It’s one of the single greatest feats in motorcycle history, the great success of the Royal Enfield company, who relied almost exclusively on one engine design for decades. The single cylinder motors, with all of their modern updates, remain a fantastic power plant, but the arrival of their parallel twin machines added another impressive weapon to the arsenal. Customisers were quick to jump on board and now India’s MK Designs have set out to transform the look of the Royal Enfield 650 twins for those who like a classic sport bike appearance. And we are happy to report, not only do their fully faired transformation kits look the business, they work flawlessly too.
Based in the thriving city of Faridabad, just south of the nation’s capital Delhi, MK Designs is run by Milan Khurana, a highly credentialled man in Automotive design. But before he set up his own business, he knew the best path forward was to learn under the guidance of some of the industry’s very best and then once he’d done that, to build around him a team of experts. This has allowed Milan to not only produce a range of excellent aftermarket parts for a host of motorcycles but to also deliver to his customers full one-off builds.
But for his latest trick he sought to do something a little different, offer a complete conversion kit for the RE Twins that have proven so popular! “FF650 Cafe R is a full fairing kit that is a product designed, innovated & manufactured by MK DESIGNS INDIA. Following the design of Retro Modern aesthetics, the idea is to convert a naked cafe racer into a full-faired motorcycle with a bolt-on kit that is 100% Road Legal as per Indian Laws,” Milan told us. Royal Enfield might produce a range of great motorcycles in a host of categories, but given they don’t offer a fully faired bike, this seemed like a great market to tap into.
Experience has taught Milan that product quality and functionality are of absolute high priority to his globally based customers, and given the RE is a budget bike, there is no point selling conversion products worth more than the motorcycle itself. So, the challenge was set; create a high-quality full fairing kit, that could be bolted on easily at home by anyone half handy with the tools, it had to offer not only great looks but work to offer excellent wind protection and improved aerodynamics, and all sold at a good price.
The kit starts with the core front fender that includes the cowl area and sides that come halfway down the engine, the remainder of the front fairing is then the lower side covers and a full belly pan. By creating the whole fairing in just four parts, Milan has been able to achieve, sharp yet beautiful lines, while also making it very easy to bolt on. Material choice was another area that was tried and tested, and with durability and weight in mind, fibre-reinforced plastic proved to be the winner.
In behind the front fender, you can opt for either a traditional 5 ¾-inch headlight or a more modern looking LED item of the same size. With incredibly well thought out mounting hardware that makes it all a breeze to install, the total kit including full fairing, light, mounts and bolts is just 7kg. Even the full graphics package can be optioned, with this bike kitted out in a black and chrome finish with gold logos. Another option that has also been added to this particular build is the matching seat and rear cowl, both of which help to add to the racer appearance of the bike. You can also tick a range of options from the company too, with everything from pegs, frame sliders, endless taillight options and bash plates available.
With functionality in mind, there are some small, but very important changes that need to be made and these include new brackets to mount front and rear turn signals. You can either buy just the rear bracket or the mounts for all four corners and your choice will largely depend on local laws and whether you wish to run bar end indicators or even a 3 into 1 taillight that wouldn’t require any new mounts, but just the fitting of a fender eliminator kit. The final piece of the puzzle is to mount the clip-ons 25mm lower, with locking tabs provided to prevent them from slipping down the fork.
Looks will always be subjective, but this writer thinks they are absolutely sensational and give the RE a proper faired sport bike appearance. But the quality is there for all to see in the production and installation videos that MK Designs provide to their customers, not only is the kit easy to install but every step has been cleverly thought through and no corners are cut; which means you won’t have the nasty surprise of having to hack into your new RE.
So what does it cost to have an RE street racer of your own? At the time of publication, the full kit, including all fairings, rear cowl, mounting hardware, headlight and seat is just $600 USD, thanks to a very healthy current exchange rate, and postage is reasonably priced too. The big boys could learn a lot, when one clever Indian firm can offer so much, for so little.
[ MK Designs ]