Have you ever wanted something that doesn’t exist? Have you wanted it so badly that rather than wait for someone else to do it for you, you’ve gone out and made it yourself? People get tired of waiting, and some of the greatest success stories in history start this way. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention.
Ferruccio Lamborghini wanted a grand touring car more refined than a Ferrari, so he made his own. Simone Giertz wanted a Tesla pickup truck so she made Truckla (it’s far better looking than the Cybertruck, and Truckla actually exists). Thousands upon thousands of people around the world are waiting for Royal Enfield to release a scrambler based on their wildly popular 650cc twins platform. Tired of waiting, Ric Steele and the team at MotoMAX in Perth, Western Australia, have made this: The Regency Scrambler.
The Idea Behind the Regency Scrambler
Based on a brand new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, the bike was created for the 2022 Royal Enfield Australia/New Zealand Busted Knuckles Build-Off. MotoMAX are no strangers to BKBO, having won the Experts’ Choice Award in 2019 with their entry, Royal Steel.
In partnership with Billy and the team at Rogue Motorcycles, Royal Steel was a wild, over-the-top exercise in precision craftsmanship. This time around, Ric made the conscious decision to build the bike by himself, using only parts and tools that are readily available to the average bike owner.
Interestingly, the scrambler was sold before the project was finished. One day, a bloke by the name of Dave Iles was driving past MotoMAX, and a bike parked out the front caught his eye. On a whim, Dave pulled in and had a chat with Ric. Thanks to his late father, Dave had past experiences with Royal Enfields, so it seemed meant to be.
Resting on the showroom floor was the bike you see here, albeit without the custom paint and all the finishing touches. Seeing the potential in the project, Dave asked if he could buy it. The deal was done, and the bike was named after Regency Plaster Finishes—the company Dave owns and runs.
A Scrambler Made for Trails
Anyone who has spent time offroad on a bonafide dirt bike will attest to the benefits of a 21-inch front wheel. The larger diameter can roll over bumps in the road and the increased rotational inertia can help you through all types of terrain.
Street-oriented scramblers are far heavier than traditional dirt bikes, so when the pavement ends, they need all the help they can get. The 21” front wheel assembly and fork legs on the Regency Scrambler were donated by a Royal Enfield Himalayan and they fit perfectly. A vintage-style front mudguard was adapted to the Himalayan forks and bolted on. It protects the front of the engine from the dirt being flung about by the Pirelli MT21 Rallycross tyres.
Lighting the way through the trails is a Bates-style headlight from the extensive BAAK Motocyclettes bolt-on catalogue. Neatly recessed into the top of the headlight is a Motogadget Tiny speedometer. BAAK also supplied the headlight backing plate, handlebars and sump guard.
Ric milled down the stock triple clamps to get rid of the stock ignition mount and had it re-powder coated. BAAK now offers this exact same part for sale—so for anyone thinking about this conversion, you don’t need a mill.
The microscopic Atto indicators are from Kellerman and you’ll have to trust me when I say they are there. The front set is mounted underneath the clutch and brake levers, and the rear pair are tucked up under the frame loop, on the rear guard. Protecting the oil cooler is an Enfield Precision radiator guard from Precision Performance in the UK.
Finishing Touches on the Regency Scrambler
No custom build is complete without a fancy paint job, and this is no exception. The stock tank and new side covers were painted by Ryan Clayton at Custom Modifications in Malaga using the Regency Plaster Finishes colour scheme. The Royal Enfield logo was redesigned to match the Recency logo, and it’s little touches like this that I really love.
Officine Zard were put in charge of music duties, and they well and truly delivered with this flat track-inspired 2-2 high mount exhaust. Enfield’s overbuilt 270º parallel twin is a complete home run and unleashing them from emissions standards yields fantastic results.
The whole Zard system is over 10kg lighter than the stock exhaust, and the sound is pure aural pleasure. Under the curvaceous exhaust, Ric used a footpeg relocation kit that moves the pegs forward and down.
The seat is a stock unit, cut down and reupholstered. Ric wanted a Honda XT/vinduro look for the seat, so extra foam was added for that 80s/bread-loaf aesthetic. The new seat is sitting above an aluminium rear mudguard, which was modified to suit the bike.
Taller, beefier YSS shock absorbers smooth out the ride and keep the rear wheel planted. Due to the new 21” front wheel, they also raise the rear of the bike to correct the steering geometry.
The Regency Scrambler in the Real World
The first time I saw the Regency Scrambler in person was at the 2022 Adventure Riders Festival in Boyup Brook, Western Australia. I arrived (quite) late to the party, so I didn’t see the bike in action. However, what you see in these photos is how it ended up at the end of the day—covered in dirt and mud. As far as photos go, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
You wouldn’t design and build a new Formula One car only to put it on display in a museum where it will go 0km/h. They are designed with an intended purpose, and there is nothing better than seeing them being used.
The Regency Scrambler is a machine that everyone is crying out for, and I’m so glad that it’s gone to Dave. In a single weekend, he hit more trails than most people would in a year on their own scramblers. If that’s not proof enough for Royal Enfield to start building these so everyone can buy them, I don’t know what is.
