[RevvedUpGuy]

Hold Your Horses, Gearheads: A Cautionary Tale of Bike Woes

Ever dreamt of transforming your trusty steed into a chrome-plated unicorn on two wheels? Pump the brakes! Before embarking on that epic bike modification odyssey, let me weave a tale that'll have you checking your tire pressure and mechanic's references with an extra dose of scrutiny.

Meet my 2012 Royal Enfield Classic 500 - a dream for me and my dad that rolled into reality, almost a decade ago. I, armed with naivety and a limited budget, set sail for this unchartered territory of bike modification. My initial google search had me wondering why negligible number of reviews about bike mods experience. I'm talking about a complete repaint and makeover here.

This bike taught me so much about machines. It faced all my hands-on mods
and maintainence but was neglected for 2 years as I travelled abroad.



After coming across various pictures on the internet, I shortlisted Jedi Custom. Didn't find any detailed reviews but going with the pictures on Instagram, I took the plunge.

As I contacted Jedi Custom, the initial conversations went really well. We had brief discussion on what I wanted the end result to be like.

So what was the end result I was expecting? The idea was to keep the bike as Royal Enfield as it was. No extra large tires or shortened mudguards, no fancy stuff. All I wanted was to have a clean, chrome, glossy look to keep it looking as stock as possible. Had specifically instructed that whatever the company had in chrome and shiny keep it the same way, not a fan of blacking things out. The obivious criteria bieng it runs clean, smooth and reliably.

So after exchanging a few messages over whatsapp and a few brief calls, I decided to pull the trigger and handed my bike over to Jedi Customs.

So the day arrived, 3rd August, 2023 when my bike was loaded onto a tempo
using Porter app.

Here's the ordeal, starting with one of the most crucial mistake.

Mistake #1: Paperwork? Bah! Who needs that when you have dreams, right?
I never got everything in a single whatsapp message. My requirements were scattered, some on calls, some in messages. To start with almost all the requests for modification I mentioned were responded with a resounding yes!

Lesson learned: Get it in writing, folks. Even a simple, single whatsapp message would be enough to keep track of what your expectations are. You'll have a good checklist to keep track of the changes.

Even Michelangelo wouldn't paint the Sistine Chapel without a contract, probably. Trust me, NO matter what someone say's about art and creativity involved make sure you have things in black and white.

As I learnt at the end there was not much of creative input that went into modifying my bike, it could easily have been documented.


Mistake #2: Budget? More like a suggestion. I just went with the flow, like a leaf in a monsoon. All I asked was how much would be the approximate cost? To which I was told 1 lakh.

Lesson learned: Demand a proper quote and payment schedule, or you might end up bartering your firstborn for that fancy exhaust pipe. Note, that there will be several other costs apart from the one's you are informed about. Remember, specifics is what you want. If not then atleast have regular checkpoints during the process to check how much cost has been incurred so far.


The saga unfolds: My bike embarked on its transformation at Jedi, promised a glorious return as a chrome-clad champion. Yet, communication choked, Adwait's responses were like infrequent whispers in the wind. His constant refrain, "Yes, we'll do it!", a mantra that seldom translated into action. Deadlines? A foreign concept at Jedi Customs, replaced by a sundial system governed by their own elusive sun. Some tasks inexplicably expedited, others left to stagnate in the shadows, their priorities shifting like desert sands.

The "modifications": Let's call them artistic "interpretations" of my wishes. Chrome turned black faster than my hair after a dye. The pin stripes meandered across the tank like the shaky hand of a nervous artist, failing to find their intended rhythm. Reason you ask? Well "It gives a human touch" ( too many inconsistencies to pass of as human touch ) and "Even the OEM guys make mistakes".





Below is the picture of the front mudguard number plate which started rattling and adding it's own noise to the ride on the very next day.
Reason: "It wasn't pursposely tightened coz it bends if its too tight"





And don't even get me started on the missing saree guard - my significant other wasn't amused, let's just say. A list of few things which were apparant, not as planned and plagued with errors.

1. Gaps in headlight cover. Fixed later.
2. Rear chrome springs were replaced with black ones. Fixed later.
3. The wheel hub painted black. Remains same.


4. Tail light fitted was the standard bullet and not the circular one. Fixed later.
This is a picture from the instagram post by Jedi:


5. When the rear seat is removed the original mudguard had such a clean look.
They decided that there should be a black metal piece completely contrasting the paint to hold the wiring.
On asking why this was installed, I was told it's a hit or miss. some like it and some don't. Not sure why he assumed I
would like it. Not something that can be removed now without causing a paint tragedy.

Notice the black thing on rear mudguard:



6. I was not okay with the silver embossing on the tank, but I was told that the embossing I was looking for was not available and the people coming at garage and on the internet, liked it a lot!




7. Knee guard, accidentally sold in scrap even after requesting to keep parts!
They fitted a new one. I did not pay for it, neither did I pay for the missing
rear view mirrors.

8. The handlebar weights were damaged by them and when spotted during delivery, it was replaced.

9. Several places were patched on the day of delivery. Shows the lack of attention to detail.
Paint missed near the shock absorbers:


Shiny piece replaced with a black cover, later replaced:



8. The seat picture sent to me was totally different as compared to the one fitted. Reason? Well it's the limitation of the material used. Not sure why this wasn't known to a so called expert custom bike builder before the picture was shared.

Seat image shown to me:


Vs Seat that was delivered:


If you say, atleast its comfortable right? Well, here's the fun part. It's not!

The backrest which I had stressed is an essential part for me as I'll be having a pillion was missing ( stays missing to this date ). It won't be hard to imagine how uncomfortable the rear seat is considering the main seat discomfort.


9. Why no whitewalls?
Reason 1: They are difficult to maintain and manage.
When I quoted that I'll manage, please can you add it?
Reason 2: The tire profile won't allow fitting a whitewall.

My detailed vision, alas, seemed lost in translation.

The bill?
It was a handwritten scrawl, and was the dealbreaker. No proper invoice, a price hike of 32%, and the excuse of a tech-challenged parts supplier fueled my distrust. Jedi Customs had failed to deliver on transparency and professionalism. I guess that's a way to magically inflate the cost like a hot air balloon filled with helium and my hopes.
Here's a part of the bill



The verdict?
If you want your bike modded to Jedi Customs' taste, go for it. You might end up with a showstopper for Instagram, but be prepared for surprises that even David Blaine wouldn't dare attempt. But if you're an enthusiast with a vision, steer clear! There are better garages out there, where your dreams won't get lost in translation (or spray paint fumes).

Remember, modifying your bike should be an adventure, not a hostage situation. Choose your workshop wisely, document everything, and for the love of all things chrome, get your vision in writing. Otherwise, you might end up with a story like mine, one that's equal parts cautionary tale and comedy of errors. And trust me, laughter is the only lube that'll get you through the post-modification blues.

P.S. If anyone wants to buy a slightly-used (and slightly-traumatized) Royal Enfield with questionable pin stripes, hit me up. I'm open to offers, especially if they involve therapy sessions and a lifetime supply of chrome polish. Just kidding, It's my first bike and being the enthusiast I am, it ain't going no where.

Here are some final pictures with some Insta filters and good photography:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[ex-innova-guy]

Sorry that you had to go through this. Jedi Customs have royally destroyed the Classic and taken you for a ride but mate how amusingly you have narrated it.

For those still interested in Customising their REs, RE website has a specific custom world section which has various custom garages and you might find some amazing custom RE builds. Surprised to find that Jedi Customs is listed on there!

The Standart Bullet embossing on the tank looks so ugly and not sure who on the internet liked it. Lastly, I would expect such a garage listed on the official RE website to issue an Invoice in a better way.

[ArTigor]

My god what have they done!
They have royally messed it up. Especially the tank should have either had only the sticker or the standard logo, both of them together look strange.

As I own a 2012 classic 350, I can understand the emotions. Maybe after 4-5 years you restore it back to stock.

I am planning to repaint my bike next year and keep it as stock as possible.

[Mar21]

Timely review. Thanks for sharing.

Has anyone gotten their bikes worked on at "The Bullet Factory" https://www.thebulletfactory.in/

Any other recommendations?

Looking to get the bike (CI-500) a once over. The bike is largely mechanically sound. Some TLC is needed on the electricals and the cosmetics.

Regards
M

[howler]

Originally Posted by Mar21

Timely review. Thanks for sharing.

Has anyone gotten their bikes worked on at "The Bullet Factory" https://www.thebulletfactory.in/

Any other recommendations?

Looking to get the bike (CI-500) a once over. The bike is largely mechanically sound. Some TLC is needed on the electricals and the cosmetics.

Regards
M

Stick to locally referred mechanics for such bikes that don’t require rocket scientists. In my experience, they are way better than these instagram cutlets that call themselves ‘custom bike shops ‘ etc. Bangalore has a few old timers that specialise in RE’s and they won’t break the bank.

[pepega]

Sorry, just so that I understand this correctly, you were told that the final bill would be around 1 lakh, but the invoice you shared says the total is ~16k. Which one is it?

By 32% hike do you mean to say that you spent 1 lakh 32 thousand to make your bike look like this? Then it sounds like you were taken for a ride. But if the amount is closer to the invoice you shared, then for 15-16k, I don't know how much more to expect.

[amol4184]

I have mixed feelings. Wouldn't call chroming some parts as modification but for what it's worth, the bike in "after" photos looks better than "before". Not bad. Good for IG and such. Just don't take close up pics of shoddy craftsmanship.
The overall look also seems to conform to your requirement of almost stock look without going overboard.

The price though, how much was it in the end? I see a receipt thingy for roughly 17k which is typical of mod shops doing these things. There's no standard for custom items or process so I wouldn't fret about the hand scribbled bill. Not like there's going to be refund only if you have the receipt so it doesn't matter.

[RT13]

Ouch. Sorry man. The humour masks the pain but I feel it. Yours is a pretty basic facelift and didn’t require any serious custom Johnnies. The trauma apart, it wouldn’t cost a whole lot to get the paint job redone with good guys. A quality job using DuPont paint should set you back no more than 30-40k and will easily restore it to its glory. Personally, I would do it, as every time I’d look at my bike and what was done to it, it would deeply rankle. Life’s too short for that.

[Redex]

Hi,
The final photos make the bike look good, as for any bike photographed from a distance. This bike should have been stripped to the frame. If needed the frame should be painted. Each individual part that is refitted should be refurbished, painted or at least cleaned and polished, before refitting. I mean every part wiring loom, nuts and bolts, rubber hoses and grommets, foot peg and pedal rubbers etc etc.
Quite often old parts can be cleaned to look almost like new !!!
Zooming in on the photos you posted shows so many defects that could have been removed by clean, polish or paint.
Looking at your photo of the rear suspension, look behind and note the hose that runs through a rubber grommet. This part has not been touched and is still dirty, had it been taken off it would have been easy to clean and polish it. Then it would look almost new. It would only take a small amount of time and a few rupees for polish.
The points I have raised show a lack of care and zero attention to detail. The overall standard is what I would expect from an amateur with little knowledge working at home with basic tools. This is certainly not "professional" quality work !!!

[RevvedUpGuy]

Thank you all for your responses.

I'd like to clear the final cost part. Although I did mention just above the image that it's part of the bill, since I didn't mean to spam with too many pictures of the multi-page bill. My bad I used the wrong part of the bill. It should have been the final part of the bill. It's my mistake; I didn't notice the page-wise total in that image that could mislead readers.

It's too much of an effort to elaborate the experience if it were 16-17K. Furthermore, I would have been less concerned if I wasn't assured at the start that all parts will be sourced from geniune RE dealer and I will get a proper bill for it. The actual cost was 1,36,833/-

On the day of collection I was supposed to pay pending 25K amount of the 1 lakh planned. Now it was 25K + 36K. For those with deep pockets this might be absolutely okay. I might have scrubbed this off too if I would have had a good experience and lesser excuses.

Here's a few examples of experiences:

Since I was away I couldn't take good before pictures of my bike. I requested Jedi Customs to take a few. He did take a few but till this date I haven't got those.

I was assured that I'll get a replacement saree guard and backrest that you see in the before picture, later by courier. After a few follow-ups I learnt the parts were painted and ready, but surprise, surprise, I still haven't got them. After a month or so I stopped following up.

Does it look better than how it was previously? Absolutely yes! It wasn't painted for a decade and had been in parking for over 2 years since I was away.

The bike was indeed stripped to the frame and parts painted / replaced. Wiring changed,
nuts and bolts, rubber hoses and grommets.

Was I charged more, was I charged less or was I charged right? At this point It really doesn't matter. The intention here is to share the "experience" of getting bike restored. Before my words are misinterpreted, I'd like to make it clear that this is not to stereotype all professionals or all restorers. Rather this is more of a cautionary guide based on my experience that might assist someone looking forward to go this path.

The mistakes I mention are mine, as I learnt a few lessons. I often get emotionally carried away when it comes to my bike and cars and often end-up taking some hasty decisions.

I really appreciate the responses and wish that this post and the inputs shared by you all and others makes this a good guide or reference whenever someone plans to go this path.

[Roy.S]

They have managed to give you a final product which will get a bunch of likes on social media. In the real world it is a bike which has some seriously goofy paintwork and questionable accessories.

I'm also apalled by the seat which looks absolutely nothing like the concept they showed you.

At this stage cut your losses, live with the weird metal strip on the rear mudguard and the tank badges, use rubber washers to dampen the vibrations on the front number plate if possible, replace the seat with the touring seats from RE and get a new backrest.

[Cresterk]

They extorted the price of a new bike from you to ruin your existing bike. Such clowns are unfortunately everywhere these days. Out of the 1.3L you paid about 15k went to parts, 2k went to labour and the remaining money went to hyping themselves up on social media by paying influencers, youtubers and fake reviews.