engines and front forks mounted.


The offset kit that was especially designed to allow the belt-drive to clear the very wide rear tyre.


Assembly line and service area.

[parrys]

The Dragster:

• The latest bike, moving away from the all-out chopper styling to something a bit more practical
• 500cc UCE engine
• 18" x 300mm* rear tyre with billet aluminium CNC cut alloy wheels.
• HID projector set up with angel eye for low beam, halogen lamp for high beam.
• Front 280mm disc / Rear 280mm disc.
• Belt driven.
• 21 litre fuel tank
• Double sided swing arm & front telescopic suspension.
• It is a type 4 as per Vardenchi's pricing classifications

When we first sat on the bike, the whole feel was completely different from what a regular bike is. Fun to ride? Yes. Easy to ride? No. You need to get a hang of the wide and heavy handle bar before you even start the bike. It takes a lot of effort to just get it in the right position before you start riding. However, one gets used to it after spending some time in the riders seat. The bike is super long and you need to take proper precautions when on the road. Start the bike and you hear the familiar RE thump, a little loud though. While we were riding, the thump actually canceled out most of the surrounding noise; I could hear nothing but the Dragster. For those who love the drool factor and want to grab some attention, the exhaust note ensures that even those who didn't see you ride by will turn around to take a look. However, you'll need to patient as well as ready to answer a lot of questions every time you stop at a signal. Initial pick up does feel a little slow, which is because of the additional weight and the wide rear tyre. Once you are off the mark, the sheer weight of the bike gives you enough momentum to maintain your speed. The brakes do a surprisingly good job of keeping the bike under control, and bringing it to a reasonably quick stop. The riding position is very relaxed and the seats are soft and comfortable. The extra-large gear and brake levers are convenient. The only problem is the heavy handlebar which you have to turn quite carefully. A fair deal of vibrations are felt along the handle bar and frame too, which can get tiring on longer rides. Traffic maneuverability is very difficult. The bike is wide + long and you cannot switch lanes easily. Its not easy to lean around corners or make a quick U-turn as the wide rear tyre and long wheelbase seems to want to keep the bike upright. Rest of the engine abilities and pros-cons remain the same as the Royal Enfield on which its based on.












The pearl white colour looks great with the matte black graphics.


Notice the seat. The pillion rider actually has very little space to rest on, and nothing to hold on to.


The 500cc UCE.


The HID Projector headlamp with angel eye.


Conical air filter. Non-branded and affordable enough be replaced during every service.


The belt drivetrain.


Exhaust with black heat wrap.


Branding on the tank cap.


The black oval piece attached to the handlebars is a digital speedo console. It will show a RPM bar, digital speed, fuel indicator, high beam etc. Currently in R&D.


Indicators are located at the handle bar weights


Offset kit.


Rear disc brake lever has hydraulic cylinder sitting right next to it.


The 300mm wide rear tyre & interesting rear number plate mount with a 3rd brake light.


CNC cut alloy wheels.


Indicators serve as tail lamps (outer red circle), turn indicators (orange LEDs in the center) and brake lights (more red LEDs light up in the outer circle).

[parrys]

The Infinity:

• The infinity is a Type 3 version of Vardenchi Motorcycles.
• It has been one of the most popular motorcycles made by Vardenchi and the styling now has become a little stereotypical.
• Rest of the riding dynamics on the bike remain pretty much the same as the Dragster.

Custom side-covers


Detailed graphic design and paint-job.


All that chrome adds to the bling factor.




All bikes come with a helmet sporting a matching paint-job!


Thanks to Rehaan for the photographs

[Rehaan]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorbikes Section. Thanks for sharing!

[ashishy]

Vardenchi's Sunburn Chopper looked really good. The only question is practicality. Those tyres sure need more powerful engines than the RE ones.

[raghdip]

Im not a bike person, but these mod job's look fantastic and have left me wanting to have one of these some day
Gorgeous pictures, the bikes look amazing from all angles except "Exhaust with black heat wrap", imo the exhaust could have looked better.

[dustom_99]

Beautifully made motorcycles,i think they should import v-twins. Or try out a-star light and zippy motor in there bikes.
Except power there is pretty much every thing in order. Great paint and finish.

[scopriobharath]

Vardenchi was displayed at the DNA Auto Expo held at Mumbai (Goregaon). Prices started at 2 lacs + bike's cost.

It really looked and sounded classy. The one i liked most is the indicators integrated on the the handle bars

[himavanth_m]

For the Vardenchi type 4 bike, isint the exhaust a bit too close to the frame near the rear tyre?

All the exhaust gases will make the white colored frame black. Also during signals, if by any chance the pillion rider puts his right foot on the road, all the hot exhaust gases will burn the leg.

[Novitec458]

Im sorry, but are these even legal? Some bits look a little shoddy to be honest. Also, I am dead sure the DVLA will have noise objections from those exhausts...

[mac187]

Although they look good. I wonder who would want to spend Rs.4 lakhs plus a bike (another 60k atleast for a used one) for a good looking but under powered bike! Harley clearly makes a case for itself at this range.

[subushady]

Nice ones! But then what happens if we get a puncture? especially the rear one. Might be difficult to find someone who can repair the rear Tyre puncture and pushing the bike i guess is out of question.

Regards,
Subu.

[vkochar]

I love these modified choppers BUT I have to say this and I may be wrong -

I will have to give a stock bike or donor bike as they call it. A type 4 Modification is 4 lacs. That takes it close to 4.5 - 5 lacs assuming I give a used bike or at least that is the minimum it would be worth, considering a new one costs nearly a lac.

I would look at a HD starting at 5.6 lacs or OTR at 6.25 lacs. But then that is me thinking

I had a friend who got a bike modified at RCM Rajputana custom in Jaipur after paying about 1.2 lacs and the thing looked out of the world. I will post a pic.

Rating this thread 5 stars because these pics are good and the mods are certainly different.

[dustom_99]

These Bikes are not legal atall, although the builders say they make some sort of arrangement with rto, it is highly doubtful.but they seem s to have sold over 300.looks like junta does not care. Newsy they are just for bling.